In Their Words explores the connections that bring Canada's writers together as a dynamic literary community. Included are Milton Acorn, Leonard Cohen, Timothy Findley, Irving Layton, Dorothy Livesay, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Eli Mandel, Brian Moore, Al Purdy, Elizabeth Smart, and Sheila Watson.

Includes index.

Poet as prophet /Irving Layton -- Working for the world to come / Leonard Cohen -- The marvel of reality / Timothy Findley -- Horses, buggies and cadillacs / James Reaney -- Unabashed romantic / Dorothy Livesay -- The quiet chronicler / Raymond Souster -- The magic of language / Gwendolyn MacEwen -- Double vision / Eli Mandel -- In the cause of the working-class / Milton Acorn -- The phony, the realistic and the genuine / Al Purdy -- Conjuring something new / Roo Borson -- It's what you say / Sheila Watson -- In celebration of the commonplace / Brian Moore -- Fact and emotional truth / Elizabeth Smart -- The interviewers / Meyer and O'Riordan.