To be Published by Applause Books: “Emily Mann Rebel Artist of the American Theater” by Alexis Greene

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Happy to see that Emily Mann: Rebel Artist of the American Theater, by arts writer Alexis Greene, which I sold to Applause Theater and Cinema Books last year, is listed in Applause’s new catalog, scheduled for release in October 2021, coinciding with what we hope will be the reopening of Broadway this coming Fall. The Applause catalog page includes a pre-order button. Thanks to John Cerullo, acquiring editor at Applause.

This will be the first book about Mann, a trailblazing woman playwright and stage director, artistic director of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton from 1993-2020. It chronicles the story of Mann’s path through a field where women have often struggled for the opportunity to direct the work of other playwrights, leave alone see their own plays produced.

Greene chronicles Mann’s role in the growth of a socially-oriented theater with plays she’s written that explore current events and issues while focusing on the lives of under-recognized groups in society, in scripts virtually ripped from the headlines and braided together from archives, diaries, public records, and interviews conducted with participants in momentous events. Dubbed a “theater of testimony” Mann has written such plays as “Execution of Justice,” on the murder of Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone in San Francisco; “Greensboro (A Requiem),” on a deadly 1979 KKK attack; “Mrs. Packard,” based on the true story of a 19th century minister’s wife committed to an asylum when she abandoned the church; “Having Our Say,” based on the bestselling book of the same title, on the centenarian African American sisters Sadie and Bessie Delany; and “Gloria: A Life,” drawn from the life and career of Gloria Steinem. Her development of a kind of new documentary theater has been influential in many ways.

A New York City native, Alexis Greene is the author and editor of numerous books about theater, including The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway, written with Julie Taymor, and the biography Lucille Lortel: The Queen of Off Broadway. Her career spans acting, theater criticism, and teaching (she holds a PhD from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York).

 

 

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Sold to Broadleaf Books: “Living with Horror: Faith and Fright in an Anxious World”

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Delighted to have sold biblical scholar Brandon Grafius’s book “Living with Horror: Faith and Fright in an Anxious World” to Broadleaf Books of Minneapolis. It will be a thought-provoking study that explores the parallels between horror and religion, and the common ground shared by fear and faith, offering insight into many of the provocative and surprising theological themes that lurk under the surface of favorite horror films, while also discussing many of the movies, alongside a catalog of biblical stories that evoke fear and trembling. The fears that horror movies force to the surface of consciousness can help us reflect on our own troubled times, and will help readers gain a sense of understanding into the nature of fear and associated emotions. Grafius’s book will also provide an outlet for people struggling to contextualize what they are seeing each day on the news. By examining the themes of hope and faith, and justice and perseverance, all found in horror movies, it will show the reader how horror can help us make sense of the world, and help us all navigate the anxieties that are part of modern life, especially in pandemic times.

Delighted that the author will be working with a very engaged editor at Broadleaf, Lil Copan, who has a vision for the book that really aligns with the author’s book idea. Broadleaf has an interesting list which I commend to readers’ attention.

And, kudos to my adult son and business partner, Ewan Turner, who championed Brandon’s book from the first day he queried us about it.

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