Rosemary Sullivan is the preeminent literary biographer in Canada, having won several major awards, including the Governor General's Award, for her work. She has written about Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Smart, Theodore Roethke and Gwendolyn MacEwan. But in addition to the books she has written, she has penned hundreds of essays, memoirs and travel pieces. This collection brings together the best of these pieces. In these 17 essays, Rosemary Sullivan focuses on Atwood's childhood, meeting the eccentric and enigmatic Elizabeth Smart and hooking up with the boisterous Canadian poet Al Purdy. She also writes about the life of a literary biographer, what it takes to put together an anthology, like in Cuba, human rights and feminist issues. The writing is held together by Rosemary Sullivan's own personal stamp and personality. At times, the work is lyrical, which reflects the author's poetic background. Other times, Sullivan plays the scholar, but she is never pedantic. The work is lively, insightful and illuminating.