A review by kelseyland
Devotion by Patti Smith

inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

In this brief volume, Patti Smith answers the prompt "Why I Write" by instead providing a test case, a model for the ways in which inspiration weaves itself into fiction. The first section describes the circumstances in which she wrote the short story that comprises the second section, while the final part serves as a coda and broader meditation on writing. The specifics--a French book tour, an invitation to stay at Albert Camus' house--are obviously things that Patti Smith gets to do because she's Patti Smith, but I think the process of creative germination and synthesis she models here is useful and instructive for any writer.