Jason Ockert Selected as Winner of the 2010 Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Contest

JASON OCKERT WINS 2010 DZANC SHORT STORY COLLECTION CONTEST

February 16, 2011, Ann Arbor, MI—Dzanc Books is pleased to announce that Jason Ockert, Professor of English at Coastal Carolina University, is the winner of our short story collection contest.  Ockert’s manuscript, Neighbors of Nothing, was selected from nearly 300 submissions.  This collection will be published in October 2013.

Steve Gillis, Co-Founder and Publisher of Dzanc Books, notes: "Jason Ockert spins tales that synthesize all the best particles of great story telling.  His collection is filled with mystery, poetry, pain and passion, fused throughout with humor and elements of what makes his every character completely human.  there is also a strong sense of locale in Neighbors of Nothing, the feeling that we have all been here before. Though the settings are oddly off the map and out of this world, it is a world which brings great joy to rad and we at Dzanc are honored to name Jason Ockert as the winner of our 2010 Short Story Collection Contest and look forward to publishing his masterful work." Jason’s response upon hearing that his collection had been selected:  “This is humbling news.  What a privilege to see my collection added to Dzanc's fine publishing list.”

The short list of finalists also included collections from Matthew Derby, Rebecca Kanner, Evan Lavender-Smith, Ben Miller, August Tarrier, Anne Valente, Corinna Vallianatos, and Tom Whalen.

ABOUT JASON OCKERT

Jason Ockert has won several national fiction awards and is the author of the short story collection Rabbit Punches.  His stories have appeared in many journals, including the Oxford American, Witness, Ecotone, Indiana Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Mid-American Review, McSweeney’s, and The Iowa Review.  His work is included in the anthologies New Stories from the South and Best American Mystery Stories.  He teaches in the English Department at Coastal Carolina University.

ABOUT DZANC BOOKS, SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS, AND OUR NEXT CONTEST

Dzanc Books was created in 2006 to advance great writing and to impact communities nationally with our efforts to advance literary readership and advocacy of creative writing workshops and readings offered across the country.

Dzanc Books is very committed to the short story and publishing collections.  Three of the KC Star’s top ten story collections in 2008 were published by Dzanc Books or one of our imprints (BLP, OV Books) and between these and the rest of our imprints (Keyhole, Starcherone) will publish between 15 and 20 collections in 2011 and 2012 combined.

Dzanc Books is holding a fourth short story collection contest beginning immediately.  Details can be found at http://www.dzancbooks.org/submissions/

For further details and more information on Dzanc Books, its mission, titles, authors, awards, and programs, please visit www.dzancbooks.org .