I would like to express my gratitude to the National Endowment for the Arts; the Corporation of Yaddo; the Illinois Arts Council; and the Department of English, School of Humanities and Center for Advanced Study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for generous support during the writing of this book. For their support, counsel and friendship during the writing of this book, I’d like to offer my thanks and appreciation to Robert Olen Butler, Maria Guarnaschelli, Oscar Hijuelos, Sandy Huss, Margot Livesey, Greg Michalson, Robert Dale Parker, and Geri Thoma. As always, my deepest thanks and love go to my wife, Alma Gottlieb, and our two children, Nathaniel and Hannah.