First Book Project Scheduled for Release in November 2022
June 17, 2022—Award-winning author Ron Currie Jr. has joined Islandport Press as an editor-at-large where he will edit and manage select fiction and nonfiction projects for the Maine-based independent publishing company.
Currie, whose novels include Everything Matters! and Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles, has completed work as editor on one Islandport nonfiction book slated for release this fall, is currently editing a novel slated for publication in 2023, and is in discussion to edit and oversee additional projects for release in 2023 and 2024.
The Waterville-native joins veteran Islandport Editor Genevieve A. Morgan to form a powerful special projects team at the 22-year-old publisher, which has carved out a reputation as one of the finest small publishing houses in America.
“Ron and Genevieve are a remarkably talented duo that will help guide the Islandport catalog,” said Dean L. Lunt, founder and editor-in-chief of Islandport. “Both bring tremendous insight, possess passion for the written word, and align perfectly with what defines an Islandport book: great storytelling, strong and accessible writing, and a distinct sense of place.”
Currie’s short story collection God is Dead was published to critical acclaim in 2007 and received the Young Lions Fiction Award from the New York Public Library and the Metcalf award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2009, Currie received the Addison M. Metcalf Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Currie’s first novel, Everything Matters!, won an Alex Award from the American Library Association and was named to several best-of lists, including the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, and Amazon.com.
Morgan’s more recent fiction projects include Blue Summer by Jim Nichols, which won the Maine Literary Award for Best Fiction and a 2022 Gold Medal from the Independent Publishers Awards; and Silence, which recently won a Gold Medal at the Independent Publishers Book Awards and a Silver Medal at the Foreword INDIES. Morgan, who formerly worked at Chronicle Books, also wrote The Five Stones Trilogy, an award-winning young adult fantasy series.