Atlantic Books to publish National Book Award longlisted ‘Black Light’ by Kimberly King Parsons

Atlantic Books is to publish Black Light by Kimberly King Parsons, a collection of short stories longlisted for the National Book Awards in 2019.

James Roxburgh acquired UK Comm (ex. Canada) rights from Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at DeFiore. Black Light will be published as a paperback original and eBook on 6 August 2020.

With raw, poetic ferocity, Black Light exposes desire’s darkest hollows – those hidden places where most of us are afraid to look. Taking us from sultry highways to cold family kitchens, from the freedom of pay-by-the-hour motels to the claustrophobia of private school dorms, these enormously perceptive and brutally unsentimental short stories are about the ache of first love, the banality of self-loathing, the scourge of addiction, the myth of marriage, and the magic and inevitable disillusionment of childhood.

In the US, where it was published in 2019, it won praise from a collection of media and other authors, including:

‘The stories in Black Light are grimy and weird, surprising, utterly lush… I loved every moment of this book.’ Carmen Maria Machado, author of In The Dream House

‘There is a reckless kind of heat to the tender, broken characters in these stories… Parsons is both unflinching and eloquent in her portrayals of people as they burn and rage.’ Paris Review

‘Exhilarating, enchanting, charming and irresistible… This is real-deal fiction.’ Los Angeles Times

‘The bad-ass gals in these terrific stories are all attitude, and as funny and appealing in their imperfection and thwarted desire as you’ll find in any fiction out there. Parsons opens and ends stories brilliantly. I just finished this book, and I’m going to read it again right away.’ Amy Hempel, author of Sing To It

Endell Street in numbers

Endell Street by Wendy Moore highlights the fascinating yet forgotten story of a WW1 hospital in Covent Garden, London, that was run entirely by women before a time of universal suffrage. Find out more about the unique hospital via the infographic below.

Follow the link to find out more about Endell Street by Wendy Moore

The Atlantic Digital Tour

Due to the recent Coronavirus outbreak many events for our authors have understandably been cancelled. In these trying times please help to support your favourite authors and your local bookshops – click on any of the brilliant books below to support your local high street.

Keep reading and stay safe!

Original Fiction

Compelling Non-Fiction

Must-reads for LGBT History Month

February marks LGBT History Month in the UK, and to celebrate we’ve put together a list of some of our brilliant books published over the past few years, plus one upcoming title. Happy reading!

: A raw and heart-wrenching literary memoir about a queer couple’s attempt to adopt a child.

: A sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera.

: Stories of a young man finding his place among family and community in Houston, from a powerful, emerging American voice.

‘Home Remedies’ and ‘Lot’ shortlisted for the 2020 PEN America Literary Awards

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang and Lot by Bryan Washington have been shortlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection. The $25,000 prize is awarded “to an author whose debut collection of short stories represents distinguished literary achievement and suggests great promise for future work”.

The winner of the award will be announced by comedian and TV host Seth Meyers at an awards ceremony in New York on the 2nd March.

The full list is as follows:

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang

Lot by Bryan Washington

The Trojan War Museum by Ayşe Papatya Bucak

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Last of Her Name by Mimi Lok