Graduate Life, The Life

Catching My Breath

Unlike some schools, Columbia College Chicago's winter break lasts a really long time. This year's fall semester officially ended December 18 and the spring semester won't begin until January 25. A month. That's a pretty nice chunk of time. What does a second year graduate MFAer do? Read more of my latest post for Columbia College… Continue reading Catching My Breath

The Books

Reaping the Rewards of Close Reading

The very first day of my Critical Reading and Writing: Short Story Writers class last semester, my teacher had us read "Close Reading," the first chapter from Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer, and "Good Readers and Good Writers" by Vladimir Nabokov.  My courses stressed the importance of "reading closely," -- like a writer, not a… Continue reading Reaping the Rewards of Close Reading