Holiday Reading Recommendations
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December 6, 2016

During these cold winter months I love to curl up with a book and escape to other worlds between the pages. I bet you do, too. Finding more time to enjoy reading for pleasure is the best gift you can give yourself this year. When I think about the books I’ve read during the last year there are some which stayed with me a long… [Read More]

Gratitude for Great Works
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November 29, 2016

As the year begins to come to a close, the Thanksgiving holiday reminds me of how much light there is in my life. I live in a community that reads, celebrates books, and supports literary artists and libraries. Books are something I feel passionately about and I’m grateful to have made them my calling, my livelihood, in this chapter of my life. For her skills… [Read More]

Chris Abani: Cornell University’s Creative Writing Program Barbara and David Zalaznick Reading
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November 8, 2016

Debra Silva Rivera is our guest blogger today. In 2015 she was selected by the Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation/Voices Writing Workshop in Miami to work with novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright Chris Abani. Rivera lives in Ithaca and is working on a middle-grade novel. Cornell University’s Creative Writing Program invited Chris Abani to speak on campus November 3 as part of the… [Read More]

The Unanticipated Rewards of Publishing Your Book
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October 11, 2016

Last week here I shared a dirty little secret. Authors get the blues. Depression strikes when you least expect it: upon the successful publication of your book. I did not intend to discourage writers from pursuing the path to publication, though it may have had that effect on those who hadn’t realized how much hard work and personal sacrifice might be involved. Today I’d like… [Read More]

Women & Children First Bookstore: A Chicago Destination
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August 16, 2016

On the north side of Chicago, I discovered Women & Children First, one of the largest feminist bookstores in the country. With an inventory of more than 30,000 books written by and for women, this independent bookstore caters exclusively to women, children, and the LGBTQ community. If you’ve never visited a feminist bookstore, you may have seen one on TV. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein… [Read More]

What some of our authors are reading this August
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August 9, 2016

See what some of our authors tell us they are reading this summer. Cathryn Prince, author of American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World’s First Celebrity Travel Writer (Chicago Review Press, June 1, 2016) Ulysses S. Grant: Memoirs and Selected Letters by Ulysses S. Grant End of Watch  by Stephen King  A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny Ira Rabois, author of the forthcoming Compassionate… [Read More]

Swenson Book Development: What We’re Reading This Summer
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July 26, 2016

August is reading month and if you’re looking for something to take to the beach or enjoy at the cabin, consider these current titles the team at Swenson Book Development LLC is reading now. Samantha Kolb: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas     Alanna Rieser: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Mother… [Read More]

The Young Adult Apocalypse
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July 19, 2016

  The world is coming to an end. At least, that’s what it feels like. In contemporary fiction, apocalyptic stories have captured the attention of young adult readers. Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave, and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series—these novels found millions of fans and have become immortalized on the silver screen. But why? One answer that comes to mind involves the stories… [Read More]

5 Books to Read This Summer Before They Hit the Big Screen
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July 5, 2016

1)  Emma Donoghue, Frog Music: A Novel (Little, Brown and Company, April 2014) From the author of the bestselling novel, Room, Emma Donaghue penned this novel based in San Francisco during the summer of 1897 in which the city suffered a smallpox epidemic and a record-breaking heat wave.  The story begins when a young woman named Jenny Bonnet is shot dead through the window of… [Read More]

Getting to Graduation and Pursuing a Path to Publishing
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June 28, 2016

When I mentor interns, I often spend time thinking about what advice might be helpful to those who pursue career goals in the world of publishing. This month I’ve had the good fortune to have two interns working with Swenson Book Development LLC. They’ve both seen many of their friends and classmates graduate this June but both of them completed their third not final year… [Read More]