The miracle of this book, calling to mind anthony doerrs recent memory wall, is that duraj manages to distill the historical, cultural, familial, and interpersonal experience of love, memory, and pain in ten crystalline short stories that form a family portrait covering nearly a century, resonating both before its beginning and well beyond its end. In 2012, she was a writerinresidence at hedgebrook, a womens writing retreat on whidbey island, wa. Usd professor discusses new book, the family cannon kpbs. The editors will also consider work from librarians, journalists, other publishing professionals, and literary critics interested in forming connections.
Book cover of halina durajs book, the family cannon. Growth, untitled line 3 growth, untitled line4 growth, untitled line 9 growth, untitled line 7 growth, untitled root anthony fiala. Buy family cannon book online at best prices in india on. Finalist for the 2017 next generation indie book award. Halina duraj s the family cannon augury books, 2014 was recently featured in the salt lake tribune, along with four other new books with utahrelated storylines and themes.
The collection of ten stories revolve around magda, a 20something woman perhaps modeled after the writer herself. An escalating neighborhood feud takes an unanticipated. Halina duraj the family cannon, augury books, 2014 read at the federal dust reading series on august 1st. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the family cannon. The debut collection by author halina duraj brings readers an american family, strikingly individual but recognizable to us allas strange and familiar as home. English, creative writingfiction, university of california, davis, 2003. What binds it is the fierce and loyal will of the one who knows she has to keep weaving these stray bits of stick and story and trash and grass back together to make us who we arefamily. She has an ma in creative writing from the university of california, davis, and a phd in literature and creative writing from the university of utah.
Halina durajs stories have appeared in the sun, the. Spun through the eyes of magda, the daughter of polish immigrants, these linked narratives bob between the familiargrowing old, betrayal, angstand those unique to magdas lineageaccounts of holocaust survival, fear of nazis, summers overseascreating a slim volume that nevertheless provides strong emotional resonance. Throughout halina durajs tender and luminous debut collection of short stories, the family cannon augury books 2014, her narrator. The winning stories roam the world, from nigeria to venice, from an erupting volcano in iceland to a brothel in the old wild west. Whether it is an inherited, never personallyexperienced kind of pain like the daughters in the title story whose own father was arrested by nazis when he was just a boy in.
Enjoy the friends, the wine, and the readings by post, duraj, timothy donnelly, and ely shipley. Between a fathers reinvention of himself, a mothers perplexing fidelity, and a womans navigation of the complexities of betrayal, we discover the exquisite pleasures of a world restored and redeemed. Halina durajs debut short story collection, the family cannon, was published with augury books new york in 2014 and was a finalist for the council of literary magazines and presses debut fiction award. She lives in a san diego neighborhood inhabited by a flock of semiwild parrots and people who write remember that you are sacred. It is based at the university of north carolina wilmington and comes out twice a year.
Still, her collection of short stories reads like a novel is really good. Henry prize stories 2014 gathers twenty of the best short stories of the year, from thousands published in literary magazines. While living in utah, duraj says her writing was influenced by the drama of the desert landscape and local landmarks, such as the oquirrh mountains, which for a time she thought were. National book critics circle award finalist allan peterson. With so much of the marketplace dominated by big commercial titles with movie tieins and lots of publicity, its important for someone to look out for personal stories written with extreme care and more delicate sensibilities. Not every author is fortunate enough to have big dollars behind them, and not every great book ends up on bestseller lists. Frances justine posts beast, and halina duraj s the family cannon, augurys first fiction publication. She teaches at the university of san diego, where she also directs the lindsay j. Inch bull city press professional baseball instruction. Stories online blueberries in the sun april 20 basia watches her granddaughter, lalka.
Her novel, fatherland, was a finalist for the 2010 university of california, davis, maurice prize in fiction. Biography halina duraj college of arts and sciences. Each issue is a microchapbook featuring the work of a single author. Henry prize were revealed, recognizing established writers and new, emerging voices. Halina duraj teaches creative writing at the university of san diego in california. Henry prize stories 2014 gathers twenty of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store coupons amazonbasics gift cards help sell. The family cannon is halina duraj s debut short story collection on family, loyalty, and fidelity. Chosen by series editor laura furman, the 20 stories will be collected. Author halina duraj came to read in the love library at san diego state university in the beginning of october. Inch is a quarterly journal focused on the miracles of compression. Litmore aims to provide a space for writers, readers and audiences to come together for workshops, readings, and support. She teaches in the english department at the university of san diego. The debut collection by author halina duraj brings readers an american family.
The debut collection by author halina duraj brings readers an american family, strikingly individual but recognizable to us allas. Her short story collection, the family cannon, was published by augury books in 2014 and was a finalist for the 2015 council of literary magazines and presses debut fiction firecracker award. With quiet astonishment, halina duraj explores the mysteries of love and madness, offering her readers the secret salvation of story. Her stories have been published or are forthcoming in fiction, witness, and third coast. She teaches creative writing at the university of san diego. I sat outside of the room before the reading, waiting for the door to be unlocked so i could choose the exact seat i wanted right side, third. The family cannon, a short story collection by university of san diego professor halina duraj, follows the story of magda, a polishamerican girl who struggles between old world fears and new.
No matter what else she does digs in the garden, pulls weeds in the greenhouse, peels the potatoes always she watches her granddaughter, who has a reddishpurple birthmark over her neck and jaw and part of her cheek. Usd directory halina duraj university of san diego. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. Her fiction and nonfiction have been published in literary journals such as witness, third coast, and confrontation. Since a year after its founding, in 2005, ecotone is one of only two literary magazines in the united states to have had its work reprinted in best american short stories, best american essays, best american poetry, best american science and nature writing, pen o. Throughout halina duraj s tender and luminous debut collection of short stories, the family cannon augury books 2014, her narrator reminds us at nearly every turn that nothing, perhaps, creates greater fidelity than pain. Now all you have to do is show up at 7 pm on friday, jan 24, to augury books 2014 launch party for our new books. Her debut story collection, the family cannon, was published by augury books in 2014. The debut collection by author halina duraj brings readers an amer. Duraj said the collection is mostly fiction with some autobiographical roots. An escalating neighborhood feud takes an unanticipated turn. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. She lives in a san diego neighborhood inhabited by a flock of semiwild parrots. The father immigrates to the united states after the war and, in a few years time, visits his birth.
Halina duraj is an assistant professor of english at the university of san diego. Her debut collection of short stories, the family cannon, won augury books. Fiction issue 23 halina duraj when i moved out six months ago, just a few weeks before the wedding id had to call off, i didnt really care whether i had a car. We feature small collections of poetry, short fiction, or short creative nonfiction, with each chapbook focusing on a separate genre. Buy family cannon book online at low prices in india. Kindle store buy a kindle kindle books kindle unlimited prime reading kindle singles kindle daily deals free reading apps newsstand accessories certified refurbished help forum content and devices amazon device support. Buy the family cannon by halina duraj from amazons fiction books store. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. The reading took place at litmore in baltimore, maryland.
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