We invited several writers to consider their tribal associations. "What is your literary lineage?" we asked. "Who are your tribal elders, the writers from whom you've learned? Who are your contemporaries? your heirs? Does your tribe include your readers? In what ways are tribes useful? Are you ambivalent about them? Is tribal identification merely a label that has little bearing on writers and their work? Do tribes necessarily imply exclusivity? territoriality? Are you a loner? Do loners constitute a tribe?"
