Victoria Patterson - GalleyCat

Photos from Mediabistro Book Club in Los Angeles

Jason Boog — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:41:29 +0000

Writers from around the West Coast gathered in Santa Monica last night for our first Mediabistro Book club in California. Writers, aspiring authors and readers mingled beside the pool at the Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel.

Follow this link to see photos from the event–all photos were taken by Bea Lamar. In the photo embedded above, author and typographer Denis Wood posed with his new book, Everything Sings. Below, we’ve posted a picture of Victoria Patterson posing with her book, This Vacant Paradise.

Both of these writer will also appear at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books this weekend. This GalleyCat editor will report on the event all weekend long.

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Writers to Discuss Borrowed Voices & Stolen Stories

Maryann Yin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:23:24 +0000

Tonight, the Walls and Bridges Festival will end with a discussion event at FIAF entitled “The Original Copy: Borrowed Voices and Stolen Stories.” Chris Lehmann of Bookforum will moderate a panel of four authors which include Yannick Haenel, Laurent Nunez, Victoria Patterson, and Siva Vaidhyanathan.

Here’s more about the event: “It’ll tackle the topic of the tension inherent in borrowing (a plot, a style, or the entire library of written works) for one’s own use. It features French authors never before accessible to American audiences who are experimenting in their fiction, plus Americans Victoria Patterson and Siva Vaidhyanathan.”

Admission normally costs $15, but the organizers have a special offer for GalleyCat readers. Email wallsandbridgesrsvp@gmail.com with GALLEYCAT in the subject and get in for free.

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Mediabistro Book Club: LA Edition

Jason Boog — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:37:04 +0000

We are proud to announce the four authors selected for our inaugural West Coast edition of the Mediabistro Book Club on April 27th in Los Angeles.

Follow this link to RSVP. The event will be held at the Viceroy Santa Monica Hotel in Santa Monica, your chance to mingle with great writers and sample tons of free books. This GalleyCat editor will attend, leading a conversation with these four writers…

Denis Wood: Everything Sings: Maps for a Narrative Atlas
Joanne Rocklin: One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street
Victoria Patterson: This Vacant Paradise
Amy Pengra and Judy Gruen: Fits, Starts & Matters of the Heart: 28 True Stories of Love, Loss & Everything In Between

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How to Keep Writing with Children

Jason Boog — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:23:23 +0000

This post is for all the parents in the audience. How do you manage to write with children around the house? Last night at Story Prize ceremony, finalist Victoria Patterson discussed her short story collection Drift with Story Prize director Larry Dark–offering some unconventional advice.

During the wide-ranging literary discussion, Patterson (pictured, via Chris Patterson) admitted she considered using the title “Shark Island” for her collection, except “it sounded like a ride at Disneyland.” Patterson will receive (along with finalist Wells Tower) a $5,000 award. Author Daniyal Mueenuddin won the $20,000 prize.

Patterson offered this unique tip for making time to write with kids. “I dropped them off at church day care,” she said. “Then I’d ditch church and go write.” I’d get three hours of writing. People thought I was very religious.”

How do you write with children? Add your advice in the comments for a future post.

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Daniyal Mueenuddin Wins the $20,000 Story Prize

Jason Boog — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:23:29 +0000

Last night Pakistani-American debut author Daniyal Mueenuddin won the $20,000 Story Prize for his collection, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders. Finalists Victoria Patterson (Drift) and Wells Tower (Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned) will each receive $5,000.

The authors were chosen from among 78 submissions from publishers. GalleyCat was there at the event as the finalists read from their work and Story Prize director Larry Dark interviewed them individually.

In his interview, Mueenuddin (pictured, via) talked about growing up on his family farm in Pakistan (which he now manages). “I was brought up by servants,” he said, but stressed that his experiences on the farm were crucial for his writing. “One of the problems for writers is that they live as writers,” he concluded. “That does not provide very much material.”

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Three Story Prize Finalists Announced

Jason Boog — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:23:57 +0000

Today the finalists for the 2010 Story Prize were announced, picked from 78 story collections from 53 different publishers or imprints. Now in its sixth year, the winner will receive a $20,000 prize and both of the runner-ups will receive a $5,000 prize.

The three contenders are (pictured, in order, via): “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders” by Daniyal Mueenuddin, “Drift” by Victoria Patterson, and “Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned” by Wells Tower.

The annual event will take place at New School’s Tishman Auditorium in New York City on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 at 7:30 pm. Here’s more from the release: “Mueenuddin’s “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders” … immerses readers in the colorful world of a vast estate in feudal Pakistan. Patterson’s ‘Drift’ presents connected stories about women and men struggling to find their place in wealthy Newport Beach, California. And eccentric characters in problematic relationships populate Tower’s ‘Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned.’”

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