Sewanee Young Writers’ Conference
June 28 – July 11
A distinctive feature of the Young Writers’ Conference, made possible by our partnership with the famous Sewanee Writers’ Conference, is the impressive lineup of major authors who visit us, give a reading, then join a selected group of interested students for dinner.
Robert Benson, Creative Nonfiction
Arlene Hutton, Playwriting
Stewart O’Nan, Fiction and Nonfiction
Wyatt Prunty, Poetry
From “Internationally Acclaimed Author O’Nan Hunts for the “Emotional Center” of a Story”:
AUTHORLINK: How long have you been writing?
O’NAN: 25 years. It’s my silver anniversary!
AUTHORLINK: You work in so many areas – fiction, nonfiction, essays, criticism – what can you tell new authors who feel they must specialize to succeed?
O’NAN: Just write the book you want to read. Your taste in reading should be your guide. If you love to read one genre above all others, then maybe you’ll specialize in that one. But if you love to read all different kinds of books, it’s only natural that you’ll write them too.
From Robert Swartwood:
First place winner:
HOUSE HUNTING by Gary A. Braunbeck
The fence is tall. Good. The mother is typical white-trash, too loud. But the kids … they seem frightened and quiet. Good. Easier that way.
Second place winner:
DEPARTURE by Donora Hillard
The terminal is unkind. You watch me go through security. In six months, you’ll say “Tell me about the nightmare,” and I promise I will.
Third place winner:
PROGRESS by Joe Schreiber
After seventeen days she finally broke down and called him “daddy.”
Brand-new stories by: Dennis Lehane, Stewart O’Nan, Patricia Powell, John Dufresne, Lynne Heitman, Don Lee, Russ Aborn, Itabari Njeri, Jim Fusilli, Brendan DuBois, and Dana Cameron.
Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, The Given Day) has proven himself to be a master of both crime fiction and literary fiction. Here, he extends his literary prowess to that of master curator. In keeping with the Akashic Noir series tradition, each story in Boston Noir is set in a different neighborhood of the city—the impressively diverse collection extends from Roxbury to Cambridge, from Southie to the Boston Harbor, and all stops in between.
Coming November 1, 2009
The new cover for A Prayer for the Dying. The reissue will be released on May 26, 2009. The Midwest Booksellers Association has chosen it as a Midwest Connections selection for the summer.
The Works of Stewart O'Nan 