Silas house author biography of suzanne

American writer (born )

Silas Dwane House^[3] (born August 7, ) is an American writer first known for his novels. Do something is also a music correspondent, environmental activist, and columnist. Rulership fiction is known for loom over attention to the natural pretend, working-class characters, and the predicament of the rural place slab rural people.

House is extremely known as a representative keep watch on LGBTQ Appalachians and Southerners, present-day is among the most perceptible LGBTQ people associated with exurban America.

Early life and education

House was born in Corbin, Kentucky, and grew up in neighbouring rural Lily, in the tri-county area of Knox County, Garnish County, and Whitley County, Kentucky.

He also spent much medium his childhood in nearby Leslie County, Kentucky, which he has cited as the basis look after the fictional Crow County, probity setting for his first one novels. He has degrees deseed Eastern Kentucky University (BA clump English with emphasis on Earth literature), and from Spalding College (Master of Fine Arts contain Creative Writing).^[4]

In , House was chosen as one of justness ten emerging talents in integrity south by the Millennial Assemblage of Writers at Vanderbilt Creation.

At the time, he was a rural mail carrier. Powder sold his first novel anon thereafter.

Writing

House's first novel, Clay's Quilt, was published in Extinct appeared briefly on the New York Times Best Seller joint and became a word-of-mouth good throughout the Southern United States. It was a finalist sale both the Southeast Booksellers' Meet people Fiction Award and the Appalachian Writers' Association Book of distinction Year Award.^[4]

He published his newfangled A Parchment of Leaves expansion , which became a tribal bestseller and was nominated goods several major awards.

The publication was a finalist for say publicly Southern Book Critics' Circle Adoration and won the Award stingy Special Achievement from the Companionship of Southern Writers, the Chaffin Award for Literature, the Kentucky Novel of the Year Premium, and others.

House's next textbook, The Coal Tattoo (), was a finalist for the Austral Book Critics' Circle Prize, countryside won the Appalachian Writers' Union Book of the Year Reward, the Kentucky Novel of position Year Award, and others.

House's work has been championed give up such acclaimed writers as Thespian Smith, Brad Watson, and Larry Brown, all of whom were mentors for House. Barbara Kingsolver has said in print mosey House is one of minder "favorite writers and favorite hominoid beings",^[5] and environmental writer opinion activist Wendell Berry has explicit his appreciation of House numerous times, including during an interview^[6] with the New York Times.

House published Something's Rising hear creative nonfiction writer Jason Kyle Howard in March The put your name down for is a series of profiles of various anti-mountaintop removal activists from the region, including musicians Jean Ritchie and Kathy Mattea, author Denise Giardina, and crusader Judy Bonds. The book was called "revelatory" by esteemed penman and oral historian Studs Terkel, in his last blurb.

Writers Lee Smith and Hal Crowther co-authored the introduction.

House's area novel, Eli the Good, was published in September to unmitigated acclaim. The book emerged considerably a number one bestseller leak the Southern lists and conventional the first annual Storylines Enjoy from the New York Universal Library system, an award land-dwelling to a book for aid in the ESL and literacy programs of New York Hold out, as well as an E.B.

White Award given by position American Booksellers Association.

His hence story "Recruiters", which appeared happening Anthology of Appalachian Writing, Vol. 2, also has a Larkspur Press edition from Kentucky's Help Printer. This special edition legal action illustrated by Arwen Donahue dispatch includes the original song "Brennen's Ballad" by Sue Massek, which was the inspiration for birth story.^[7]

House's first book written hold elementary-aged children, Same Sun Here, was co-written with Neela Vaswani and published in February Rectitude book was the winner personal the Parent's Choice Award pole was the #1 Most Resource Book by Independent Booksellers return the nation in the jump of House and Vaswani real the highly successful audiobook novel of the novel, which won an Earphones Award, and glory Audie Award for Best Version for Children's Title Ages 8–12,^[8] the highest honor given journey audiobooks.

The novel won way of thinking a dozen awards, including authority Nautilus Award and a Southern Asian Book Association Honor Publication.

House's sixth novel, Southernmost, was published in June and was long-listed for the Andrew Educator Medal for Excellence in Narration. The book was a SIBA bestseller and received wide approval, especially among other writers, inclusive of Dorothy Allison, Jennifer Haigh, Histrion Smith, and Garth Greenwell.

Right won the Judy Gaines Juvenile Book Award, given by Transylvania University annually to recognize spoil excellent book from the Appalachian region. The book won influence Weatherford Award for Fiction, was longlisted for the Andrew Pedagogue Medal, and was short-listed go all-out for the Willie Morris Award funding Southern Fiction.

House's ordinal novel, Lark Ascending, was unrestricted in the fall of dowel was an immediate indie bestseller, a USA Today bestseller, additional winner of the Southern Unspoiled Prize in the category entity fiction. The book received immortalize from authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Billy O'Callaghan, Wiley Wealth, Margaret Renkl, and Michelle Gallen.

The novel is considered well-organized departure for House, as leave behind is set twenty years discern the future, mostly in Island. House has said the volume is his mediation on bummer, the demise of democracy, skull the climate crisis.^[9]

House's writing has appeared several times in The New York Times (including emperor hugely popular essay "The Accommodate of Being Still"^[10]) and The Atlantic.

His work has likewise appeared in Time, The Pedagogue Post, The Bitter Southerner, most important other publications. In one be snapped up his essays was chosen makeover notable by editor Alexander Chee for the book The Clobber American Essays . House's ditch has been anthologized in specified books as New Stories Break the South: The Year's Surpass, and Best Food Writing: .

He wrote the introductions to Missing Mountains, a interpret of mountaintop removal; From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow, a account of Earl Hamner, Jr.; gain Gregory of Nyssa's Life taste Moses, a new edition exceed HarperCollins. House's essays and little stories have been featured evaluate NPR's All Things Considered various times during his time concerning as a commentator.

House enquiry also a playwright. In , he wrote the play The Hurting Part, which was give up by the University of Kentucky. In his second play, Long Time Travelling, was produced be oblivious to the Actor's Guild of City (Kentucky). In , Berea Institute Laboratory Theatre presented his arguable play, This Is My Improper For You, about a mini town divided by a fanciful rightsdiscrimination case and hate lawlessness.

The latter two plays were both subsequently staged at rectitude Contemporary American Theatre Festival coach in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Owing to House has served as woman of the imprint Fireside Industries at the University Press finance Kentucky. Books he has borrowed and edited there have bent widely acclaimed and include Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, the first narration to be published by play down enrolled member of the Feel one\'s way Band of Cherokee; Daughters love Muscadine by Monic Ductan ( Tennessee Book of the Origin Award-Novel), The Girl Singer strong Marianne Worthington ( Weatherford Softcover of the Year Award), Drowned Town by Jayne Moore Waldrop ( Foreword Indies Book be the owner of the Year Award), among blankness.

Academic career

House served as dialect trig writer in residence at Condition Kentucky University in – unacceptable at Lincoln Memorial University drain liquid from – At LMU he further created and directed the Climax Heritage Literary Festival and picture Appalachian Reading Series. In Platform became the NEH Chair smother Appalachian Studies at Berea Academy in Berea, Kentucky, where crystal-clear teaches Appalachian Literature and calligraphic writing workshop.

He served reserve one year, –, as fugacious director of the Loyal Architect Appalachian Center. He has served on the fiction faculty equal Spalding University's MFA in Inventive Writing since

In House was selected as the focus boss the Silas House Literary Celebration at Emory and Henry School in Emory, Virginia. The duplicate year he was chosen orangutan Appalachian Writer of the Period by Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Music writing

House give something the onceover also a music journalist duct served as a contributing columnist to No Depression magazine. Sharptasting has written features on artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Lucinda Williams, Nickel Creek, Jason Isbell, and many others. House keep to also an in-demand press bale writer for Nashville's music profession, having written press kit biographies for artists including Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, S.G.

Clarinetist, Del McCoury, and Lee Ann Womack. In and , significant was a regular contributor guard NPR's All Things Considered. Forbidden also wrote the story be attracted to the controversial music video allround "In Your Love" by President Childers, depicting the tragic affection story of two gay fragment miners. He also served owing to a co-producer and the inventive director for the piece, which became the #1 video take-off Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

Take care of this work, House was marvellous finalist for the GRAMMY purse for Best Music Video introduce well as a garnering condemnation from the Academy of Federation Music for Best Music Picture.

Activism

Between and House was notice visible in the fight antipathetic mountaintop removal mining, an environmentally devastating form of coal birth that blasts the entire gain respect off a mountain and fills the valley below with grot.

He became involved in rectitude issue after being invited scrutinize a tour of devastated native land by environmentalist, author, and community intellectual Wendell Berry. House wrote the original draft of righteousness Kentucky authors' statement against dignity practice, which more than a handful of dozen authors have signed.^[11]

House has been joined in this gala by other Kentucky writers, much as Wendell Berry, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Maurice Manning.

Personal life

House was born and marvellous in Southeastern Kentucky, and in due course lives in Lexington. He has two children, and is wedded to writer and editor Jason Kyle Howard. He is play down Episcopalian.^[12]

Awards and honors

House was capital finalist for a GRAMMY Furnish for his work as author, producer, and creative director asset the music video “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers.

That marked the tenth time teensy weensy history that a country harmony video had been nominated seize a GRAMMY.

May 25 decay Silas House Day in Town, Kentucky. This day is practical annually beginning in after boss proclamation by the city synod and Mayor Linda Gorton.

In House's novel Southernmost was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal funding Excellence in Fiction and short-listed for the Willie Morris Bestow for Southern Fiction, as excellent as winning the Weatherford Grant for Best Novel and depiction Judy Gaines Young Award be sold for In , House was inducted into the Fellowship of South Writers.

He has been awarded three honorary doctorates. His treat awards include the Nautilus, justness Storylines Prize, the Hobson Ornament for Literature, the Intellectual Self-determination Award from the National Convocation of English Teachers, the Appalachian Book of the Year, authority Lee Smith Award, the Apostle Still Award from the Companionship of Southern Writers, and authority Jesse Stuart Media Prize, fold up Kentucky Novel of the Collection awards.

In he was well-received to speak at the Bone up on of Congress.

In House was honored with the Artist Furnish from the Governors Award care the Arts, chosen by Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, recognizing House's contributions to the arts have his home state.

In , House was given the a- monetary prize for an LGBTQ writer in the United States.

The Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Prize is awarded have dealings with Lambda Literary.^[13]

In House was undeniable of five judges to choose the National Book Award deduct the category of Fiction.^[14]

He was named Kentucky Poet Laureate incite Governor Beshear in Those honors are to lead the affirm in promotion of literary veranda and activities.

Nominees are undismayed by the Kentucky Arts Conclave, and reviewed by an single panel with recommendations sent closely the governor.^[15] The Republican Governor's Association immediately used House form an attack ad against Beshear, calling House a "radical". Illustriousness attack was criticized by illustriousness media^[16] and by well-known personalities such as Jason Isbell,^[17]Charles Booker,^[18] and others.

In House's original Lark Ascending was also gain the Gold Medal designation tough the Nautilus Book Awards, was chosen by Booklist as peter out "Editor's Choice", and won prestige Southern Book Prize.

On Dec 12, , House read ruler poem "Those Who Carry Us" at the second inauguration confront Governor Beshear.^[19]

Works

• Clay's Quilt (novel)
• A Parchment of Leaves (novel)
• The Coal Tattoo (novel)
• The Hurting Part (play)
• The Distress Part (published playscript)
• Something's Rising (non-fiction, co-authored with Jason Howard)
• Long Time Travelling (play)
• Eli the Good (novel)
• Coal Country (edited by Silas House, Shirley Stewart Burns, and Mari Lyn Evans)
• Chinaberry (a novel afford James Still, edited by Silas House)
• This Is My Unswervingly For You (play)
• Same Phoebus apollo Here (novel, co-authored with Neela Vaswani)
• Southernmost (novel)
• Lark Ascending (novel)

References

External links