15 records matched your query       

Author:

Dawkins, Curtis, author.

Title:

The Graybar Hotel : stories / Curtis Dawkins.

Edition:

First Scribner hardcover edition.

Publisher:

Scribner,

Copyright Date:

2017

Description:

210 pages ; 22 cm

Subject:

Prison psychology--United States--Fiction.
Imprisonment--United States--Fiction.
Prisoners--United States--Fiction.
Short stories.

Other Titles:

Short stories. Selections

Contents:

County -- A human number -- Sunshine -- Daytime drama -- The boy who dreamed too much -- 573543 -- In the dayroom with Stinky -- Swans -- The world out there -- Six pictures of a fire at night -- Depakote Mo -- Brother goose -- Engulfed -- Leche quemada.

Summary:

"In this stunning debut collection, Curtis Dawkins, an MFA graduate and convicted murderer serving life without parole, takes us inside the worlds of prison and prisoners with stories that dazzle with their humor and insight, even as they describe a harsh and barren existence. In Curtis Dawkins's first short story collection, he offers a window into prison life through the eyes of his narrators and their cellmates. Dawkins reveals the idiosyncrasies, tedium, and desperation of long-term incarceration--he describes men who struggle to keep their souls alive despite the challenges they face. In "A Human Number," a man spends his days collect-calling strangers just to hear the sounds of the outside world. In "573543," an inmate recalls his descent into addiction as his prison softball team gears up for an annual tournament against another unit. In "Leche Quemada," an inmate is released and finds freedom more complex and baffling then he expected. Dawkins's stories are funny and sad, filled with unforgettable detail--the barter system based on calligraphy-ink tattoos, handmade cards, and cigarettes; a single dandelion smuggled in from the rec yard; candy made from powdered milk, water, sugar, and hot sauce. His characters are nuanced and sympathetic, despite their obvious flaws. The Graybar Hotel tells moving, human stories about men enduring impossible circumstances. Dawkins takes readers beyond the cells into characters' pasts and memories and desires, into the unusual bonds that form during incarceration and the strained relationships with family members on the outside. He's an extraordinary writer with a knack for metaphor, and this is a powerful compilation of stories that gives voice to the experience of perhaps the most overlooked members of our society"-- Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

1501162292
9781501162299

OCLC:

(OCoLC)961009480

LCCN:

2017011310

Locations:

BOPG851 -- Ames Public Library (Ames)

USUX851 -- Iowa State University - Parks Library (Ames)

GBPF771 -- Ankeny Kirkendall Public Library (Ankeny)

TCPG826 -- Bettendorf Public Library Information Center (Bettendorf)

SAPG074 -- Cedar Falls Public Library (Cedar Falls)

TYPH572 -- Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids)

BAPH771 -- Des Moines Public Library (Des Moines)

ALPE516 -- Fairfield Public Library (Fairfield)

NDPD953 -- Forest City Public Library (Forest City)

MXPG943 -- Fort Dodge Public Library (Fort Dodge)

YEPF572 -- Marion Public Library (Marion)

GUPF501 -- Newton Public Library (Newton)

HPPD845 -- Orange City Public Library (Orange City)

AAPF906 -- Ottumwa Public Library (Ottumwa)

GZPE631 -- Pella Public Library (Pella)