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Overview
Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List, and 1st Runner Up - Reference Category
Nautilus Book Awards, Silver Winner - Writing/Creative Process Category
Midwest Book Awards, Finalist - Reference Category
"The essential truths of excellent writing." The Judges of the Hoffer Awards
MFA in a Box is a different kind of book on creative writing--and, more broadly, on the creative process. Part craft talk, part philosophical tome, part literary criticism, part memoir, MFA in a Box is not so much a book about how to write as it is about why to write. In chapters that explore the relationships between the writer and love, grief, place, family, race, violence, and other topics, author and creative writing professor John Rember (Sudden Death Over Time, Traplines, Cheerleaders from Gomorrah) helps writers dive deep into their own writing. He tells them how they can breathe down there and how they can get back.
"A big part of writing involves grappling with the terrors and discouragements that come when you have writing skills but can't project yourself or your work into the future," says Rember. "My hope is that MFA in a Box will help writers balance the despair of writing with the joy of writing. It's a book designed to help you to find the courage to put truth into words and to understand that writing is a life-and-death endeavor--but that nothing about a life-and-death endeavor keeps it from being laugh-out-loud funny."
Praise for MFA in a Box:
"Beyond Burroway. This is the book for the serious student of writing." Jo-Ann Mapson, co-creator of the University of Alaska Low-Residency MFA Program
"Witty, audacious, and wise, MFA in a Box is a unique and valuable book that addresses the subject--and the life experience--of Creative Writing from both a practical perspective and in a manner so highly personable you'll read it like a memoir--and want to meet the author. Rember has the storyteller's magic. You'll be enthralled. And walk away a more astute and vibrant writer." Robin Metz, winner of the Rainer Maria Rilke International Poetry Award, Director of the Knox College Creative Writing Program
"For writers and teachers searching for rejuvenation in their work and affirmation of it, this book is a sacred read." Renee D'Aoust, Body of a Dancer
"Rember engages his readers in some of the issues every writer faces--writing about place, about family, about grief--not as problems to be overcome but as issues to be understood." Jeff Baker, Book Editor, The Oregonian
"Not your father's writer's manual. Rember's humor is dry, mordant, and merciless." Kent McDaniel, Windy City Reviews
"Could change the whole way you think about the process of writing." Sharon Harrigan, Walking on the Highway
"The best book I've read about writing and living the creative life." Gretchen Little, "A Book Review and More," Squidoo
"MFA in a Box should be on every writer's bookshelf." Randy Richardson, President, Chicago Writers Association
"Maybe not a book for the faint-hearted writer--unless you want to stop being faint-hearted." Richard P. Flanagan, Colby College
"There is such a wealth of life in each essay...deep, authentic stuff about relationships, politics, religion, mythology...and everything is discussed with such perfect humor. I love the Rules for Writers at the end of the chapters...really useful as well as entertaining. This book should be mandatory for any writing course, undergrad or graduate. This is so much more than a craft book...this is an inspiration. It makes me want to write, helps me find the courage to do so, and allows me see the purpose in the hard work of it." Rebecca Elgin, wolvesandwriting.com
"The best book I've read on why to write. Deep. Wise. Thoughtful. Informative. Hilarious." Adrienne Christian, author, editor, teacher, broadcast journalist
"Rember cleverly makes the reader dig into her own unconscious wisdom to recognize the true jewel at the center of a story. This book is not filled with rules and dogma to guide the writing process. Instead, an understanding of our relationship to our place on earth, acknowledging that our civilization is built on violence, and 'how the big moments in life require a witness,' impel us to infuse our stories with truth." The Judges of the Hoffer Awards
"John Rember is unafraid to stare down life's big questions, but does so always with a twinkle in the eye. Like the fool in King Lear's court, he will rap you on the noggin with a truth so sweet it hurts. If you don't close his book somehow transformed, you may well be un-transformable. Rember demonstrates time and again what it means to write as a fully engaged human being, teaching along the way that deep writing is deep living, and profound fun." Robert Peake, The Silence Teacher
Nautilus Book Awards, Silver Winner - Writing/Creative Process Category
Midwest Book Awards, Finalist - Reference Category
"The essential truths of excellent writing." The Judges of the Hoffer Awards
MFA in a Box is a different kind of book on creative writing--and, more broadly, on the creative process. Part craft talk, part philosophical tome, part literary criticism, part memoir, MFA in a Box is not so much a book about how to write as it is about why to write. In chapters that explore the relationships between the writer and love, grief, place, family, race, violence, and other topics, author and creative writing professor John Rember (Sudden Death Over Time, Traplines, Cheerleaders from Gomorrah) helps writers dive deep into their own writing. He tells them how they can breathe down there and how they can get back.
"A big part of writing involves grappling with the terrors and discouragements that come when you have writing skills but can't project yourself or your work into the future," says Rember. "My hope is that MFA in a Box will help writers balance the despair of writing with the joy of writing. It's a book designed to help you to find the courage to put truth into words and to understand that writing is a life-and-death endeavor--but that nothing about a life-and-death endeavor keeps it from being laugh-out-loud funny."
Praise for MFA in a Box:
"Beyond Burroway. This is the book for the serious student of writing." Jo-Ann Mapson, co-creator of the University of Alaska Low-Residency MFA Program
"Witty, audacious, and wise, MFA in a Box is a unique and valuable book that addresses the subject--and the life experience--of Creative Writing from both a practical perspective and in a manner so highly personable you'll read it like a memoir--and want to meet the author. Rember has the storyteller's magic. You'll be enthralled. And walk away a more astute and vibrant writer." Robin Metz, winner of the Rainer Maria Rilke International Poetry Award, Director of the Knox College Creative Writing Program
"For writers and teachers searching for rejuvenation in their work and affirmation of it, this book is a sacred read." Renee D'Aoust, Body of a Dancer
"Rember engages his readers in some of the issues every writer faces--writing about place, about family, about grief--not as problems to be overcome but as issues to be understood." Jeff Baker, Book Editor, The Oregonian
"Not your father's writer's manual. Rember's humor is dry, mordant, and merciless." Kent McDaniel, Windy City Reviews
"Could change the whole way you think about the process of writing." Sharon Harrigan, Walking on the Highway
"The best book I've read about writing and living the creative life." Gretchen Little, "A Book Review and More," Squidoo
"MFA in a Box should be on every writer's bookshelf." Randy Richardson, President, Chicago Writers Association
"Maybe not a book for the faint-hearted writer--unless you want to stop being faint-hearted." Richard P. Flanagan, Colby College
"There is such a wealth of life in each essay...deep, authentic stuff about relationships, politics, religion, mythology...and everything is discussed with such perfect humor. I love the Rules for Writers at the end of the chapters...really useful as well as entertaining. This book should be mandatory for any writing course, undergrad or graduate. This is so much more than a craft book...this is an inspiration. It makes me want to write, helps me find the courage to do so, and allows me see the purpose in the hard work of it." Rebecca Elgin, wolvesandwriting.com
"The best book I've read on why to write. Deep. Wise. Thoughtful. Informative. Hilarious." Adrienne Christian, author, editor, teacher, broadcast journalist
"Rember cleverly makes the reader dig into her own unconscious wisdom to recognize the true jewel at the center of a story. This book is not filled with rules and dogma to guide the writing process. Instead, an understanding of our relationship to our place on earth, acknowledging that our civilization is built on violence, and 'how the big moments in life require a witness,' impel us to infuse our stories with truth." The Judges of the Hoffer Awards
"John Rember is unafraid to stare down life's big questions, but does so always with a twinkle in the eye. Like the fool in King Lear's court, he will rap you on the noggin with a truth so sweet it hurts. If you don't close his book somehow transformed, you may well be un-transformable. Rember demonstrates time and again what it means to write as a fully engaged human being, teaching along the way that deep writing is deep living, and profound fun." Robert Peake, The Silence Teacher
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940012381149 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dream of Things |
| Publication date: | 07/15/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 272 |
| File size: | 297 KB |
About the Author
John Rember is a fourth-generation Idahoan. Recurring themes in his writing include the meaning of place, the impact of tourism on the West, and the weirdness of everyday life.
His book MFA in a Box: A Why to Write Book (Dream of Things: 2011) was recognized by the Nautilus Awards, Hoffer Awards and Midwest Book Awards as one of the best new books on creative writing. His memoir Traplines: Coming Home to Sawtooth Valley (Vintage: 2004) was named Idaho Book of the Year by the Idaho Library Association. He is also author of Cheerleaders from Gomorrah: Tales from the Lycra Archipelago (Confluence: 1994), and Coyote in the Mountains (Limberlost: 1989). His most recent book is Sudden Death, Over Time: Stories (Wordcraft of Oregon: 2012).
John has also published numerous articles and columns in magazines and newspapers, including Travel & Leisure, Wildlife Conservation, and The Huffington Post. He has been a professor of writing for many years, most recently as a core faculty member of the Pacific University MFA program (Forest Grove, Oregon). He is Writer at Large at The College of Idaho.
John lives in the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho.
His book MFA in a Box: A Why to Write Book (Dream of Things: 2011) was recognized by the Nautilus Awards, Hoffer Awards and Midwest Book Awards as one of the best new books on creative writing. His memoir Traplines: Coming Home to Sawtooth Valley (Vintage: 2004) was named Idaho Book of the Year by the Idaho Library Association. He is also author of Cheerleaders from Gomorrah: Tales from the Lycra Archipelago (Confluence: 1994), and Coyote in the Mountains (Limberlost: 1989). His most recent book is Sudden Death, Over Time: Stories (Wordcraft of Oregon: 2012).
John has also published numerous articles and columns in magazines and newspapers, including Travel & Leisure, Wildlife Conservation, and The Huffington Post. He has been a professor of writing for many years, most recently as a core faculty member of the Pacific University MFA program (Forest Grove, Oregon). He is Writer at Large at The College of Idaho.
John lives in the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho.
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