Author, speaker and teacher
Ralph Keyes is an author, speaker and teacher. His 16 books deal with topics ranging from time pressure to human height. Keyes’s bestseller Is There Life After High School? was made into a Broadway musical that is still produced in this country and abroad. Since its 1995 publication his book The Courage to Write has become a standard work among aspiring writers in particular. Keyes’s recent books have focused on language. Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms is his latest.
Books
All sixteen books
Author
In addition to his many books, Ralph has written hundreds of articles and essays. One article he co-authored won the McKinsey Award for Best Article of the Year in the Harvard Business Review.
Read moreSpeaker
Ralph lectures on subjects such as “The Courage to Write,” “Is There Life After High School?” and “Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins.” Learn about the programs Ralph offers and his previous speeches.
Read moreMedia
Ralph has appeared often on NPR programs such as All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, and On the Media, and on television with Oprah Winfrey, The Today Show, The Tonight Show, ABC World News Tonight, and 20/20.
Read moreEtc
Ralph is often asked about how he writes his books, and where. Take a virtual tour of Ralph’s office, the archives that house his research materials, and his toaster museum.
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What's new
All newsSeptember 19, 2016
Ralph’s Antioch Review essay
“Smoking with Mom” has been named as a “Notable Essay” in The Best American Essays of 2016 .
September 19, 2016
Ralph essay about his grandmother,
“ Edith Tries to Smile ,” was published in a recent Antioch Review.
September 19, 2016
Ralph’s essay about book-signing,
“Inscriber’s Block,” is in the Spring 2016 issue of T he American Scholar .
September 19, 2016
At long last …
For years readers of Is There Life After High School? have asked Ralph to do an updated version . Done. It can be found as a Kindle title on Amazon.