The Summer Guest, Alison Anderson, Harper Collins – In her novel, The Summer Guest, Alison Anderson offers readers a look at a unique friendship between Anton Chekhov and Zinaida Mikhailovna, an ailing doctor, through the pages of Zinaida’s diary.
Ellen Birkett Morris
Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Beware the Tall Grass, winner of the Donald L. Jordan Award for Literary Excellence, judged by Lan Samantha Chang, published by CSU Press. She is also the author of Lost Girls: Short Stories, winner of the Pencraft Award and finalist for the Clara Johnson, IAN and Best Book awards. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, and South Carolina Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction. Morris is a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship for her fiction from the Kentucky Arts Council.
Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks. Her poetry has appeared in The Clackamas Literary Review, Juked, Gastronomica, and Inscape, among other journals, and in eight anthologies. Morris won top prize in the 2008 Binnacle Ultra-Short Edition and was a finalist for the 2019 and 2020 Rita Dove Poetry Prize. Her poem “Abide” was featured on NPR’s A Way with Words. Her essays have appeared in Newsweek, AARP’s The Ethel, Oh Reader magazine, and on National Public Radio.
Morris holds an MFA in creative writing from Queens University-Charlotte.
https://www.ellenbirkettmorris.com/
Persistence and Grit Guide Rivers and Her Heroine
The Second Mrs. Hockaday, Susan Rivers, Algonquin Books – When Susan Rivers’ agent told her she wouldn’t debut with her first novel, Rivers was disappointed. These words are spoken to many writers, but they came at a particularly difficult time for her.
The Making of a Writer
Surprise Me, Deena Goldstone, Knopf – In the novel Surprise Me a young writer, Isabelle Rothman, meets her mentor, novelist and Professor Daniel Jablonski, and they form a unique bond that influences them personally and professionally.
Linked Stories Offer Canvas for Creativity
Landfall, Julie Hensley, Ohio State University Press – Julie Hensley credits the start of her writing career to her mother, a librarian who would bring home grocery bags full of books for her to read.
The Unknowable Middle – Ausubel on Crafting a Novel
Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, Ramona Ausubel, – In her latest novel Ramona Ausubel drew on her family history as an imaginative springboard to explore the lives of a once wealthy family who find themselves dispossessed.
Smith Explores the Life of George Eliot in Honeymoon
The Honeymoon, Dinitia Smith, – What makes a writer effective? What equips them to address the important issues of their day? What makes their work of lasting value?
Jennifer Close Draws from Experience in Portrait of Politics and Marriage
The Hopefuls, Jennifer Close – As Election Day draws closer, readers might be tempted to escape the drama with a good book. But, those who love the sport of politics and reading about the intricacies of marriage will find both in Jennifer Close’s novel The Hopefuls.
Johnson’s Californium Explores How Life Functions Beneath Appearances
Californium, R. Dean Johnson, Penguin Publishing – R. Dean Johnson was working at an ad agency when he decided to apply for a Master of Fine Arts degree and pursue his love of writing.
Scheibe Puts Characters in a Mess and Watches What Happens
A Fireproof Home for the Bride, Amy Scheibe, St Martins Press – The plot is elaborate, involving a rich family history, compelling subplots and competing motivations.
Looking for Meaning in THE MARBLE ARMY
The Marble Army, Gisele Firmino – In her novel, THE MARBLE ARMY, Gisele Firmino explores the impact of war and political oppression on the Fonte family of Brazil.
