Summary

Elizabeth Gilbert opens the book by introducing readers to a poet, unrelated to her, named Jack Gilbert. She uses Jack Gilbert as an example of a person who treated his creativity "as a devotional practice" (3). Elizabeth Gilbert discovered Jack after he had taken a temporary teaching position at the University of Tennessee. A year later, Elizabeth Gilbert took the same job. In his vacated office, she found the books and poems of Jack Gilbert and fell in love with his writing. From his work, and their shared students, she learned about his philosophy toward creativity. Above all else, "he asked his students to be brave" (6). Both Gilberts concluded that bravery is essential to living a rich, full, creative life.

Elizabeth Gilbert believes that everyone has buried treasures of creativity within them, but they need courage to find them and bring them out...