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"I think of a book as an extended hand, it's a gesture, from someone who has attempted to make meaning out of their own experience." Author Alex Gilvarry speaks with Scott Cheshire about his debut novel High as the Horses' Bridles—the story of a child preacher, his faith, and his vision of the end of the world. An interview with Cheshire by Victor LaValle is in the July/August issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
"Life, in general, is both comic and tragic. In every moment of real sadness, you can almost find something hysterical to laugh at." Debut novelist Mira Jacob discusses The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing with tuxedo-clad five-year-old Zakir. Jacob was interviewed by Amanda Eyre Ward for the just-released July/August issue of Poets & Writers Magazine.
For the tenth and final installment of this summer's Winners on Winning series, we spoke with Jessica Hollander, who won the 2013 Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Short Fiction for her debut story collection, In These Times the Home is a Tired Place. The annual prize includes $1,000 and publication by the University of North Texas Press. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Hollander received her MFA from the University of Alabama, where she currently teaches English, composition, and creative writing.
How has winning this award impacted your career?
The most exciting part about winning has been engaging with the larger writing community. Getting reviews and interviews and being invited to participate in readings and events is invigorating and has certainly gotten my writing more exposure. I’ve also received a handful of contacts from agents and editors, and I recently signed with an agent.
Has winning this award, or previous awards, changed the way you approach your work?
I think winning the award has reinvigorated my enthusiasm to experiment with short stories. I took risks in structure and language in this collection, and winning the award has encouraged me to continue to do so. There’s such a range of publishing opportunities for collections, so many small and university presses with varying aesthetics, so it’s not necessary to think about a mainstream market. I like taking risks from story to story and focusing on what’s exciting me about the writing.
Have you ever entered a contest that you didn't win?
I’ve entered tons of contests that I didn’t win. In These Times the Home is a Tired Place had been turned down by several contests and presses before winning the Katherine Anne Porter Prize. There are so many different aesthetics out there, so many different readers and judges, and there’s no way to predict who might love your work. It’s a lesson I learned when submitting to literary journals, when it would sometimes take a dozen tries before placing a piece. Not to mention I’ve disliked many books that received praise by others, and I’ve loved books that others have hated. Of course rejections still hurt enough that it can be hard to write for a day or two. I try to accept that disappointment is inevitable.
What advice would you offer to writers thinking of submitting to writing contests?
Don’t count on anything in this writing life, but throw your name in the hat as much as you can afford. I suggest first having your writing workshopped by experienced writers you trust, and it doesn’t hurt to get stories or novel excerpts published before sending full books to contests. These things can help you weather rejections better. Because the writing world is insanely competitive. My whole experience being a writer, from applying to graduate schools, getting published in magazines, winning contests, and now seeking tenure-track employment, has taught me to not be too emotionally invested in the outcome of anything. Getting published or winning a contest is the second most satisfying thing that can happen to a writer, but the most satisfying has to be writing itself.
To read more from winners, check out the previous weekly installments of our Winners on Winning series.
Photo: Jessica Hollander, credit Richard Mocarski.
Descriptions offer clarity, and the more detailed your descriptions of events, places, and people, the more fully the reader can experience the emotion and ambiance you are trying to establish. This week, make loads of detailed lists. Make them everywhere you go: the supermarket, your car, the park, your bedroom. Use all five senses to classify where you are, how you're feeling, and what those feelings make you think of. When you're writing a scene about a sticky summer morning on the bus, you'll be able to look back at your list and use the notes you made about the condensation on the windows, or the crying child in the seat behind you.
Read exclusive excerpts from the novels and story collections of debut fiction writers Courtney Maum, Scott Cheshire, Celeste Ng, Yelena Akhtiorskaya, and Mira Jacob.
"Every so often, he woke up and found himself further down the path, though the terrain was nearly identical." Ohio author Eric Shonkwiler's debut novel, Above All Men, was published by Midwestern Gothic back in March. Read more about the indie press in a previous installment of Small Press Points.
Submissions are currently open for the second annual Prada Feltrinelli Prize, cosponsored by the Italian fashion house Prada and the Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore. The winner or winners will each receive €5,000 (approximately $6,783) and publication in Prada Journal, a digital anthology distributed through the Prada website. The annual award is given for a short story.
Using the online submission system, submit a story of 10 to 20 pages in any language by June 24. There is no entry fee. The story should focus on the question, “What are the signs of a changing world? And what situations can we envision? Taking a good look at the details might give us the answer.” Representatives from Prada and Feltrinelli Editore, along with an international jury, will judge the contest. The winner will be announced by December 31, and the full terms and conditions can be read on the Prada website.
The inaugural winners of the prize were Mattia Conti of Molteno, Italy; Leisl Egan of Melbourne, Australia; Angel Mario Fernández of Soraluze, Spain; Sarah Harris Wallman of New Haven, Connecticut; and Peng Yang of Beijing, China. They each received €5,000, and were honored at an event at the Prada Epicenter in New York City in October 2013. At the event, excerpts of their stories were read aloud by writers and actors Jonathan Ames, Zoe Kazan, Anthony Mackie, Jay McInerney, and Gary Shteyngart. Over 1,300 entries in over 30 languages were submitted for the 2013 prize. The 2013 Prada Journal can be downloaded from the Prada website and read in both the original language and in English. Of the five winning entries, two were written in English, one in Italian, one in Spanish, and one in Mandarin Chinese.
Four of the five inaugural winners, from left to right: Sarah Harris Wallman, Peng Yang, Mattia Conti, Leisl Egan.
Photo credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images North America.
Designer, illustrator, and animator Carolina Melis' short film Le fiamme di Nule uses animation and live footage to portray the story of three weavers, Anna, Rosa, and Maria, competing in a contest in the Sardinian village of Nule. The story was inspired by a trip Meils took to the village, where she became fascinated with their traditional textile-making techniques.
Unnameable Books is a bookstore located in the heart of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Founded as “Adam’s Books” before being renamed, the store specializes in poetry, has an eclectic collection of used books, and carries work from many small independent presses.
Courtney Maum's debut novel, I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, was released yesterday by Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Maum was interviewed by Maggie Shipstead for the July/August issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, coming soon.
