Bennington Bookshelf

“. . . an absorbing drama about a first generation Hungarian-American rooting around in his family’s buried past in the hopes of fathoming his legacy” NPR

“The thriller that everyone will be talking about . . . One of those sinuous, Hitchcockian tales that disorients in the best way. . . . Hypnotic.”

Esquire

“A dizzying, kaleidoscopic thriller that refuses to let readers look away from the dark side of Southern California . . . ” Los Angeles Times

“a complex and beautiful rendering of that vanished country and its scattered people; a reminder of the power and purpose of art; and an ode to female creativity under a patriarchy that repeatedly tries to snuff it out.” The New York Times

“A new book examines the legacy of the women-led consumer protests of the mid-20th century.” The Atlantic

“A beautiful example of possibility, nuance and passion coexisting, even in our heightened political moment . . .” Los Angeles Times

“Smith’s gifts of imagination are staggering. Her world-building is a ...wickedly satirical synthesis that underlines just how fractured our own realities can be during periods of fear, unrest, inequality, and instability” NPR

“. . . a calm survey of the past, present and future. A book about a blurry subject, it is clear eyed and assured” The New York Times

“The ‘We Shall Overcome’ songwriter’s legacy spans decades, and this will surely help a new generation understand his fervor and still-relevant message.”

Booklist

“A bracing personal narrative set against the backdrop of a simpler New York.” The National Book Review

“An overriding debate in this collection is over how forthright to be with children about the president’s proclivities and prejudices.” The Washington Post

“...one of the most buzzed-about books of fall... [a] brave and vulnerable memoir—the author’s first—that touches on themes of family, love and survival.”

Today Show

“Making the Mark provides a richly detailed grass-roots perspective of the procedure (and of male circumcision) among the Kuria people in southern Kenya.” The Washington Post

The Assassination of Fred Hampton by Jeffrey Haas MFA ’07 is being developed into a movie directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven).

“Rockaway Beach is granted the sort of soulful reflection that knocks you flat…” New York Times Book Review

AMC has greenlit 10 episodes of Dietland—adapted from the 2015 novel by Sarai Walker MFA ’03—to be written and produced by Marti Noxon (Mad Men, UnREAL, Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

“Mogelson gives a nuanced, empathetic look into lives irrevocably altered by conflicts.” The Nation

“Terrifically auspicious...Ms. Greenidge has charted an ambitious course for a book that begins so mock-innocently.” The New York Times

“[An] astute, restless debut...The novel glows with the malaise of the Bush years.” The New Yorker

“Her book exposes and implodes...façades.” People

“[Williams] sings for the vanished, for the haunted, for the tortured, for the lost, for the place on the horizon where the little boat of the human body disappears in a wingdom of unending grace.” The Best American Poetry

“Rich and mythic, heavy with the legacy of family and history, many of Safiya Sinclair’s poems are inspired by her childhood in Jamaica; a richness and density in the imagery conveys a lush beauty and danger...” 2016 Whiting Award Selection Committee

Master of Fine Arts in Writing faculty member Amy Hempel was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters for literature in May.

Master of Fine Arts in Writing faculty member Kaitlyn Greenidge won a Whiting Award for her debut novel, “We Love You, Charlie Freeman.” Whiting Foundation

Poetry Master of Fine Arts in Writing faculty member Kathleen Graber won the Arts and Letters Award in Literature from The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Visiting Master of Fine Arts in Writing faculty member Phillip B. Williams won a Whiting Award for his debut poetry collection, “Thief in the Interior.” Whiting Foundation

Lee Clay Johnson ’07 was honored with the Sue Kaufman Prize for First Fiction from The American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Amber Caron MFA ’16 won a PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers for her story “The Handler,” which was originally published in Southwest Review.

“Tense, disturbing, impressive. . . .”

The Wall Street Journal

“Hughes’s prose is elusive, allusive, artful, intriguing and infuriating.” The New York Times Sunday Book Review

" ...an addictive, poignant read ” The Los Angeles Time

“...a master of creating realistic and nuanced female characters.” The Washington Post

“For all the beauty of Young’s writing, her novel is a dark one, full of pain and loss.” The New York Times Sunday Book Review

"...the rare historical novel in which the setting may be old, but the writing makes everything feel brand new." Esquire

"A remixed Odyssey whose speaker ‘rolls deep’ the same way Odysseus did as he worried and warred far from home, by staying true to where he’s from."

The New York Times Book Review

“Frank tales… fierce candor” The New Yorker

“...career-defining collection of magazine writing from 1989 to today.” Los Angeles Times

"With sensitivity and grace, Selouka descends deep into the chaos of his parents' lives." The New York Times

"A magical world of wonders [on] the printed page." The Associated Press

“A book-length master class that draws on years of teaching”

The Atlantic

"The entire book is rich" The New York Times

"...a twisty, unsettling thriller" The New York Times

"...cuts to the heart of life" Vanity Fair

"[This book] knocks you over and changes how you view the world…" The Washington Post

"...haunting the reader with those human questions" The Chicago Tribune

"...compelling...because it is moderate" The New Republic

"A narrative celebration of the striking landscape of the Point Reyes Peninsula" The San Francisco Chronicle

"...sideways views that are intriguing" Associated Press

National Book Award Finalist National Book Foundation

National Book Award Finalist National Book Award Organization

“...that lost world [of] youthful longings.” The Boston Globe

“...an edge-of-your-seat adventure tale.” Outside Magazine

“An electrifying coming of age memoir…” O, The Oprah Magazine

“A solid, comprehensive account...” The Wall Street Journal

“...bitter, sweet, savoury…” The Guardian

“...turns darkness into light…” The Boston Globe

“... a hypnotic story line...” The Washington Post

“These stories feel both specific and flexible.” New York Times Sunday Book Review shortlist

“Its earnest idealism is infectious.” New York Magazine

“...a sort of explosive device.” The Washington Post

“[A] snarky, superb look at female friendship.” Entertainment Weekly

“...witty writing, passion and fashion...” Booklist

“...an offbeat classic...” The New York Times

“...among the most assured debut novels in recent memory...” Vogue

“...a nice balance between comedy and horror.” The Washington Post

“...more than an unconventional horror novel...” The Los Angeles Times

“...a marvelously focused view of the man…” Playbill

“[Schwartz’s] signature curiosity, introspection, and insight [make] readers feel as if they and the author are sharing...very personal memories.”

Booklist

“...enriches one’s sense of a game...” The Huffington Post

“...highly motivating.” The Wall Street Journal

“...witty, nuanced, and ultimately moving...” NPR

“[a] compelling mix of poise and exposure...” Slate

“...a young woman growing into herself…” Publishers Weekly

“...simultaneously knowing and questioning.” The Huffington Post

“...a chorus of genuine voices…” Booklist, starred review

“...a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart.” Pulitzer committee

“...the remarkable story of a 19th century author… and pioneering advocate...” Pulitzer committee

“A novel … using provocative themes to raise difficult moral questions.” Pulitzer committee

"[An] enthralling and skillful debut novel about the reunification of a family" The New York Times

“His stories know suffering, loneliness, lust...” The New York Times

"...oddball characters mix in a clash of cultures between native New Yorkers and the immigrants who infuse the city, and the book's central character, with new life..."

The New York Times

“...a big story inside a tiny orbit.” The New York Times

“A novel … using provocative themes to raise difficult moral questions.” Pulitzer committee

“...a memoir by glimpses...” The New York Times

“...both personal and idealistic…” The New York Times

“...a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart.” Pulitzer committee

“A poetic portrait of a man’s life...” The Boston Globe

“Erudite, beautifully written, wise, compassionate, heartbreaking and pretty much devoid of nostalgia.” Los Angeles Times

“...brilliantly and coterminously fire[s] one’s sense of moral comprehension...” The Boston Globe

"[An] entertaining and resonant second novel." The New York Times

“...shocking. Yet there’s so much solace.” The New York Times Book Review

“…[a] riveting disaster novel.” The New York Times Book Review

“Smart and honest and searching...” The New York Times

“...the remarkable story of a 19th century author… and pioneering advocate...” Pulitzer committee

“...a welcome, feminine vantage point...” Slate

"An ode to expatriate living, culture clashes and the heady days of early 1990s Europe, this novel is a manic, wild ride...and thoroughly enjoyable"

Booklist