A Secret Letter to the KGB Turned A Lost Family History Into a Novel

Journalist Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant look at the reverberating effects of war through the story of a Ukrainian World War II veteran’s struggle to hide a damaging secret for the sake of his family.  Vasilyuk’s book begins with death—the first chapter featuring a family at the grave in […] The post A Secret Letter to the KGB Turned A Lost Family History Into a Novel appeared first on Electric Literature. Continue reading at 'Electric Literature'

[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-25 11:00:00 UTC ]

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Predicting the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

The Pulitzer Prize isn’t the only major literary award, but it is the one that seems to get the most attention.  The Old Man and the Sea. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Optimist’s Daughter. The Color Purple. Lonesome Dove. Beloved. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. Gilead. The Road. The... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-04-28 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Dead Ink wins Republic of Consciousness prize with Missouri Williams’s ‘astonishing’ debut

The award, championing small presses with fewer than five staff, was won by The Doloriad – an audaciously original novel set in a post-apocalyptic dystopiaDead Ink Books has won the Republic of Consciousness prize for small presses for Missouri Williams’s “astonishing” debut novel The Doloriad.... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 08:35:38 UTC ]
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American Libraries Are Taking a Stand Against Book Bans

Some of the best moments of my life have been spent in libraries, first as a patron, later as a librarian, and I have witnessed firsthand how hard the past few decades have been on libraries. As America has continued to dismantle its social safety net, libraries have been forced to pivot from... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-04-21 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal of Ross White’s “Charm Offensive”

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover for writer Ross White’s poetry collection, Charm Offensive, which will be published by Eyewear Publishing this July. White is the designer and author of Valley of Want, a finalist for Electric Lit’s Best Book Cover of 2022 contest. Charm... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-04-14 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Weight,’ by Jeff Boyd

Jeff Boyd’s searching debut novel portrays a Black musician alienated from his city, his faith and his past. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-10 09:00:16 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of April 10, 2023

Actor Millie Bobby Brown sells a debut novel to William Morrow, and S&S buys a memoir from Sheila Johnson, cofounder of BET. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-04-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Susanna Hoffs Has a Dollar Bill Signed by William S. Burroughs

“I queued up to get his autograph with nothing but a dollar bill for him to sign,” says the pop star, whose debut novel is “This Bird Has Flown.” “He glanced up, amused, gave me a mischievous half-smile and said, ‘Ah, defacing U.S. currency,’ and proceeded to sign it.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-04-06 09:00:12 UTC ]
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My Jewish Father’s Chinese Food Was Legendary

The cover of the cookbook shows a bamboo basket laden with bell peppers, asparagus, and broccoli. Surrounding it on the table are scallions, ginger, dried mushrooms, peapods, a red onion. A fish, an eggroll, some dumplings, a pair of chopsticks. In the background, a white ceramic soup tureen... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-04-04 11:05:00 UTC ]
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The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs wrote her debut novel about a pop star. It's not her

Bangles singer Susanna Hoffs has written a novel, 'This Bird Has Flown,' about an 'over-the-hill' one-hit wonder finding love — and it kind of rocks. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-04-03 13:00:21 UTC ]
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Millie Bobby Brown's debut novel is inspired by grandma's 'very personal' WWII story

Millie Bobby Brown of 'Stranger Things' will release her debut novel later this year. 'Nineteen Steps' is inspired by her grandma's experiences during WWII. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-03-24 22:14:27 UTC ]
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7 Newsletters That Will Help Get Your Book Published

For writers at every stage, the publishing industry can feel inaccessible. There are so many steps between drafting a book and seeing it out in the world. Especially for debut hopefuls, it’s more than a little intimidating: how do we know what we don’t know? Meanwhile, those who’ve already... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-24 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Queer Villains Are Vital to Understanding Queer History

Whether or not you’ve watched season 2 of The White Lotus, Mike White’s anthology series, you’ve witnessed Jennifer Coolidge’s frenzied intonations onboard a yacht: “These gays, they’re trying to murder me!” Coolidge plays Tanya, a wealthy woman who finds herself at the center of a conspiracy to... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-21 11:05:00 UTC ]
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A Young Woman’s Perspective on Being With an Older Man

Formative love affairs and sentimental educations are classic novelistic territory. And for good reason— these connections serve as catalysts, tell stories taut with tension, and leave characters forever changed. Madelaine Lucas’s debut novel Thirst for Salt describes such a relationship, set in... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
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A Debut Novel Creates a World From Pages Taken From the Past

When Alice Winn stumbled on the archives of her British boarding school’s newspaper, she discovered a world, only to see it “destroyed and dismantled” during World War I. She brought it back in her novel, “In Memoriam.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-03-05 14:54:05 UTC ]
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Tracey Rose Peyton: Exploring Six Stories of Motherhood for Enslaved Women

Tracey Rose Peyton is the guest. She is the author of the debut novel Night Wherever We Go, available from Ecco Books. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts!  From the episode: Brad Listi: This book really brought into focus for me the awful risks and costs of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-03-03 09:53:42 UTC ]
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Rebecca Makkai’s New Mystery Novel Is Anything But Cozy

I don’t know if we deserve Rebecca Makkai, but we certainly need her. The author of four novels and a short story collection, she’s been bringing range, depth, and humor to the literary world for at least fifteen years. She’s a regular among the pages of Best American Short Stories and was a... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-03-02 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Knopf Bets on 'West Heart Kill'

Alfred A. Knopf will publish the debut novel by Dann McDorman, the executive producer of MSNBC’s 'The Beat with Ari Melber,' this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-02-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Exclusive Cover Reveal: Isle McElroy’s “People Collide”

Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover for acclaimed writer Isle McElroy’s sophomore novel, People Collide, which will be published by HarperCollins this September. When Eli wakes up alone in the cramped Bulgarian apartment he shares with Elizabeth, his more organized and successful... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-02-22 15:10:28 UTC ]
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The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World

So many libraries, so little time! As writers and readers, we here at Electric Literature know there’s nothing quite like stepping into a space that has been specifically designed to invoke and perpetuate a love of reading. With book-banning efforts escalating across the country and funding for... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-02-17 12:05:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘The Applicant,’ by Nazli Koca

“The Applicant,” a debut novel by Nazli Koca, features a worldly-wise 20-something Turkish writer who works as a cleaner at a Berlin hostel while struggling to figure out what kind of life she wants to lead. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-02-14 10:00:12 UTC ]
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