Jonathan Escoffery: ‘I was trying to write novels aged nine’

The If I Survive You author on the suspense of the Booker ceremony, Americans’ warped view of the Caribbean, and writing his next novel on the roadJonathan Escoffery, 43, was born in Texas and lives in Oakland, California. His debut, If I Survive You, about a second-generation Jamaican in Miami, where Escoffery grew up, was shortlisted for last year’s Booker and is currently on the shortlist of the Gordon Burn prize, announced on 7 March. The novelist Rumaan Alam has called it “a reminder of what fiction can do... It’s truly a feat that a book of short stories tackling such big stuff – family, love, violence, race – could be so damn funny.”What did it mean to be shortlisted for the Booker prize?It felt like I’d arrived in the UK for the first time, even though the book had been out for months. I’d already connected with readers outside the US because the book is partly set in Jamaica and talks about the African-Caribbean diaspora, but suddenly I was hearing from people in India and Australia. I’d watched the ceremony when Marlon James won with A Brief History of Seven Killings in 2015. I loved what that book did for Jamaica and to see it honoured in such a massive way was beautiful. I felt like that novel was capturing a history of tumultuous politics and rising crime I’d grown up hearing in a very matter of fact way from my parents: “This is what was happening in the 70s, this is why we left.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-27 18:00:42 UTC ]
News tagged with: #booker prize #jonathan escoffery #short stories

Other news stories related to: "Jonathan Escoffery: ‘I was trying to write novels aged nine’"

Jonathan Escoffery: ‘I was trying to write novels aged nine’

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-27 18:00:42 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #jonathan escoffery #booker prize

How to write a book – top tips for National Novel Writing Month

Welcome to NaNoWriMo! MG Leonard (who wrote her first book Beetle Boy in six months, one hour a day) has tips on how to do it. And it starts with writing EVERY SINGLE DAY NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and takes place every November. It’s for anyone thinking about writing a... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #books site #guardian children #jennifer niven #ya books #rainbow rowell #erin morgenstern

I Love Short Stories. Do I Have to Write a Novel?

In 1993, I published my first decent story in a literary journal and a few months later received a letter from an agent whose name I recognized. I’d written short stories in college classes, sent them off, and typically the only thing that came back was a rejection, housed in the... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-10-01 11:10:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #electric literature #literary journal

A Samurai Comes of Age in This Graphic Novel

What's the most unique setting for a coming-of-age graphic novel that you've read? Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-12 11:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #graphic novel #ve read

‘I was told I was stupid’: Peep Show’s Paterson Joseph on his debut novel – and writing three operas

He starred in Peep Show, Green Wing and Wonka – and his first novel won an award. Now the star is making operas with 64 homeless people. Not bad going for someone who was written off by his teachersPaterson Joseph is, by his own admission, an unlikely opera librettist. He had turned 50 by the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-27 04:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #debut novel #first novel #started reading #bertolt brecht

Temim Fruchter on Writing a Queer Jewish Novel Based on Folklore

Temim Fruchter’s debut novel centers around a young woman, Shiva, seeking answers about her family’s past after the death of her father. Told in revolving perspectives, between women in Shiva’s family and a mysterious, omniscient narrator, the book explores the interior lives of women,... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-01-24 12:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #debut novel #electric literature #destiny plays #mother-daughter relationships #book explores #omniscient narrator #revolving perspectives #seeking answers #young woman #temim fruchter #interior lives

Would I use AI to write my novels? I'd get better results from a monkey with an iPhone | Monica Ali

I asked ChatGPT to improve my latest novel and lost no sleep over the results. But I do worry about diverse voices being crowded out This summer two worlds – literature and technology – collided. News stories began appearing about authors suing OpenAI and Meta for using their works to train... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-01 06:00:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pen transmissions #full version #writing north #english pen #monica ali #black box

Rebecca Yarros to Write Two More Romance Novels for Montlake

The 'Fourth Wing' author will pen two contemporary romances for the Amazon Publishing romance imprint, which will be published in 2025 and 2026. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #amazon publishing #contemporary romances #fourth wing #romance novels #rebecca yarros

John le Carré’s son to write new George Smiley novel

Nicholas Cornwell will return his father’s best-loved spy to the page in a new novel set between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyFans of thriller writer David Cornwell – better known by his pen name John le Carré – may have thought they had seen the last of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-10 14:00:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #penguin random house #le carr #nick harkaway #author died #george smiley

To Write Her Debut Novel, Molly McGhee Had to Leave Publishing

On March 11, 2022, Molly McGhee shared a resignation letter on Twitter. She was quitting her job as an assistant editor at Tor, despite the fact that her first acquisition, The Atlas Six, had debuted at number three on the New York Times Bestseller List. She cited “systemwide prejudice against... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2023-10-20 11:03:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #times bestseller #electric literature #assistant editor

Tiffany D. Jackson is Writing a YA Novel About the Marvel Superhero Storm

Tiffany D. Jackson's newest book is YA novel about the Marvel superhero Storm, titled Storm: Dawn of a Goddess. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-10-17 15:40:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ya novel #newest book

When Writing a Novel Bridges a Gap Between Mother and Daughter

I was deep in the throes of a slow-moving depression, feeling frustrated with a job I had held for seven years, and reeling from the disappointment of a first novel that debuted without the critical and commercial acclaim I was afraid to admit I desired. So I called my mother. “I think I need a […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-09 09:10:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #first novel

Never too late: over-50s urged to write fiction with prize for debut novel

Award launched at London book fair aims to help older authors take the plunge and submit a first workLondon book fair, which concluded earlier this month, always brings with it a flurry of headlines about debut authors signing six-figure publishing deals. Most of these have at least one thing in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-04-23 09:00:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #london book fair #write fiction

Eleanor Shearer on Writing a Post-Slavery West Indian Novel Celebrating Motherhood and Resilience

Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world’s leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew talks to River Sing Me Home author Eleanor Shearer about her hotly... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-01 09:53:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #first novel #hotly anticipated #andrew talks #technological issues #leading thinkers #features conversations #andrew keen

Jonathan Raban, travel writer and novelist, dies aged 80

The British author, who lived in the US, blended memoir and travelogue in books that were often inspired by the seaJonathan Raban, the British travel writer, critic and novelist known for his candid accounts of travelling the world in books such as Passage to Juneau and Coasting, has died aged... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-18 08:53:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #memoir #british author #jonathan raban

Writing the Historical Mystery Novel: Jane Smiley Explains Her Process

Jane Smiley is a master of plot, with multiple awards for her novels, including the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle award for A Thousand Acres (King Lear as set on an Iowa farm circa 1979). She’s also distilled her years of teaching and cultural criticism into a superb writing... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-06 09:53:58 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pulitzer prize #cultural criticism #jane smiley

Peter Robinson, creator of the Inspector Banks novels, dies aged 72

The Leeds-born novelist whose work included poetry and short stories as well as his bestselling thrillers will be remembered as a master of plot and characterThe crime writer Peter Robinson has died aged 72, his publisher has announced.The Yorkshire-born author died suddenly on the 4 October... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-10-07 11:56:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #short stories #hodder #titular role #peter robinson

Jonathan Escoffery on Navigating Identity, Blackness, and Literary Fame

Jonathan Escoffery’s first book, the superbly crafted, kinetic linked story collection If I Survive You, arrives with four starred pre-publication reviews and an early rave from The New Yorker’s Katy Waldman, with more to come. He’s a rare debut author with a lengthy track record. His stories... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-09-06 08:57:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #debut author #katy waldman #superbly crafted #jonathan escoffery

Writing for Readers of All Ages: Spotlight on Emunah La-Paz

With a romance series, a memoir, and a picture book, the versatile author leverages social media to grow her fan base and interact with readers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-05-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #fan base #picture book

Nicholls, Barker and Makumbi in novel-writing podcast series

A podcast has launched aimed at helping aspiring writers to write a novel, with guest speakers including acclaimed authors such as David Nicholls and Pat Barker. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-13 02:25:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #pat barker #david nicholls