Recently, I given the good news that my short-story collection–When You Find Us We Will Be Gone–was recently longlisted for the Frank O’Connor Short Story Prize. This is the first–and probably only time–I will share a list with Margaret Atwood. Top prize is 25,000 Euros! You can see the list here.
book
Book Reviews
It has a few months since I last posted. But in that time my debut collection of short stories–When You Find Us We Will Be Gone–has garnered a few more reviews. I’ve been very happy with the nice things reviewers have been saying so far. Over at Foreword Reviews, they note:
“The sting of Christopher Linforth’s stories lingers long after the final page. Complex and disturbing, they follow ordinary people caught up in worlds not of their own making, knowing that somewhere (and it’s always somewhere else) there is a better life—a more worthy partner, a brighter future—if only they could get there.”
And at the Iowa Review:
“The stories…are at once bold but also subtle, haunting but also full of hope, spanning decades and continents.”
Finally a few kind words from At the Inkwell:
“Linforth has given us a rich array of plots, characters and settings in his first collection, and one that’s worth reading for short story lovers.”
All good stuff. You can buy my debut collection at Amazon or Barnes and Noble or through your local bookstore.
Ten Best Women Short Story Writers
Following on from a previous post, I thought I’d list some remarkable short story writers alive today. I’m using the following criteria: 1) North American (that is, American or Canadian) 2) Alive 3) A woman 4) Known in some capacity as a short story writer. I’ve noticed in my reading habits I tend toward women writers anyway and would count the ten plus below as masters of the genre.
Top Ten
1. Alice Munro.
2. Antonya Nelson.
3. Andrea Barrett.
4. Ann Beattie.
5. Joyce Carol Oates.
6. Edith Pearlman.
7. Annie Proulx.
8. Lorrie Moore.
9. Mary Gaitskill.
10. Jhumpa Lahiri.
Others of note: Edwidge Danticat, Lauren Groff, Karen Russell, Roxane Gay, Jill McCorkle, Mona Simpson, Louise Erdich…
Any others you’d add to the list?
Rejected Blurbs
A while ago I started fooling around with the blurb form and constructing them in terms of bad blurbs, that is the accosted established writer frolicking in his penned superiority (!). Praise be to the publishing gods that a couple have recently been released on the web:
“Rejected Blurb #23” in Atticus Review and “Rejected Blurb #6” in Metazen.
