Don't Miss

• Morrison's Gift Picks
• Holiday Catalog 2009
• NYRB Classics: Save 30%
• Paperback Favorites
  for Book Groups
• Springer Math Sale!
• Subscribe to Indiespensable

More at Powell's

• Featured Signed Editions
• Rare and Collectible Books
• eBooks | Audio | DVDs | Blu-ray

The Courage of Others

1. 
   $16.76 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

   La's Orchestra Saves the World

   Alexander McCall Smith

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Book News Annotation:

Synopsis:

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 3 comments:

Anna, April 24, 2006 (view all comments by Anna)
this book is a first, and a must-have. tom kealey not only fills the mfa-program-info-void with crucial, relevant, current information; he also offers guidance on the processes of choosing schools, applying, and even entering an mfa program.

as opposed to the awp guide (the former mfa-guide-standard) which provides nothing but empty cardboard stats, kealey's handbook is a trove of information about exactly what various programs have to offer and how they compare to each other. kealey's open, friendly tone and solid practicality will reassure the most anxious of applicants; he is at once both encouraging and sensible.

not only does he know his stuff, kealey is also extraordinarily generous with his knowedge, insights, and time; he has maintained a lively dialogue with readers/applicants over the handbook blog site. in this forum, he addresses specific questions, provides advice in even greater depth, and gathers applicants' input and info on to further augment the handbook's offerings. he takes readers' concerns very seriously, but what's more is that you can tell he truly cares about each person's little struggle. that's insanely rare.

this book is key; it provides a solid and desperately-needed resource for those considering a creative writing mfa.
it covers the entire decision process as well as providing a frameworks of expectations and snags to avoid during a program.

buy it.
use it.

and add your voice to the chorus of grateful mfa wannabes (like me!) for whom kealey has eased the entire process exponentially.

tom kealey rocks!

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(5 of 9 readers found this comment helpful)

report this comment

o. fortune, April 7, 2006 (view all comments by o. fortune)
This book is well-organized and easy to use.

I don't know how I would have survived the MFA application process without this useful guide.

If you are applying to graduate school in creative writing, you really do need to buy this book.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(6 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)

report this comment

Lapwing, April 5, 2006 (view all comments by Lapwing)
Most books like this -- graduate-school information repository slash career-help guide -- give you a set of facts about each school, such as degrees offered and the names of permanent faculty, and Kealey's book delivers nicely in this respect. But the real value of his guide to MFA programs, and the central reason it's a must-have for anyone considering a graduate degree in creative writing, is that he complements those facts with the kind of subjective, insider, at-times-almost-gossipy perspectives that only someone steeped in the world of MFA programs could provide (Kealey has an MFA from UMass-Amherst and was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford, where he now teaches). For instance, I didn't know that Iowa's legendary program admits a large number of students, or that its somewhat mysterious fellowship system creates significant tension between the haves and have-nots. There are insights like this on virtually every page. However: I don't want to create the impression that the book is a tissue of rumors and bad press for major programs. In fact, Kealey gives you a set of criteria for evaluating programs, with an emphasis on funding practices. If programs don't measure up, he explains why, in common-sense terms. An unexpected advantage of the book is that Kealey writes some very clear, engaging, and oddly "friendly" prose (check out his blog to see what I mean), and he invites other commentators, such as George Saunders (Syracuse gets a lot of "TV stories," he says), to lend their voices to the advice-giving as well. Bottom line: Reading this book is like getting an advanced degree in Applying to MFA Programs, and that has to be a good thing to have when tens of thousands of dollars, and years of one's life, are at stake.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(9 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)

report this comment

View all 3 comments

Product Details

ISBN:

9780826418173

Subtitle:

A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students

Author:

Kealey, Tom

Publisher:

Continuum International Publishing Group

Subject:

Writing Skills

Subject:

Composition & Creative Writing - Academic

Subject:

Graduate students

Subject:

Creative writing (Higher education)

Publication Date:

February 2006

Binding:

Paperback

Language:

English

Pages:

214

Dimensions:

7.72x5.14x.65 in. .55 lbs.