The Presence of the Past in Good Night, Irene: A Conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Fri, 05/26/2023 - 13:30 The author’s mother, Phyllis Irene McLaughlinAward-winning writer Luis Alberto Urrea describes Good Night, Irene (Little, Brown, 2023) as “the book I have spent most of my life preparing to write.” This novel is inspired by his mother, Phyllis Irene McLaughlin, and by Jill Pitts Knappenberger for their work in World War II as part of the American Red Cross Clubmobile Service. Known affectionately as the Donut Dollies, these women were in the midst of combat as they drove their trucks from one site of battle to another. Urrea was aware that his mother had been one of the 250 Clubmobile women, but not until after she died did he learn that her war buddy Jill was still living and the keeper of an extensive archive. Years of conversations with Jill, research into the Clubmobile corps, and travel to key places of the European theater led to Good Night, Irene’s fictional tribute to Urrea’s mother and her friend Jill as well as other overlooked but heroic women who served in World War II. A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for The Devil’s Highway, Urrea (b. 1955) is the author of numerous other works of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction, including the national bestsellers The Hummingbird’s Daughter and The House of Broken Angels (see WLT, Nov. 2022, 6). A 2019 Guggenheim Fellow,... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2023-05-26 18:30:53 UTC ]
Last week, Diane Goettel was on vacation in Florida when she saw an alarming email on her phone. After 55 years, Small Press Distribution (SPD)—one of the last remaining independent book distributors in the US—was shutting down immediately, with no advance notice or transitional support. Its... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-03 08:54:49 UTC ]
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The abrupt shut down of Small Press Distribution has left roughly 400 former publisher clients with a host of questions as they look to find new distribution options. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Depending on which corners of literary social media you frequent, yesterday’s breaking news that SPD (Small Press Distribution) was going under was either an enormous surprise or a predictable tragedy, but the suddenness of the news was a shock to everyone. Effective immediately, the 55-year-old... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-29 13:17:08 UTC ]
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I start this post with the confession that I’m relatively late to the Diane Seuss party—it was only after she won the Pulitzer Prize and NBCC in Poetry for frank: sonnets that I opened the door with the thumping bassline behind it. The ways in which the collection was wonderfully stunning was... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-03-07 09:52:26 UTC ]
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With its award ceremony coming up in May, the British Book Awards program has released its bookstore and small-press shortlists. The post The UK’s Nibbies: Small Press and Bookstore Shortlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-04 16:24:55 UTC ]
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Small Press Distribution has finished moving 300,000 titles from its former warehouse in Berkeley, Calif., to facilities owned by Ingram and Publishers Storage and Shipping, and has begun a new fundraising effort to help the distributor roll out new services to publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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When Nas described himself as the “most critically acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winner / Best storyteller / Thug narrator / My styles greater” on his song “Hate Me Now” (1999), he was foretelling something monumental on the horizon. The Pulitzer Prize for Music is considered one of the nation’s most... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-21 09:55:55 UTC ]
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His New York Times scoop enraged the Nixon White House, which ordered a tap on his phone. He later won a Pulitzer Prize for The Boston Globe. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-02-19 01:18:36 UTC ]
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N. Scott Momaday was the first Native American author to win a Pulitzer Prize. He passed away on January 24th at age 89. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-30 20:02:44 UTC ]
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Solstice has come and gone, but in addition to the returning of the light, we can also herald another excellent small press publishing season. What I love about these titles is the richness of imagination and inquiry, leading to inventive plots in fiction and deep emotional honesty in... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-01-15 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Matar won a Pulitzer Prize for his memoir, “The Return,” mourning his homeland and his father. In his new novel, he turns to the untranslatability of exile — and friendship. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-01-10 10:01:03 UTC ]
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Another year, another crop of newly-minted literary honorees. From the Pulitzer to the Booker, the Nebula to the Edgar, here are the winners of the biggest book prizes of 2023. Congratulations to all! * PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION Awarded for distinguished fiction published in book form during... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-14 09:52:44 UTC ]
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During the often-dread-inducing/dreadful time of year when publications are putting out there “best of the year” lists, I’m glad to shine a light on a book I loved and deserved more attention than it seemed to receive. This is always a hard task, especially for small press books. I would have... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-14 09:44:56 UTC ]
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Since the publication of his first novel in 1999, Colson Whitehead has become one of the most lauded, prized, taught, and studied American novelists writing today. Winner of the National Book Award, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize (the only writer apart from William Faulkner and John... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-21 09:40:53 UTC ]
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His tiny California newspaper won a Pulitzer Prize for its exposé of Synanon, a renowned drug rehabilitation program that had turned into a violent operation. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-01 21:32:07 UTC ]
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As we move into the fall reading season, deeply imagined short stories and inventive linked essays are having a moment alongside novels. What’s thrilling about the books coming out from small presses is the breadth of range—there are intentional and accidental murders, family drama and... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2023-09-26 11:15:00 UTC ]
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This year's Small Press Expo Ignatz Awards struck a note of solidarity and defiance against censorship. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pulitzer Prize Board announced on Tuesday that it will be dropping its U.S. citizenship requirement for awards in books, drama and music beginning in 2025. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-09-12 22:41:31 UTC ]
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Controversial owner Wendy McCaw has shut down Santa Barbara News-Press, which won Pulitzer prize in 1962The longest-running newspaper in southern California has ceased publication after filing for bankruptcy.The Santa Barbara News-Press has posted its last online edition after ceasing print... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-07-24 12:36:36 UTC ]
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As a previously undocumented person, all I've wanted was to be considered the same as everyone else. Defined by my merit, not by the place of my birth. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-07-20 20:55:53 UTC ]
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