some of the best writers of the past quarter century--from Barry Lopez and Margo Jefferson to David Sedaris and Samantha Irby--selected by acclaimed essayist Phillip Lopate.

The first decades of the twenty-first century have witnessed a blossoming of creative nonfiction. In this extraordinary collection, Phillip Lopate gathers essays by forty-seven of America's best contemporary writers, mingling long-established eminences with newer voices and making room for a wide variety of perspectives and styles. The Contemporary American Essay is a monument to a remarkably adaptable form and a treat for anyone who loves fantastic writing.

Hilton Als - Nicholson Baker - Thomas Beller - Sven Birkerts - Eula Biss - Mary Cappello - Anne Carson - Terry Castle - Alexander Chee - Teju Cole - Bernard Cooper - Sloane Crosley - Charles D'Ambrosio - Meghan Daum - Brian Doyle - Geoff Dyer - Lina Ferreira - Lynn Freed - Rivka Galchen - Ross Gay - Louise Glück - Emily Fox Gordon - Patricia Hampl - Aleksandar Hemon - Samantha Irby - Leslie Jamison - Margo Jefferson - Laura Kipnis - David Lazar - Yiyun Li - Phillip Lopate - Barry Lopez - Thomas Lynch - John McPhee - Ander Monson - Eileen Myles - Maggie Nelson - Meghan O'Gieblyn - Joyce Carol Oates - Darryl Pinckney - Lia Purpura - Karen Russell - David Sedaris - Shifra Sharlin - David Shields - Floyd Skloot - Rebecca Solnit - Clifford Thompson - Wesley Yang

An Anchor Original.