Editors sought out Elkin’s essays for popular magazines, literary journals, government studies, fine press books, anthologies and more. Sometimes Elkin blurred the line between nonfiction and fiction, even when he was ostensibly writing about himself. Many of these works would appear in Pieces of Soap, sometimes further edited or with altered titles. See “Joan Elkin’s Visual Art: Collages” for more examples of Elkin’s commissioned essays published in magazines.