Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses

Review by Heather, 2021-2022 Book Board Member

As a teacher of writing and as someone who loved to creatively express myself through words, this book has helped to fundamentally shift how I think about and approach writing. It provides insight and actionable ways to further decolonize the writing experience both inside and outside of the classroom. It gives the reader tools to interrogate the “acceptable” ways of viewing plot structure, characterization, and more, laying bare the power dynamics in our society that have deemed certain craft elements more “right” than others. Pairs excellently with Chavez’ “The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop.” Highly recommend!