Emily St. James – författare

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2025. 'Big-hearted and hilarious, an ode to authenticity and a must-read in our current times.' -Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures 'Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America's most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture's most maligned groups-that takes smarts and heart. Fortunately for her readers, St. James is in full possession of both.' -Meredith Maran, Washington Post A Vox Best Book of the Year; A Book Riot and The Mary Sue 15 Most Anticipated Queer Book of 2025; A The Millions, Kirkus, The AV Club, Them, and LGBTQ Reads Most Anticipated Book of 2025; A Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Autostraddle, LA Times, and BookBrowse Most Anticipated Read of March 2025; A Bustle Best Book of Spring 2025; A Matty Maggiacomo March Book Club Pick An unforgettable and heartwarming book-club debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students. Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced-and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit. Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High's resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It's a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty-and loneliness-that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn't the only one struggling to shed the weight of others' expectations. As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women-and those closest to them-are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork? Detransition Baby meets Fleishman Is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy. 'A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling.' -VOGUE

A comprehensive critical companion to the blockbuster TV show LOST, revisiting its core themes, lore, and impact on cultureFor fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, LOST: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.Before it premiered in the fall of 2004, LOST looked doomed to be an expensive, disastrous plane crash of a TV show. Instead, LOST was a massive hit, debuting with the biggest audience for a new drama on ABC in over a decade, reaching heights of over 23 million viewers at its peak, and holding on to a hefty fan-base for its entire six-season run.The elements that made the series seem like a boondoggle proved, instead, to be a big part of its appeal. Audiences loved the exotic island setting, became invested in the morally compromised characters, and feverishly tried to unravel the show’s many mysteries.In LOST: Back to the Island, TV critics and veteran LOST recappers Emily St. James and Noel Murray revisit what made the show such a success and an object of enduring cultural obsession, twenty years later.Through essays, episode summaries, and cultural analysis, they take us back to the island and examine LOST’s lasting impact—and its complicated, sometimes controversial legacy—with a clear-eyed and lively investigation.

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT WITH FOILED DETAILS AND CUSTOM END PAPERSA fond and nostalgic cultural history of It's a Wonderful Life, celebrating the beloved holiday film's actors and creators, its unexpected journey from public domain to holiday classic, and what its enduring legacy reveals about America.An indelible time capsule into the 1940s, It’s a Wonderful Life remains a cornerstone of peak American film, and one of the greatest pieces of media that America has ever written about itself. At a time when popular art was grappling with  a picturesque vision of the American Dream, It's a Wonderful Life explored both its enduring qualities and hard edges, making it an exemplary piece of the post-World War II cultural zeitgeist.Today, when view the film through the prism of its origins, It's a Wonderful Life becomes something much more poignant, a holiday classic that casts a hopeful eye toward the future. At nearly 80 years old, the film serves as a message in a bottle from 1946, and an important relic of the golden age of film. Journalists Emily St. James and Lauren Theisen offer the definitive story of It's a Wonderful Life, from its creation to its everlasting echoes today.

LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE TRANSGENDER FICTION LAMBDA LITERARY AWARDFINALIST FOR THE PUBLISHING TRIANGLE'S EDMUND WHITE AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION“Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America’s most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture’s most maligned groups—that takes smarts and heart. Fortunately for her readers, St. James is in full possession of both.” —Meredith Maran, Washington PostAn unforgettable and heartwarming book-club debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty—and loneliness—that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others’ expectations. As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women—and those closest to them—are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork? Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.Named A Best Book of 2025 by Vox, Elle, NPR, Bustle, Marie Claire, Chicago Review of Books, Chicago Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Them, Xtra, and Autostraddle • Matty Maggiacomo’s March Book Club Pick