The texts we write are not visible until they are written. Like a creature coaxed from out a deep wood, the text reveals itself little by little. The maze evokes a multiplicity of approaches, the many tricks we employ to tempt the text hither.” writes Rikki Ducornet in her essay, “The Deep Zoo.” This book of essays is a convocation at the edge of that mystery, a meeting of minds passionate about words whose intent is to tempt language from the realms of imagination and experience onto the page. Our collection—navigating the confluences between novelist and poet, between short story and creative nonfiction writer—aims to encourage the technical and linguistic leaps that keep writers writing. To this end, we didn’t divide this collection into genres. By ordering alphabetically, we mean to allow readers to move through the slightly familiar into the unfamiliar. We’ve selected pieces that will be useful to writers at different levels of experience as well as to teachers of writing. We offer this collection to inspire your imagination and tune your craft as you make that leap from “What if?” to the page