The first winner of The Stony Brook Short Fiction Prize, Christopher Castellani, a sophomore at Swarthmore College when he won in 1992, and a senior when he was given an Honorable Mention in 1994, wrote us in September 97:

"Thanks so much for getting in touch with me and for setting up the web page; this project sounds very exciting and I'm so proud to be a part of your contest. That day five years ago in Stony Brook was one of the highlights of my career as a writer and student, and I always look back on it with great fondness and nostalgia. The contest was a great confidence boost for me as well, and really helped me to continue writing since that time.

"Now I'm three years into the PhD English program at Tufts and enjoying it very much. Though my first passion is creative (not 'scholarly') writing, I've found this experience more than fulfilling. I organize an informal creative writing workshop here for graduate students, which helps me get my fix of fiction writing, but I'd like to devote more time to it one day, most likely in an MFA program."

About his writing, Chris says:
"The youngest child of Italian-immigrant parents, I find myself most interested in writing about family dynamics, especially the Italian-American family --- which, it has often been noted, has been under- or narrowly-represented in novels and literature --- and the psychology of the parent-child relationship. Though I didnt deal specifically with these dynamics in 'You'll Be Saying the Same Thing,' they have been the focus of virtually everything I've written since. I have always been inspired by my parents, neither of whom completed the equivalent of an American 6th grade education, and who, like many immigrants, saw education as the key to success for their children. They convinced me that my education would provide me with all they always wanted to give me but didn't have the resources to provide. Though I have gone beyond my parents academically and, because of that privilege, have been exposed to ideas and cultures they have never encountered or imagined, I am still grounded in the traditions they maintained. My enduring hope is that my family has the courage to see themselves through the more critical/artistic lens I have developed over the years, and that they will view my retelling of our stories as the deepest expressions of my love for them: a love that can be challenged, explored, and questioned, but which ultimately emerges glorified."

Read the story!

I am writing to let you know that my new novel, The Saint of Lost Things will be available this month. The official publication date is September 30th, but many stores have already stocked it, and I am beginning my book tour today.

The novel follows two of the characters from my first book, A Kiss from Maddalena, as they make their way in the U.S. in the early 1950s. It is set in a predominantly Italian American neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware (where I grew up), and is as much about the community itself as the individual and intersecting lives of Maddalena, Antonio and their neighbor, Giulio. I'm happy that one reviewer called the novel "a love poem to [the] immigrant experience," because I wanted it to include the entire spectrum of love: longing, joy, loss, betrayal, hope, tradition, strife, and faith. I also wanted it to be a realistic portrait of an Italian American community, not one that's been sugar-coated or turned into a crime drama (as much as I love "The Sopranos" ...)

Many people have asked if you have to have read the first book in order to understand or appreciate the second. I think (and hope) not. Certainly if you've read Kiss, you'll have more of an insight into Maddalena and Antonio's characters, but this book is meant to stand alone.

For more details—including a full description, early reviews, tour dates, music, photos, and backstory—please visit my new Web site, www.christophercastellani.com. The site was designed by etherweave, and I highly recommend Michael's services to anyone interested in a Web site for him/herself or for a business. He perfectly captured the mood of the novel and is an expert and presenting it in a sophisticated, evocative way.

I hope that, if I am reading in your town, you'll consider attending a reading. Click here to see a list of dates and locations, and be sure to check regularly for new listings, as things change from week to week.

And, if you like the book, please take a few moments to write a brief review on Amazon.com or BN.com. These reviews do make a difference.

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail, and to forward it to anyone you think might be interested in this book. If you never want to hear from me again, you can always unsubscribe from the list. (I won't be offended.) If you'd like to join the official mailing list, please enter your email address in the box at the bottom of the "News & Events" page on the website. I promise not to bother you too often.

Whatever the case, I would love to hear any and all reactions to the book, or just get an e-mail from you to catch up on what you've been doing lately. My address is chris@chriscastellani.com.

Best Wishes,