I just found out that Mary Akers, co-author of Radical Gratitude and other Life Lessons Learned in Siberia, has a short story collection forthcoming from Press 53. It’s called Women Up on Blocks, and is available for pre-order here. Mary is a terrific writer, and Press 53 is a kick-ass press, so I’m hugely excited by this collection. Here’s what Press 53 has to say about it:

Whether it’s a young co-ed who has lived her life succumbing to passion and authority, a woman struggling with the intense demands of motherhood, or a newlywed whose new mirror-filled home proves too much for her fragile psyche, these thirteen stories—edgy and alluring—inexorably peel back the layers of the women they portray. By turns lyrical and haunting, plainspoken and frank, award-winning writer Mary Akers’ finely crafted debut collection WOMEN UP ON BLOCKS explores the price women pay when they allow the roles of wife, mother, daughter, or lover to define them.