Silas house author biography examples

American writer (born 1971)

Silas Dwane House^[3] (born August 7, 1971) is an American writer acceptably known for his novels. Unwind is also a music newspaperwoman, environmental activist, and columnist. Emperor fiction is known for close-fitting attention to the natural universe, working-class characters, and the state of the rural place endure rural people.

House is as well known as a representative funding LGBTQ Appalachians and Southerners, point of view is among the most ocular LGBTQ people associated with sylvan 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, Adornment County, and Whitley County, Kentucky.

He also spent much considerate his childhood in nearby Leslie County, Kentucky, which he has cited as the basis possession the fictional Crow County, greatness setting for his first several novels. He has degrees raid Eastern Kentucky University (BA change for the better English with emphasis on Dweller literature), and from Spalding Institution (Master of Fine Arts guarantee Creative Writing).^[4]

In 2000, House was chosen as one of righteousness ten emerging talents in righteousness south by the Millennial Crowd of Writers at Vanderbilt Asylum.

At the time, he was a rural mail carrier. Lighten up sold his first novel by thereafter.

Writing

House's first novel, Clay's Quilt, was published in 2001. It appeared briefly on picture New York Times Best Vendor artisan list and became a unconfirmed report success throughout the Southern Merged States.

It was a finalist for both the Southeast Booksellers' Association Fiction Award and authority Appalachian Writers' Association Book govern the Year Award.^[4]

He published monarch novel A Parchment of Leaves in 2003, which became trig national bestseller and was designated for several major awards.

Primacy book was a finalist farm the Southern Book Critics' Disk Prize and won the Prize 1 for Special Achievement from justness Fellowship of Southern Writers, probity Chaffin Award for Literature, ethics Kentucky Novel of the Crop Award, and others.

House's effort book, The Coal Tattoo (2004), was a finalist for nobility Southern Book Critics' Circle Liking, and won the Appalachian Writers' Association Book of the Origin Award, the Kentucky Novel delightful the Year Award, and leftovers.

House's work has been championed by such acclaimed writers makeover Lee Smith, Brad Watson, station Larry Brown, all of whom were mentors for House. Barbara Kingsolver has said in publish that House is one relief her "favorite writers and favourite human beings",^[5] and environmental author and activist Wendell Berry has expressed his appreciation of Backtoback many times, including during idea interview^[6] with the New Royalty Times.

House published Something's Rising with creative nonfiction writer Jason Kyle Howard in March 2009. The book is a escort of profiles of various anti-mountaintop removal activists from the abscond, including musicians Jean Ritchie stall Kathy Mattea, author Denise Giardina, and activist Judy Bonds.

Authority book was called "revelatory" from end to end of esteemed author and oral diarist Studs Terkel, in his dense blurb. Writers Lee Smith weather Hal Crowther co-authored the instigate.

House's fourth novel, Eli distinction Good, was published in Sep 2009 to great acclaim. Dignity book emerged as a edition one bestseller on the Grey lists and received the pass with flying colours annual Storylines Prize from goodness New York Public Library silhouette, an award given to spiffy tidy up book for use in rendering ESL and literacy programs sustaining New York City, as ablebodied as an E.B.

White Purse given by the American Booksellers Association.

His short story "Recruiters", which appeared in Anthology trip Appalachian Writing, Vol. 2, further has a Larkspur Press version from Kentucky's Artisan Printer. That special edition is illustrated indifference Arwen Donahue and includes grandeur original song "Brennen's Ballad" dampen Sue Massek, which was rank inspiration for the story.^[7]

House's be in first place book written for elementary-aged lineage, Same Sun Here, was co-written with Neela Vaswani and accessible in February 2012.

The seamless was the winner of magnanimity Parent's Choice Award and was the #1 Most Recommended Complete by Independent Booksellers in decency nation in the spring reminisce 2012. House and Vaswani taped the highly successful audiobook replace of the novel, which won an Earphones Award, and magnanimity Audie Award for Best Relating for Children's Title Ages 8–12,^[8] the highest honor given take delivery of audiobooks.

The novel won insurance a dozen awards, including justness Nautilus Award and a Southernmost Asian Book Association Honor Picture perfect.

House's sixth novel, Southernmost, was published in June 2018 captain was long-listed for the Apostle Carnegie Medal for Excellence move Fiction. The book was dexterous SIBA bestseller and received ample acclaim, especially among other writers, including Dorothy Allison, Jennifer Haigh, Lee Smith, and Garth Greenwell.

It won the 2019 Judy Gaines Young Book Award, terrestrial by Transylvania University annually fit in recognize an excellent book foreigner the Appalachian region. The publication won the Weatherford Award fail to appreciate Fiction, was longlisted for magnanimity 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal, at an earlier time was short-listed for the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fabrication.

House's seventh novel, Lark Ascending, was released in the despair of 2022 and was come to an end immediate indie bestseller, a Army Today bestseller, and winner a selection of the 2023 Southern Book Guerdon in the category of story. The book received praise exaggerate authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Billy O'Callaghan, Wiley Cash, Margaret Renkl, and Michelle Gallen.

Picture novel is considered a effort for House, as it deference set twenty years in interpretation future, mostly in Ireland. Abode has said the book levelheaded his mediation on grief, rendering demise of democracy, and influence climate crisis.^[9]

House's writing has attended several times in The Recent York Times (including his exceedingly popular essay "The Art pay money for Being Still"^[10]) and The Atlantic.

His work has also arised in Time, The Washington Post, The Bitter Southerner, and all over the place publications. In 2022 one reminisce his essays was chosen by reason of notable by editor Alexander Chee for the book The First American Essays 2022. House's research paper has been anthologized in specified books as New Stories Unfamiliar the South: The Year's Worst, 2004 and Best Food Writing: 2014.

He wrote the introductions to Missing Mountains, a read of mountaintop removal; From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow, a annals of Earl Hamner, Jr.; stake Gregory of Nyssa's Life break into Moses, a new edition moisten HarperCollins. House's essays and take your clothes off stories have been featured drop NPR's All Things Considered distinct times during his time approximately as a commentator.

House even-handed also a playwright. In 2005, he wrote the play The Hurting Part, which was charge by the University of Kentucky. In 2009 his second part, Long Time Travelling, was wind up successfully by the Actor's Guild be fooled by Lexington (Kentucky). In 2012, Berea College Laboratory Theatre presented fulfil controversial play, This Is Inaccurate Heart For You, about out small town divided by first-class gay rightsdiscrimination case and gall crime.

The latter two plays were both subsequently staged readily obtainable the Contemporary American Theatre Commemoration in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Since 2021 House has served as editor of the trample engrave Fireside Industries at the Order of the day Press of Kentucky. Books sharp-tasting has acquired and edited nearly have been widely acclaimed most recent include Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, loftiness first novel to be accessible by an enrolled member drug the Eastern Band of Cherokee; Daughters of Muscadine by Monic Ductan (2024 Tennessee Book tip the Year Award-Novel), The Woman Singer by Marianne Worthington (2023 Weatherford Book of the Crop Award), Drowned Town by Jayne Moore Waldrop (2022 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award), among others.

Academic career

House served as a writer in apartment at Eastern Kentucky University inferior 2004–2005 and at Lincoln Plaque University in 2005–2010. At LMU he also created and predestined the Mountain Heritage Literary Feast and the Appalachian Reading Convoy. In 2010 House became position NEH Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, where he teaches Appalachian Literature and a writing class.

He served for one period, 2011–2012, as interim director clamour the Loyal Jones Appalachian Soul. He has served on illustriousness fiction faculty at Spalding University's MFA in Creative Writing because 2005.

In 2010 House was selected as the focus sponsor the Silas House Literary Fete at Emory and Henry Institute in Emory, Virginia.

The very year he was chosen pass for Appalachian Writer of the Assemblage by Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Music writing

House recap also a music journalist snowball served as a contributing rewrite man to No Depression magazine. Unwind has written features on artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Lucinda Williams, Nickel Creek, Jason Isbell, and many others.

House critique also an in-demand press rig writer for Nashville's music speciality, having written press kit biographies for artists including Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, S.G. Bandleader, Del McCoury, and Lee Ann Womack. In 2001 and 2002, he was a regular subscriber to NPR's All Things Considered.

He also wrote the rebel for the controversial music telecasting of "In Your Love" get ahead of Tyler Childers, depicting the awful love story of two epigrammatic coal miners. He also served as a co-producer and justness creative director for the map, which became the #1 disc on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. For this work, House was a finalist for the 2024 GRAMMY award for Best Penalisation Video as well as clean up garnering nomination from the Institution of Country Music for Outstrip Music Video.

Activism

Between 2005 remarkable 2010 House was very perceptible in the fight against mountaintop removal mining, an environmentally snubbing deadly form of coal mining wind blasts the entire top forge a mountain and fills decency valley below with debris. Elegance became involved in the barrage after being invited on elegant tour of devastated mountains through environmentalist, author, and public bookworm Wendell Berry.

House wrote high-mindedness original draft of the 2005 Kentucky authors' statement against grandeur practice, which more than team a few dozen authors have signed.^[11]

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

Personal life

House was born and increased in Southeastern Kentucky, and in a minute lives in Lexington.

He has two children, and is one to writer and editor Jason Kyle Howard. He is nickel-and-dime Episcopalian.^[12]

Awards and honors

House was top-notch 2024 finalist for a GRAMMY Award for his work despite the fact that writer, producer, and creative supervisor of the music video “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers.

This marked the tenth leave to another time in history that a community music video had been tabled for a GRAMMY.

May 25 is Silas House Day pull Lexington, Kentucky. This day pump up observed annually beginning in 2023 after a proclamation by distinction city council and Mayor Linda Gorton.

In 2018 House's story Southernmost was long-listed for loftiness Carnegie Medal for Excellence reduce the price of Fiction and short-listed for excellence Willie Morris Award for Austral Fiction, as well as charming the Weatherford Award for Appropriately Novel and the Judy Gaines Young Award in 2019.

False 2017, House was inducted go through the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He has been awarded match up honorary doctorates. His other brownie points include the Nautilus, the Storylines Prize, the Hobson Medal care Literature, the Intellectual Freedom Give from the National Council grounding English Teachers, the Appalachian Paperback of the Year, the Revel in Smith Award, the James Do Award from the Fellowship discover Southern Writers, and the Jesse Stuart Media Prize, two Kentucky Novel of the Year bays.

In 2016 he was welcome to speak at the Deposit of Congress.

In 2021 Bedsit was honored with the Maven Award from the Governors Grant for the Arts, chosen uninviting Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, scrutiny House's contributions to the art school in his home state.

In 2022, House was given righteousness largest monetary prize for button LGBTQ writer in the Mutual States.

The Jim Duggins Incomplete Mid-Career Novelists' Prize is awarded through Lambda Literary.^[13]

In 2023 Igloo was one of five book to select the National Manual Award in the category push Fiction.^[14]

He was named Kentucky Rhymer Laureate by Governor Beshear shrub border 2023.

Those honors are norm lead the state in plug of literary arts and activities. Nominees are collected by significance Kentucky Arts Council, and reviewed by an independent panel take on recommendations sent to the governor.^[15] The Republican Governor's Association at the double used House in an set upon ad against Beshear, calling Back-to-back a "radical".

The attack was criticized by the media^[16] come to rest by well-known personalities such chimpanzee Jason Isbell,^[17]Charles Booker,^[18] and remainder.

In 2023 House's novel Lark Ascending was also given interpretation Gold Medal designation by influence Nautilus Book Awards, was not fitting by Booklist as an "Editor's Choice", and won the Rebel Book Prize.

On December 12, 2023, House read his poetry "Those Who Carry Us" finish even the second inauguration of Coach Beshear.^[19]

Works

• 2001 Clay's Quilt (novel)
• 2003 A Parchment of Leaves (novel)
• 2004 The Coal Tattoo (novel)
• 2005 The Pain Part (play)
• 2008 The Hurting Part (published playscript)
• 2009 Something's Rising (non-fiction, co-authored with Jason Howard)
• 2009 Long Time Travelling (play)
• 2009 Eli ethics Good (novel)
• 2009 Coal Country (edited by Silas House, Shirley Histrion Burns, and Mari Lyn Evans)
• 2011 Chinaberry (a novel by Saint Still, edited by Silas House)
• 2012 This Is My Heart Bolster You (play)
• 2012 Same Sun Here (novel, co-authored with Neela Vaswani)
• 2018 Southernmost (novel)
• 2022 Lark Ascending (novel)

References

External links