Hemingway. Fitzgerald. Baldwin. Dorothy Parker. Charles Bukowski. Etheridge Knight. All writers whose legendary struggles with drugs and alcohol fostered the myth that substance abuse made for a creative life. Too many would-be artists have lost their lives as a result of this lie. Join three writers who made it into recovery discussing how sobriety has aided their creativity and has become a foundation for their success.

Cara Benson is author of the memoir An Armsfull of Birds: A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment. Other writing has appeared in The New York Times, Boston Review, Orion, Sierra Magazine, and selected for Best American Poetry.