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Author

Lauren Alwan

Lauren Alwan

Lauren Alwan’s fiction has appeared in the O. Henry Prize Stories, the Southern Review, the Alaska Quarterly Review, StoryQuarterly, in the Bellevue Literary Review. She is the recipient of a First Pages Prize, the Goldenberg Prize for Fiction, and.a citation of Notable in Best American Essays. Her essays have appeared in ZYZZYVA, Catapult, World Literature Today, The Rumpus, The Millions, Writer's Digest, and others. She is a prose editor at the museum of americana, an online literary review. Follow her on Twitter at @lauren_alwan and learn more at www.laurenalwan.com

  • LitStack RecsUncategorized

    Litstack Recs: Fairyland & Scribe

    by Lauren Alwan 18 January, 2019
    by Lauren Alwan 18 January, 2019

    Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, by Alysia Abbott “The truth is,” Alysia Abbot writes …

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  • UncategorizedLitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: My Misspent Youth & Santa 17

    by Lauren Alwan 21 December, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 21 December, 2018

    My Misspent Youth, essays by Meghan Daum My introduction to Daum and her essays was …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: Author -Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan & The Jesus Cow

    by Lauren Alwan 14 December, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 14 December, 2018

    Author: The Portraits of Beowulf Sheehan. By Beowulf Sheehan. Foreword by Salman Rushdie. If you …

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  • LitStack RecsBook Love

    Litstack Rec: Earn It! and Viva Frida

    by Lauren Alwan 6 December, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 6 December, 2018

    Earn It! by Cinders McLeod This is the perfect gift for young readers on your …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Recs: Two New Titles from WTAW Press & Us

    by Lauren Alwan 12 October, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 12 October, 2018

    Two New Titles from WTAW Press Northern California’s newest independent press has just released its …

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  • LitStack RecsLiterary Fiction

    Litstack Rec: Bridge & The Stargazer’s Sister

    by Lauren Alwan 5 October, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 5 October, 2018

    Bridge, by Robert Thomas “Welcome to the prayer-strewn pews of my brain,” Alice, the narrator …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: By Nightfall & The Wanderers

    by Lauren Alwan 13 September, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 13 September, 2018

    By Nightfall, by Michael Cunningham Peter and Rebecca Harris are forty-something New Yorkers, well-off, hip, …

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  • LitStack RecsUncategorized

    LitStack Rec: Little Failure & United States of Japan

    by Lauren Alwan 7 September, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 7 September, 2018

    Little Failure: A Memoir, by Gary Shteyngart “In order for me to be born,” Gary …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries & Brotherhood of the Wheel

    by Lauren Alwan 31 August, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 31 August, 2018

    The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries, by Emma Thompson There’s enough left of summer …

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  • LitStack RecsUncategorized

    LitStaff Rec: A House for Mr Biswas & Pride’s Spell

    by Lauren Alwan 17 August, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 17 August, 2018

    A House For Mr Biswas, by V.S. Naipaul This past week, we lost a giant …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Recs: The Tall Book of Make-Believe & The Last Days of New Paris

    by Lauren Alwan 3 August, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 3 August, 2018

    The Tall Book of Make-Believe ed. Jane Werner Illustrated by Garth Williams Well beyond the …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: The Refugees & The Hummingbird

    by Lauren Alwan 20 July, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 20 July, 2018

    The Refugees: Stories, by Viet Thanh Nguyen Fans of The Sympathizer, Nguyen’s debut novel that …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: How to Read to Read a Sentence and How to Write One & American Elsewhere

    by Lauren Alwan 13 July, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 13 July, 2018

    How to Read to Read a Sentence and How to Write One, by Stanley Fish …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: A Time of Gifts & Wolf in White Van

    by Lauren Alwan 15 June, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 15 June, 2018

    A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople, by Patrick Leigh Fermor A classic of …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec – The Coast of Chicago & Red Rising

    by Lauren Alwan 4 May, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 4 May, 2018

    The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek May is Short Story Month, so this month …

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  • LitStack RecsUncategorized

    LitStack Recs: Passage to Ararat & Borderline

    by Lauren Alwan 27 April, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 27 April, 2018

    Passage to Ararat, by Michael J. Arlen Tuesday, April 24, marked a sober anniversary, 103 …

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  • Book LoveLitStack ReviewsReviews by Genre

    LitStack Review: Earn It! by Cinders McLeod

    by Lauren Alwan 25 April, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 25 April, 2018

    Earn It! by Cinders McLeod (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2017) Teaching children financial literacy—knowing how money …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: Patrimony & Biggie

    by Lauren Alwan 13 April, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 13 April, 2018

    Patrimony: A True Story, by Philip Roth Roth’s 1991 memoir charts the illness and death …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: Green Thoughts & Nightwise

    by Lauren Alwan 6 April, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 6 April, 2018

    Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden, by Eleanor Perényi If you’re a writer who …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: The Death of the Heart & God’s War

    by Lauren Alwan 23 March, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 23 March, 2018

    The Death of the Heart, by Elizabeth Bowen Even though it’s spring, there may be …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Out of Place & Miranda and Caliban

    by Lauren Alwan 15 March, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 15 March, 2018

    Out of Place: A Memoir, by Edward Said Edward Said, the prolific author, political activist, …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Arranged Marriage: Stories & This Case Is Gonna Kill Me

    by Lauren Alwan 8 March, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 8 March, 2018

    Arranged Marriage: Stories, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Acclaimed poet, novelist, and story writer Chitra Banerjee …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Epilogue: A Memoir & Hounded

    by Lauren Alwan 2 March, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 2 March, 2018

    Epilogue: A Memoir, by Will Boast Both a remembrance and a elegiac account of the …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstaff Rec: The Oysters of Locmariaquer & Longbourn

    by Lauren Alwan 22 February, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 22 February, 2018

    The Oysters of Locmariaquer, by Eleanor Clark Late in Eleanor Clark’s extraordinary book, she tells …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: The Films in My Life & Slow River

    by Lauren Alwan 8 February, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 8 February, 2018

    The Films in My Life, by Francois Truffaut The revered French filmmaker, who would have …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: Thunderstruck & Other Stories & Kitchens of the Great Midwest

    by Lauren Alwan 2 February, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 2 February, 2018

    Thunderstruck & Other Stories, by Elizabeth McCracken Early on in Elizabeth McCracken’s extraordinary story collection, …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: Selected Stories & Gemini Cell

    by Lauren Alwan 26 January, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 26 January, 2018

    Selected Stories, by William Trevor A volume of stories by William Trevor is a reader’s …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: Spielberg, Truffaut and Me & The Wanderers

    by Lauren Alwan 18 January, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 18 January, 2018

    Spielberg, Truffaut and Me: An Actor’s Diary, by Bob Balaban In the summer of 1976, …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Werewolves in Their Youth & Safe From the Sea

    by Lauren Alwan 4 January, 2018
    by Lauren Alwan 4 January, 2018

    Werewolves in Their Youth: Stories, by Michael Chabon Not all scary stories are for Halloween. …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: Life Drawing & Viva Frida

    by Lauren Alwan 21 December, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 21 December, 2017

    Life Drawing, by Robin Black “Nobody outside a marriage can understand it,” the narrator of …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: Top reads & Winterdance

    by Lauren Alwan 14 December, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 14 December, 2017

    Are books, and stories, getting better? That is, are they getting richer, stronger, and more …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Anna May Wong & We Were Liars

    by Lauren Alwan 30 November, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 30 November, 2017

    Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend, by Graham Russell Gao Hodges Don’t …

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  • Uncategorized

    2017 National Book Award Winners

    by Lauren Alwan 18 November, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 18 November, 2017

    At the November 15th National Book Awards, Jesmyn Ward was awarded her second prize in …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: The Goldfinch & Doctor Sleep

    by Lauren Alwan 16 November, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 16 November, 2017

    The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt The reception Donna Tartt garnered for her third novel—it washer …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Jerusalem: A Cookbook & Exit West

    by Lauren Alwan 9 November, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 9 November, 2017

    Jerusalem:  A Cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi Some cookbooks are defined by a …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Out of Place & Landscape with Invisible Hand

    by Lauren Alwan 3 November, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 3 November, 2017

    Out of Place: A Memoir, by Edward Said Edward Said, the prolific author, political activist, …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: Blood Will Out & Vinegar Girl

    by Lauren Alwan 27 October, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 27 October, 2017

    Blood Will Out, by Walter Kirn In Preston Sturges’  romantic comedy, “The Palm Beach Story,” …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: Barbarian Days & The Echo

    by Lauren Alwan 13 October, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 13 October, 2017

    Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, by William Finnegan William Finnegan’s 2016 memoir begins with an …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Little Failure: A Memoir & Back Roads and Frontal Lobes

    by Lauren Alwan 5 October, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 5 October, 2017

    Little Failure: A Memoir, by Gary Shteyngart “In order for me to be born,” Gary …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: The Lesson of the Master and A Land More Kind Than Home

    by Lauren Alwan 28 September, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 28 September, 2017

    The Lesson of the Master, by Henry James Colm Tóibín, in his introduction to the …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Rec: The Hermit in the Garden & A City Dreaming

    by Lauren Alwan 21 September, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 21 September, 2017

    The Hermit in the Garden: From Imperial Rome to Ornamental Gnome, by Gordon Campbell You …

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  • Book Love

    Etsy’s Book Inspired Bags

    by Lauren Alwan 13 September, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 13 September, 2017

    Count it as a good thing whenever books make a crossover into the everyday. And …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: The Good Soldier & Pride’s Spell

    by Lauren Alwan 27 July, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 27 July, 2017

    The Good Soldier, by Ford Madox Ford If this novel had been published under the …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Commonwealth & All the Birds in the Sky

    by Lauren Alwan 29 June, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 29 June, 2017

    Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett Of divorce, Nicole Krauss wrote, “One of us held on to …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: The Portable Veblen & Wait Till Next Year

    by Lauren Alwan 15 June, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 15 June, 2017

    The Portable Veblen, by Elizabeth McKenzie By way of Anne Lamott, we know the novelist …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Stoner & Cradle to the Stage

    by Lauren Alwan 8 June, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 8 June, 2017

    Stoner, by John Williams John Williams’ 1965 novel went out of print after selling only …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Recs: Books About Actors and Film & Ancillary Justice

    by Lauren Alwan 4 May, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 4 May, 2017

    As the summer film season approaches, here are three books—a memoir, a novel, and a …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Recs: Anna May Wong & The Hatred of Poetry

    by Lauren Alwan 20 April, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 20 April, 2017

    Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend, by Graham Russell Gao Hodges Don’t …

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  • LitStack Recs

    LitStack Rec: Changing My Mind & Hunger Makes the Wolf

    by Lauren Alwan 13 April, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 13 April, 2017

    Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays, by Zadie Smith This collection of essays came about by …

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  • LitStack Recs

    Litstack Recs: Life Would be Perfect if I Lived in That House & A Natural History of Dragons

    by Lauren Alwan 30 March, 2017
    by Lauren Alwan 30 March, 2017

    Life Would be Perfect if I Lived in That House, by Meghan Daum The moral …

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