Anthologies
This collection of thirty Southern writers gathers some of the finest authors in the country—with stories, essays, and a poem. Demonstrating a range of styles, topics, and themes these stories display each writer’s craftsmanship and talent and together form a testament to the grand literary tradition of the South. About the Editor Sonny Brewer owns Over the Transom Bookstore in Fairhope, Alabama. He was editor of the city magazine in Mobile, Alabama, associate editor of an Alabama weekly newspaper, and a feature columnist; he edited an anthology of Fairhope writers and artists called Red Bluff Review, and is the author of a parable on aging cleverly disguised as a children’s book, Rembrandt the Rocker, and a book of dime-store philosophy called A Yin for Change. Contributors: Marlin Barton Rick Bragg Jill Conner Browne C. Terry Cline, Jr. Pat Conroy Tom Corcoran Beth Ann Fennelly Patricia Foster Tom Franklin William Gay Jim Gilbert W.E.B. Griffin Winston Groom Melinda Haynes Frank Turner Hollon Silas House Suzanne Hudson Douglas Kelley Tom Kelly Michael Knight Bev Marshall Jennifer Paddock Barbara Robinette Moss Judith Richards Richard Shackelford George Singleton Monroe Thompson Sidney Thompson Brad Watson Steve Yarbrough
On February 2, 2002, Stephen King, Pat Conroy, John Grisham, and Peter Straub gathered at New York's Town Hall for a very special evening. These four best selling authors stepped up to the microphone to raise money for one of the most recognizable voices in audiobooks, Frank Muller, an actor who sustained terrible injuries from a motorcycle accident. Muller, who has recorded hundreds of novels, including many by these authors, may never work again. This once-in-a-lifetime event is captured here, and 100% of all profits will be donated to The Wavedancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports Frank Muller and other artists who fall prey to illness or injury and can no longer perform. Grisham kicks off the evening with a heartfelt reading of an excerpt from his blockbuster best seller The Summons . He's followed by Straub who captivates the audience with a hair-raising episode from Black House , the latest thriller he co-authored with Stephen King. King changes pace with a joyful reading of his classic short story The Revenge of Lardass Hogan. Finally, Conroy engages the audience in a hilarious chat on the art of writing. A unique program that pays tribute to a true master craftsman, this audiobook is an unforgettable listening experience.
This unique literary anthology presents the childhood writings of some of America’s greatest authors—including Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates and more. Most kid write stories. A few of them grow up to be successful authors. Before Stephen King created Carrie , he created Jhonathan, at age nine. And before there was Rabbit Angstrom, there was Manuel Citarro, the detective in John Updike's hard-boiled mystery, written at fourteen. Before Jurassic Park , there was young Michael Crichton's story about the mysteriously wounded man lying unattended in the street. Editor Paul Mandelbaum persuaded our most popular American authors to share their childhood writings and their treasured photographs. What he's gathered is a fascinating, delightful collection of writing and early snapshots that reveal young minds at work, wrestling with early versions of ideas that were to take hold of their writings in later years. Of course, the young Madeline L'Engle would wonder about space and the meaning of eternity. Of course, Margaret Atwood would question conventional female behavior, arguing for the right to smoke cigars. Other writers featured in this volume include Amy Tan, Paul Bowles, Michael Crichton, Ursula K. LeGuin, Tobias Wolff, and more.
The authors in Don't Quit Your Day Job have tried their hands at some of the same jobs as their readers. They’ve worked on the railroad, busted rocks with a sledgehammer, fought fires, wiped tables, soldiered and carpentered and spied, delivered pizzas, lacquered boat paddles, counted heads for the church, sold underwear, delivered mail, and driven garbage trucks. And like William Faulkner before them, they have quit those day jobs. These authors tell good tales this is the book for those who wonder what work preceded the literary efforts of their favorite authors. This collection allows writers to build a bridge between themselves and their readers, connecting with those who love to read and those who dream about writing while on the job during the day.
In State of the Heart, Aïda Rogers has crafted an artful love letter to our state, with contributions from a host of nationally and regionally recognized writers who've written short essays on the South Carolina places that they cherish. This anthology provides a multifaceted historical and personal view of the Palmetto State. Thematically organized, this collection offers a geographic and emotional scope that is as diverse as its contributors. Sportswriters describe beloved arenas; historians reflect on church ruins and forts. A playwright recalls the magic of her first theater experience; a food writer revels in a coastal joint that serves fresh oysters. Backyards, front porches, a small library at a children's home, the drama and camaraderie of building the Savannah River Site, and places that are gone except in the memories of the writers who loved them—these are just a few of the locales covered, all showing how South Carolina has changed and inspired people in a variety of ways. State of the Heart evokes a sense of history and timelessness by bringing together heartfelt responses to South Carolina locales rooted in memory, drawing on reflection, inspiration, and love. The anthology reveals a state that is more than a playground for tourists; it's a state of human hiding places that echo in the hearts of its literary citizens. Though presented as a book about place, the collection is ultimately about our shared connections to one another, to a complex common past, and to ongoing efforts to frame and build a future of promise and possibility. Includes essays by: William P. Baldwin III, Kendall Bell, Cynthia Boiter, Shane Bradley, Lee Gordon Brockington, Ken Burger, Amanda Capps, John Celly, Robin Asbury Cutler, Billy Deal, Clair DeLune, Nathalie Dupree, Mary Eaddy, Starkey Flythe, Daniel E. Harmon, Steve Hoffius, Celie S. Holmes, Dot Jackson, Dianne "Dinah" Johnson, Sandra E. Johnson, John Lane, J. Drew Lanham, Nick Lindsay, Vennie Deas Moore, John Hammond Moore, Sam Morton, Horace Mungin, Kirk H. Neely, Liz Newall, Tom Poland, Dori Sanders, W. Thomas Smith Jr., Deno Trakas, Ceille Baird Welch, Marjory Wentworth
A chorus of essays from a variety of voices, backgrounds, and experiences, exploring what it means to be human and true to yourself. What does it mean to be yourself? To be born here or somewhere else? To be from one family instead of another? What does it mean to be human ? Collected by Lori Carlson-Hijuelos, A Path to the World showcases essays by a vast variety of luminaries—from Gary Soto to Nawal Nasrallah to Ying Ying Yu, from chefs to artists to teens to philosophers to politicians (keep your eyes peeled for a surprise appearance by George Washington)—all of which speak to the common thread of humanity, the desire to be your truest self, and to belong. Contributors include: Lori Marie Carlson-Hijuelos, Joseph Bruchac, Jacinto Jesús Cardona, William Sloane Coffin, Pat Conroy, Mario Cuomo, Timothy Egan, Alan Ehrenhalt, Shadi Feddin, Ralph Fletcher, Valerie Gribben, Alexandre Hollan, Molly Ivins, Geeta Kothari, Jeremy Lee, Yuyi Li, Emily Lisker, Kamaal Majeed, Madge McKeithen, Nawal Nasrallah, Scott Pitoniak, Anna Quindlen, Michael J. Sandel, Raquel Sentíes, David E. Skaggs, Gary Soto, Alexandra Stoddard, KellyNoel Waldorf, George Washington, and Ying Ying Yu.
For years the legendary John Seigenthaler hosted A Word on Words on Nashville's public television station, WNPT. During the show’s four-decade run (1972 to 2013), he interviewed some of the most interesting and most important writers of our time. These in-depth exchanges revealed much about the writers who appeared on his show and gave a glimpse into their creative processes. Seigenthaler was a deeply engaged reader and a generous interviewer, a true craftsman. Frye Gaillard and Pat Toomay have collected and transcribed some of the iconic interactions from the show. Featuring interviews with: Arna Bontemps • Marshall Chapman • Pat Conroy • Rodney Crowell • John Egerton • Jesse Hill Ford • Charles Fountain • William Price Fox • Kinky Friedman • Frye Gaillard • Nikki Giovanni • Doris Kearns Goodwin • David Halberstam • Waylon Jennings • John Lewis • David Maraniss • William Marshall • Jon Meacham • Ann Patchett • Alice Randall • Dori Sanders • John Seigenthaler Sr. • Marty Stuart • Pat Toomay