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The Wife (Scribner, 2003), Meg Wolitzer’s novel about a devoted wife looking back on life choices and sacrifices as her husband is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, has been adapted into a feature film. Directed by Björn Runge, the film stars Glenn Close, Max Irons, Elizabeth McGovern, Jonathan Pryce, and Christian Slater.
“It’s going to be the first thing someone lays their eyes on before they read it.” Jaya Miceli, art director at Scribner, discusses her love of books covers and how the jacket designs were created for several popular novels, such as Rachel Lyon’s Self-Portrait With Boy and Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied Sing.
After procrastinating and receiving wisdom from Obi Wan Cannoli, the Washington Post’s Ron Charles reveals his favorite novels of 2016 in less than two minutes, which include Annie Proulx’s Barkskins (Scribner, 2016), Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers (Random House, 2016), and Michael Chabon’s Moonglow (HarperCollins, 2016).
Jennifer Egan, author of Manhattan Beach (Scribner, 2017), and Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties (Graywolf Press, 2017), speak backstage at the Free Library of Philadelphia about the greatest pleasures of writing fiction.
“When you see yourself reflected in literature, it enlarges your ideas of what is possible for you.” MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient Jesmyn Ward takes PBS NewsHour’s Jeffrey Brown on a tour of her hometown in Mississippi and shares the parts of her life and community that inspire her writing. Ward is the winner of the 2017 National Book Award in fiction for Sing, Unbured, Sing (Scribner, 2017).
“I don’t think of myself as brilliant—I think of myself as a hard worker.” Jesmyn Ward reads from and talks about her third novel, Sing, Unburied, Sing (Scribner, 2017), on Yahdon Israel’s web interview series, LIT.
The Glass Castle (Scribner, 2005), the best-selling debut memoir by Jeannette Walls about her childhood in a nomadic family dealing with dysfunction and poverty, has been adapted into a feature film. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film stars Woody Harrelson, Brie Larson, and Naomi Watts.
"For me, there's something about habit that is elemental." Rachel Kushner, author of The Flamethrowers (Scribner, 2013), a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award, speaks with Louisiana Channel about the importance of persistence in her writing life.
"Number 1: Don't write what you know. Start with what you don't know, what you don't understand." In her craft talk at the 2012 Colgate Writers' Conference, novelist Dana Spiotta explains how she wrote Stone Arabia (Scribner, 2011) in six (not-so-easy) steps. Her new novel, Innocents and Others (Scribner, 2016), explores a friendship between two female filmmakers.
Ann Beattie, who is featured in the current issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, reads from her new book, The State We're In: Maine Stories (Scribner, 2015), and talks about her experiences in writing and reading fiction, and working with editors. For more Beattie, listen to the latest episode of Ampersand: The Poets & Writers Podcast.
