Writers talk about their work in many ways: as an art, as a calling, as a lifestyle. Too often missing from these conversations is the fact that writing is also a business. The reality is, those who want to make a full- or part-time job out of writing are going to have a more positive…
Pearl Spence has finally settled into a routine in Bliss, Michigan, far from her home in Red River, Oklahoma. Like all the other kids, she goes to school each day, plays in the woods, and does her chores. But there’s one big difference: Mama is still gone and doesn’t seem to have a thought for…
First published in 1997, The Story of Jane recounts the evolution of Jane, the underground group in Chicago that performed abortion services before the procedure was legalized. An extraordinary history by one of its members, this is the first account of Jane’s evolution, the conflicts within the group, and the impact its work had both…
A smart debut novel—a wonderfully engaging infusion of Lab Girl, The Assistants, and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine—that pits the ambition of scientific discovery against the siren call of love. How does smell work? Specifically, how do olfactory sensory neurons project to their targets in the olfactory bulb, where smell is processed? Justin McKinnon…
In Shelley Wood’s fiction debut, readers are taken inside the devastating true story of the Dionne Quintuplets, told from the perspective of one young woman who meets them at the moment of their birth… Reluctant midwife Emma Trimpany is just 17 when she assists at the harrowing birth of the Dionne quintuplets: five tiny…
Skilled narrator Tavia Gilbert provides a compelling performance as young widow Ruth Neufeld. After Chandler Neufeld and his father are killed in a bombing in war-torn Afghanistan, Ruth is left to pick up the pieces of her life and the lives of her two daughters. She retreats to Chandler’s Mennonite family’s farm to find solace.…
Meredith Hunt is content with her solo life. She owns and runs a successful Pilates studio, volunteers at the high school every week, and recently bought a house. She can take care of herself, which is good because she has a hard time relying on other people. When she’s mugged and a handsome man comes…
Using a young-sounding voice, Tavia Gilbert narrates this hopeful story of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Ten-year-old Pearl Spence moves from Oklahoma to Michigan to settle with her father’s cousins. Gilbert imbues Pearl with a subtle twang that contrasts with her father’s deep emotional tones. Gilbert assigns Pearl’s 12-year-old friend, Ray, a gruff…
From “one of the most perceptive, compassionate writers of fiction in America…immensely talented and brave” (Michael Schaub, NPR), a historical saga about love, class, and the past we never escape. The Peacock Feast opens on a June day in 1916 when Louis C. Tiffany, the eccentric glass genius, dynamites the breakwater at Laurelton Hall—his…
An extensive cast of writers and narrators join together to perform this collection of heartrending essays and poetry created by survivors of sexual assault and abuse. With original music by Amanda Rose Smith, a wave of acceptance and love resonates in the chorus of voices united with the message that victims are not alone and…