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 | Peter Rock's first novel, This is the Place was hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "a touching and memorable story. . ." and Details called it "the sleeper of the season, a reveting debut by a born storyteller." It was selected for Barnes & Noble's "Discover Great New Writers" program. His second novel, Carnival Wolves (1998), is the story of one man's journey across America with a dalmatian rescued from an abusive owner. Kirkus Review said of the novel, a "spooky, sharply written second novel. . .exciting to read for all the old reasons: voice, vision, talent, guts." Rock is the recipient of a 1997 Wallace Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University and 1996 Henfield Award. "Here's fiction that's often exciting to read for all the old reasons: voice, vision, talent, guts." - Kirkus Reviews on Carnival Wolves | 
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Susan Choi is the author of The Foreign Student, a first novel about the relationship between a Korean refugee and a New Orleans heiress. The novel is based on Choi's father's experiences in wartime Korea and in America. Publishers Weekly called it, an "impressive debut" and "a work full of ambition and considerable talent." Novelist John Gregory Dunne called it, "A novel of secrets that unfolds like the leaves on an artichoke. The Foreign Student. . .marks the debut of a gifted young novelist wise beyond her years."  "A powerful and involving book. . .(written in) a style that can accommodate both the broad forces of history and the most intimate of lives." - Lamar Herrin on The Foreign Student |
 | Claire Messud is the author of the first novel When the World Was Steady (1995), which was nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award. It tells the story of two middle-aged sisters and the divergent life paths chosen by each. Peter Matthiessen called it, "An auspicious beginning. . .Claire Messud should certainly prosper as a writer." Messud has written for The New Yorker, The Independent and The Guardian. "As exceptional in quality as it is in content. . .an outstanding first novel." - The Observer on When the World Was Steady  Debra Spark is the author of the first novel, Coconuts for the Saint (1996), about a young woman who is drawn into a love affairs with a widower who has triplet daughters. Booklist called it, "a delectable and soothing concoction. . .An enjoyable puzzle of a tale, written with great wit and tenderness." Spark is also the editor of Twenty Under Thirty (1986), an anthology of short stories by writers all under the age of thirty. | "an elixir constituted of equal parts grace, wild humor, equisite tenderness, and ferocious heart. One taste is sufficient to leave the head reeling from its chorus of voices, the mind wide-open and convinced of miracles." - Steve Stern, on Coconuts for the Saint 
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Writers Online Magazine Article