Actually ten authors received Whiting Awards, as announced today, which come with a nice $50,000 chunk of change. The authors selected this year have been responsible for plays, essays, poems, fiction, chapbooks, full books, etc.
I mention Lapcharoensap and Peelle in the header as I'm actually familiar with their work. Rattawut Lapcharoensap's short story collection, Sightseeing, was reviewed very positively here (well, back in the email only days) and he did a nice interview with us back in January 2005. He's currently the Visiting Writer at the University of Wyoming MFA program and working on a novel.
Lydia Peelle's short story collection, Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing was published by Harper Collins late last year and I've had the pleasure of enjoying the bulk of it and if I ever get around to writing reviews again, it's high on my list of books I've enjoyed to write about.
From the website:
The ten writers recognized this year for their extraordinary talent and promise are: David Adjmi, plays. His productions include Stunning, which premiered at Lincoln Center Theater. He is at work on a book for HarperCollins and lives in Brooklyn. Elif Batuman, nonfiction. Her collection of essays, Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them, was published this year by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. She is spending this year in Istanbul. Michael Dahlie, fiction. His first novel, A Gentleman’s Guide to Graceful Living, was published in 2008 by W.W. Norton. He lives in Indianapolis. Matt Donovan, poetry. His first collection, Vellum, was published by Mariner/Houghton Mifflin in 2006. He lives in Santa Fe. Rattawut Lapcharoensap, fiction. His collection of short stories, Sightseeing, was published by Grove in 2004, and he has a first novel under contract with Grove. He lives in Laramie, Wyoming. Amy Leach, nonfiction. She is at work on a book of essays about animals, plants and stars for Milkweed Editions. She lives in Chicago. Lydia Peelle, fiction. Her collection of stories, Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing, was published by Harper Perennial in 2009. She lives in Nashville. Saïd Sayrafiezadeh, nonfiction. His memoir, When Skateboards Will Be Free, was published in 2009 by the Dial Press. He lives in New York City and is at work on a novel. Jane Springer, poetry. Her first poetry collection, Dear Blackbird, was published by University of Utah Press in 2007. She lives in Clinton, New York. LB Thompson, poetry. Her poetry chapbook is entitled Tendered Notes: Poems of Love and Money. She lives on the North Fork of Long Island, has completed a poetry collection, and is at work on a book of essays and a novel.
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