DLJ Books

06/21/2024

Ellen Birkett Morris talks with Tom Eblen!

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06/14/2024

We're very pleased to say that our Nature Series author, Renata Golden, has a piece out just now in "About Place" literary journal. Here is the link to "An Earth Song: A Letter from Aldo Leopold to Ta-Nehisi Coates:"

a literary journal published by the Black Earth Institute dedicated to re-forging the links between art and spirit, earth and society

06/11/2024

It is with great joy and enthusiasm that we announce that this year's 2024 winner of CSU Press's Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence is Maureen Stanton's memoir, "The Murmur of Everything Moving." This endowed annual prize carries a $10,000 cash award and a publication contract, and our gratitude to the judge, novelist Stephen P. Kiernan. The prize site is currently open, and the judge is novelist Debra Immergut.

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05/20/2024

Our latest spring titles, Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris and Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment by Renata Golden, are on sale from our marketing partner at UGA Press!

05/12/2024

A timely post from CSU Press' DLJ Books imprint author, Ellen Birkett Morris:

As my mom and I both faced serious illnesses, while writing a novel I saw the power that comes from facing hard things together and of not letting fear rob us of precious time

05/07/2024

We're grateful to EcoLit Books and JoeAnn Hart for this review of Renata Golden's "Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment:"

Mountain Time, A Field Guide to Astonishment is a sharp and moving collection of essays about author Renata Golden’s time in the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast Arizona.

05/06/2024

Tomorrow, at Ellison Bay, WI...

05/03/2024

A new podcast, at "Now Appalachia!" with Ellen Birkett Morris, Jordan Prize winner and author of the novel, "Beware the Tall Grass:"

On the latest episode of Now, Appalachia, Eliot interviews author Ellen Burkett Morris about her debut novel BEWARE THE TALL GRASS. Morris is also the author of Abide and Surrender, poetry chapbooks.

04/23/2024

Dear friends,
We'll be in Iowa City at Prairie Lights this Thursday, April 25th at 7pm. We're grateful if you can be there. As the editor of CSU Press, I'll be introducing Ellen Birkett Morris, and she'll give a brief reading from her new novel, "Beware the Tall Grass" that has received wonderful reviews. I'll do a little Q&A with Ellen about the book, and of course, we'd love to hear audience questions.
Allen Gee

04/15/2024

A new review for “Beware the Tall Grass,” from Story Circle!

Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris Columbia State University Press, 2024. ISBN 979-8988732105 Reviewed by: Dorothy Rice Posted on: April 14, 2024 Buy Now on Amazon Ellen Birkett Morris’s novel Beware the Tall Grass (Columbia State University Press, March 2024) weaves what appear at firs...

04/04/2024

Our thanks to Turn the Page Pocast!

Turn The Page – Episode 292b Posted on April 4, 2024 by turnthepage https://media.blubrry.com/turnthepage/content.blubrry.com/turnthepage/292_B_Ellen-Birkett.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:33 — 10.3MB)Subscribe: Email | TuneIn | RSS | MoreEpisode two hundred ninety two ....

03/29/2024

We’re thrilled to share this review of the inaugural title for The Nature Series at DLJ Books, Renata Golden’s “Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment,” from Terrain.org and B.J. Hollars:

  Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment By Renata Golden Columbus State University Press | 2024 | 198 pages    ith a potential mouse infestation threatening, Renata Golden sets a series of mouse traps around her home’s perimeter in southeastern Arizona. Yet when a pack rat traps itself i...

03/26/2024

Tonight in Lexington, Kentucky!

03/19/2024

The inaugural title for The Nature Series at DLJ Books, Renata Golden’s “Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment,” receives its first review, from Ecolit Books!

Mountain Time, A Field Guide to Astonishment is a sharp and moving collection of essays about author Renata Golden’s time in the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeast Arizona.

03/16/2024

It is with great pleasure that we announce the five finalists for this year's Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. They are, in alphabetical order:

1. Jon Michael Blair, "The Heart and Its Flames," a novel.
2. Kevin P. Honold, "The Ghostly Vision," an essay collection.
3. Dwaine Rieves, "Cold In Mississippi," a memoir.
4. Lauren Slaughter, "Vulnerable Targets," a story collection.
5. Maureen Stanton, "The Murmur of Everything Moving," a memoir.

We look forward to hearing from the judge, and we're grateful for the quality of writing we've received this year.

03/15/2024

We're proud to announce that today is the publication date for our inaugural title in The Nature Series at DLJ Books. The first title is Renata Golden's splendid essay collection, "Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment." The book can be ordered directly from our marketing and distribution partner, UGA Press at:

Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment is an essay collection that explores the inner and outer natures of remarkable human and nonhuman beings. It is ...

03/15/2024

DLJ Books is thrilled to announce that today is the publication date for our annual DL Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence winner. This year's winner was Ellen Birkett Morris's superb novel, "Beware the Tall Grass." The novel can be ordered directly from our marketing and distribution partner, UGA Press at:

Beware the Tall Grass weaves the stories of the Sloans, a modern family grappling with their young son Charlie’s troubling memories of a past life as a sol...

03/01/2024

We’re thrilled to share the first review for our most recent Jordan Prize winning novel by Ellen Birkett Morris!

Beware the Tall Grass by Ellen Birkett Morris 0 By Mom Egg Review on March 1, 2024 Book Reviews Review by Diane Gottlieb   What would you do if your young son’s night terrors have begun to spill into his daytime hours? If your own childhood was fraught, leaving you with few positive parenting mod...

02/08/2024

CSU Press is thrilled to say that Renata Golden, author of "Mountain Time: A Field Guide to Astonishment," the inaugural title in The Nature Series at DLJ Books, is here at AWP. She will be:

Reading this evening, Thursday, from 6:00-7:30pm, at the Terrain.org off-site event at the Kirk Family YMCA (222 W 11th Ave, Kansas City, MO).

Signing tomorrow, Friday, free promotional ARCs of "Mountain Time,"− from 10:00-11:00am, at the Terrain.orgbookfair table #3025, with Nicole Walker.

Also signing tomorrow, Friday, free promotional ARCs of "Mountain Time," from 4:00-5:00pm at the UGA Press bookfair table #722.

02/08/2024

Today, Thursday, at 4pm, Jordan 2023 Prize Winner Ellen Birkett Morris is at the Sarabande Books Booth #727 at the AWP Bookfair from 4:00-4:45pm.

Tomorrow, Friday, from 4;5pm, she's signing free ARCs for her CSU Press novel, "Beware the Tall Grass," at the UGA Press Booth #722 from 4:00-5:00pm.

Also tomorrow, Friday, she'll be with W2W Lightening Reads, at the Bookfair Stage, from 1:45pm.-3:00pm.

01/26/2024

Our 2023 Jordan Prize winner!

01/25/2024

Today, January 25th, at 7pm, Scott Nadelson will be reading at the Bo Bartlett Gallery in downtown, Columbus, GA from his 2022 Jordan Prize winning collection, "While It Lasts." Please drop by if you'd like to hear a wonderful short story writer.

05/17/2023

We're very sad to report that Mr. Donald L. Jordan, whose endowment brought about the formation of CSU Press, has passed away. He cared so much about writing and publishing writers. He will be greatly missed, and we're proud to be able to carry on his literary legacy. His obituary is included below.

Celebrate the life of Donald Jordan, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of .

05/14/2023

It's our great pleasure to announce that Ellen Birkett Morris's novel, "Beware the Tall Grass," has been chosen by Lan Samantha Chang as the winner of this year's Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. We look forward to publishing the novel in spring, 2024!

01/01/2023

We're thrilled to announce this year's finalists for the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence! In alphabetical order:

1. Stone of Heaven, a novel by Lucy Ferriss

2. Dear Second Husband, stories by Susan Finch

3. The Wire Walker, a novel by James Janko

4. Sunny's Choices, a novel by Zhaojin Ke

5. Beware the Tall Grass, a novel by Ellen Burkett Morris

6. The Murmur of Everything, a memoir by Maureen P. Stanton

The judge, Lan Samantha Chang is ready for the final judging.
The Jordan Prize carries a $10,000 cash award and a publication contract with CSU Press. Congratulations to the finalists!

12/14/2022

We’re on schedule to announce our annual Donald L. Jordan Literary Prize finalists by January 1st!

10/13/2022

Today and always, buy books from people who care about books. ❤️

04/17/2022

We are thrilled to announce that the winner of the 2022 Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence is Scott Nadelson, for his short story collection, "While It Lasts." The prize carries a $10,000 award and a contract for publication with CSU Press, under the DLJ Books imprint. Marketing and distribution will be handled by our partnership with UGA Press. The judge for the award was Antonya Nelson, and we convey our deepest thanks and gratitude to her. "While It Lasts" has been scheduled for publication in March, 2023.

03/08/2022

We hope to have an announcement soon for this year's Jordan Prize winner. And our contest reopens March 15th and stays open until Sept. 15th. This year, for 2022, the judge is Lan Samantha Chang.

01/04/2022

It is with great enthusiasm that CSU Press's lead imprint DLJ Books announces this year’s five finalists for the Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. The prize carries a $10,000 award and a contract for publication. Listed in alphabetical order by last name, with no indication of ranking, the finalists are:

Bipin Aurora, “Parched Souls: Stories of India and America.”

John Blair, “White Sands,” stories.

Susan Finch, “Dear Second Husband,” stories.

Scott Nadelson, “While It Lasts,” stories.

Maureen Stanton, “The Human Soup: Essays and Investigations.”

The finalists’ manuscripts are now being sent on to this year’s final judge, Antonya Nelson. Submissions for the next award will open this year on March 15th and close on September 15th, and the judge will be Lan Samantha Chang.