Saturday, October 06, 2018

Seven top Washington, D.C., books (that aren't about politics)

Camille Acker was raised in Washington, DC.

She holds a B.A. in English from Howard University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from New Mexico State University and has more than fifteen years experience as a writer and editor. She is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Creative Writing program at New Mexico State University. Her short story collection, Training School for Negro Girls, is out this month from The Feminist Press.

Two of Acker's favorite books set in Washington, DC, as shared at Publishers Weekly:
Lost in the City and All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P. Jones

Jones won the Pulitzer for his Antebellum novel, The Known World, but his two short story collections may be his masterworks. In them, D.C. is an intimate setting for his cast of weary and loving mothers, grieving friends, and estranged partners. As a native Washingtonian, Jones places his characters at intersections of real streets and as a deeply gifted writer, Jones beautifully renders those characters when they find themselves at treacherous emotional crossroads.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue