Katherine Karlin

Send Me Work: Stories (Triquarterly Books)

Katerine Karlin will read and sign her new collection, Send Me Work: Stories (Triquarterly Books). Karlin has worked in oil refineries in Pennsylvania and Texas, a New Orleans shipyard, and a New York printshop, and she draws on her experiences to give voice to the unique experiences of women in the trades. Her narrators, who must daily negotiate the "man's world" of blue collar work, are keenly observant and attuned to the humor that arises when life doesn't turn out as planned. But even more remarkable is the fullness with which she renders characters who make us wonder how they've escaped the notice of other writers. In unadorned prose that evokes complete worlds with deceptive ease, Karlin shows us people immersed in the negotiations of survival, just at the edge of being able to make sense of their lives. "Karlin's stories are rich and deep, so fully lived you would think that each of her characters walks and breathes among us. A truly remarkable achievement."  --T. C. Boyle "These are such beautifully crafted stories, so satisfyingly nailed to time and place they begin to form like memories to a reader; Karlin's prose has hints of Philip Roth and Grace Paley, but the ringing specificity is all her own."  --Aimee Bender Katherine Karlin's stories have appeared in One Story, North American Review, ZYZZYVA, Alaska Quarterly Review, L.A. Weekly, and elsewhere. Her work has been selected for the Pushcart Prize and New Stories from the South. Her short story "Muscle Memory" was read as part of the "Stories on Stage" series at the Denver Performing Arts Center, and her essay "Corn" appears in One Word from Sarabande Press. Karlin currently lives in Manhattan, Kansas, with her dog, Rusty, and her husband, Chris. She teaches creative writing and literature at Kansas State University. THIS EVENT WAS RECORDED LIVE AT SKYLIGHT BOOKS NOVEMBER 16, 2011.