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News to share

A formal announcement in Publishers Lunch that Paige Towers has sold her book GOOD WHITE CHRISTIAN FAMILY, pitched as a work of literary journalism investigating Bertha and Harry Holt, told through the lens of a familicide that happened in Iowa City. The book was sold to Jm McCoy at University of Iowa Press.

Congratulations to Jonquil client Paige Towers! Good White Christian Family is forthcoming from University of Iowa Press, acquired by Jim McCoy. I love working with authors as conscientious and sensitive as Paige. She’s chosen a challenging topic and approached it with years of tireless research.

You’ll remember that The Sound of Undoing was published by University of Nebraska Press in March. You have time to catch up on it before the new book is released.

Ruth Awad, a Lebanese-American woman in her 30s with pink hair parted down the middle (a wig, as she reveals in her poetry, but impossible to tell from this photo) and tattooed arms, wearing a yellow dress, holds a Pomeranian who is black and honey-colored, and has its tongue out.

Photograph of Ruth Awad and Penny by Barbara J. Perenic for the Columbus Dispatch

Congratulations to friend and Jonquil client Ruth Awad! Outside the Joy will be published by Third Man Books, edited by Chet Weise. (The band Sheer Mag also recently signed with Third Man; steel sharpens steel).

Erica Thompson recently wrote this sharp profile of Ruth for the Columbus Dispatch, including this photograph with beautiful/toothless Penny.

Author Mandy Shunnarah recently profiled Ruth for the Clintonville Spotlight, in which she says, “The uniting theme in that collection is the grief of knowing that you’re going to outlive the things that matter most to you.”

Here’s “Hunger,” which recently appeared in 32 Poems. You can find more of her recent work in Ninth Letter and Sugar House Review.

Cover of Pleiades's Spring 2023 issue, with all-caps PLEIADES across the top, and a black and white illustration of a woman with a hand to her face, patterns connecting to her skirt and the design behind her

While we’re on the subject, Ruth recently guest-edited this issue of The Journal.

Cover of The Journal issue 45.4. A black man holds the fingers of his right hand in a circle. He is in a white t-shirt and dark shorts in front of a white brick backdrop. The photograph is taken in black and white.

Reading recommendations

“Most people don’t realize how difficult it is to tell your story when it feels like the world doesn’t have space for you,” writes author and activist Alice Wong in her July piece in Publishers Weekly. Titled “Disabled Authors Deserve, and Demand, More,” in this piece she asks who might have been eligible for publishing internships if remote options were available before the pandemic.

“Now that I ‘work for myself’ as a freelancer, I think a lot about time. My time is my own. I have no boss, no corporate overlord dictating the flow of my days. . . . in my line of work, I measure time in accordance with word count, thought, breath, even joy — which, to me, are the essential raw materials that make up a life.” Terry Nguyen’s newsletter on “Cloud Time” was inspired by a trip to Coney Island: “on the beach, the clouds are our clocks, keeping time with the sun.”

In a gentle newsletter titled “On Why You Still Haven’t Written That Thing,” author Courtney Martin says, “You can’t abandon a caretaking responsibility. You can’t be independently wealthy. You can’t have three meals a day cooked for you by a sexy, organic farmer/chef. . . . What is available to you?”

For a podcast interview with Helena de Groot of the Poetry Foundation, the great Natalie Shapero talks about “a collective failure to know how to respond to things,” and how her early readings taught her to use humor to “try to write jokes that are unpleasant to laugh at.” She also talks about wearing layers of California t-shirts and going on "Wheel of Fortune.”

I also really dug Natalie’s latest newsletter, which begins with a library sign that announces a piano is available for performance but not practice. “Is performance vs. practice a matter of mindset . . . ? If you attempt a Clementi sonatina, but you keep inadvertently hitting the wrong notes, are you allowed to remain? If you wear a tux and play impeccably, but all you’ve got is scales, do you have to leave?”

Recent releases

A headline in the New York Times font says, "By the book: Edan Lepucki's favorite place to read is in the tub." Beside the headline, there is a line drawing of a woman in her 40s with white skin and blonde hair, blue hoop earrings, and a pale blue collared shirt.

Have you ever read a better “By the Book” than Edan Lepucki’s?

I thought of Edan reading these lines in Elisa Albert’s Human Blues: “Her fourth album, though . . . One album, any asshole could put out one album. Two albums, you could still be a flash in the pan. Three albums, not bad. But four! Four albums! Well, that began to be a real body of work. No one could argue with four albums.”

Edan’s first books were bangers (and really, she’s done more than four). But it’s a joy to see her book hit the news, and for critics to examine this book as a part of her larger body of work. It was such a pleasure to hear her in conversation with Dan Chaon at the Beachwood Branch of the Cleveland Public Library. The two share an editor, Dan Smetanka, and exchanged stories about phone calls with him over the course of their writing.

Book cover for Edan Lepucki's novel TIME'S MOUTH, written in all caps, with rainbow-colored light crossing from the upper right corner of the cover to the lower left. The text of the title and author are in an all-caps sans serif font in a dark blue color.

Mac’s Backs sold books, and they probably have a signed copy in the shop for you if you’re close by. Time’s Mouth is out now, and you can read more about it here.

In-person events

A group of people pose in front of the hotel in Alexandria. L-R: Linda Ruggeri, Ronane Lloyd, Jean Gazis, Pam Eidson, Kirsten Reach, Andrea Reid, Cody Sisco, Katy Grenfell, and interim executive director Kerri Strauss.

After years of talking over Zoom, the Editorial Freelancers Association board finally met in person for EFACON 2023 in Alexandria, Virginia. Grateful, as ever, for the chance to work with this talented group.

Generosity was an unspoken theme of this conference, which was led thoughtfully and expertly by co-executives Katy Grenfell and Cody Sisco. The staff, including Kerri Strauss, Asher Rose Fox, Mia Lipsit, and Vina Orden, met us with enthusiasm and worked tirelessly to make the event feel seamless. Ronane Lloyd served as co-safety coordinator with me and even made silly badges for us so we’d be easy to find if anyone needed a hand. Linda Ruggeri and Brittany Dowdle put together a virtual social before the event—including a packing list!—to make introverted editors feel like they would know a few friendly faces, even if they’d never met anyone at the conference in person before. (And that they’d have a sweater if the conference rooms were cold.) You can see why I was so glad to finally meet each of them at last.

Dr. Cathy Hannabach, a white woman in a bright green suit and black-framed glasses, stands before a podium to deliver a keynote address. Behind her there are red curtains and a screen with the title of her talk, "Editing as Worldmaking: Critical Generosity in Editorial Practice."

Photograph of Dr. Cathy Hannabach’s talk by author Nicole Force

I was especially taken with the keynote address that Dr. Cathy Hannabach gave that Friday morning, “Editing as Worldmaking: Critical Generosity in Editorial Practice.” Taking inspiration from queer community theater—specifically the work of David Román (1998) and Jill Dolan (2013)—in this simply written and remarkably expansive talk, Dr. Hannabach spoke about the world editors build with every small decision they make in their work, from citational justice to transparent contract language to ways they care for authors, readers, and their community. I encourage you to read the whole talk, but here are a few standout lines:

“Critical generosity means caring enough to think deeply, act intersectionally, and collaborate interdisciplinarily. . . . It refers to the production and reception ecosystem of a given cultural object—both the complex creation of that object as well as the embodied and generous ways audiences can engage with that object and those who created and experience it. . . .

“Remember that the concept and practice of critical generosity comes out of community theater and artmaking, where there is not a stark division between those who labor to create a given cultural production and those who receive it. . . .

“I think one of the best ways we can practice critical generosity in our work as editors is to continually be asking our authors, our readers, our colleagues, and ourselves: What kind of world do you want?”

On this note, and after a consultation with Molly McCowan, I’m reexamining my website to add more opportunities for readers to find my authors, revising my on-boarding process to make sure the contract and timeline are clear and accessible, reevaluating my website, and interrogating my role in editing citations and links (especially what is left out).

If you have suggestions for improving Jonquil Editorial’s production and reception ecosystem to better support our community of writers and readers, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thanks again to Amy Spungen for arranging a Chicago/Midwestern meet-up and including the Ohio Chapter. These were some of my favorite conversations during the weekend. If you’re in Ohio and are not already part of our Slack channel, please write me a note.

Summer book festivals

An Asian man in his 30s stands on a platform in a blue button-down shirt, hands held open wide, papers in his right hand, with an open expression on his face. He has blond hair and wears glasses. He stands in front of a window in Wild Goose Creative, a community arts space. Three students stand in front of him, their backs to the camera. One shirt is purple and says "Can I help you?" in letters that are white all-caps.

Gary Lovely and the staff of Prologue Bookshop hosted the first Prologue Festival, which by all accounts was a raging success. Readers included Travis Chi Wing Lau (pictured above) and Ruth Awad (pictured in the first section of this letter). It was a very stylish crowd; I remember thinking that Docs and fishnets must be back until I found out there was a ’90s costume contest going on.

Gary is also publisher of Harpoon Books here in Columbus, and Meg Reynolds’s Does the Earth is coming out soon. I asked him for secrets and he recommended two upcoming titles by other publishers: Landscapes by Christine Lai (Two Dollar Radio) and The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut (Penguin). Both are available to preorder from Prologue (that’s where those links go—hey, order the book from the great bookseller who recommended them!).

Christine Lai’s launch event is at Two Dollar Radio Headquarters on Tuesday, September 12 at 8 p.m.

And while we’re on the subject: Thank you to all of the booksellers who spent their weekends in hot tents during the Columbus Book Festival (including Gary and also Kris, sorry).

The Columbus Library celebrated its 150th anniversary by hosting around 35,000 people for readings, panels, music, food trucks, a library-themed local beer I never actually saw but believe was made, and so many books. Someone’s going to make the librarians do all of this again next year, I just know it.

Back patio of the Columbus Metropolitan Library, with round string lights hanging above, about ten people in front of the camera near a buffet table with a yellow tablecloth, library windows reflecting evening light behind them.

Table in the middle of Columbus Main Library with a grey building made out of Legos labeled "Library" in white all-caps letters. Pictures of book covers line the front window. There is a miniature patio with white tables and a garden with several trees turning from green to autumn colors: yellow, red, and brown.

OhioLUG, the organization that built the library out of Legos for the occasion, does impressive work.

Remembering Steve Rossman

Line drawing with grey, white, and green ink. A bird with a long beak and small black eyes, drawn from the shoulders to the head. It has bright green feathers. In the upper left corner, the artist has written "kākāpō," the name of the flightless bird.

Illustration of a kākāpō. a flightless bird native to New Zealand, by Steve Rossman

On a serious note: Photographer and Jonquil client Steve Rossman endured a neurological event that robbed him of the ability to work his camera. At the encouragement of a doctor, he turned to drawing as a creative outlet. He lived near the San Diego Zoo, and he was particularly drawn to endangered animals and the stories around their conservation; he was also inspired by the work of photographer Joel Sartore.

What I found so moving about Steve’s work—aside from the beauty of the line and dot style you can see above, and the descriptions of the animals he connected with over the course of his study—was the way his work shifted as his brain worked hard to heal itself. Over the years, his hand grew steadier. He experimented with color. His drawings flourished. Though he wasn’t able to pursue photography, this new passion gave off light, light he was determined to share. He worked tirelessly, and with incredible determination. I’m grateful we had the chance to connect through his projects.

His wife Jonna Faulkner was an important co-author and editor for his work, and she was kind enough to give me permission to share a link to his drawings with you.

Small business shout-out

Store window of a bookstore in Harbor Springs, Michigan. The window says "between the covers" in white lowercase text. At the top of the photo, you can see the legs of a cut-out illustration of the Waldo character from "Where's Waldo?" Under the cut-out's feet, two rows of hardcover books are on display, with covers facing out (though they're too small to read). To the left of the shot, you can see a chalkboard with handwritten notes about the store.

As the wonderful booksellers at Between the Covers in Harbor Springs, Michigan were ringing me up, they asked whether I preferred blueberry or pineapple. I didn’t know what they meant, but it was pie Friday, so my books came with a free piece of pie. Pie Friday! (It was nice to see you, Katie Capaldi!)

This is a word

The New York Times Spelling Bee game, with grey letters in a hexagon framing one letter with a yellow background. The letter in the center is a "G," and the letters around it are "T, N, U, A, D, E." Above the honeycomb puzzle, the word "unagented" appears in all caps. Below the puzzle are images of buttons to "delete," rearrange the letters (a circle with two arrows), and "enter."

This isn’t today’s puzzle, or yesterday’s. I would never.

On a final note, this should have been a panagram.

If you’re an agent or editor who just read to the end of this email, and you’re on the hunt for a strong female voice in memoir who is writing about disability, academia, and sexuality, please email me so I can tell you more about this project.

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