Wounded Boarders

George Singleton has published ten collections of stories, two novels, a book of writing advice, and a collection of essays. Over 250 of his stories have appeared in the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Esquire, Story, One Story, Playboy, and elsewhere. Non-fiction in Garden and Gun, Oxford American, Best Food Writing, and elsewhere. He’s received a Pushcart Prize, and a Guggenheim fellowship. His collection The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Martyrs was named a Top 100 Book of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews. A member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, he lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

PRAISE FOR GEORGE SINGLETON:“Without a doubt one of the very finest storytellers out there. . . . George Singleton is one of the funniest writers out there, and also one of the wisest.”—Jill McCorkle, author of July 7 and Life after Life“Please know that it is against my nature to fling the word ‘genius’ around like a sandlot football. I’ve used it maybe five times, and in all of those instances I applied it to composers, partly because I don’t understand how they do what they do. Being a fiction writer, I understand all too well how we do what we do. But George Singleton is a genius, because he repeatedly manages to make me laugh, often uproariously, when my first impulse is to cry. How he accomplishes this feat is as mysterious to me as the twelve-tone music of, say, Arnold Schoenberg. But I know this: contemporary American literature—and I daresay the country itself—would be more vibrant if we had more writers like him. George Singleton is something perhaps even rarer than a genius. He’s a treasure.” —Steve Yarbrough, author of Stay Gone Days“Singleton is a raconteur of trends, countertrends, obsessions and odd characters.”—Morning Edition, NPR“[The] unchallenged king of the comic Southern short story.”—Atlanta Journal Constitution“Singleton is an ace at locating the pathos beneath the deadpan laughs.” —USA TodayPRAISE FOR THE CURIOUS LIVES OF NONPROFIT MARTYRS:“Legendary South Carolina absurdist Singleton weighs in with another rollicking collection. … A Southern original adds to his gallery of Southern originals.” —Kirkus starred review“Singleton delivers an offbeat collection filled with Southern eccentrics. … Singleton lights up the colorful and odd situations with wit and verve. Southern fiction fans will have a blast.” —Publishers Weekly“A delightful, occasionally disturbing and unapologetically honest exploration of Southern life … There’s a beautiful brokenness driving these characters toward their distinctive causes that’s born from the most basic of compulsions — the human need to belong.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution