Check This Out host Rachel Barenbaum discusses books by emerging authors she's loved this year. Guests include Deesha Philyaw and Gwydion Suilebhan, who also offer their choices for titles that flew under the radar.
Deesha Philyaw is author, columnist, and public speaker. Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, and the LA Times Book Prize among others.
Gwydion Suilebhan is a cultural critic, essayist, and playwright. He serves as the Executive Director of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation.
They pull back the curtain on judging literary fiction and how it works as we head into the high season for book awards.
Book Recommendations:
Deesha Philyaw:
- Let Me Liberate You by Andie Davis
- This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph
- Bitter Over Sweet by Melissa Llanes Brownlee
- Fish Tales by Nettie Jones
- When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris
- The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera
Gwydion Suilebhan:
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
- Controlled Conversations by Karol Lagodzki
Rachel Barenbaum:
- My Favorite Holidate - Lauren Blakely
- Breathe with Me - Becka Mack
- If Only You Knew - Ellie Wilde
- Oathbound - Tracy Deonn
- The Master Jeweler - Weina Dai Randel
- I Wanted to be Wonderful - Lihi Lapid
- Swallowtail - Emily Ross
- Before I Forget - Tory Henwood Hoen
Check this Out features lively conversations with up and coming authors you may not have discovered yet. Check This Out is proud to partner with The PEN/Faulkner Foundation to champion new voices in literature.
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