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Tom Kealey

トム・キーリー

Tom Kealey

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Writer, Lecturer
Active Years
2001-
Affiliations
Stanford University (Jones Lecturer), Stanford University (Stegner Fellow, 2001–2003)

Education

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Creative Writing
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award (2001) while at UMass Amherst

Awards

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2012
Work: Thieves I've Known
Organization: University of Georgia Press (Flannery O'Connor Award)
Result: Winner
Joseph Henry Jackson Award
2005
Work: Coyotes (manuscript)
Organization: San Francisco Foundation
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Thieves I've Known

2013 Short story collection

A collection of short stories that offers detailed character portrayals and explores themes of past, loss, and interpersonal relationships.

memorylossrelationships

The Creative Writing MFA Handbook

2006 Non-fiction (handbook)

A practical guide for prospective and current creative writing MFA students, offering advice on applications, coursework, and craft.

educationcreative practicecareer

Bibliography

  • Thieves I've Known (University of Georgia Press, 2013)
  • The Creative Writing MFA Handbook (Continuum Publishing, 2006)
  • "Arrowhead" (online story, co-written with Chris Baty)
  • "Nobody" (published in The Rumpus)
  • "826 Valencia Days" (published in The Rumpus)
  • Coyotes (manuscript; Joseph Henry Jackson Award, 2005)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realist, detailed character-focused proseQuiet, restrained narrative voice
Recurring Motifs
memory and the pastmentorship relationshipssmall losses and renewal

Legacy

Tom Kealey is recognized as a short story writer and contributor to creative writing education, notable for winning the Flannery O'Connor Award and teaching at Stanford. His stories are praised for detailed character work and subtle explorations of everyday life.

Trivia

  • Serves as a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University.
  • Was a Stegner Fellow from 2001–2003.
  • Thieves I've Known won the Flannery O'Connor Award and was named one of NPR's Great Reads in 2013.