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—Bob Dylan
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More Author Updates

3/30/2021

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Our previous and forthcoming authors have been busy!
  • The anthology The Best Short Stories of Philadelphia 2020, forthcoming from Toho Publishing, includes three members of the Working Writers Group, which runs our press: Ann de Forest, who is editing a book on walking that we'll formally announce soon; Debra Leigh Scott; and Sam Gridley, whose novel we published a few years ago.
  • Ann's poem "Ammonites" has just appeared in Cleaver Magazine.
  • In a recent blog post, Sam offers a somewhat whimsical explanation of why people should preorder his novella The Bourgeois Anarchist for use as a household weapon.
​Happy spring, everyone!
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Author Updates

3/25/2021

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Nathaniel Popkin and Andri Magnason in conversation at AWP, 3/6/21
NATHANIEL POPKIN:
New archived discussions about the climate crisis in connection with Nathaniel's book To Reach the Spring:
  • 2/6/21: Interview with Norman B. on Life Elsewhere radio, show 410.
  • 2/18/21: Interview on This Climate Podcast from Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute and IU Media School. Available on Spotify.​​
  • 3/6/21: Virtual discussion with Andri Snær Magnason, one of Iceland's most noted writers, about his forthcoming book about the climate crisis, On Time and Water (trans. Lytton Smith). Part of the Saturday Community Bookfair at the AWP virtual conference; archived on Vimeo.
  • 3/14/21: Interview on Wild Connection: The Podcast, focusing on "ecological grief."
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SAM GRIDLEY:
Sam, the author of our book The Shame of What We Are, has a novella coming out from Finishing Line Press: The Bourgeois Anarchist, now available for preorder.
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Five Stars for TO REACH THE SPRING

3/8/2021

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A five-star Amazon review of To Reach the Spring:
What is life worth?
Popkin's cri de coeur. "To Reach the Spring" speaks to, follows up with, and updates Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" but speaks as well to Primo Levi, James Baldwin and to many more. It is a philosophical rumination on choice, obligation, and judgment. It asks: what is a life worth? It tells us we are all victim and victimizer. It uses the Holocaust as a touchpoint to reflect on the environmental apocalypse we are living through (perhaps dangerously -- the differences outweigh the similarities, but human behavior here is the key -- when we are of the group causing harm we believe we are in the right, OR don't see a path of resistance, OR don't care enough or are too consumed by other things both trivial and important). The essays also comprise something of a memoir, whereby Popkin reaches into his childhood and young adulthood -- the story of our planet's plight, after all, is the story of our lives, of how we have learned what to value and how to make change possible. Indeed, this short but crucial book is ultimately a book of hope, despite the grim take on our humanity. It is partially framed as a letter to hypothetical grandchildren (shades of Baldwin writing to his - real - nephew) which implies that there will indeed be grandchildren around to read it. While the book to his grandchildren yet to be is in part an apology, it also is a dream. That the spring IS within our reach. We just have to be brave. "To Reach the Spring" should be up there in the pantheon with "Silent Spring." Not because of its literary merit (which it has in spades, mind you) but for its challenge to make a better world through our individual and collective choices.
(Review by Kevin M. Feinberg)
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AWP 2021!

3/1/2021

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The AWP Conference is going virtual this year, and the legion of folks who've been working on the digital platform have our deep appreciation. We've registered only for the Saturday Community Bookfair, March 6, and even for this minimal commitment the setup has been time-consuming. Nevertheless, we're happy to report that the arrangements below are more or less final, subject to digital glitches. We'll be sharing our virtual exhibit space with our friends at Hidden River Arts. Note that times are given for two time zones, Central and Eastern.

  • 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Central/11:00 a.m. to noon Eastern:
    Meet & Greet with Nathaniel Popkin, author of TO REACH THE SPRING. As a special guest, Nathaniel has invited Andri Magnason, one of Iceland's best-loved authors. Andri is the author of ON TIME AND WATER, a book of "narrative nonfiction" about the climate crisis. It's become a bestseller in Iceland, and an English translation is forthcoming this month from Open Letter. This conversation should be fascinating.
  • 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. Central/1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Eastern: 
    Meet & Greet with Justine Dymond, whose book THE EMIGRANT AND OTHER STORIES has won the Eludia Award from Hidden River Arts. The Eludia series publishes the first book-length fiction from women writers age 40 or above. The series has been extraordinary so far, and Justine's book, due out later this spring, is no exception. It focuses on "characters who experience life as foreigners, whether in their own countries or not." Very appropriate for this conference where we'll all feel like foreigners in Zoomland.
  • 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. Central/3:30 to 6:00 p.m. Eastern: Hours when we will be hanging out to talk with anyone who comes for a virtual visit. Please bring snacks.

These events are open only to people registered for the conference. However, in honor of AWP, we're offering three of our recent books at a 20% discount if you order direct from our distributor. Follow the links below and at checkout, in the line that says Enter Promo Code,  type AWP20.

Nathaniel Popkin, TO REACH THE SPRING
Nathaniel Popkin, EVERYTHING IS BORROWED
Mark Lyons, HOMING: A MEMOIR
These discounts will be available to anyone from 3/3 through 3/9. Enjoy!

Update: Navigating the AWP site has been confusing for many. We will be in the Saturday Community Bookfair, which, as the name suggests, is on Saturday only. The link shown below will go live only on Saturday. You have to be registered for the conference for access. Be sure to have an adult beverage on hand for consolation if you get lost.
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