As Rember notes in his introduction, “MFA in a Box is not a How to Write Book. It’s a Why to Write Book.” By exploring the relationships between the writer and love, grief, place, family, race and violence, Rember 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.” "Rember's MFA in a Box: A Why to Write Book is more than an advice book with a catchy title. What makes it different than the many, many books about writing on the market today is the way 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 (Portland) Oregonian, January 3, 2011 "Witty, audacious, and wise, John Rember's 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, author of Unbidden Angel , winner of the Rainer Maria Rilke International Poetry Award, and Director of the Program in Creative Writing at Knox College, January 1, 2011 "John Rember's MFA in a Box should be on every writer's bookshelf, right next to On Writing by Stephen King and other great books on the art and craft of creative writing." -- Randy Richardson, President, Chicago Writers Association -- (chicagowrites.org), January 2011 Nautilus Book Awards, Silver Winner - Writing/Creative Process Category --Nautilus Book Awards, May 14, 2011 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize Short List, and 1st Runner Up - Reference Category --Eric Hoffer Award, May 12, 2011 Midwest Book Awards, Finalist - Reference Category --Midwest Independent Publishers Association, May 12, 2011 John Rember lives and writes in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho. Recurring themes in his writing include the meaning of place, the impact of tourism on the West, and the fragility of industrial civilization. His books include  A Hundred Little Pieces on the End of the World;  Traplines: Coming Home to Sawtooth Valley ;  MFA in a Box: A Why to Write Book ;  Sudden Death, Over Time;  Cheerleaders from Gomorrah: Tales from the Lycra Archipelago; and  Coyote in the Mountains and Other Stories . Used Book in Good Condition