Rebecca in 2013

Rebecca Makkai has many claims to fame. First of all, her sense of humor. Outstanding. Second, she’s had 4 short stories anthologized in The Best American Short Stories. FOUR. In  2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Third, The Great Believers. If you haven’t read it, put it at the top of your list. It was my favorite book of 2018. For months after I finished it, I missed Yale and Fiona. Here’s one of the reasons I love Fiona:

“That a French cafe would have Wi-Fi seemed wrong. In her mind, Paris was always 1920. It was always Aunt Nora’s Paris, all tragic love and tubercular artists.”

And there’s this. The Great Believers was a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, a Finalist for the National Book Award, the Winner of the ALA Carnegie Medal, the Winner of the LA Times Book Prize, the Winner of the Stonewall Award, and a New York Times Ten Best Books of 2018.

I met Rebecca at Ragdale back in 2012, and I always enjoy running into her at AWP. This fall she will be teaching at the Writing by Writers Tomales Bay workshop. As of last night, there were still a couple of spots left in her class!

For more about Rebecca: the next writer in the series: november 1, 2013.

For more from Rebecca: How We Spend Our Days: Rebecca Makkai.

Rebecca is a bright light in the world, and I’m happy to know her. I’m grateful for her words and for her support of mine.