It's kudos time! This is our quarterly opportunity to celebrate the latest publication and award news from our members, instructors, and workshop participants. If you're a Lighthouse member who'd like to share your own good news, let us know here.
BOOK DEALS AND NEWS
Instructors + Book Project and Poetry Collective Participants
Mario Acevedo's latest novel, Steampunk Banditos, published in August from WordFire Press.
Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s new book, Sabrina & Corina, publishes April 2 from Random House and appeared on the list New Books by Latinx Readers We’re Looking Forward to Reading in 2019.
Andrea Bobotis' debut novel, The Last List of Miss Judith Kratt, publishes July 9 from Sourcebooks.
Adam Fagin's new poetry collection, Furthest Ecology, publishes February 21 from the Center for Literary Publishing at Colorado State.
Elisa Gabbert’s new book of essays, The Word Pretty, published in November from Black Ocean and was reviewed in the New York Times. Her Letter of Recommendation also appeared in the New York Times.
Erika Krouse received a two-book deal from Flatiron Books for Tell Me Everything, a memoir about her 15-year private eye career, and her short story collection Save Me. Her correlating Granta essay, "Comfort Woman," received a Special Mention nod in the 2019 Pushcart Prize anthology. Her short story, "The Standing Man," was also recently published in the autumn issue of The Iowa Review. Finally, she was hired to teach at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in North India this spring, alongside Lighthouse instructors Paula Younger (who will teach at a fiction-only retreat in October) and Serena Chopra (CNF and poetry in November).
Mark Mayer’s new short story collection, Aerialists, publishes February 19 and appeared on Lit Hub’s list of most anticipated books of 2019. He also published, ”Keeping This Fluffy, Fragile Beast Alive,” a Modern Love column for the New York Times, as well as the story “Twin” in the Kenyon Review online.
Corie Rosen’s poetry collection, Words for Things Unsaid, will be published in 2019 from Aldrich Press. Also her story, “I Know Exactly How This Works,” has been accepted by the Roanoke Review for publication this year.
Benjamin Whitmer’s book Évasion is now a national bestseller in France as well as a Libr'à nous 2019 Finalist.
Jennifer Wortman's short story collection This. This. This. Is. Love. Love. Love. will be published by Split Lip Press in May 2019. New World Writing nominated her flash story "The Forest of Foodstuffs" for a Pushcart; MoonPark Review nominated her flash story "Big Enlightenment" for Best Microfictions 2018; and Monkeybicycle nominated her flash story "Romantic Comedy" for Best Microfiction 2018 and Best Small Fictions 2019. Her hybrid flash "How to Get Over Someone You Love in Ten Easy Steps" recently appeared in Five 2 One.
BOOK DEALS AND NEWS
Lighthouse Members
Jane Binns' memoir, Broken Whole, published in November from She Writes Press.
Nadia Bolz-Weber's book, Shameless: A Sexual Reformation, published in January from Convergent Books.
Jason Gruhl's picture book, Everything is Connected, was published by Bala Kids in February. The book was workshopped in Denise Vega’s Children’s Picture Book class.
Mimi Hayes’ debut memoir, I'll Be OK, It's Just a Hole in My Head, comes out September 18th from Animal Media Group.
Elizabeth Katkin's first book, Conceivability: What I Learned Exploring the Frontiers of Fertility, published in June from Simon & Schuster. She workshopped the book in Emily Rapp Black's Master Nonfiction Workshop at Lit Fest.
Bart Schaneman’s short novel, The Silence is the Noise, published in August from Trident Press in Boulder. It was workshopped in Benjamin Whitmer's advanced novel workshop.
Christine Weeber’s bilingual poetry chapbook, In the Understory of Her Being, published in July from Finishing Line Press.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Instructors + Book Project and Poetry Collective Participants
Amanda Baldeneaux won the Missouri Review Editor’s Prize.
Serena Chopra was profiled in Westword's 100 Colorado Creatives.
Franklin Cruz was profiled in Westword.
Wendy J. Fox's forthcoming novel, If the Ice Had Held, was selected as the Santa Fe Writers Project grand prize winner by Benjamin Percy.
Susan Friberg has been designated the First Place in the 2018 Francine Ringold Awards for New Writers in Poetry. Her poems will be published in the spring issue of The Nimrod International Journal.
Diana Khoi Nguyen's book, Ghost Of, was a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry.
David J. Rothman has been appointed as president and CEO of The Center for the Arts in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Tiffany Quay Tyson's book The Past Is Never was selected for the Wheat Ridge Reads program. It also made Meek School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi's Best 10 Books of 2018 list.
Connie Zumpf’s first manuscript, Strangers I Think I Know, was a finalist for the Louis Poetry Book Award (Concrete Wolf Press).
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Lighthouse Members
Jessica Austgen was named Colorado Theatre Person of the Year.
Ellen Fisher’s book Hill's Gold was awarded first place for historical fiction by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.
Michele Finn Johnson was recently named Assistant Fiction Editor at Split Lip Magazine. Her flash fiction, "Jericho Falls," was published in Issue 3 of Ellipsis Magazine.
Patricia Anne Jackson was shortlisted for the Bridport UK Literary Prize in flash fiction for “Larry's New Liver.”
Deborah Kay Kelly was newly welcomed onto the board of Tupelo Press.
Petra Perkins was a short-list finalist in the 2018 Faulkner Wisdom writing competition in both the Essay and Poetry categories. She was also a recent guest contributor to The Colorado Independent for her personal story about the Mars spacecraft launch.
Dino Piacentini signed with an agent whom he met at Lit Fest to represent his first novel.
Amie Sharp has received a Best of the Net nomination for her poem "Train at Night in the Desert," published by Burningword Literary Journal. She also completed a poetry residency at the Palazzo del Gatto in Casaprota, Italy for the SabinARTi Cultural Association.
Colleen Smith won First Prize in the Second Annual Screenplay Contest sponsored by Women in Film and Media Colorado and the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media. She developed her feature-length screenplay "Thin Places" in the eight-week advanced screenwriter's workshop—also known as "The Table” taught by Michael Catlin.
Cynthia Swanson has been asked to be the opening keynote speaker at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference the first weekend in May 2019.
Sunny Weber's middle-grade book, The Dog at the Gate: How a Throw-Away Dog Becomes Special, won a Silver Medal in the 2018 Moonbeam Children's Book Awards for Pets/Animals. The book also won two Bronze Medals in the CIPA EVVY Awards in Children's Books and Pets/Animals.
STORY AND ESSAY PUBLICATIONS
Instructors + Book Project and Poetry Collective Participants
Sue Gelber's humor piece “Spirit Airlines Welcomes You Almost Home for the Holidays” appeared in the New Yorker.
Michael Henry's poem, "Gun Ties His Shoes," in issue 007 of Nice Cage. His essay, "Over the Mountains There Are More Mountains," was published in the November issue of Elevation Outdoors.
Robert McBrearty's story, "Down at Al's Pool Hall,' was published in the current issue of New Flash Fiction Review. He has also had stories accepted by North American Review and Haunted Waters Press.
Rudy Melena's short story, "So Much the Better," will be published in the March 2019 issue of The Woven Tale Press. The story was first workshopped in a class taught by Andrea Dupree.
Mike Nugent's short story, “The Last Word” (formerly known as “Yack”), was published in Kaani.
Kim O’Connor has two poems published in the latest issue of Colorado Review.
Caitlin Plante’s flash fiction piece, “Salt Water,” was selected for publication by Haunted Waters Press in their literary journal From the Depths. She was also a runner-up in their 2018 Short Shorts Flash Fiction Competition.
Alison Preston's story, "St. Alban's," in the Fall 2018 issue of Mystery Tribune.
Elizabeth Robinson's essay, "Schizophrenia, Dandelions, Cookies, Floods and Scabs: Alternate Approaches," was published in Brevity.
Erika T. Wurth had two poems published at Lit Hub for their series of New Poetry by Indigenous Women.
STORY AND ESSAY PUBLICATIONS
Lighthouse Members
Bobbie DeHerrera's essay, “Walter and the Long Walk,” was featured in I AM STRENGTH: True Stories of Everyday Superwomen, a collection edited by Alysa Waugh and published by Blind Faith Books. Bobbie is currently attending William Haywood Henderson's Novel Bootcamp.
Carrie Esposito's short story, "I Came Here to Be Alone," was published in the Georgia Review.
Krista Hanley had a selection from her memoir-in-progress, "Pistol Shooting Basics", published by Memoir Magazine.
Lisa Harris’ short story, “Batter Swing,” will be included in the upcoming New Rivers Press American Fiction anthology. She developed this piece in Lindsey Drager’s Gothic fiction workshop.
Michele Finn Johnson's short story, “Night Moves,” was published in The Superstition Review. Michele polished this story at this year's Grand Lake Retreat. Her flash fiction, "If a Heart Beats in the Nursing Home and No One’s There to See It, Did It Ever Really Beat at All?” has been nominated for Best Microfictions 2018 by Vestal Review.
Fran Ford's poem "Winter Hunt" was published in the Denver Voice.
Lew Forester's poem, "Suburban Metaphor." was published in the January issue of Birdy.
Patricia Jayne's poem, "A Rant with Odes to John Trudell and Andrea Menard," was published in the Denver Voice.
Linda Keyes' essay, “Cirque of Dreams,” was published in The Common.
Jennie MacDonald’s short story, “Clean Cup,” which is set in a fictional branch of the Denver Public Library, has been published in Shhh . . . Murder!, an anthology of cost mysteries just out from Dark House Books.
R. L. Maizes had two humor pieces, "My Apology to Facebook for Cheating with Twitter," and "13 Reasons You Really Didn't See Coming for Why Your Short Story Was Rejected,” published by Brevity. Her story "Not My Birthday," an excerpt from her forthcoming book We Love Anderson Cooper, aired on NPR's Hanukkah Lights in December. Her humor piece, "10 Perfect Writer Gifts We Just Made Up," appeared in Electric Literature.
Ellen Nordberg’s essay "The Movie '3 Identical Strangers' Changed How I Parent My Twins" was published in the Washington Post.
Caleb Pan's essay “[worth]” was published in Issue Eleven of Blue Marble Review.
Marrianne Reid's poem, "Refugee," was published in the Denver Voice.
Cameron Snyder's essay, “If the Echo Had Legs, with Whom Would It March?” will be published in the fall issue of The Normal School and his short story, “Paternal Order of the Sirloin,” is forthcoming Barrelhouse. His flash story, “The Cherry Harvest,” was an honorable mention" for Exposition Review's Flash 405 contest. He'd like to thank Emily Sinclair and Amanda Rea for their guidance and support.
Susanna Speier has an article, “How Detective Stories Help Train Kids to Think,” in Pursuit Magazine.
Devorah Uriel's essay “Thirty-three Nights” was published in Dime Show Review.
Congratulations to all! Have something to add? Let us know. Visit the Kudos archive here.
