AWP doesn’t really stand for awesome writers party, but it sort of should. I’m in the midst of my vintage beaded sweater and red cowboy boots tour but I’m reporting from the confines of my Chicago hotel. Held in two huge hotels (there were actually guides along the way to shepherd all the lost soulsContinue reading

Thanks, USA Today, for writing about the Algonquin Book Club series, featuring Julia Alvarez (In the Time of the Butterflies) with Edwidge Danticat, Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants) with Kathryn Stockett, Heidi Durrow (The Girl Who Fell from the Sky) with Terry McMillan, Robert Goolrick (A Reliable Wife) with Patricia Cornwell, and Lauren Grodstein (A Friend of the Family)Continue reading

We’re big fans of the Triangle’s newest independent bookstore, Flyleaf Books, conveniently located a mere seven minutes from our office. On more than once lunch break, I’ve slipped out of the office to peruse their fantastically stocked shelves. We were absolutely thrilled that Flyleaf recently hosted an Algonquin Book Club evening with special guest HeidiContinue reading

Because nobody thought to tell me otherwise, I believed in Santa Claus until I was eleven. This is not because I was a particularly gullible child, I don’t think – it’s just that nobody ever pauses to gently break it to the Jewish kid that Santa doesn’t exist. I’ll never forget my mother’s face when,Continue reading

This month marks the publication of the beautiful paperback edition of Lauren Grodstein’s critically acclaimed novel A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY, an Algonquin staff favorite. Lauren’s suburban tragedy charts a father’s fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and ultimately himself. Trust me, it’s a book that will grab you fromContinue reading

A Friend of the Family is in today’s New York Times, in the “Newly Released Books” column along with Penelope Lively, Ha Jin, and Paul Auster, among others. The New York Times wrote: A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY By Lauren Grodstein 302 pages. Algonquin. $23.95. Until recently, Pete Dizinoff was a successful doctor living withContinue reading