The Creative Spark

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 seen as creators. It's in all of us some of us just use that inherent spark more than others. In the following 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, Anne Lamott, David Sedaris, Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Rice, 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, and Jethro Tull bandleader Ian Anderson. Yet it's...