Section 1, Essays Summary

"Possession"

The essay begins with a definition of possession, "the holding or having of something of one's own." The author refers to a half-waking dream she had of a phrase ("this is the death of the last negro man in the whole entire world") that became the title of a play (see Section 5). She also discusses her process of writing (see "Quotes," p. 3), and why she writes, referring specifically to what writing for the theatre means to her (see "Quotes," p. 4).

"Elements of Style"

In this collection of mini-essays, the author offers impressions of contemporary theatre (see "Quotes," p. 6), suggests that every playwright begin by asking why a story needs to be expressed in the form of a play, and comments that form defines content and vice versa, using her own identity as an illustration (see "Quotes," p. 8). She discusses her...