Sherry Chandler » A Thanksgiving Gift
A Thanksgiving Gift
Here’s a way to celebrate Thanksgiving: Jim Tomlinson’s short story collection, Things Kept, Things Left Behind, was reviewed today by the New York Timea!
In the book business, short-story collections by emerging writers are a tough sell. Among the heavyweight publishers these books are rarely bought, and when they are, the deal includes a novel in the not-too-distant future. As a result debut collections by only a handful of new writers make their way to a wider reading public each year.
Fortunately university presses pick up the publishing slack and distribute collections by emerging writers, often in the form of prestigious awards. Most notable among these are the Iowa Short Fiction Award and the John Simmons Short Fiction Award, both given by the University of Iowa Press and selected through the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. This year’s winners were chosen by the short-story author George Saunders. They are “Permanent Visitors” by Kevin Moffett and “Things Kept, Things Left Behind” by Jim Tomlinson.
In the tradition of many classic story collections — from the Deep South back roads of Flannery O’Connor’s short masterpieces to the sleepy towns of Huron County, Ontario, found in Alice Munro’s exquisite work — both of these books are deeply rooted in a sense of place…
Read the rest. As Jim says, it’s “quite favorable.”
I raise a glass of Alice White Merlot to Jim! What a thrill!
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