News - Literary News
News - Literary News

Christopher Sorrentino’s NOW BEACON, NOW SEA received a glowing blurb from author Steve Erickson. He writes: "As irresistible as it is unflinching, NOW BEACON, NOW SEA is a family memoir, a literary memoir, an American memoir, a memoir about the nature of identity in our time -- and if that means only Christopher Sorrentino could have written it, for all its singularity it does what riveting memoirs do: reveals not only its own secrets but ours as well." Catapult will publish the book on September 7, 2021.

THE PROPHETS by Robert Jones Jr. continues to receive acclaim. The Gay & Lesbian Review writes: “[Jones Jr.] has embarked upon a difficult undertaking. He writes about same-sex love between enslaved people, attractions that undoubtedly existed but have so far been little explored by historians or fiction writers…[THE PROPHETS brings] historical sweep, magic, and flights of lyricism to the earthbound world.” Jones Jr. was also interviewed by WWNO-NPR’s The Reading Life and CUNY’s Book Beat. Lastly, THE PROPHETS is featured on March must-read lists March for Paperback Paris, USA Today, and Pop Sugar. G.P. Putnam’s Sons published the book on January 5, 2021.

2034 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis received a glowing review from The Hill. They write: "[T]he geopolitical thriller tells a fictional yet very plausible story of how the United States could find itself in a third world war. It takes place in the over a decade from now, and the global conflict described is the result of a series of strategic mistakes and a lack of foresight by the United States plus tensions with our adversaries reaching a breaking point." The co-authors also appeared on WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WRVA: Richmond's Early News radio, and Chicago's Morning Answer radio via YouTube to discuss the novel. Penguin Press published the book on March 9, 2021.

Carter Sickels’ THE PRETTIEST STAR is the 2021 winner of the Weatherford Prize for Best Books about Appalachia. Founded in 1970, the Weatherford honors books that “best [illuminate] the challenges, personalities and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.” The novel also received a glowing review from The Post and Courier. They write: “THE PRETTIEST STAR dazzles with its tenderness, honesty, and riveting brutality...It is queer fiction of the highest order, which is to say, a story of our humanity laid bare, a story for everyone...[S]mall yet searing insights poke a million holes in your heart — holes through which the light of THE PRETTIEST STAR can dazzle their way in.” Hub City Press published the book on May 19, 2020.

AMERICAN DAUGHTER by Stephanie Thornton Plymale is one of The Global Mail’s “Five memoirs on overcoming adversity to help get us through these (hopefully) last COVID months.” Tara Henly writes: “Compelling and well-told, the story is full of surprises, including the revelation of a long-held family secret and the uncovering of lineage that traces back to famous American figures.” HarperOne published the book on January 12, 2021.

LOVE AND FURY by Samantha Silva received an enthusiastic starred review from Publishers Weekly. They write: “[A] gripping, meticulous novel…Silva’s heartbreaking but inspiring work captures the despair and joy, convictions and contradictions of an extraordinary woman.” Flatiron Books will publish the book on May 25, 2021.

Elly Griffiths appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss her latest novel, THE POSTSCRIPT MURDERS. Speaking to the appeal of murder mysteries, Griffiths says: “It is a strange thing that lots of people — and me absolutely included — do find reading about these murders quite comforting, really. And of course, there's absolutely nothing cozy about murder, but I think we do like that sort of puzzle, and unlocking the puzzle.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published the book on March 2, 2021.

Stephanie Thornton Plymale appeared on the Today Show to discuss her memoir AMERICAN DAUGHTER. HarperOne published the book on January 12, 2021.

Astra Taylor joined Jane Coaston and Sandy Baum on NYT Opinion podcast “The Argument” to discuss cancelling student debt. Metropolitan Books published DEMOCRACY MAY NOT EXIST, BUT WE’LL MISS IT WHEN IT’S GONE on May 7, 2019, and Astra Taylor’s forthcoming book, THE UNSCHOOLED LIFE, is anticipated to publish in 2023.

Maggie Nelson’s ON FREEDOM is featured on The Rumpus’ Women's History Month reading list. They write: “Drawing on a vast range of material, from critical theory to pop culture to the intimacies and plain exchanges of daily life, Maggie Nelson explores how we might think, experience, or talk about freedom in ways responsive to the conditions of our day. Her abiding interest lies in ongoing ‘practices of freedom’ by which we negotiate our interrelation with indeed, our inseparability from—others, with all the care and constraint that entails, while accepting difference and conflict as integral to our communion. For Nelson, thinking publicly through the knots in our culture from recent art-world debates to the turbulent legacies of sexual liberation, from the painful paradoxes of addiction to the lure of despair in the face of the climate crisis is itself a practice of freedom, a means of forging fortitude, courage, and company.” Graywolf Press will publish the book September 7, 2021.