Shortly after “Nemecia” came out, the story was chosen to be in the Best American and I received an award from the Rona Jaffe Foundation, and it was this momentum, I think, that led to my book eventually being taken by Norton last summer. I blame all this on Narrative. I think all this momentum can be credited to Narrative’s sterling reputation and incredible, incredible reach.
—2013 Narrative Prize winner Kirstin Valdez Quade

Narrative’s been a remarkable showcase for the form and for young writers as well as writers like Joyce Carol Oates and James Salter, classic living writers whose work appears in Narrative. They have made a special place for the talents they want to nurture, which will be the literature we will have in years to come.
—Tobias Wolff

It’s remarkable that you can write a story in Iowa, and it can be published by a magazine in San Francisco and then read on the other side of the earth in Kashmir and Tehran. I think that the power of story and the way it can transcend many of the borders that we construct around our place in the world is something that is unusual, and Narrative’s reputation and its innovative approach to publishing allows that kind of transcendence.
—Anthony Marra

The fundamental fact of what we read and what we write has remained absolutely unchanged. It’s just narratives. It’s stories. That is really all that matters.
—Susan Orlean

Narrative Night 2014

Everyone loves a great story. That was the resounding message of this year’s Narrative Night, when Narrative’s friends and family gathered to celebrate eleven years of reading and writing in the digital age. The night began with a warm welcome from Narrative’s cofounders, Carol Edgarian and Tom Jenks. Traci Des Jardins and her staff at Jardinière provided a sublime dinner and kept the wine flowing while we enjoyed readings from established masters and rising stars. Tobias Wolff read from his new novel. Narrative Prize winner Anthony Marra introduced this year’s Narrative Prize winner, Kristin Valdez Quade. Lynn Freed had everyone in stitches. Dexter and Nurse Jackie showrunner Clyde Phillips told secrets from the writing room. And Susan Orlean closed out the night with a bang, reading an unforgettable story about firing a gun at a wedding. In short, it was the perfect night to revel in the many ways that stories inspire, enliven, and tickle us in all the right places.

Narrative Night Authors






Left to right: Lynn Freed, Tom Jenks, Carol Edgarian, Clyde Phillips, Susan Orlean, Tobias Wolff, Kirstin Valdez Quade, Anthony Marra








































Tom Jenks, Traci Des Jardins, and Carol Edgarian; Jane Lancellotti, Clyde Phillips, and Carol Davis; Susan Orlean and Ariel Zborowski; Anthony Marra; Guests at the Narrative Night cocktail reception; Joachim Bechtle, Nancy Bechtle, and Nion McEvoy; David Leof and Bridget Quinn; Julie Newhall and George Newhall; Jeffry Weisman and Jane Breyer; Yaya Cantu and Sandra Lloyd; Carol Edgarian and Tom Jenks; Maryam Muduroglu, Paul Nahi, and Sandy Sherman; Colleen Leof and Steven Wright; Ella Wise, Rees Sweeney-Taylor, and Sheila Nahi; Catherine Wolff, Tobias Wolff, and Isabelle Higson; Paul Weaver and Lynn Freed; Michael Krasny, Kay Walker, and Joachim Bechtle; Tom Jenks


Narrative staff






Jack Schiff, Mimi Kusch, Ian York, Jane Lancellotti, Tom Jenks, Carol Edgarian, Bridget Quinn, Tiana McKenna, Kipp Lyons, Richard Smith, and Mike Croft


Listen to Susan Orlean reading at Narrative Night 2014:

AUDIO


    Susan Orlean at Narrative Night 2014 (10:14)

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