We’re bringing the heat this season with seven new books by NER contributors! Part 1 of our summer roundup includes poetic reflections on eros and the ravages of disease, stories that document international strife and the struggle for human connection, and much more. Browse and shop these and other titles by NER authors on our Bookshop.org page, and keep an eye out for Part 2.
From Interlink Publishing comes Tabish Khair’s latest collection, Namaste Trump & Other Stories. Described by The New Yorker as “ingenious and mischievous,” and “irreverent, intelligent, and explosive” by The Independent, this collection explores the ruptured lives of contemporary Indian citizens and the pains they must endure to overcome a world without tolerance. Khair’s short story “The Last Installment,” which appears in Namaste Trump & Other Stories, was first published in NER issue 43.3.
Longtime NER contributor Christine Sneed’s latest story collection, Direct Sunlight, is now available from Northwestern University Press. From uncovering a father’s second family long after his 9/11 death to detailing the aftermath of a factory employee’s lottery win, these wide-ranging stories use humor and the oddity of everyday life to explore our universal wounds. Sneed’s work has appeared in multiple issues of NER, most recently issue 43.2.
Pushcart Prize-winning author Ana Menéndez’s gripping new novel The Apartment is out now with Counterpoint Press. This novel follows the troubled residents of The Helena and their experiences with homesickness, alienation, and the desire to build community at all costs. In a starred review, Booklist described the work as “haunting,” and Publishers Weekly emphasized its “thoughtful meditation on the transient nature of home.” An excerpt from The Apartment was originally published in issue 43.1.
A masterful work of historical fiction, Rachel Cantor’s Half-Life of a Stolen Sister is a captivating reimagining of the lives and careers of the Brontë siblings (Soho). Reconciling bibliographic knowledge with artistic innovation, Cantor constructs a compelling narrative of the complex relationships between the three sisters and their lesser-known brother, Branwell. Cantor’s prose, praised as a “frisky and time-collapsing blend of forms” by Publisher’s Weekly, has appeared in several issues of New England Review, most recently issue 29.4.
Megan Fernandes’s rapturous third collection of poetry, I Do Everything I’m Told—which explores issues of queer identity and the universal ambiguities of intimacy—released earlier this month from Tin House. With formal ingenuity and an irreverent voice, Fernandes presents the deepest joys and pains of desire with signature flair. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called the work “immediate and urging, full of a kind of lighthearted sagacity.” Fernandes’s poem “Letter to a Young Poet,” which appears in I Do Everything I’m Told, was first published in NER 43.1.
A thoughtful contemplation on the ephemeral nature of time, love, and loss, David Groff’s stunning new collection of poetry, Live In Suspense, is out now from Trio House. Through elegant and affecting lyric, Groff recounts the heartbreak of losing loved ones to HIV, the painful legacy of his late mother, the lasting impact of the disease on his husband’s life, and the metaphorical ties between uncertainty and survival. Groff‘s poem “Desert Stink Beetle” appeared in issue 42.1.
Ralph Sneeden’s lyrical and ontological essay collection, The Legible Element, is now available from EastOver Press. An inventive and deeply introspective blend of poetry and prose, The Legible Element probes place through the element of water. With keen observations on desire, delight, and dismay, Sneeden beckons his readers to the humbling power of nature. A longtime NER contributor, Sneeden’s work most recently appeared in issue 40.3.
Find more books by NER authors on our Bookshop.org page.