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Leslie Pietrzyk

レスリー・ピエトリック

Leslie Pietrzyk

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1961-01-01
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Alexandria, Virginia, United States → Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States

Career

Occupations
Writer, Academic
Active Years
1998-
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (faculty), Converse University (Low-Residency MFA faculty), Redux (founder and editor)

Education

Northwestern University
College of Arts and Sciences (English/Creative Writing)
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Major in English/Creative Writing
American University
Graduate School (M.F.A. in Creative Writing)
Degree: M.F.A.
Country: United States
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Awards

Drue Heinz Literature Prize
2015
Work: This Angel on My Chest (short story collection)
Organization: University of Pittsburgh Press
Result: Winner
Pushcart Prize
2020
Work: "Stay There" (short story)
Organization: Pushcart Press
Result: Winner
Polish American Historical Association Creative Arts Prize
2020
Work: Body of work (for promoting awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas)
Organization: Polish American Historical Association
Result: Co-winner
Jeanne Charpiot Goodheart Prize for Fiction
Organization: Shenandoah (magazine)
Result: Winner
Chris O’Malley Fiction Prize
Organization: Madison Review
Result: Winner
Residencies (multiple)
Organization: Hawthornden Castle, The Hambidge Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Wolff Cottage (Fairhope), Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, ほか
Result: Awarded / Residency

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Pears on a Willow Tree

1998 Novel

A novel exploring family and memory, delving into personal pasts and identity.

familymemoryidentity

A Year and a Day

2003 Novel

A novel about loss and renewal, focusing on passage of time and character change.

lossrenewaltime

This Angel on My Chest

2015 Short story collection

A collection of short stories and linked pieces that portray loss, love, and the subtleties of relationships.

losslovefamily

Silver Girl

2018 Novel

A novel about the relationships and life choices of mature women.

womenmidlifefriendship

Admit This To No One

2021 Short story collection (linked stories)

A collection of linked short stories that probe personal secrets and the influence of the past.

secretsthe past's influencerelationships

Reversing the River

Historical novel (serialized)

A historical novel set on the first day of 1900 in Chicago, serialized on a literary app.

historyurban lifeturn of the century

Bibliography

  • Pears on a Willow Tree
  • A Year and a Day
  • This Angel on My Chest
  • Silver Girl
  • Admit This To No One
  • Reversing the River (serialized)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Realistic prose with emphasis on interior lifeMeasured, detailed scene-setting
Recurring Motifs
loss and recoveryfamily and memoryaspects of Polish-American immigrant experience (in some works)

Legacy

Leslie Pietrzyk is an American author respected for both short fiction and novels, especially works addressing loss, family, and memory. She is also an educator and has supported emerging writers through founding and editing the online literary journal Redux.

Trivia

  • Founder and editor of the online literary journal Redux.
  • This Angel on My Chest won the 2015 Drue Heinz Literature Prize.
  • "Stay There" received a Pushcart Prize in 2020.
  • Has taught in programs at Johns Hopkins University and Converse University.