Tom Bissell and his pleasingly argumentative style explore the privileges and pratfalls of creativity in this loose, erudite essay collection. “Escanaba’s Magic Hour” takes a look at the makings of a film in the writer's hometown, and forces Bissell to come to terms with his dislike of his fellow Escanabans. Another standout is “Grief and the Outsider”, which gives a tour of the workings of the Underground Literary Alliance, a group of frustrated aspiring novelists who take on the intelligentsia with admirable intensity and irrepressible immaturity.