For those aspiring Central California writers out there...

They've just announced that Dinuba author, Manual Munoz, has been shortlisted for the 2007 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize for his collection of short stories, "The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue," all of which are stories taking place in Central California. He beat out Alice Munro and Mary Gordon for the nomination. His shortlist competitors include Miranda July and Olaf Olafsson, amongst others. Past winners include Haruki Murakami and Yiyun Li. The prize, in US dollars, comes to approximately $42K and is the most valuable prize in the world for a short story collection.

Munoz is a rising star in Chicano literature who graduated from Harvard and got his MFA from Cornell. He'll be speaking at Reedley College on October 11th. Building location and time to be announced.

For more details, here are some links:

~C

http://www.cindywathen.com

Co-author of REMEMBERING CESAR: THE LEGACY OF CESAR CHAVEZ
The first book to be endorsed by the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation

Available through Amazon, your local bookseller, or direct from the publisher at Quill Driver Books, 1-800-497-4909. ISBN 1884956114