Praise Grows for "The Orchardist"

The debut novel by 2005 MFA Program alum Amanda Coplin continues to garner praise. "The Orchardist," published by HarperCollins in early August 2012, has already landed on Publisher Weekly's top ten for fall list; O Magazine's top ten for fall 2012; and received rave reviews from The Washington Post, Seattle Times and Star Tribune. Coplin was also chosen for Barnes and Nobles "Discovr Great New Writers Series" for 2012. While in the program, Coplin studied with Edelstein-Keller Chair Charles Baxter. Baxter calls the book "patiently beautiful" and notes that "it does not feel like a first novel; it feels like a life's work." Coplin began the book while in the MFA Program. She will be on an extensive book tour throughout the fall and will be a guest during our "First Books" reading in March 2013.