For immediate release
NEW SHORT STORY COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS PHILADELPHIA
AS A CITY OF LITERARY INSPIRATION
Believing that there is no better setting for stories than Philadelphia, Don Ron Books, an independent publisher, has made its first publication Philly Fiction (March 2006: Don Ron Books, $12.00). When the call went out for submissions to the book, authors often responded with the phrase, “It’s about time that someone did this.” Why weren’t there more stories set in Philadelphia? Why did writers feel that to legitimize their fiction, it always had to be set in New York, Los Angeles, the South, or some polite suppressed town in the “New West”? Even writers living and working in Philadelphia weren’t writing about Philadelphia!
Philly Fiction was conceived by Josh McIlvain, Christopher Munden, Greg November, and Tracy Parker, four writers and editors who shared a love for Philly and a fondness for literature, happy hour, and casual coffee breaks. They formed a partnership, Don Ron Books, to publish a book that would highlight Philadelphia as a city of literary inspiration. “We weren’t looking for stories about the Liberty Bell or anything. We wanted more confidence in Philadelphia as a setting—much the way stories that are set in New York don’t need to explain why they’re set in New York, they just are,” explained McIlvain.
According to November, the editors “would like things to get to the point where it isn’t necessary to compare Philly to other cities. It’ll just be what it is. There will be Philadelphia writers with their Philadelphia way of seeing things and writing about them.” That is what Philly Fiction is all about.
Publication of the book couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. The city’s growing momentum has received much recent press, including a designation by National Geographic Traveler as “America’s Next Great City.” “Philadelphia is ready to pop in a lot of ways, including its literary community,” said November. “We hope the book sparks interest in local writers and helps encourage local independent publishing.”
Philly Fiction features both established and up-and-coming Philadelphia-affiliated authors, including Elise Juska, author of two novels, The Hazards of Sleeping Alone and Getting Over Jack Wagner; David Sanders, founder and director of the Writing Aloud Series at InterAct Theater Company; and Amber Dorko Stopper, a fellow of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and a Pushcart Prize nominee.
“We received a lot of good stories and it was hard to exclude some, but we ended with a good selection, pieces with varied lengths, voices, and perspectives,” said Munden.
“If Philadelphians take an interest in reading the book, we are confident they’ll find stories that they enjoy or relate to in some way. We also hope the book inspires other people to take the initiative to start a project that contributes to Philadelphia’s creative landscape,” added Parker.
Don Ron Books seeks to set a precedent by publishing stories that use the Philadelphia landscape, not only to highlight Philly’s literary talent, but also for the enjoyment of Philadelphians! The editors and writers believe that a great many people share a love of things Philadelphian. Philly Fiction is a book made to indulge that love.
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