MAGNETIC WOMAN wins the 2021 Czechoslovak Studies Book Prize

I'm so pleased to report that Magnetic Woman has won the biennial Czechoslovak Studies Association book prize! It is a huge honor. I also want to salute Anna Hájková, whose The Last Ghetto is the Honorable Mention.

In Search of the Magic Theater is now listed on Goodreads (cover art to come), so now is a great time to mark it as "want to read"--not only does this help make the book more visible on the system (those algorithms!) but when I do a giveaway of paper Advance Reader Copies, everyone who marked it as "want to read" will be notified to sign up for the giveaway.

I'd post a picture of the front cover, but we're waiting on the cover reveal till a little closer to publication, so how about a look at the spine?

The Machine Anxieties of Steampunk

Ever wonder just what steampunk is and why people across the globe eagerly embrace its neo-Victorian aesthetic? Are you intrigued by the look of old-fashioned eye goggles, lace corsets, leather vests, brass gears and gadgets, not to mention mechanical clock and airships? Well, you can learn more in this cool book from one of my art historian friends! Kathe Hicks Albrecht's The Machine Anxieties of Steampunk will come out in mere days, and you can preorder it right now!

Kathe argues that steampunk is both an aesthetic program and a way of life, and that its underlying philosophy is the key to its broad appeal. She suggests that steampunk champions a new autonomy for the individual caught up in today's technology-driven society. Optimism for the future combines with a note of caution about our human role in a world of ever more ubiquitous and powerful machines. Thus, despite an aesthetic straight out of the Victorian scientific romance, steampunk addresses 21st-century concerns about what lies ahead for humankind and challenges us to ask what it is to be human today.

Launching Magnetic Woman with ISSS on Wednesday!

While it's true that Magnetic Woman was officially published a year ago and has actually been available for most of 2021, the book hasn't had an official launch until now. (Normally, we would almost certainly have done a launch event at the 2020 ASEEES conference, but the conference ended up being virtual and there was no University of Pittsburgh Press book display for me to sign books at and offer passers-by champagne.) So instead, the International Society for the Study of Surrealism (ISSS) is hosting a Zoom launch this coming Wednesday, where I will read portions of the book and all the scholars of surrealism will (schedules permitting) be on hand to ask questions.

CORRECTED TIMES: It's at 7:30 p.m. GMT (8:30 BST) on Wednesday, October 27, which for North Americans translates to 3:30 EDT, 2:30 CDT, 1:30 MDT, and 12:30 PDT. Here's where to see more info and register to attend. It's free.

And, by the way, there's more good news to come...

Burning and Dodging

Julie Wittes Schlack has a novel coming out in December, Burning and Dodging! As you might guess, photography is one of its topics--as are, figuratively, both burning and dodging. I had the privilege of reading it several months ago, and can recommend it as a wonderfully complex, engaging tale. It is one of my very favorite new novels.

If you pre-order now through the publisher, you'll benefit both Julie and Black Rose Publishing (Julie gets a higher royalty than through, say, Amazon, and the publisher knows people want to read it).

Novel: Deer Season

It's been awhile since I've given a shout-out to anybody else's book... it seemed like there was perhaps a bit of a lull in book announcements among my friends. However, I've now got some new ones to mention, so that's all to the good. First, my colleague Erin Flanagan from over in the English department has a novel out! Erin has previously published two story collections, but this is her debut novel, available from University of Nebraska Press in September (you can order it now). Deer Season is set in Nebraska, is something of a mystery story, and it's getting some rave reviews already over on Goodreads!

Oliver's Travels

I've been meaning to mention Clifford Garstang's new novel Oliver's Travels, which came out recently from our mutual publisher Regal House and is getting some very good reviews!

Ollie Tucker, a recent college graduate and philosophy devotee, obsesses about truth and the source of knowledge, questioning everything he hears from those close to him. He entangles himself in a ridiculous yet sad relationship with a young woman named Mary, who is suited to him only in that she's equally eager to pursue a life with someone with whom she has so few common interests. Meanwhile, hoping to become a writer, Ollie invents an alter ego named Oliver, who lives an adventurous and cosmopolitan life. But in addition to Ollie's problems with Mary and his dysfunctional family, he's gnawed by a possible repressed memory of his mysterious uncle Scotty (who may or may not be dead) that threatens his relationships and his sexuality. He can't quite remember, and he knows his memory is unreliable. What is the truth? What should he do?

Juliana Converse has written an excellent review at Lit Pub if you'd like to know more before getting your own copy (paperback, e-book or special edition hardcover) from Regal House or your local independent bookstore. It's a funny and sad book with lots of heart.