Suspend Your Disbelief

Author Archive

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new review on FWR: Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

by Natalie Bakopoulos

a preview: Colson Whitehead’s fourth novel, Sag Harbor, is driven not by plot but by time, by the fleetingness of summer and its constant reminder of that fleetingness. The beginning is slow, with the sense of months ahead, time to digress and ponder and imagine and internalize, with the thickest, most dense prose socked in the middle of July, the more desperate, urgent bursts as we careen toward Labor Day. The writing is wonderfully languorous throughout, like summer itself, and a perfect match for adolescence: unrestrained and indulgent but wonderfully self-conscious as well. Click here to read the whole review […]


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Blog Tour! Bridget McNulty, author of Strange Nervous Laughter

by Anne Stameshkin

FWR is thrilled to host South African debut novelist Bridget McNulty for a stop on her book blog tour. In addition to sharing an excerpt from her book Strange Nervous Laughter, Bridget has also written a great post about the story and process behind it. (And if you haven’t yet seen “The Lonely Cupcake,” a one-minute whimsical fable/preview of the novel, watch it today; and check out behind-the-scenes photos from that project.) An excerpt from Strange Nervous Laughter: He arrived at her house in a hearse, which was perhaps not the best omen for a first date. What was unusual […]


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recommended event: Ann Arbor Book Festival

by Anne Stameshkin

FWR will have a table at the 2009 Ann Arbor Book Festival (in the Writing Conference), which begins this Friday! Michigan-based writers, stop by and say hello to Jeremy, and also check out the Emerging Writers Network and Hobart. In addition to a book fair, this festival will feature an array of exciting panels (the one on the Future of the Book sounds especially interesting!), readings from authors like Colson Whitehead (Sag Harbor) and Sung J. Woo (Everything Asian), and other events, such as this exploration of how a play comes to life “from page to stage,” a breakfast with […]


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FWR Tupperware Recap

by Jeremiah Chamberlin

A wonderful time was, indeed, had by all. We missed you, Anne. But thanks for sending all the great books! They found many good homes. Thanks also to Johanna Hines from Norton for review copies, and Karl Pohrt at Shaman Drum for some of the same. And, of course, a big thanks to everyone for coming. It was lovely to spend an evening in the backyard together, and a great excuse for me to barbecue a turkey. If only I’d remembered to have someone snap a photo of me in my Fiction Writers Review apron… Most importantly, though, here’s the […]


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new review on FWR: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

by Celeste Ng

an excerpt: Tiffany Baker’s debut novel, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, contains an apparent contradiction in its title: a little giant? Truly Plaice, the character so dubbed, is no Paul Bunyan: she doesn’t tower over rooftops or create canyons with her feet. But she’s plenty big enough to cause a stir: at five, she’s two inches taller than her seven-year-old sister, and she just keeps growing bigger and heavier. So she becomes known as Aberdeen’s “little giant,” a position that shapes her fate. And that oxymoron encapsulates this whimsical novel, which is, at its heart, about the yoking together […]


Reviews |

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, by Tiffany Baker

by Celeste Ng

Tiffany Baker’s debut novel, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County, contains an apparent contradiction in its title: a little giant? Truly Plaice, the character so dubbed, is no Paul Bunyan: she doesn’t tower over rooftops or create canyons with her feet. But she’s plenty big enough to cause a stir: at five, she’s two inches taller than her seven-year-old sister, and she just keeps growing bigger and heavier. So she becomes known as Aberdeen’s “little giant,” a position that shapes her fate. And that oxymoron encapsulates this whimsical novel, which is, at its heart, about the yoking together of opposites.


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recommended event: CLMP's 2009 lit magazine fair

by Anne Stameshkin

New York-based writer-readers: On Sunday, May 31, come to Housing Works for the 10th Annual Literary Magazine Fair with the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP). Admission is free, and all lit magazines will be on sale for only $2! I’m hoping to come away (as I do every year) with a tote bag full of literary goodness. About Housing Works: Since opening its doors in 1998, Housing Works’ Bookstore Cafe has been an unparalleled hot spot for New York’s literary community, hosting countless readings, panels, and parties for every major publisher, as well as magazines from Lucky to […]


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The Lonely Cupcake

by Anne Stameshkin

South African writer Bridget McNulty will make a (virtual) stop at FWR during her blog tour later this month when Strange Nervous Laughter (St. Martin’s), her debut novel, publishes. In the meantime, Bridget offers this lovely, wacky little film to get you in the mood for it. As she says: How can you resist watching a video with a name as intriguing as ‘The Lonely Cupcake‘? Especially when it’s only 1 minute long! And it’s only vaguely related to Strange Nervous Laughter. And it has cupcakes in it. With funny faces.




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