Several e-mails asked (or lectured) me about my use of the word "lyrist" to denote the person who writes the lyrics for a Broadway show. I have always subscribed to the theory that anything you can find in any real dictionary is fair game. More recently, I have come to believe that the Microsoft Encarta World English Dictionary on my computer is the definitive authority when I don't feel like getting up to consult actual books. Anyway, Encarta says it's either "lyricist" or "lyrist" so one can use either.
Since "lyrist" can also apply to a person who plays the lyre, I would ordinarily decide to use the unambiguous "lyricist." However, my favorite person who had that occupation, Alan Jay Lerner, used to always insist that "lyrist" was the proper word for what he did. So after I read that, I began to use that word.
Interestingly the Encarta dictionary actually has "Alan Jay Lerner" as a listing and he is described thusly: "U.S. playwright and lyricist. He collaborated with Frederick Loewe on several musicals including My Fair Lady (1956) and Camelot (1960)." There's also a listing for Loewe.