THE FIFTH ACT by Elliot Ackerman received a rave review from the Lincoln Journal Star. Reviewer J. Kemper Campbell writes: “Ackerman is a skilled writer…His graphic descriptions of he battles he fought in Afghanistan crackle with intensity, and his long-distance attempts to ensure last minute access for desperate Afghans trying to exit the airport using his many military contacts are achingly suspenseful...The true value of this book, however, is Ackerman’s hard-earned credibility as an observer of our Middle East foreign policy. Beginning with George Bush and ending with Joe Biden, no administration escapes his scathing commentary. His disgust with needless wars which cannot be won is palpable…This reviewer thanked Ackerman for his military service after reading his previous book. He now deserves another thanks for his service as a civilian.” Penguin Press published the book on August 9, 2022.

GOLDEN AX, Rio Cortez’s debut poetry collection, has been longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award in Poetry. The ten longlisted collections were selected by Kwame Dawes, Juan Felipe Herrera, Keetje Kuipers, January Gill O’Neil, and Mai Der Vang from a pool of 260 submissions. Finalists will be announced on October 4, and the winner will be announced on November 16. GOLDEN AX was also the headline title for The New Yorker’s announcement for the award. They write: “Rio Cortez’s 'Black Frasier Crane,' published this summer in The New Yorker, reimagines the famous sitcom character as a Black woman who is unable to shut off 'the mind’s / endless narration.' The poem, a rumination on race and class, appears in the collection GOLDEN AX, along with others that reimagine Cortez’s forebears as 'Afropioneers' who played a role in exploring the American West after Reconstruction. GOLDEN AX, which has been long-listed for this year’s National Book Award in Poetry, is one of several contenders that call on real or imagined ancestors.” Penguin Books published GOLDEN AX on August 30, 2022.

With its release date just on the horizon, Laura Warrell’s SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM is making a splash, hitting must-read and most-anticipated lists from Debutiful (“[an] unforgettable…novel whose writing should be studied. The language sings in every sentence”), Bustle (“stunning”), Kirkus ("[a] debut [with] music in [its] prose”), The Washington Post (“[an] engaging debut novel”), Lit Hub (“[a] deeply engaging multifocal debut novel”) and The Root. Warrell was also interviewed for both The Millions and The Los Angeles Times, discussing her inspirations for the novel, the challenges of conveying music on the page, her winding path to publication, and more. Lastly, the book was named one of Apple’s Best Books for September 2022. Pantheon will publish SWEET, SOFT, PLENTY RHYTHM on September 27, 2022.

Rachel Aviv’s nonfiction debut STRANGERS TO OURSELVES received a rave review from Jennifer Szalai for The New York Times Book Review. She writes: “Aviv’s narrative is so attuned to subtlety and complexity that any summary risks making it sound like she’s doing something she’s not. This isn’t an anti-psychiatry book — Aviv is too aware of the specifics of any situation to succumb to anything so sweeping and polemical. What she does is recognize the multiplicity of stories that attach to her subjects’ experiences, exploring a variety of interpretations instead of jumping at the impulse to explain them away...STRANGERS TO OURSELVES delicately balances two truths that prove remarkably difficult to hold in tandem…[and] is a book-length demonstration of Aviv’s extraordinary ability to hold space for the ‘uncertainty, mysteries and doubt’ of others.” The book was also featured on The New York Times’ compilation of “18 Books Coming in September.” Farrar, Straus and Giroux will publishe the book on September 13, 2022.

Praise is rolling in for Meg Howrey’s THEY’RE GOING TO LOVE YOU ahead of its publication. The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly: “Howrey delivers a poignant family alienation, regret, and desire…[F]raught scenes provoke staggering bursts of emotion…Howrey expertly builds tension, leading the reader to feel alongside Carlisle both the draw of ballet and her anxiety about her reunion with her father. It’s a breathtaking performance.” The book was featured on The Seattle Times’ must-read books for this fall, alongside generous praise: “[A] stirring coming-of-age tale…Howrey’s writing is precise and eloquent, like finely tuned ballet, but above all, this soul-stirring novel is about love, loyalty, and one’s lifelong relationship to art.” Lastly, the novel was reviewed by Sophie Bress for Fjord, who writes: “Rooted in authenticity, nuance, and honesty…By addressing issues like lack of recognition and pay for choreographers, the lack of female choreographers in ballet, and ballet’s body biases, Howrey not only weaves a poignant story, she makes a statement about the way things are and the ways things need to change.” Doubleday will publish THEY’RE GOING TO LOVE YOU on November 15, 2022.

COSMOGONY author Lucy Ives’ forthcoming novel LIFE IS EVERYWHERE is making waves ahead of its fall publication. The book has been featured on most-anticipated lists from Publishers Weekly and The Los Angeles Times, the latter of which praises Ives' "enthralling emotional and psychological acuity, a seemingly bottomless store of knowledge and a thrilling wit." An excerpt of the novel was published on Granta. Ives also wrote a commissioned work of flash fiction entitled "The Sound," which appeared in The Atlantic's first edition of its "Shorter Stories" online series. Graywolf Press will publish the novel on October 4, 2022.

In conjunction with new book tour dates for FIGHT LIKE HELL, Kim Kelly’s piece “You Should Join a Union. Yes, You” was published in Anand Giridharadas’s newsletter The.Ink. One Signal Publishers published FIGH LIKE HELL on April 26, 2022.

RETAIL GANGSTER by Gary Weiss has received a wealth of critical praise following its publication. Alexandra Jacobs reviewed the book for The New York Times, calling it “a compact and appealing account of Crazy Eddie’s artificially inflated rise and slow-mo collapse” and “a tender requiem for a time, pre-streaming, when people tended to be tuned into the same things,” further praising Weiss’ “sure-footed[ness].” A review from Kirkus praises the way “Weiss paints an intricate portrait of greed, aspiration, and complicated family ties,” adding: “A compellingly readable story about a con artist who ‘epitomized the duality of the American Dream.” Simon Constable wrote a rave review of the book for Forbes, calling it a “must-read” and highlighting the way “Weiss deftly tells the story of three mind-bogglingly complicated things at the same time…without scrambling your brain...This book is worth your time, and Weiss should be saluted for his work.” Lastly, the book was featured on The New York Times’ “11 New Books We Recommend This Week,” as well as the Philadelphia Inquirer’s “The best new books to read in September” lists. Hachette Books published RETAIL GANGSTER on August 23, 2022.

VIRTUE by Hermione Hoby has been shortlisted for the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, which “honors an exemplary work of fiction from the previous calendar year that speaks with an ‘American Voice’ about American experiences, much like Twain’s masterwork, ADVENURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN." The nominees will be read by a final panel of judges before the winner is announced in October, and the award will be presented to the winner at the American Voice Award Banquet on November 4 at The Mark Twain House & Museum. Riverhead Books published VIRTUE on July 20, 2021.

THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV by Dawnie Walton has been shortlisted for the 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, which “honors an exemplary work of fiction from the previous calendar year that speaks with an ‘American Voice’ about American experiences, much like Twain’s masterwork, ADVENURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN." The nominees will be read by a final panel of judges before the winner is announced in October, and the award will be presented to the winner at the American Voice Award Banquet on November 4 at The Mark Twain House & Museum. 37 Ink published THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV on March 31, 2021.

THE FURROWS by Namwali Serpell continues to receive waves of critical acclaim in the lead-up to its publication. The book was featured on Vulture’s "57 Books We Can’t Wait to Read This Fall," praised as a “gorgeous, surreal meditation on identity and mourning, one that squeezes the heartstrings and rarely relaxes its grip.” The Telegraph awarded the book 5 stars, with reviewer Cal Revely-Calder raving: “[THE FURROWS is] masterful: a blend of the self-knowing, sincere and spry…Serpell’s sentences are unhurried, yet detailed, smart and brisk – two cigarette-tips ‘kiss and smoulder’; life underwater is ‘the colour of shadow’ – while her narrative is coolly controlled.” Lastly, THE FURROWS was featured on most-anticipated lists from The New York Times Book Review, The Boston Globe, The Millions, and Ms. Magazine. Hogarth will publish the novel on September 27, 2022.

Elliot Ackerman’s THE FIFTH ACT continues to garner critical praise. The Diplomatic Courier raves: “Ackerman is one of the finest writers of his generation, having brilliantly penned literary reflections on war and meaning—a quality that carries through to his latest book. It is not often that I finish a book in one sitting, and even rarer that I put a book down and know it will stay with me long after I finish it. Ackerman’s THE FIFTH ACT does both. It is powerful, poignant, personal, and painful. His personal narrative of combat and how it stays with him today—especially during the effort to evacuate Afghans in the run-up to the collapse—is haunting and should be widely read.” Elsewhere, The Washington Review of Books deems the book a “painful, essential read from perhaps the only author who could’ve written it...He has a unique ability to center his and his comrades’ lived experience within the larger historical continuum.” Penguin Press published the book on August 9, 2022.