50 Books on My Book List from My Thesis

Two years really flies by fast when you're having fun. Or in my case, working to meet deadline after deadline. Yes, I am still bragging about the fact that I completed my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Degree. In addition to taking a bunch of classes, you might wonder what that includes, so I thought I would talk about that a little bit today. The answer: lots of reading, processing what you read, analyzing what you read, understanding why it's successful, and then trying to adapt these methods for yourself.

From my graduation shoot, me sitting by the fountain with a stack of books in my lap that I read during my academic career.

The "Official" Description of My Degree

If you asked me exactly what my degree meant to me, you might get a sentimental answer, such as, "Obtaining my degree meant accomplishing the goal that my inner child always wanted." That probably says more about me than it says about my degree.

So for the purpose of this blog post, I am going to pull from UCF's official description of my degree program. I've pulled it on May 21, 2024, so please note that this might adjust and change over time:

"The Creative Writing MFA offers a workshop-intensive program in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, emphasizing the art and craft of creative writing and concentrating on the student's written work. The program encourages hybrid and experimental forms.

The MFA program emphasizes the study of craft and published writing alongside the closely analyzed production of original work by students. Opportunities for professional development as writers, teachers, and editors abound. Our prolific, dedicated faculty members have won numerous prestigious awards for their work and have served as officers in national professional organizations. The MFA program in Creative Writing offers workshop courses in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, emphasizing the art and craft of creative writing and concentrating on the student's written work."

A blurry photo of me walking across the stage after I have obtained my Master's degree.

What Does That Have To Do with a Thesis?

So I wrote a lot, read a lot, and lost a lot of sleep. How is graduate school much different from normal school?

I would say that the difference is the concentrated study and the thesis project. In a scientific area of study like psychology, a thesis might look like a major research project coming together. For my MFA, my thesis project was a book-length creative project.

So, similar to how scientific research has to cite and reference previous scientific research to support or influence scientific discoveries, the books that I include in my thesis reading list had influence over what I wrote and the way I chose to write certain things. Some of these readings were assigned to me throughout my education, others I picked up because they interested me for one reason or another.

I've included all of the books on my reading list and have tried to link to (what I believe) is the best place to get them here. At some point, I plan to come back and link to my reviews and/or takeaways that I have from the books as well. If that is something you're interested in, feel free to save this post somewhere and check back from time to time.

I would also like to note that this list is in MLA style, the same way that it was listed at the end of my thesis project.

None of these are books on my thesis list, but I did have the opportunity to work on The Florida Review during my time in the MFA.

My Thesis Book List

This is a photo of my copy of Elissa Washuta's My Body is a Book of Rules, which I read poolside for class.

50 Books on My Book List from My Thesis

The "Official" Description of My Degree

What Does That Have To Do with a Thesis?

My Thesis Book List

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