World War II Reverberates Through Four Generations of Jewish Family
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s BkMk Press is set to publish “Heirlooms,” the debut story collection by Rachel Hall, on Sept. 22. Heirlooms, which begins in the French seaside city of 1940s Saint Malo and concludes in the 1980s American Midwest, links the stories of four generations of a Jewish family. Inspired by the author’s family stories as well as extensive research, “Heirlooms” explores assumptions about love, duty, memory and truth.
“ ‘Heirlooms’ is a masterful collection, infused with devastating beauty. Author Rachel Hall succeeds in animating loss, preserving memory, and adding powerful imaginative truth to the historical record,” said Joanna Scott, author of “De Potters Grand Tour.”
“Heirlooms” won the G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction from BkMk Press, selected by Marge Piercy, and has received positive reviews from fellow writers including Steve Almond and Nancy Reisman.
“Hall traces the fragile resilience and quiet horrors of those displaced by war. She happens to be writing about the Second World War, but these are stories that speak to the essential human experiences of exile and loss and survival,” said Almond in his review.
BkMk Press titles are available from SPD in Berkeley, California (www.spdbooks.org), from Baker & Taylor, and directly from the press. Hall plans appearances in Rochester, N.Y., Columbia, Mo., Kansas City, Mo., Overland Park, Kan., Brooklyn and Manhattan, N.Y.
Rachel Hall’s short stories and essays have appeared in such journals and anthologies as Black Warrior Review, Crab Orchard Review, and New Letters, which awarded her the Alexander Cappon Prize for Fiction. She has received other honors and awards from publications such as Lilith and Glimmer Train, and from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
About BkMk Press
Founded in 1971, BkMk Press has been a part of UMKC since 1983. BkMk concentrates on publishing collections of poetry, short fiction and creative essays. Publishing roughly eight titles a year, BkMk Press has more than 130 titles in print. Recent awards and finalist recognition include the Maine Literary Award in Poetry, Pen/Faulkner and PEN/Hemingway finalists, Poets Prize, Ernest J. Gaines Award, Chautauqua Prize finalist and long list, and many others. Financial assistance for BkMk Press is provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, by UMKC, and by private donations. BkMk Press is a member of the Association of American Publishers and the Council on Literary Magazines and Presses. BkMk Press created the G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction and the John Ciardi Prize for Poetry to honor the memories of these two writers who each taught at UMKC.
About The University of Missouri-Kansas City
The University of Missouri-Kansas City, one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a four-part mission: life and health sciences; visual and performing arts; urban issues and education; and a vibrant learning and campus life experience. For more information about UMKC, visit www.umkc.edu. You can also find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.
# # #
This information is available to people with speech or hearing impairments by calling Relay Missouri at (800) 735-2966 (TT) or (800) 735-2466 (voice).