The Kindle title is not currently available for purchase
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the authors

Randon Billings Noble
+ Follow
Laurie Easter
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

A Harp in the Stars: An Anthology of Lyric Essays Kindle Edition

by Randon Billings Noble (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 ratings
See all formats and editions
2021 Foreword Indies Honorable Mention for Essays

This is a fixed format ebook

What is a lyric essay? An essay that has a lyrical style? An essay that plays with form in a way that resembles poetry more than prose? Both of these? Or something else entirely? The works in this anthology show lyric essays rely more on intuition than exposition, use image more than narration, and question more than answer. But despite all this looseness, the lyric essay still has responsibilities—to try to reveal something, to play with ideas, or to show a shift in thinking, however subtle. The whole of a lyric essay adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

In A Harp in the Stars, Randon Billings Noble has collected lyric essays written in four different forms—flash, segmented, braided, and hermit crab—from a range of diverse writers. The collection also includes a section of craft essays—lyric essays about lyric essays. And because lyric essays can be so difficult to pin down, each contributor has supplemented their work with a short meditation on this boundary-breaking form.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    311 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    Not Enabled
  4. Publisher
    University of Nebraska Press
  5. Publication date
    October 13, 2021
  6. File size
    24818 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Not Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Not Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Editorial Reviews

Review

"These are literary dishes to savor slowly and thoroughly, in order to fully appreciate their ingredients, as you enter into the experience that each passage offers. This is a resource that writers, students, teachers, and readers can refer to again and again, whether in search of instruction, inspiration, or a new way of interpreting their lives."—Fran Levin, nycbigcitylit.com

“Perhaps the best way to define the lyric essay—a notoriously borderless, slippery literary form—is to gather several dozen finely written examples that invite the reader to engage in acts of mapping and naming themselves. This anthology does just that, with the added bonuses of thought-provoking craft pieces with decidedly lyric bents and a special attention to intersections of the lyric and the personal. I can easily imagine assigning this book in any forward-thinking class, graduate or undergraduate, that involves writing or analyzing expressive prose.”—Elena Passarello, author of Let Me Clear My Throat: Essays

"Whether a product of the limbic system of the brain, where emotions and memories are processed, or of a conscious response to formal constraints, the lyric essay is highly attuned and deeply suited to making sense of things. A Harp in the Stars helps the reader make sense of things. Its neon flashes: You are not alone."—Alison Powell, Colorado Review

“I’ve been searching for a book like this for over twenty years. Its remarkable dazzle—a sharp, eclectic anthology combined with whip-smart craft essays—carves out a fascinating look into the bright heart of what the lyric essay can be.”—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders

"This anthology is a treasure chest of daring ways to take one's voice to the page."—Celia Jeffries, Brevity Published On: 2022-03-21

"The contributions represent a range of experiences and each essay brings a different perception of the form of a lyric essay. . . . I highly recommend A Harp in the Stars edited by Randon Billings Noble for those interested in writing and reading lyric essays."—Alexa Josaphouitch, Hippocampus Magazine Published On: 2022-01-11

“Randon Billings Noble has assembled a stellar collection of lyric essays that truly highlights the best these forms have to offer. This book will be pulled from my shelf again and again—for my own reading and as a resource for my students.”—Brenda Miller, author of An Earlier Life

About the Author

Randon Billings Noble is on the faculty of the MFA in Nonfiction Program at Goucher College and teaches in the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program at West Virginia Wesleyan College. She is the author of Be with Me Always: Essays (Nebraska, 2019) and the chapbook Devotional.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08ZHQMQGW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Nebraska Press (October 13, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 13, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 24818 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 311 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1496217748
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Randon Billings Noble

    Randon Billings Noble

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Randon Billings Noble is an essayist. Her collection Be with Me Always was published by the University of Nebraska Press in 2019 and her anthology of lyric essays, A Harp in the Stars, was published by Nebraska in 2021. Her work has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes, listed as Notable in The Best American Essays, and has appeared in the Modern Love column of The New York Times, Brevity, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. A Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation Creative Fellow, she has been a resident at The Millay Colony for the Arts, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Hambidge, and the Vermont Studio Center. She is also the founding editor of the online literary magazine After the Art.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Laurie Easter

    Laurie Easter

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Laurie Easter is the author of All the Leavings (Oregon State University Press, 2021), a 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award winner and 2022 IAN Book of the Year Award finalist. Her essays have been honored with fellowships by the Vermont Studio Center and Playa, nominated for a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net Award, and listed as Notable in The Best American Essays 2015. Her work appears in Brevity, The Rumpus, Chautauqua, Under the Gum Tree, and Hippocampus Magazine, among other literary journals and anthologized in The Shell Game: Writers Play with Borrowed Forms and A Harp in the Stars: An Anthology of Lyric Essays (forthcoming Fall, 2021), both published by University of Nebraska Press. She holds degrees from Southern Oregon University and Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives off-the-grid on the edge of wilderness in Southern Oregon.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
44 global ratings
warning: text formats do not translate to Kindle
3 Stars
warning: text formats do not translate to Kindle
Accessed the Kindle edition and was surprised to see the text would not adapt to Kindle preferences for type size, margins, etc, due to the imaginative constructions of some essays presented with creative layouts (organic text block shapes, etc - see photo). The text is essentially like 2 or 3-point type, and while some pages could be enlarged, awkwardly, margins would not adjust, rendering the ebook virtually unreadable. Hope to get my hands on a print copy of the book at some point, sounds like an intriguing collection.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

jolynn
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for aspiring writers
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
The collection has a good mixture of styles of non-fiction essays. It shows a wide range of topics and helps readers understand the elusive "lyric" essay.
A must have for inspiration and exploration of the personal essay.
Helpful
 Report
Dana Delibovi
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal!
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
Reading this book is a master class in lyric essay/creative nonfiction! Recommend it.
Helpful
 Report
Jennifer Apostol
5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the best, most provocative nonfiction I have read in recent years.
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
Both a primer on the lyric essay showcasing an array of beautiful, inventive approaches to the form, as well as a helpful guide with insightful craft essays that illuminate a writer’s process.
If you are a writer, a student of nonfiction, or just enjoy reading original, gorgeous prose there is much to admire and inspire here. Randon Billings Noble has put together a great anthology I will return to again and again.
Helpful
 Report
Anne Liu Kellor
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent lyric essay collection
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is the best collection of lyric essays I've yet to read, highlighting the innovation of the form and collecting together so many wonderful voices. I also appreciate how this anthology points out the overlap between the subgenres of lyric essays, and has craft essays at the end; as such it is a great teaching tool. If you are curious about hermit crab essays, flash nonfiction, or the power of segmented/fragmented essays, start here.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Sharlene K
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Writing
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
This collection of short nonfiction is beautifully written by all the authors. It's a collection you can dip into at intervals, but they were so lovely, I read the whole book all the way through. The pieces are thoughtful, lyrical & include many topics & ideas.
Helpful
 Report
Robert Lunday
1.0 out of 5 stars Unreadable on Kindle
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
The Kindle version won't allow font size adjustment -- the text is so small it's unreadable.
Helpful
 Report
RLR
3.0 out of 5 stars warning: text formats do not translate to Kindle
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2022
Accessed the Kindle edition and was surprised to see the text would not adapt to Kindle preferences for type size, margins, etc, due to the imaginative constructions of some essays presented with creative layouts (organic text block shapes, etc - see photo). The text is essentially like 2 or 3-point type, and while some pages could be enlarged, awkwardly, margins would not adjust, rendering the ebook virtually unreadable. Hope to get my hands on a print copy of the book at some point, sounds like an intriguing collection.
Customer image
RLR
3.0 out of 5 stars warning: text formats do not translate to Kindle
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2022
Accessed the Kindle edition and was surprised to see the text would not adapt to Kindle preferences for type size, margins, etc, due to the imaginative constructions of some essays presented with creative layouts (organic text block shapes, etc - see photo). The text is essentially like 2 or 3-point type, and while some pages could be enlarged, awkwardly, margins would not adjust, rendering the ebook virtually unreadable. Hope to get my hands on a print copy of the book at some point, sounds like an intriguing collection.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Casperina
5.0 out of 5 stars Just Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
Indulgent literary collection. I can't read it straight through, but each essay is another wonder. I never studied literature, so this collection has been a real treat for me.
Helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report