We don’t just love to make incredible books; we like to read them, too. We read POPSUGAR’s yearly reading challenge and that got us thinking: how can we expand our reading horizons this year? What genres and authors have we neglected in the past? What new doors can they open for us creatively and intellectually? Here are just some of the ways that members of the Stillhouse Press staff plan to read more widely in 2016.
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ace Books, 1969
“My reading resolution for 2016 is to read more science fiction and fantasy! I read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin over winter break, and I absolutely loved it. I was surprised that I hadn't read anything of hers sooner, considering how well known she is and how much I like science fiction. So now I'm reading everything by Le Guin that I can get my hands on. And once I'm done with that, I'll look for other speculative fiction authors who I either haven't heard of or haven't read anything by. I'm thinking I'll start with Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles.”
- Hannah Campeanu, Moonshine Murmurs
Hannah Campeanu is an intern at Stillhouse Press and the editor of Moonshine Murmurs. She will graduate from George Mason this spring with her B.A. in English, and hopes to go into publishing.
The Argonauts, Graywolf Press, 2015
“I'm currently obsessed with Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts. I saw her read and love her writing. She's setting the current trend in the academic MFA world for cross-genre and autotheory/autogender writing. She is not to be mistaken as a poet, but rather a writer. She is also not a fan of the word 'hybrid' but prefers the autotheory of identity. And I am about to start on Ban En Banlieue by Bhanu Kapil Rider, another book that breaks beyond the traditions of research, theory, and poetry.”
- Qinglan Wang, Outreach & Events Coordinator
Qinglan Wang is a multilingual writer and teacher originally from Hawaii. She is currently the Outreach & Events Coordinator at Stillhouse Press and the Poetry Editor for Phoebe. Her work has been featured in Bone Bouquet, Deluge, and ROAR Magazine.
The Goldfinch, Little, Brown & Co., 2013
“I wish I could say my goals for this year's 'pleasure reading' were lofty and lengthy texts like War and Peace, Ulysses, or Infinite Jest, but I truly just want to get through Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. My daughter gave me her well-loved copy, so now I have an inroad, of sorts, into her world . . . always a good thing for a mom. Besides, I'll read anything by an author whose last name is Tartt. How could it not be grand?”
- Kate Lewis, Managing Editor
Kate Lewis is a second year Fiction candidate in George Mason's MFA program and a managing editor for Stillhouse Press. Her work has appeared in Unscooped Bagel and Hail, Muse! Etc.
NANO Fiction, Vol. 9, No. 1
"I have a stack of books on top of my bookshelf—things I've selected to 'read next,' except that stack is now about 30 books tall. To say that my resolution for 2016 is to read them all is a little ambitious, so I've settled on a goal that's more attainable: I'll be picking away at the stack, one story at a time, starting with Donald Barthelme's Forty Stories and the latest issue of NANO Fiction. I'm seriously in love with the short, short form. It's addictive, punchy, and the stories often stay with you far longer than it takes to actually read them. And the best part? You can read one a day and it only takes about ten minutes, which even on the busiest of days is still a realistic goal."
- Meghan McNamara, Founding Editor and Director of Media & Communications
Meghan McNamara is a third year Fiction candidate in George Mason's MFA program. She is a founding editorfor Stillhouse Press, where she serves as Director of Media & Communications. She is currently at work on a novel-length work, though she also appreciates a good short story. Her work has been featured in The Magnolia Review.
Now that you’ve heard some of our goals, we want to know: what are your reading resolutions for 2016?
Tweet us @StillhousePress, or follow us on Facebook.
