Silas house biography

American writer (born 1971)

Silas Dwane House^[3] (born August 7, 1971) is an American writer conquer known for his novels. Significant is also a music reporter, environmental activist, and columnist. Culminate fiction is known for fraudulence attention to the natural sphere, working-class characters, and the contract of the rural place avoid rural people. House is likewise known as a representative parade LGBTQ Appalachians and Southerners, wallet is among the most observable LGBTQ people associated with countrified America.

Early life and education

House was born in Corbin, Kentucky, and grew up in close at hand rural Lily, in the tri-county area of Knox County, Badge County, and Whitley County, Kentucky. He also spent much chuck out his childhood in nearby Leslie County, Kentucky, which he has cited as the basis transport the fictional Crow County, position setting for his first triad novels. He has degrees shake off Eastern Kentucky University (BA encumber English with emphasis on English literature), and from Spalding Home (Master of Fine Arts gratify Creative Writing).^[4]

In 2000, House was chosen as one of glory ten emerging talents in righteousness south by the Millennial Society of Writers at Vanderbilt Institution of higher education. At the time, he was a rural mail carrier. Powder sold his first novel in a moment thereafter.

Writing

House's first novel, Clay's Quilt, was published in 2001. It appeared briefly on primacy New York Times Best Merchant list and became a gossip success throughout the Southern Concerted States. It was a finalist for both the Southeast Booksellers' Association Fiction Award and influence Appalachian Writers' Association Book entity the Year Award.^[4]

He published tiara novel A Parchment of Leaves in 2003, which became capital national bestseller and was timetabled for several major awards. Honourableness book was a finalist supporter the Southern Book Critics' Prepare Prize and won the Reward for Special Achievement from illustriousness Fellowship of Southern Writers, ethics Chaffin Award for Literature, honesty Kentucky Novel of the Yr Award, and others.

House's succeeding book, The Coal Tattoo (2004), was a finalist for honourableness Southern Book Critics' Circle Love, and won the Appalachian Writers' Association Book of the Yr Award, the Kentucky Novel unsaved the Year Award, and blankness. House's work has been championed by such acclaimed writers slightly Lee Smith, Brad Watson, increase in intensity Larry Brown, all of whom were mentors for House. Barbara Kingsolver has said in scribble that House is one characteristic her "favorite writers and pet human beings",^[5] and environmental scribbler and activist Wendell Berry has expressed his appreciation of Residence many times, including during set interview^[6] with the New Royalty Times.

House published Something's Rising with creative nonfiction writer Jason Kyle Howard in March 2009. The book is a sequence of profiles of various anti-mountaintop removal activists from the territory, including musicians Jean Ritchie highest Kathy Mattea, author Denise Giardina, and activist Judy Bonds. Integrity book was called "revelatory" contempt esteemed author and oral annalist Studs Terkel, in his newest blurb. Writers Lee Smith stake Hal Crowther co-authored the foreword.

House's fourth novel, Eli dignity Good, was published in Sep 2009 to great acclaim. Nobility book emerged as a calculate one bestseller on the Meridional lists and received the cheeriness annual Storylines Prize from position New York Public Library organization, an award given to dialect trig book for use in probity ESL and literacy programs pointer New York City, as exceptional as an E.B. White Prize 1 given by the American Booksellers Association.

His short story "Recruiters", which appeared in Anthology disruption Appalachian Writing, Vol. 2, additionally has a Larkspur Press insubordination from Kentucky's Artisan Printer. That special edition is illustrated fail to see Arwen Donahue and includes integrity original song "Brennen's Ballad" insensitive to Sue Massek, which was magnanimity inspiration for the story.^[7]

House's control book written for elementary-aged dynasty, Same Sun Here, was co-written with Neela Vaswani and publicized in February 2012. The reservation was the winner of decency Parent's Choice Award and was the #1 Most Recommended Seamless by Independent Booksellers in loftiness nation in the spring endorse 2012. House and Vaswani transcribed the highly successful audiobook secret code of the novel, which won an Earphones Award, and high-mindedness Audie Award for Best History for Children's Title Ages 8–12,^[8] the highest honor given taking place audiobooks. The novel won indication a dozen awards, including honourableness Nautilus Award and a Southern Asian Book Association Honor Textbook.

House's sixth novel, Southernmost, was published in June 2018 take precedence was long-listed for the Apostle Carnegie Medal for Excellence sketch Fiction. The book was boss SIBA bestseller and received chasmal acclaim, especially among other writers, including Dorothy Allison, Jennifer Haigh, Lee Smith, and Garth Greenwell. It won the 2019 Judy Gaines Young Book Award, land-dwelling by Transylvania University annually problem recognize an excellent book alien the Appalachian region. The finished won the Weatherford Award disperse Fiction, was longlisted for justness 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal, arm was short-listed for the Willie Morris Award for Southern Falsity.

House's seventh novel, Lark Ascending, was released in the chute of 2022 and was disentangle immediate indie bestseller, a Army Today bestseller, and winner be paid the 2023 Southern Book Passion in the category of tale. The book received praise disseminate authors such as Barbara Kingsolver, Billy O'Callaghan, Wiley Cash, Margaret Renkl, and Michelle Gallen. Say publicly novel is considered a exit for House, as it appreciation set twenty years in illustriousness future, mostly in Ireland. Territory has said the book enquiry his mediation on grief, loftiness demise of democracy, and greatness climate crisis.^[9]

House's writing has attended several times in The Another York Times (including his exceedingly popular essay "The Art be more or less Being Still"^[10]) and The Atlantic. His work has also comed in Time, The Washington Post, The Bitter Southerner, and perturb publications. In 2022 one give a rough idea his essays was chosen by reason of notable by editor Alexander Chee for the book The Outrun American Essays 2022. House's outmoded has been anthologized in much books as New Stories Overrun the South: The Year's Outshine, 2004 and Best Food Writing: 2014. He wrote the introductions to Missing Mountains, a glance at of mountaintop removal; From Walton's Mountain to Tomorrow, a chronicle of Earl Hamner, Jr.; careful Gregory of Nyssa's Life refreshing Moses, a new edition encourage HarperCollins. House's essays and tiny stories have been featured parliament NPR's All Things Considered a handful times during his time at hand as a commentator.

House run through also a playwright. In 2005, he wrote the play The Hurting Part, which was sign in by the University of Kentucky. In 2009 his second era, Long Time Travelling, was fly at by the Actor's Guild accustomed Lexington (Kentucky). In 2012, Berea College Laboratory Theatre presented dominion controversial play, This Is Fed up Heart For You, about trim small town divided by smart gay rightsdiscrimination case and turn off crime. The latter two plays were both subsequently staged old the Contemporary American Theatre Anniversary in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Since 2021 House has served as editor of the mark Fireside Industries at the Institution Press of Kentucky. Books sharptasting has acquired and edited to have been widely acclaimed current include Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, rank first novel to be obtainable by an enrolled member exhaustive the Eastern Band of Cherokee; Daughters of Muscadine by Monic Ductan (2024 Tennessee Book capacity the Year Award-Novel), The Miss Singer by Marianne Worthington (2023 Weatherford Book of the Harvest 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 cause to be in at Eastern Kentucky University rivet 2004–2005 and at Lincoln Statue University in 2005–2010. At LMU he also created and likely the Mountain Heritage Literary Ceremony and the Appalachian Reading Keep in shape. In 2010 House became picture NEH Chair in Appalachian Studies at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, where he teaches Appalachian Literature and a writing atelier. He served for one gathering, 2011–2012, as interim director get into the Loyal Jones Appalachian Sentiment. He has served on greatness fiction faculty at Spalding University's MFA in Creative Writing on account of 2005.

In 2010 House was selected as the focus imitation the Silas House Literary Holy day at Emory and Henry Academy in Emory, Virginia. The tie in year he was chosen though Appalachian Writer of the Best by Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Music writing

House anticipation also a music journalist avoid served as a contributing copy editor to No Depression magazine. Take action has written features on artists such as Kacey Musgraves, Lucinda Williams, Nickel Creek, Jason Isbell, and many others. House problem also an in-demand press rig writer for Nashville's music sharp, having written press kit biographies for artists including Kris Kristofferson, Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, S.G. Clarinettist, Del McCoury, and Lee Ann Womack. In 2001 and 2002, he was a regular supporter correspondent to NPR's All Things Considered. He also wrote the piece for the controversial music telecasting of "In Your Love" get ahead of Tyler Childers, depicting the sad love story of two homosexual coal miners. He also served as a co-producer and description creative director for the pursuit, which became the #1 picture on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. For this work, House was a finalist for the 2024 GRAMMY award for Best Air Video as well as neat as a pin garnering nomination from the Faculty of Country Music for First Music Video.

Activism

Between 2005 esoteric 2010 House was very discoverable in the fight against mountaintop removal mining, an environmentally hurtful form of coal mining make certain blasts the entire top prepare a mountain and fills righteousness valley below with debris. Crystal-clear became involved in the in the balance after being invited on well-ordered tour of devastated mountains get ahead of environmentalist, author, and public cerebral Wendell Berry. House wrote illustriousness original draft of the 2005 Kentucky authors' statement against magnanimity practice, which more than span dozen authors have signed.^[11]

House has been joined in this dispute by other Kentucky writers, specified as Wendell Berry, Bobbie Ann Mason, and Maurice Manning.

Personal life

House was born and strenuous in Southeastern Kentucky, and in a short while lives in Lexington. He has two children, and is joined to writer and editor Jason Kyle Howard. He is finish Episcopalian.^[12]

Awards and honors

House was expert 2024 finalist for a GRAMMY Award for his work although writer, producer, and creative president of the music video “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers. This marked the tenth interval in history that a kingdom music video had been downcast for a GRAMMY.

May 25 is Silas House Day concern Lexington, Kentucky. This day recapitulate observed annually beginning in 2023 after a proclamation by depiction city council and Mayor Linda Gorton.

In 2018 House's original Southernmost was long-listed for position Carnegie Medal for Excellence infiltrate Fiction and short-listed for description Willie Morris Award for South Fiction, as well as delectable the Weatherford Award for Outrun Novel and the Judy Gaines Young Award in 2019. Heritage 2017, House was inducted grow to be the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He has been awarded couple honorary doctorates. His other brownie points include the Nautilus, the Storylines Prize, the Hobson Medal get as far as Literature, the Intellectual Freedom Trophy haul from the National Council heed English Teachers, the Appalachian Picture perfect of the Year, the Satisfaction Smith Award, the James Calm Award from the Fellowship elect Southern Writers, and the Jesse Stuart Media Prize, two Kentucky Novel of the Year commendation. In 2016 he was suffered to speak at the Scrutinize of Congress.

In 2021 Household was honored with the Grandmaster Award from the Governors Give for the Arts, chosen manage without Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, conformity House's contributions to the humanities in his home state.

In 2022, House was given rendering largest monetary prize for stop off LGBTQ writer in the Pooled States. The Jim Duggins Memorable Mid-Career Novelists' Prize is awarded through Lambda Literary.^[13]

In 2023 Council house was one of five book to select the National Precise Award in the category catch Fiction.^[14]

He was named Kentucky Poetess Laureate by Governor Beshear respect 2023. Those honors are apropos lead the state in ballyhoo of literary arts and activities. Nominees are collected by primacy Kentucky Arts Council, and reviewed by an independent panel cop recommendations sent to the governor.^[15] The Republican Governor's Association at the double used House in an offensive ad against Beshear, calling Dwellingplace a "radical". The attack was criticized by the media^[16] squeeze by well-known personalities such slightly Jason Isbell,^[17]Charles Booker,^[18] and blankness.

In 2023 House's novel Lark Ascending was also given decency Gold Medal designation by primacy Nautilus Book Awards, was elite by Booklist as an "Editor's Choice", and won the Austral Book Prize.

On December 12, 2023, House read his ode "Those Who Carry Us" deed the second inauguration of Guru Beshear.^[19]

Works

• 2001 Clay's Quilt (novel)
• 2003 A Parchment of Leaves (novel)
• 2004 The Coal Tattoo (novel)
• 2005 The Worry 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 probity Good (novel)
• 2009 Coal Country (edited by Silas House, Shirley Player Burns, and Mari Lyn Evans)
• 2011 Chinaberry (a novel by Outlaw Still, edited by Silas House)
• 2012 This Is My Heart Stick up for You (play)
• 2012 Same Sun Here (novel, co-authored with Neela Vaswani)
• 2018 Southernmost (novel)
• 2022 Lark Ascending (novel)

References

External links