The Creative Spark: How writers, musicians, chefs, and other artists found their voice and followed their dreams

Creative people have a certain spark: a brightness in their eyes, an inquisitive way of looking at the world, a desire to make things. But that spark doesn't reside solely in people you may view as creators. It's in all of us. The Creative Spark is a collection of interviews with some of the most creative people of our time: musicians, authors, visual artists and chefs. These makers speak about what drives them, what helps them to see the world in fresh ways, and what inspires them turn their visions into art. During the past decade, Michael Shapiro has interviewed some of our brightest creative luminaries. Among the authors are Amy Tan, David Sedaris, Barbara Kingsolver, Pico Iyer, and Frances Mayes. His work as a music journalist has led to interviews with legends including Smokey Robinson, Lucinda Williams, Graham Nash, Lyle Lovett, Melissa Etheridge, Merle Haggard, and Jethro Tull bandleader Ian Anderson. And he's spoken with creative masters in other field, such as director Francis Ford Coppola and comedian Joan Rivers. Yet it's not simply that Shapiro has had access to so many supremely talented and creative people — it's that he gets them to go deep. Moments into his conversation with Lucinda (her fans call her by her first name), she tells Shapiro about how decisions made about her mother's funeral led to fissures in her family. From this achingly personal conversation, readers can glean fresh insights into why Lucinda has such a devoted following and why her songs open listeners' hearts. There are people who you might not expect to find in this collection, such as explorer Jane Goodall, whose entire life has been a creative endeavor. Then there's San Francisco Giants announcer Mike Krukow, who turns every broadcast into a work of art. And there are a couple of chefs, such as SingleThread's Kyle Connaughton, who are transforming the way we approach fine dining. Unexpected revelations pop up in every chapter of The Creative Spark. Iowa folksinger Greg Brown isn't a household name, but his fellow musicians revere his poetic compositions. Each chapter starts with a short biography of the creative person being profiled then segues into Q+A. This collection brings together some of the best-known artists of our time with others who may not be as famed but who have something important to say about living an artful life. The Creative Spark stands as a testament to human achievement, showing how creativity illuminates our world and how it resides in each and every one of us, just waiting to break out.