Department News

Jessica Treadway wins the 2009 Flannery O'Connor Short Fiction Award

The University of Georgia Press is pleased to announce Jessica Treadway as the winner of the 2009 Flannery O’Connor Short Fiction Award for her manuscript Please Come Back to Me. The award recognizes a superlative book-length collection of short fiction and includes a cash prize of $1000 and publication by the University of Georgia Press.

In most of the stories in her winning collection Please Come Back to Me, the line between parents, partners, and children is strictly drawn; there are perspectives from all sides, but very little empathy in between. Treadway has previously published a collection of stories, Absent Without Leave (Delphinium) and a novel, And Give You Peace (Greywolf).

Lise Haines' new book Girl in the Arena hits bookstores on October 13

From the American Library Association: “Vividly rendered, this story of self-determination, loss, grief, and survival is set in a contemporary but alternative world permeated with virtual reality and an extreme-sport gladiator subculture. Eighteen-year-old pacifist Lyn has no intention of becoming a traditional gladiator’s wife. Then her stepdad, Tommy, is killed in an arena fight, and she faces an impossible choice: to follow the corporate-run Gladiator Sports Association’s rules, which require her to marry his competitor, Uber; or to protect her family’s future by entering the arena herself, with possibly devastating consequences. Referencing history and pop culture, Lyn’s droll, sometimes poignant first-person narrative is engaging and intimate, and it deftly combines romance, Lyn’s family responsibilities, and thought-provoking, frequently satirical looks at societal issues, such as celebrity, violence, and a culture that prizes profit over compassion. The scenes are occasionally disturbing and gruesome, but the diverse characters, chillingly hyperrealistic scenarios, and the strong, appealing protagonist provide an immersing read that is likely to attract fans of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.” ~Booklist

“Entertainingly gruesome and emotionally resonant.” ~Kirkus

“Girl in the Arena is a heart-pounding, suspenseful read with twists and turns you won’t see coming…” ~The Compulsive Reader

WLP at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, October 15-18 in Lowell, MA

Poetry students Mary Kovaleski and Linwood Rumney take part in the MFA Graduate Poets Reading
TIME: Friday, October 16 from 5-6:15pm
VENUE: Lowell City Hall, 375 Merrimack Street

Chair Daniel Tobin reads from his latest works in the Four Way Books Reading
TIME: Saturday, October 17 from 1-2pm
VENUE: ALL Arts Gallery, 246 Market Street

Publisher-in-Residence Gian Lombardo's journal Quale Press will participate in the Small Press Fair, which highlights small press publishing to show its importance to the craft of poetry—without a small press culture, there is no sustainable American Poetic Tradition. The editors and publishers of 25 different presses and magazines will have their books and journals for sale and be available to “talk shop.” Many of the presses will be offering discounts and deals. This will be a central location for the festival & will also host book signings from featured poets.
TIME: Saturday, October 17 from 11-5pm
VENUE: 45 Middle Street

For more info on these events, go to: http://masspoetry.org/

Richard Hoffman wins two awards and will give a short reading from his new book, Interference & Other Stories 

Hot off the press, Richard Hoffman is the winner of the 2009 New England Poetry Club Sheila Motton Book Award for Gold Star Road. He was also announced as a recipient of a Boston Foundation Brother Thomas Fellowship Award. Congratulations, Richard!

Richard will also give a short reading to celebrate the publication of his new book, Interference & Other Stories. Come one, come all! Eat! Celebrate! Meet old friends! Make new ones! Buy a book!

DATE: Thursday, October 22
TIME: 7pm
VENUE: Good Food Cafe, 2378 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

"The stories in Interference are moving, wise, and bracingly unsentimental. Richard Hoffman writes about male sadness and vulnerability with unusual insight and tough-minded compassion." - Tom Perrotta

 “These stories of ordinary and extraordinary heartbreak investigate centuries-old themes with details that are at once familiar and surprising. Humorous or brutal, transgressive or redemptive, each story is full of wisdom and beauty.” - Kyoko Mori

 "These stories are both funny and moving, wise without being pedantic, intelligent without being showy, and experimental without being precious. Richard Hoffman's vision is wide and deep, and he evokes his characters with an artful grace that is a joy to read. Interference is a triumph!" - Andre Dubus III

Writer-in-Residence Kim McLarin to host literary event:

DATE: Saturday, October 24, 2009
TIME: 2:00pm

VENUE: Old South Church Sanctuary, 645 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
PAIRING: Anita Diamant, Elizabeth Nunez, Carolina de Robertis, Anita Shreve 
EVENT HOST: Kim McLarin

TITLE: Struggles in a Strange Land: The Power of Place
DESCRIPTION: Political and personal upheaval in settings as diverse as a post-WWII British internment camp in Palestine, the hills of Kenya, the mountains of Uruguay and the blue waters of the Caribbean reveal the redemptive bonds of friendship and family. Anita Diamant (Day After Night), Anita Shreve (A Change in Altitude), Elizabeth Nunez (Anna In-Between) and Carolina De Robertis (The Invisible Mountain) discuss their work and the role of place in each. A literary tour, hosted by Kim McLarin, author of the critically-acclaimed novels Jump at the Sun, Taming it Down and Meeting of the Waters, and host of Basic Black on WGBH. Sponsored by the New Center for Arts and Culture.

Emerson College hosts Bookbuilders of Boston Fall Workshops

For the first time ever, the Bookbuilders Fall Workshops will be held at Emerson College. The workshops are a great opportunity for information, education, and networking. As hosts, we're getting advance notice on dates and topics.

Mark your calendars, and watch the Bookbuilders site for details and RSVP information.

From Gutenberg to Google: Discussions on the past, present, and future of publishing presented by Bookbuilders of Boston and the Emerson Publishing Club

Monday, 10/26 ➞ Production and Manufacturing in the Digital Age

Tuesday, 11/3 ➞ Ask The Experts: Digital Dos and Don’ts When Designing Files for Book Jackets and Covers

Tuesday, 11/10 ➞ Beyond the Pitch Letter: A Roundtable with Authors, Agents, and Editors

Monday, 11/16 ➞ The New Marketing: Blogs, Blasts, and Tweets

TIME: 6pm - 8pm
VENUE: The Bill Bordy Theater at Emerson College – 216 Tremont Street

To register, and for more detailed descriptions of the sessions, go to our Web site:  www.bbboston.org.