{"title":"George Singleton","description":"George Singleton has published ten collections of stories, two novels, a book of writing advice, and a collection of essays. Over 250 of his stories have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Harper's, Esquire, Story, One Story, Playboy, and elsewhere. Non-fiction in Garden and Gun, Oxford American, Best Food Writing, and elsewhere. He's received a Pushcart Prize, and a Guggenheim fellowship. His collection The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs was named a Top 100 Book of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, he lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.","products":[{"product_id":"the-curious-lives-of-nonprofit-martyrs-paperback","title":"The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCelebrated Southern author George Singleton delivers a new collection of short fiction, brilliant and absurd, for fans of George Saunders and Tom Franklin\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA restaurant owner runs into trouble when his wife starts a well-intentioned, poorly named rooster rescue. A boy navigates his parents' split between a stretched phone cord and a flooded septic tank. A drunk sequestered in the middle of nowhere wakes up to find a tractor parked in his driveway. And in a big Cadillac, a grandfather and a grandson and a wayward dog hit the road, searching for a life not downloadable, nor measured in bandwidth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLoosely linked by characters and themes, \u003ci\u003eThe Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs\u003c\/i\u003e follows shysters and schemers, film buffs and future ornithologists, unlikely do-gooders, and the men who make up Veterans Against Guns in North America, all doing the best they can with what they possess in smarts and cunning. With Singleton's signature comic flair, these stories peer through the peepholes of small-town South Carolina into the lives of everyday martyrs-prodigal sons, wayward fathers, and all those who are a little of each. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51374359740639,"sku":"9781950539864","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/MYjPlQNLln9781950539864.webp?v=1789178817"},{"product_id":"wounded-boarders-stories-paperback","title":"Wounded Boarders: Stories - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWitty and surprising, George Singleton's latest short fiction collection welcomes both new and longtime readers with his signature offbeat humor, perfect for fans of George Saunders and Jill McCorkle\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA seasoned house flipper befriends a club of hook-handed, shuffleboard-playing war veterans to deter a potential stalker. A couple in a middle-of-nowhere ghost town quells their boredom by luring would-be robbers to their house. A former yearbook photographer enacts revenge upon the students who got him fired. And a fallen-from-grace comedian pays a visit to the hypnotist looking to curb his less-desirable habits, then finds the treatment a bit too effective for his liking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eCrafted with Singleton's distinctive mix of satire and charm, the stories in \u003cem\u003eWounded Boarders\u003c\/em\u003e take readers from binocular-clad boyhood to the inbox of an adjunct professor and a host of others at the end of their rope. Undeniably Southern in nature, these stories capture the absurdity of the mundane, offering a glimpse into the routines and recollections of imperfect people whose lives are stranger than fiction. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51375407366367,"sku":"9781938603945","price":20.47,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/wL6AlzKMML9781938603945.webp?v=1789200235"},{"product_id":"asides-occasional-essays-on-dogs-food-restaurants-bars-hangovers-jobs-music-family-trees-robbery-relationships-being-brought-up-questionabl-paperback","title":"Asides: Occasional Essays on Dogs, Food, Restaurants, Bars, Hangovers, Jobs, Music, Family Trees, Robbery, Relationships, Being Brought Up Questionabl - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"George Singleton is a very funny man. He could write about a tootsie roll and keep me reading,\" says Abigail Thomas, author of Safekeeping and A Three Dog Life, about Singleton's new collection of personal essays. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaders of his celebrated short story collections (\u003cem\u003eThe Half-Mammals of Dixie\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eYou Want More\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Curious Lives of Non-Profit Martyrs\u003c\/em\u003e, among others) know just what a master storyteller Singleton can be. Yet in this collection of essays, readers will discover Singleton's best kept secret: he also has a keen eye for the well-told and hilarious truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis subjects range widely: dogs, food, restaurants, jobs, music, family, and the benefits and challenges of, as he puts it, \"a questionable upbringing.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrequently published in magazines like \u003cem\u003eOxford American\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eGarden and Gun, \u003c\/em\u003e Singleton explains in these essays how he came to be a writer (he blames barbecue), why he still writes his first draft by hand (someone stole his typewriter), and why he ran marathons (his father gave him beer.) He also will tell you why Aristotle would have been a failed philosopher had he grown up in South Carolina, how \u003cem\u003eLaugh-In\u003c\/em\u003e's Henry Gibson is to blame for his education in literature, and what was in the most delicious soup he has ever eaten. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaders are invited to join George Singleton as he gets his dogs to promise they won't use his new garden as a Porta-Potty, learns about his not so famous relations, and generally charms anyone sensible enough to read this delightful book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51375577432287,"sku":"9781958094297","price":21.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/m5hZWcipI09781958094297.webp?v=1789203775"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/george-singleton.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}