Today's Featured Books

Congratulations to Nikki Patin and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Working on Me, a memoir that explores what it means to work on oneself to heal and break patterns of harm and violence.
 
★★★★★ "A book about everything—transcendent creativity and generational hurt, relentless pain and effervescent joy, elusive trauma and remorseless triumph... This book is a fearless, voiceful, middle finger of joy." ~Jaed Coffin, author of A Chant to Soothe Wild Elephants

Working on Me: A Memoir

Working on Me chronicles the dysfunction and lore of a Black Russian Jewish interracial family on the far south side of Chicago, and the resulting trajectory of its prodigal child: multifaceted, multidisciplinary artist, performer, and sexual and domestic violence survivor Nikki Patin.  

A meditation on the biomythography genre defined by Audre Lorde, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Joy Harjo, Working on Me lyrically dances in and out of different voices and perspectives in order to get to something like the truth. Patin’s prowess as a poet and a songwriter is reflected in prose that is brutal, beautiful, and brave. 

Working on Me is about what it means to work on oneself to heal and break patterns of harm and violence and what makes the healing necessary in the first place: all the forces beyond our control that work on us.

Praise for Working on Me
★★★★★ “World-splitting. Fast, crucial, intimate, high, deep, it has the undeniable shine of a brilliant being finding her way in a world that cannot handle her shine.” ~cin salach, author of When I Am Yes

★★★★★ “A captivating blend of humor, wisdom, depth, and beauty, offering readers a profound exploration of bravery and self-acceptance. Nikki Patin’s words resonate as a guiding beacon, illuminating the path toward a stronger, more authentic self.” ~Dr. Ni’Cola Mitchell, Entrepreneur, Author, Executive Producer for Lifetime Movie Network, Giving Hope: The Ni’Cola Mitchell Story

★★★★★ “If writing is emotional excavation, then Working On Me is like the unearthing of the Roman city of Pompeii. Even covered with dust, dirt, and grime, this gem of a book can’t help but shine.” ~Tracy Baim, Cofounder, Windy City Times and former Publisher, Chicago Reader

★★★★★ “Nikki Patin sings into the darkest corners of her story, infusing her trauma with a vibrant, urgent light. She refuses to be invisible—every inch of her, every word of this book, demands to be fully seen.” ~Penny Guisinger, author of Postcards from Here

Free online: What's New in Historical Fiction. Join Colin Mustful, founder of History Through Fiction, for a panel discussion featuring Jennifer Ryan, author of The Underground Library; K.D. Alden, author of Lady Codebreaker; Sara Donati, author of The Sweet Blue Distance; and Lora Chilton, author of 1666. Monday, April 8, 7 - 8 PM CDT.

"If you want to understand today you have to search yesterday." ~Pearl S. Buck

Today is the 20th anniversary of the publication of Swimming with Maya by Eleanor Vincent, a memoir that has twice earned recognition as a Best Seller by The New York Times.  

Swimming with Maya has been hailed by booklovers and professional reviewers alike, with nearly 500 reader reviews on Amazon, more than 600 on Goodreads, and dozens of reviews from authors and industry publications, including Booklist and Creative Nonfiction Magazine:

• "Vincent's poignant decision to donate Maya's organs will resonate with even hard-boiled readers." ~Booklist 
• "Powerful prose with a meaningful and memorable message." ~Lee Gutkind, Founder, Creative Nonfiction Magazine 

Swimming with Maya Turns 20: Celebrating Grief Recovery and Organ Donation 

Swimming with Maya

Swimming with Maya demonstrates the remarkable process of healing after the traumatic death of a loved one. Eleanor Vincent raised her two daughters, Maya and Meghan, virtually as a single-parent. Maya, the eldest, was a high-spirited and gifted young woman. As a toddler, Maya was an angelic tow-head, full of life and curiosity. As a teenager, Maya was energetic and independent - and often butted heads with her mother. But Eleanor and Maya were always close and connected, like best friends or sisters, but always also mother and daughter. 

​Then at age 19, Maya mounts a horse bareback as a dare and, in a crushing cantilever fall, is left in a coma from which she will never recover. Eleanor's life is turned upside down as she struggles to make the painful decision about Maya's fate. 

Ultimately Eleanor chooses to donate Maya's organs. Years later, she is able to hear Maya's heart beat in the chest of the heart recipient. Along the way, Eleanor re-examines her relationship with her daughter, as well as Eleanor's traumatic life as a child and young woman. In a story that has been called "heartbreaking and heart-healing," Eleanor Vincent illuminates the kind of courage, creativity, faith, and sheer tenacity it takes to find one's balance after unthinkable tragedy. 

Praise for Swimming with Maya

​"An important addition to the literature of loss and restoration." ~Maxine Kumin, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author of Inside the Halo and Beyond: The Anatomy of a Recovery 

​"Heartbreaking and heart healing, this compelling story of surviving the death of a child will stay with you long after you've closed the book." ~Ellen Bass, author of The Courage to Heal and The Human Line 

"Every reader who has had to deal with traumatic loss will find wisdom and healing in these brave pages.'' ~Chana Bloch, author of Mrs. Dumpty and Blood Honey 

"Riveting, poignant, and utterly honest... It shows that one can recover from the loss of a child.'' ~Judy Tatelbaum, author of The Courage to Grieve and You Don't Have to Suffer 

"Eleanor Vincent chronicles her grief and the healing that came with helping others." ~Carol Lin, CNN 

"Blows the reader away with its clarity, its unstinting honesty, and the searing accuracy of its vision of the medical and emotional complexity surrounding the tragic death of a young woman. Highly recommended.'' ~John Ruark, MD, FACP, author of Dying Dignified 

"Thoughtful, honest and beautifully written... a fabulous story about what it means to be a mother.'' ~Wendy Lichtman, author of Blew and the Death of the Mag and Secrets, Lies and Algebra 

"Life trumps death in this beautiful memoir." ~Linda Joy Myers, author of Don't Call Me Mother--A Daughter's Journey from Abandonment to Forgiveness and Power of Memoir

Free online: The Back Room. Join authors Erin E. Adams, Lisa Gardner, Karen E. Olson, and Carter Wilson for an evening of great conversation. Sunday, April 7, 6 - 8 PM CDT. 

"The sun just touched the morning; / The morning, happy thing, / Supposed that he had come to dwell, / And life would be all spring." ~Emily Dickinson

Free online: Friends & Fiction. Every Wednesday at 7 PM ET, four NYT bestselling authors (Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Patti Callahan Henry) host "Friends & Fiction" and chat with some of the biggest names in publishing about the books the literary world is buzzing about. They also have an archive of 200+ past episodes that you can watch on demand. Wednesday, April 3, 7 PM ET.

"There is no surer foundation for a beautiful friendship than a mutual taste in literature." ~P.G. Wodehouse