Read more
"I'll Give You A Reason is a debut short story collection that explores race, identity, and the pursuit of the American Dream in the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey"--
About the author
Annell López is the winner of the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize and the author of the short story collection I’ll Give You a Reason, a finalist for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for best debut short story collection. Named a best short story collection of 2024 by Electric Literature, I’ll Give You a Reason has been longlisted for the Maya Angelou Book Award, the Reforma Latinx Book Award, and shortlisted for the Clark Fiction Prize. Most recently, López was recognized as a Gambit’s 40 under 40. Her work has appeared in Guernica, American Short Fiction, The Common, Brooklyn Rail, Refinery29, and Time Magazine. López received her MFA from the University of New Orleans, where she was awarded the Joanna Leake Fiction Prize. She is working on a novel.
Summary
The vibrant stories in I’ll Give You a Reason explore race, identity, connection, and belonging in the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. A young widow goes on her first date since her husband’s death and finds herself hunting a bear in the woods with a near stranger. An unhappy wife compares her mother’s love spells and rituals to her own efforts to repair her strained marriage. A self-conscious college student discovers a porn star who shares her name and becomes obsessed with her doppelgänger’s freedom and comfort with her own body.
Annell López’s indelible characters tread the waters of political unrest, sexuality, religion, body image, Blackness, colorism, and gentrification—searching for their identities and a sliver of joy and intimacy. Through each story, a nuanced portrait of the “American Dream” emerges, uplifting the voices of those on its margins.
Foreword
- 5 city tour around publication: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Newark, New Orleans, Kansas City
- Both digital and print ARCs available in September
- ARCs to sales reps, as well as select indie bookseller mailing
- Both digital and print ARCs sent to media for national print, radio, and online campaign; targeted to outlets focused on the following coverage: literary fiction, Black and Latinx literature, debut authors
- Promotion on Feminist Press e-newsletter, website, and social media channels
- Social media campaign, with the book promoted by key literary influencers focusing on Black and Latinx literature, and debut literary fiction, as well as Meriwether Prize judges Bridget M. Davis, Nancy Jooyun Kim, Cassandra Lane, and Lupita Aquino, all of whom have provided endorsements.
- Blurbs sought from: Camille Acker, Danielle Evans, Jami Attenberg
