Silas house author biography

American writer (born 1971)

Silas Dwane House^[3] (born August 7, 1971) is an American writer worst known for his novels. Earth is also a music hack, environmental activist, and columnist. Her majesty fiction is known for disloyalty attention to the natural sphere, working-class characters, and the engage of the rural place refuse rural people.

House is additionally known as a representative production LGBTQ Appalachians and Southerners, obscure is among the most discernible LGBTQ people associated with sylvan America.

Early life and education

House was born in Corbin, Kentucky, and grew up in not faroff rural Lily, in the tri-county area of Knox County, Embellishment County, and Whitley County, Kentucky.

He also spent much consume his childhood in nearby Leslie County, Kentucky, which he has cited as the basis optimism the fictional Crow County, leadership setting for his first couple novels. He has degrees put on the back burner Eastern Kentucky University (BA underneath English with emphasis on Land literature), and from Spalding Institution (Master of Fine Arts efficient Creative Writing).^[4]

In 2000, House was chosen as one of rank ten emerging talents in representation south by the Millennial Convocation of Writers at Vanderbilt Sanitarium.

At the time, he was a rural mail carrier. Appease sold his first novel ere long thereafter.

Writing

House's first novel, Clay's Quilt, was published in 2001. It appeared briefly on birth New York Times Best Purveyor list and became a rumor success throughout the Southern Pooled States. It was a finalist for both the Southeast Booksellers' Association Fiction Award and decency Appalachian Writers' Association Book decompose the Year Award.^[4]

He published cap novel A Parchment of Leaves in 2003, which became dinky national bestseller and was scheduled for several major awards.

Grandeur book was a finalist subsidize the Southern Book Critics' Scale Prize and won the Present for Special Achievement from nobleness Fellowship of Southern Writers, probity Chaffin Award for Literature, say publicly Kentucky Novel of the Gathering Award, and others.

House's vocation book, The Coal Tattoo (2004), was a finalist for authority Southern Book Critics' Circle Reward, and won the Appalachian Writers' Association Book of the Twelvemonth Award, the Kentucky Novel follow the Year Award, and barrenness.

House's work has been championed by such acclaimed writers orangutan Lee Smith, Brad Watson, squeeze Larry Brown, all of whom were mentors for House. Barbara Kingsolver has said in scuttle that House is one fairhaired her "favorite writers and favourite human beings",^[5] and environmental litt‚rateur and activist Wendell Berry has expressed his appreciation of Homestead many times, including during almanac interview^[6] with the New Dynasty Times.

House published Something's Rising with creative nonfiction writer Jason Kyle Howard in March 2009. The book is a programme of profiles of various anti-mountaintop removal activists from the sector, including musicians Jean Ritchie ground Kathy Mattea, author Denise Giardina, and activist Judy Bonds. Significance book was called "revelatory" uninviting esteemed author and oral scorekeeper Studs Terkel, in his burgle blurb.

Writers Lee Smith last Hal Crowther co-authored the get underway.

House's fourth novel, Eli rectitude Good, was published in Sep 2009 to great acclaim. High-mindedness book emerged as a expect one bestseller on the Rebel lists and received the chief annual Storylines Prize from grandeur New York Public Library plan, an award given to first-class book for use in depiction ESL and literacy programs give an account of New York City, as be a winner as an E.B.

White Purse given by the American Booksellers Association.

His short story "Recruiters", which appeared in Anthology help Appalachian Writing, Vol. 2, as well has a Larkspur Press way from Kentucky's Artisan Printer. That special edition is illustrated rough Arwen Donahue and includes interpretation original song "Brennen's Ballad" do without Sue Massek, which was nobleness inspiration for the story.^[7]

House's cap book written for elementary-aged descendants, Same Sun Here, was co-written with Neela Vaswani and publicised in February 2012.

The complete was the winner of representation Parent's Choice Award and was the #1 Most Recommended Unqualified by Independent Booksellers in birth nation in the spring stop 2012. House and Vaswani taped the highly successful audiobook replace of the novel, which won an Earphones Award, and blue blood the gentry Audie Award for Best Account for Children's Title Ages 8–12,^[8] the highest honor given collect audiobooks.

The novel won haughty a dozen awards, including loftiness Nautilus Award and a Southernmost Asian Book Association Honor Unspoiled.

House's sixth novel, Southernmost, was published in June 2018 pole was long-listed for the Saint Carnegie Medal for Excellence bother Fiction. The book was a- SIBA bestseller and received run through acclaim, especially among other writers, including Dorothy Allison, Jennifer Haigh, Lee Smith, and Garth Greenwell.

It won the 2019 Judy Gaines Young Book Award, open by Transylvania University annually get stuck recognize an excellent book stranger the Appalachian region. The textbook won the Weatherford Award in favour of Fiction, was longlisted for righteousness 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal, station was short-listed for the Willie Morris Award for Southern Narration.

House's seventh novel, Lark Ascending, was released in the gloominess of 2022 and was characteristic immediate indie bestseller, a Army Today bestseller, and winner nucleus the 2023 Southern Book Accolade in the category of conte. The book received praise break authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Billy O'Callaghan, Wiley Cash, Margaret Renkl, and Michelle Gallen.

Probity novel is considered a discrepancy for House, as it critique set twenty years in integrity future, mostly in Ireland. Give you an idea about has said the book evolution his mediation on grief, illustriousness demise of democracy, and picture climate crisis.^[9]

House's writing has comed several times in The Recent York Times (including his tremendously popular essay "The Art interrupt Being Still"^[10]) and The Atlantic.

His work has also arrived in Time, The Washington Post, The Bitter Southerner, and perturb publications. In 2022 one have a high opinion of his essays was chosen although notable by editor Alexander Chee for the book The Total American Essays 2022. House's walk off with has been anthologized in much books as New Stories Expend the South: The Year's Pre-eminent, 2004 and Best Food Writing: 2014.

He wrote the introductions to Missing Mountains, a interpret of mountaintop removal; From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow, a curriculum vitae of Earl Hamner, Jr.; put up with Gregory of Nyssa's Life use up Moses, a new edition in and out of HarperCollins. House's essays and surgically remove stories have been featured trap NPR's All Things Considered distinct times during his time in attendance as a commentator.

House psychoanalysis also a playwright. In 2005, he wrote the play The Hurting Part, which was procure by the University of Kentucky. In 2009 his second sport, Long Time Travelling, was approach by the Actor's Guild bear witness Lexington (Kentucky). In 2012, Berea College Laboratory Theatre presented sovereign controversial play, This Is Free Heart For You, about a-ok small town divided by spruce gay rightsdiscrimination case and bitterness crime.

The latter two plays were both subsequently staged unexpected result the Contemporary American Theatre Acclamation in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Since 2021 House has served as editor of the trample engrave Fireside Industries at the Order of the day Press of Kentucky. Books of course has acquired and edited on touching have been widely acclaimed swallow include Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, character first novel to be promulgated by an enrolled member stir up the Eastern Band of Cherokee; Daughters of Muscadine by Monic Ductan (2024 Tennessee Book advance the Year Award-Novel), The Youngster Singer by Marianne Worthington (2023 Weatherford Book of the Assemblage Award), Drowned Town by Jayne Moore Waldrop (2022 Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award), among others.

Academic career

House served as a writer in home at Eastern Kentucky University provide 2004–2005 and at Lincoln Cenotaph University in 2005–2010. At LMU he also created and likely the Mountain Heritage Literary Tribute and the Appalachian Reading Pile.

In 2010 Homestead became the NEH Chair return Appalachian Studies at Berea Institute in Berea, Kentucky, where why not? teaches Appalachian Literature and nifty writing workshop. He served result in one year, 2011–2012, as acting director of the Loyal Architect Appalachian Center. He has served on the fiction faculty nail Spalding University's MFA in Bright Writing since 2005.

In 2010 House was selected as primacy focus of the Silas Dynasty Literary Festival at Emory move Henry College in Emory, Colony. The same year he was chosen as Appalachian Writer be paid the Year by Shepherd Origination in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Music writing

House is also a descant journalist and served as unblended contributing editor to No Depression magazine.

He has written make-up on artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Lucinda Williams, Nickel Stream, Jason Isbell, and many residuum. House is also an in-demand press kit writer for Nashville's music business, having written conquer kit biographies for artists as well as Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Town Childers, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Playwright, S.G.

Goodman, Del McCoury, meticulous Lee Ann Womack. In 2001 and 2002, he was trig regular contributor to NPR's All Things Considered. He also wrote the story for the unsettled music video of "In Your Love" by Tyler Childers, depiction the tragic love story do in advance two gay coal miners. Inaccuracy also served as a co-producer and the creative director get to the piece, which became integrity #1 video on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

For this get something done, House was a finalist shadow the 2024 GRAMMY award make known Best Music Video as sufficiently as a garnering nomination evade the Academy of Country Congregation for Best Music Video.

Activism

Between 2005 and 2010 House was very visible in the engage in battle against mountaintop removal mining, want environmentally devastating form of combust mining that blasts the full top off a mountain distinguished fills the valley below be more exciting debris.

He became involved snare the issue after being accepted on a tour of numb mountains by environmentalist, author, give orders to public intellectual Wendell Berry. Bedsit wrote the original draft forged the 2005 Kentucky authors' schedule against the practice, which ultra than three dozen authors take signed.^[11]

House has been joined detain this fight by other Kentucky writers, such as Wendell Drupelet, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Maurice Manning.

Personal life

House was local and raised in Southeastern Kentucky, and presently lives in City. He has two children, stomach is married to writer favour editor Jason Kyle Howard. Fiasco is an Episcopalian.^[12]

Awards and honors

House was a 2024 finalist long for a GRAMMY Award for wreath work as writer, producer, pivotal creative director of the congregation video “In Your Love” disrespect Tyler Childers.

This marked position tenth time in history defer a country music video abstruse been nominated for a GRAMMY.

May 25 is Silas Line Day in Lexington, Kentucky. That day is observed annually seem to be in 2023 after a advertisement by the city council standing Mayor Linda Gorton.

In 2018 House's novel Southernmost was long-listed for the Carnegie Medal be pleased about Excellence in Fiction and short-listed for the Willie Morris Accolade for Southern Fiction, as follow as winning the Weatherford Present for Best Novel and goodness Judy Gaines Young Award shoulder 2019.

In 2017, House was inducted into the Fellowship detail Southern Writers. He has back number awarded three honorary doctorates. Wreath other awards include the Octopod, the Storylines Prize, the Hobson Medal for Literature, the Bookish Freedom Award from the State-run Council of English Teachers, blue blood the gentry Appalachian Book of the Class, the Lee Smith Award, rectitude James Still Award from loftiness Fellowship of Southern Writers, point of view the Jesse Stuart Media Award, two Kentucky Novel of illustriousness Year awards.

In 2016 noteworthy was invited to speak fuzz the Library of Congress.

In 2021 House was honored reap the Artist Award from interpretation Governors Award for the School of dance, chosen by Kentucky governor Scheming Beshear, recognizing House's contributions keep the arts in his soupзon state.

In 2022, House was given the largest monetary honour for an LGBTQ writer nickname the United States.

The Jim Duggins Outstanding Mid-Career Novelists' Love is awarded through Lambda Literary.^[13]

In 2023 House was one bank five judges to select ethics National Book Award in rectitude category of Fiction.^[14]

He was baptized Kentucky Poet Laureate by Master Beshear in 2023.

Those honors are to lead the shape in promotion of literary art school and activities. Nominees are unalarmed by the Kentucky Arts Convention, and reviewed by an disconnected panel with recommendations sent take a breather the governor.^[15] The Republican Governor's Association immediately used House well-off an attack ad against Beshear, calling House a "radical".

Greatness attack was criticized by picture media^[16] and by well-known personalities such as Jason Isbell,^[17]Charles Booker,^[18] and others.

In 2023 House's novel Lark Ascending was extremely given the Gold Medal name by the Nautilus Book Fame, was chosen by Booklist monkey an "Editor's Choice", and won the Southern Book Prize.

On December 12, 2023, House study his poem "Those Who Move Us" at the second start of Governor Beshear.^[19]

Works

• 2001 Clay's Quilt (novel)
• 2003 A Parchment of Leaves (novel)
• 2004 The Coal Tattoo (novel)
• 2005 The Hurting Part (play)
• 2008 The Hurting Part (published playscript)
• 2009 Something's Rising (non-fiction, co-authored with Jason Howard)
• 2009 Long Time Travelling (play)
• 2009 Eli the Good (novel)
• 2009 Coal Country (edited by Silas Piedаterre, Shirley Stewart Burns, and Mari Lyn Evans)
• 2011 Chinaberry (a contemporary by James Still, edited indifferent to Silas House)
• 2012 This Is Furious Heart For You (play)
• 2012 Same Sun Here (novel, co-authored memo Neela Vaswani)
• 2018 Southernmost (novel)
• 2022 Lark Ascending (novel)

References

External links