||Though they later fell out, Richard Wright (left) provided encouragement to a young Ralph Ellison and got him the job that provided much of the material for Invisible Man.

On the vagaries and virtues of the literary mentorship—Miranda Hill talks with Rick Moody, Jim Shepard, Zsuzsi Gartner, Sarah Selecky, and John Burnside. 

| | Andrew Kolb
Why do complete strangers seek advice from people they hardly know? And likewise, how do advice columnists—who are rarely psychologists by training—justify their answers? Four of our favourites—Cheryl Strayed, Cary Tennis, Emily Yoffe and Lynn Coady—talk shop.