MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
By: Chad Harbach
4.51
Format: 192 pages, Paperback
Writers write--but what do they do for money? In a widely read essay entitled "MFA vs NYC," bestsel…
Want to ReadIf you liked the essays plot in MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction by Chad Harbach , here is a list of 11 books like this:
1. Slouching Towards Bethlehem
By: Joan Didion
4.19
Format: 238 pages, Paperback
The first nonfiction work by one of the most distinctive prose stylists of our era, Joan Didion's S… read more
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- nonfiction
- essays
"Happiness is,' after all, a consumption ethic."-Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
"There is a common superstition that “self-respect"-Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
"The ability to think for one's self depends upon one's mastery of the language."-Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
"The future always looks good in the golden land, because no one remembers the past."-Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
2. Citizen: An American Lyric
By: Claudia Rankine
4.27
Format: 169 pages, Paperback
A provocative meditation on race, Claudia Rankine's long-awaited follow up to her groundbreaking bo… read more
Want to Read $ 9.99Similar categories in Claudia Rankine's Citizen: An American Lyric book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- essays
"You can't drive yourself sane."-Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
"Memory is a tough place. You were there."-Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
"That's the bruise the ice in the heart was meant to ice."-Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
"The past is a life sentence, a blunt instrument aimed at tomorrow."-Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric
3. Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse
By: Anne Carson , Stesichorus
4.27
Format: 160 pages, Paperback
The award-winning poet Anne Carson reinvents a genre in Autobiography of Red, a stunning work that … read more
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"Under the seams runs the pain."-Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse
"There is no person without a world."-Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse
"Don't want to be free want to be with you."-Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse
"Sometimes a journey makes itself necessary."-Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse
4. When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
By: Jericho Brown , None , Chen Chen
4.26
Format: 96 pages, Paperback
In this ferocious and tender debut, Chen Chen investigates inherited forms of love and family—the s… read more
Want to Read $ 9.99Similar categories in Jericho Brown's When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
"What is it, to remember nothing, of what one loved?"-Jericho Brown, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
"But sometimes no one said anything & I saw him, the local paper boy on his route. His beanstalk frame & fragile bicycle. & I knew: we would be so terribly happy."-Jericho Brown, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
"My mother was in the hospital & everyone wanted to be my friend. But I was busy making a list: good dog, bad citizen, short skeleton, tall mocha. Typical Tuesday. My mother was in the hospital & no o…"-Jericho Brown, When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities
5. The Crying of Lot 49
By: Thomas Pynchon
3.69
Format: 152 pages, Paperback
Suffused with rich satire, chaotic brilliance, verbal turbulence and wild humor, The Crying of Lot … read more
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"As if the dead really do persist, even in a bottle of wine."-Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
"Death glided by, shadowless, among the empties on the grass."-Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
"I am having a hallucination now, I don't need drugs for that."-Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
"the casting had been typically Hollywood: they didn't look or act a bit alike."-Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
6. Can't and Won't: Stories
By: Lydia Davis
3.86
Format: 445 pages, Hardcover
Here is a new collection of short stories from the writer Rick Moody has called "the best prose sty… read more
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7. Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living
By: Manjula Martin
3.70
Format: None pages,
A collection of essays from today's most acclaimed authors--from Cheryl Strayed to Roxane Gay to Je… read more
Want to ReadSimilar categories in Manjula Martin's Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- books about books
- writing
- essays
8. The Writing Life
By: Annie Dillard
3.26
Format: 212 pages, Paperback
Annie Dillard has written eleven books, including the memoir of her parents, An American Childhood;… read more
Want to ReadSimilar categories in Annie Dillard's The Writing Life book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- crafts
- nonfiction
- writing
- essays
9. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
By: John Gardner
4.01
Format: 30 pages, Paperback
This classic guide, from the renowned novelist and professor, has helped transform generations of a… read more
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- nonfiction
- writing
- reference
- crafts
- essays
10. MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
By: Chad Harbach
4.51
Format: 192 pages, Paperback
Writers write--but what do they do for money? In a widely read essay entitled "MFA vs NYC," bestsel… read more
Want to ReadSimilar categories in Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- new york
- nonfiction
- writing
- essays
- crafts
- reference
- books about books
11. Bird by Bird
By: Anne Lamott
4.24
Format: 238 pages, Paperback
A newer edition of this title can be found here. "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten… read more
Want to Read $ 13.99Similar categories in Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- writing
- reference
- crafts
- essays
"Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird."-Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
"A writer paradoxically seeks the truth and tells lies every step of the way."-Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
"You don't always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it too."-Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
"If your wife locks you out of the house, you don't have a problem with your door."-Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
12. CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
By: George Saunders
3.87
Format: 291 pages, Paperback
Six short stories and a novella. Set in a dystopian near-future in which America has become little … read more
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13. The Elements of Style
By: E.B. White , William Strunk Jr.
4.18
Format: 105 pages, Hardcover
This style manual offers practical advice on improving writing skills. Throughout, the emphasis is … read more
Want to Read $ 2.99Similar categories in E.B. White's The Elements of Style book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- writing
- reference
"He owned"-E.B. White, The Elements of Style
"To achieve style, begin by affecting none."-E.B. White, The Elements of Style
"Writers will often find themselves steering by stars that are disturbingly in motion."-E.B. White, The Elements of Style
"When you say something, make sure you have said it. The chances of your having said it are only fair."-E.B. White, The Elements of Style
14. Fences (The Century Cycle #6)
By: August Wilson
4.23
Format: 690 pages,
Soon to be a Major Motion Picture directed by Denzel Washington, and starring Denzel Washington and… read more
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15. A Visit from the Goon Squad
By: Jennifer Egan
3.57
Format: 416 pages, Hardcover
Jennifer Egan's spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging f… read more
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16. Application for Release from the Dream: Poems
By: Tony Hoagland
4.33
Format: None pages, Paperback
The eagerly awaited, brilliant, and engaging new poems by Tony Hoagland, author of What Narcissism … read more
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17. Wednesday's Child: Stories
By: Yiyun Li
3.75
Format: 256 pages, Hardcover
A new collection—about loss, alienation, aging, and the strangeness of contemporary life—by the awa… read more
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18. Weather
By: Jenny Offill
3.55
Format: 208 pages, Hardcover
Lizzie Benson slid into her job as a librarian without a traditional degree. But this gives her a v… read more
Want to Read $ 4.99Similar categories in Jenny Offill's Weather book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
"How do you know all this?"-Jenny Offill, Weather
"They say when you're lonely you start to lose words."-Jenny Offill, Weather
"Later, I remember to tell Ben about the girl. “Seconds!"-Jenny Offill, Weather
"If only I’d remembered that old proverb: When three people say you are drunk, go to sleep. "-Jenny Offill, Weather
19. The Friend
By: Sigrid Nunez
3.77
Format: 212 pages, Paperback
A moving story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her do… read more
Want to Read $ 13.99Similar categories in Sigrid Nunez's The Friend book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
"I like that the Aborigines say dogs make people human"-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend
"I know this is all moronically anthropomorphic, but sometimes that is the form love takes."-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend
"Anthropomorphism, I've decided, is inescapable, and though I might try to hide it I no longer fight it."-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend
"There's a certain type of person who, having read this far, is anxiously wondering: Does something bad happen to the dog?"-Sigrid Nunez, The Friend
20. Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts
By: Matt Bell
4.46
Format: 168 pages, Paperback
They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done… read more
Want to Read $ 9.99Similar categories in Matt Bell's Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- writing
- reference
- crafts
- essays
21. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World
By: Malcolm Harris
3.90
Format: 720 pages, Hardcover
The first comprehensive, global history of Silicon Valley, from railroad capitalists to microchip a… read more
Want to Read $ 11.99Similar categories in Malcolm Harris's Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
22. Uncanny Valley
By: Anna Wiener
3.64
Format: 281 pages, Hardcover
The prescient, page-turning account of a journey in Silicon Valley: a defining memoir of our digita… read more
Want to Read $ 9.99Similar categories in Anna Wiener's Uncanny Valley book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
"Tech, for the most part, wasn't progress. It was just business."-Anna Wiener, Uncanny Valley
"if personalised playlists were full of sad singers and song writers, I could only blame myself for getting algorithm depressed."-Anna Wiener, Uncanny Valley
"The platforms designed to accommodate and harvest infinite data inspired infinite scroll...people were saying nothing and saying it all the time."-Anna Wiener, Uncanny Valley
"I felt rising frustration and resentment. I was frustrated because I felt stuck, and I was resentful because I was stuck in an industry that was chipping away at so many things I cared about."-Anna Wiener, Uncanny Valley
23. Woman Without Shame: Poems
By: Sandra Cisneros
4.11
Format: 176 pages, Hardcover
A brave new collection of poems from Sandra Cisneros, the best-selling author of The House on Mango… read more
Want to Read $ 11.99Similar categories in Sandra Cisneros's Woman Without Shame: Poems book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
24. Motherhood
By: Sheila Heti
3.66
Format: 304 pages, Hardcover
From the author of How Should a Person Be? (“one of the most talked-about books of the year”—Time M… read more
Want to Read $ 11.99Similar categories in Sheila Heti's Motherhood book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
"Maybe motherhood means honoring one's mother."-Sheila Heti, Motherhood
"Alone, one feels the whole universe, and none of one's personality."-Sheila Heti, Motherhood
"To fit oneself into the smallest spaces in the hopes of being loved -that is entirely womanly"-Sheila Heti, Motherhood
"The Jewish religion says it's not a child until it's two-thirds out of the woman's body--until the head has completely emerged."-Sheila Heti, Motherhood
25. How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
By: Alexander Chee
4.39
Format: 277 pages, Paperback
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel is the author’s manifesto on the entangling of life, literat… read more
Want to Read $ 14.99Similar categories in Alexander Chee's How to Write an Autobiographical Novel book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- writing
- essays
"Destroying art is practice for destroying people."-Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
"A novel, should it survive, protects what a missile can't."-Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
"...books were still to me as they had been when I found them: the only magic."-Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
"My first novel was not the first one I started. It was the first one I finished."-Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
26. The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work
By: Simone Stolzoff
4.17
Format: 272 pages, Hardcover
"Superb."—Oliver Burkeman A challenge to the tyranny of work and a call to reclaim our lives fro… read more
Want to Read $ 9.99Similar categories in Simone Stolzoff's The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
"We shouldn’t work less just because it allows us to be better workers. We should work less because it allows us to be better humans."-Simone Stolzoff, The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work
27. The Leaving Season: A Memoir in Essays
By: Kelly McMasters
4.23
Format: 304 pages, Hardcover
A memoir in intimate essays navigating marriage and motherhood, art and ambition, grief and nostalg… read more
Want to Read $ 9.99Similar categories in Kelly McMasters's The Leaving Season: A Memoir in Essays book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- essays
28. Manhunt
By: Gretchen Felker-Martin
3.54
Format: 296 pages, Paperback
Y: The Last Man meets The Girl With All the Gifts in Gretchen Felker-Martin's Manhunt, an explosive… read more
Want to Read $ 12.99Similar categories in Gretchen Felker-Martin's Manhunt book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
"It was actually good that the world had ended, because now no one could make her play Settlers of Catan."-Gretchen Felker-Martin, Manhunt
"Later, she thought, in a moment of terrible clarity, each of us will tell herself the other was the one who pulled the trigger."-Gretchen Felker-Martin, Manhunt
"But I think mostly I just wanted her to … make me real, the way you’re real when the beautiful people look at you, and talk to you, and let you fuck them."-Gretchen Felker-Martin, Manhunt
"He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and she let him hold her close among the falling leaves and relished the illusion that, if only for a little while, she was safe."-Gretchen Felker-Martin, Manhunt
29. Soft Science
By: Franny Choi
3.93
Format: 100 pages, Paperback
Soft Science explores queer, Asian American femininity. A series of Turing Test-inspired poems grou… read more
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"having been hurt before"-Franny Choi, Soft Science
"fiended; fell for another"-Franny Choi, Soft Science
"it's too late to stop smiling."-Franny Choi, Soft Science
"shouldn't a god have blood to lose"-Franny Choi, Soft Science
30. Where Reasons End
By: Yiyun Li
3.76
Format: 170 pages, Hardcover
A fearless writer confronts grief and transforms it into art, in a book of surprising beauty and lo… read more
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"If we don’t have to earn our time, how easily we squander it."-Yiyun Li, Where Reasons End
"Sadness is a helpless garrison against the blindness of tragedy."-Yiyun Li, Where Reasons End
"Not knowing is okay, he had once said, but pretending to know is not."-Yiyun Li, Where Reasons End
31. Make It Scream, Make It Burn
By: Leslie Jamison
3.93
Format: 272 pages, Hardcover
A new collection of essays about obsession and longing from Leslie Jamison, the New York Times best… read more
Want to Read $ 14.99Similar categories in Leslie Jamison's Make It Scream, Make It Burn book and Chad Harbach's MFA vs. NYC: The Two Cultures of American Fiction
- nonfiction
- essays
"I am human: nothing human is alien to me."-Leslie Jamison, Make It Scream, Make It Burn
"Every paradise is made possible by blindness."-Leslie Jamison, Make It Scream, Make It Burn
"Don't assume the contours of another person's heart. Don't assume its desires."-Leslie Jamison, Make It Scream, Make It Burn
"[...] one more definition of love: committing to a story you can't fully imagine when it begins."-Leslie Jamison, Make It Scream, Make It Burn
