Sunday, September 18, 2011
New Fiction & Poetry from Gival Press in Oct. 2011
For those of you out there, here below is a listing of the new October releases from Gival Press. There is a bit of something for everyone, from fiction to creative nonfiction to poetry, from English to French to Spanish, from straight to gay relationships, from recent cultural events to historical events many would rather forget.
Enough of the suspense, read on:
Creative Nonfiction:
Gone by Sundown by Peter Leach
Winner of the Gival Press Novel Award
“Gone by Sundown is an extremely timely novel that traces the origins of a racist atrocity and its effects on residents from bottom-dwelling working class blacks and whites, to the ‘French colored’ and merchants higher up the social ladder, to union agitators and mine owners at the top of local society. Peter Leach has the story-teller’s heart of Harper Lee and the sociologist’s eye
of Frank Norris.”—Tim W. Brown, author of Second Acts
“Almost no other novel treats the creation of sundown towns. Gone by Sundown thus amounts to a one-volume antidote to American amnesia. On top of that, it’s a good read.”
—James W. Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Sundown Towns
Fiction:
Show Up, Good Look
by Mark Wisniewski
“Wisniewski: a riotously original voice.”
—Jonathan Lethem
“Show Up, Look Good is a rollicking, laugh-out-loud romp of a novel.”— Ben Fountain, author of 'Brief Encounters with Che Guevara'
“Mark Wisniewski’s prose is incisive and crisp, bracing and in the best sense destructive, like a straight shot of excellent gin. Part Carson McCullers, part Truman Capote, part Elmore Leonard, 'Show Up, Look Good' is ultimately a highly original, entertaining, and disturbing read, accurate but precisely off-center. Just when you think you know how it moves, it proves you wrong, and you’re delighted. Wisniewski is that crafty a craftsman, that intelligent a writer.”— T. R. Hummer, author of Walt Whitman in Hell
Fiction:
The Pleasuring of Men
by Clifford Browder
In New York City in the late 1860s, Tom Vaughan, a respectably raised young man, chooses to become a male prostitute servicing the city’s affluent elite, then falls in love with Walter Whiting, a renowned scholar and lecturer who proves to be his most difficult client. Having long wrestled with feelings of shame and guilt, Whiting, a married man, at first resents Tom’s easy acceptance of his own sexuality. Their story unfolds in the clandestine and precarious gay underworld of the time, which is creatively but vividly created. Through a series of encounters–some exhilarating, some painful, some mysterious—Tom matures, until an unexpected act of violence provokes a final resolution.
“The Pleasuring of Men ... is deftly drawn with rich descriptions, a rhythmic balance of action, dialogue, and exposition, and a nicely understated plot .. both engaging and provocative.”
—Sean Moran
Poetry:
12: Sonnets for the Zodiac
by John Gosslee
(in English, French and Spanish)
"In John Gosslee’s debut collection, 12, he chisels to perfection sonnets that masterfully treat the characters of the western zodiac. Lyrically intense, each poem portrays a compelling portrait that breathes new life into an age-old celestial system. With a musician’s heart, an eye for detail, and stunning craftsmanship, Gosslee explores the intricacies of the twelve signs—from Aries to Pisces—while dazzling the reader with his descriptive powers. These are illuminating and memorable poems from a new and authentic voice."
—Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Poet Laureate of Virginia, 2006-2008
The Silent Art
by Clifford Bernier
Winner of the Gival Press Poetry Award
“Clifford Bernier’s The Silent Art takes us on a journey through countries, landscapes, musical forms and states of mind. Rivers flow through these places to the beat of conga drums, the wail of an alto sax and the voice of a woman singing scat. To read these poems is to enter a work of expressionist art….”—Judith Valente, correspondent, PBS-TV; co-editor, Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul; author of Discovering Moons
“Like musicians, poets strive for clarity, originality and perfect pitch. Clifford Bernier’s The Silent Art provides us with a bumper crop of each...."--Reuben Jackson
“Clifford Bernier is the consummate performance artist who harmonizes imagery with syncopated language to break through the silence of the page. Make no mistake, 'The Silent Art' is a fullblown concert.”—Karren L. Alenier, author of Gertrude Stein Invents a Jump Early On
"...Clifford Bernier's The Silent Art is music as sung poetry; it is poetry arranged as a concerto...."--Cecilia Martinez-Gil, author of Psaltery and Serpentines
Enough of the suspense, read on:
Creative Nonfiction:
Gone by Sundown by Peter Leach
Winner of the Gival Press Novel Award
“Gone by Sundown is an extremely timely novel that traces the origins of a racist atrocity and its effects on residents from bottom-dwelling working class blacks and whites, to the ‘French colored’ and merchants higher up the social ladder, to union agitators and mine owners at the top of local society. Peter Leach has the story-teller’s heart of Harper Lee and the sociologist’s eye
of Frank Norris.”—Tim W. Brown, author of Second Acts
“Almost no other novel treats the creation of sundown towns. Gone by Sundown thus amounts to a one-volume antidote to American amnesia. On top of that, it’s a good read.”
—James W. Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Sundown Towns
Fiction:
Show Up, Good Look
by Mark Wisniewski
“Wisniewski: a riotously original voice.”
—Jonathan Lethem
“Show Up, Look Good is a rollicking, laugh-out-loud romp of a novel.”— Ben Fountain, author of 'Brief Encounters with Che Guevara'
“Mark Wisniewski’s prose is incisive and crisp, bracing and in the best sense destructive, like a straight shot of excellent gin. Part Carson McCullers, part Truman Capote, part Elmore Leonard, 'Show Up, Look Good' is ultimately a highly original, entertaining, and disturbing read, accurate but precisely off-center. Just when you think you know how it moves, it proves you wrong, and you’re delighted. Wisniewski is that crafty a craftsman, that intelligent a writer.”— T. R. Hummer, author of Walt Whitman in Hell
Fiction:
The Pleasuring of Men
by Clifford Browder
In New York City in the late 1860s, Tom Vaughan, a respectably raised young man, chooses to become a male prostitute servicing the city’s affluent elite, then falls in love with Walter Whiting, a renowned scholar and lecturer who proves to be his most difficult client. Having long wrestled with feelings of shame and guilt, Whiting, a married man, at first resents Tom’s easy acceptance of his own sexuality. Their story unfolds in the clandestine and precarious gay underworld of the time, which is creatively but vividly created. Through a series of encounters–some exhilarating, some painful, some mysterious—Tom matures, until an unexpected act of violence provokes a final resolution.
“The Pleasuring of Men ... is deftly drawn with rich descriptions, a rhythmic balance of action, dialogue, and exposition, and a nicely understated plot .. both engaging and provocative.”
—Sean Moran
Poetry:
12: Sonnets for the Zodiac
by John Gosslee
(in English, French and Spanish)
"In John Gosslee’s debut collection, 12, he chisels to perfection sonnets that masterfully treat the characters of the western zodiac. Lyrically intense, each poem portrays a compelling portrait that breathes new life into an age-old celestial system. With a musician’s heart, an eye for detail, and stunning craftsmanship, Gosslee explores the intricacies of the twelve signs—from Aries to Pisces—while dazzling the reader with his descriptive powers. These are illuminating and memorable poems from a new and authentic voice."
—Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Poet Laureate of Virginia, 2006-2008
The Silent Art
by Clifford Bernier
Winner of the Gival Press Poetry Award
“Clifford Bernier’s The Silent Art takes us on a journey through countries, landscapes, musical forms and states of mind. Rivers flow through these places to the beat of conga drums, the wail of an alto sax and the voice of a woman singing scat. To read these poems is to enter a work of expressionist art….”—Judith Valente, correspondent, PBS-TV; co-editor, Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul; author of Discovering Moons
“Like musicians, poets strive for clarity, originality and perfect pitch. Clifford Bernier’s The Silent Art provides us with a bumper crop of each...."--Reuben Jackson
“Clifford Bernier is the consummate performance artist who harmonizes imagery with syncopated language to break through the silence of the page. Make no mistake, 'The Silent Art' is a fullblown concert.”—Karren L. Alenier, author of Gertrude Stein Invents a Jump Early On
"...Clifford Bernier's The Silent Art is music as sung poetry; it is poetry arranged as a concerto...."--Cecilia Martinez-Gil, author of Psaltery and Serpentines
