7 Author Shoutouts | Authors We Love To Recommend

222

Here are 7 Author Shoutouts for this week. Find your favorite author or discover an author whose work you need to read next.

Colson Whitehead

An Author Shoutout to Colson Whitehead, born in New York City, he is an acclaimed author known for his nine novels. Notably, he received the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his work The Underground Railroad. Whitehead continued his success by winning another Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2020 with his novel The Nickel Boys. Additionally, Whitehead was executive producer for the film adaptation of The Nickel Boys.

In addition to his two published works of nonfiction, he was honored with a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002. As of now, he lives in Manhattan with his spouse and their two kids.

Helen Garner

Helen Garner, born in Geelong, Australia, deserves an Author Shoutout. Garner is a multi-talented individual, excelling in the fields of novel writing, short-story crafting, screenwriting, and journalism. Notable fictional works by Garner include Monkey Grip, Cosmo Cosmolino, The Spare Room, and The Children’s Bach. Her exceptional talent has earned her multiple prestigious awards, such as the Melbourne Prize for Literature and a Walkley Award for journalism in 1993.

Garner’s professional journey encompasses the creation of both fiction and non-fiction works. Additionally, she has actively contributed to the realms of film and theater, consistently receiving accolades for her exceptional talent. Notably, her remarkable achievements include being honored with the prestigious Walkley Award for her compelling report in Time magazine back in 1993.

Kazuo Ishiguro

An Author Shoutout to Kazuo Ishiguro who was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and later moved to the UK. He has written eight novels, including the acclaimed Remains of the Day, which won the Nobel and Booker prizes in 1989 and was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film. Another notable work by Ishiguro is Never Let Me Go, considered by many to be his finest, which received a Booker nomination and was made into a major motion picture. His contributions to literature have been recognized by the British, French, and Japanese governments, and in 2018 he was awarded the title of Knight Bachelor.

Having authored five screenplays, he recently undertook the task of adapting the script for Bill Nighy’s film, Living. Presently, he resides in London.

Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton, born in Newton, Massachusetts, deserves an Author Shoutout. She was an acclaimed American poet renowned for her deeply personal and confessional style of verse. In 1967, she achieved the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for her work Live or Die. Sexton fearlessly explored themes of suicidal tendencies, depression, and openly shared intimate aspects of her private life. Collaborating with Maxine Kumin, she also authored four children’s books. Sexton’s journey began as a model, then transitioned into teaching and lecturing on writing, ultimately reaching the position of a professor of creative writing.

On October 4, 1974, she came home, put on her mother’s old fur coat, took off her rings, poured a glass of vodka, locked herself in the garage, and started her car’s engine, dying from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Neil Gaiman

An Author Shoutout to Neil Gaiman who was born in Portchester, Hampshire, England. He comes from a family background where his father owned a grocery store and his mother worked as a pharmacist. While he was raised as a Jewish Scientologist, he no longer practices either religion. Neil developed a love for reading at a young age, starting at four years old, and became captivated by fantasy, with early influences from authors like Tolkien. Eventually, he also developed a keen interest in science fiction. Neil Gaiman has established himself as a highly regarded writer, known for his acclaimed works such as The Sandman graphic novels, as well as novels like Neverwhere, American Gods, Coraline, and Good Omens (co-authored with Terry Pratchett). These literary creations have been adapted into movies or streaming series.

He is renowned for his dry humor, his captivating narration, and his philanthropic endeavors. His accolades in the field of literature are innumerable, yet it is his approachability towards his supporters that has established him as one of the most well-known authors of our era. Unfortunately, he is also involved in allegations of sexual misconduct.

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, the celebrated author born in Indianapolis, Indiana, deserves an Author Shoutout. Renowned for his sharp wit and dry humor, as well as his iconic literary works like Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut’s life was marked by tragedy. While on leave from the Army on Mother’s Day in 1944, he received the devastating news of his mother’s suicide. Furthermore, Vonnegut himself experienced the horrors of war as a German prisoner of war during WWII, miraculously surviving the bombing of Dresden.

After his sister passed away from cancer shortly after her husband died in a train accident, he stepped up and adopted her four children. Throughout his entire life, he remained steadfast in his beliefs as a humanist. At the age of 82, he sadly passed away in New York due to head injuries sustained from a fall at his residence.

Janette Turner Hospital

An Author Shoutout to Janette Turner Hospital, originally from Melbourne, Australia, who is a highly acclaimed Australian author known for works such as Oyster, The Last Magician, and Orpheus Lost. Throughout her adult life, she has resided primarily in various locations in Canada and the United States, including Boston (Massachusetts), Kingston (Ontario), and Columbia (South Carolina).

In 1965, she completed her BA at the University of Queensland and Kelvin Grove Teachers College. Furthermore, she obtained an MA in 1973 from Queen’s University in Canada.

Other LitStack Resources

Please take a look at other Author Shoutouts, a weekly feature on LitStack and be sure and support independent bookstores – buy a book today at LitStack Bookshop, with tons of author shoutout titles on our list of LitStack Author Shoutouts.

As a Bookshop, Malaprop’s, BAM, Barnes & Noble, Audiobooks.com, Amazon, and Envato affiliate, LitStack may earn a commission at no cost to you when you purchase products through our affiliate links.