Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
1 appearances
Rita Ciresi
リタ・チレージ
Rita Ciresi
Pen Names:
Meg West（Used for romantic comedy novels）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- New Haven, Connecticut → Pennsylvania (residence while attending Penn State) → Florida (faculty at University of South Florida) → Rome (residency at the American Academy in Rome)
Career
- Occupations
- Novelist, Short story writer, University professor, Fiction editor
- Active Years
- 1993-
- Affiliations
- University of South Florida (faculty; professor emerita), New York City College of Technology (fiction editor of 2 Bridges Review)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | — | — | M.F.A. | — | United States |
Pennsylvania State University
Degree:
M.F.A.
Country:
United States
Received an M.F.A.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers Series (selection) | Blue Italian | — | Barnes & Noble | 選出 |
| 1993 | Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (Los Angeles Times) | Mother Rocket | First Fiction | Los Angeles Times | ファイナリスト |
| 1997 | Pirate's Alley Faulkner Award for Fiction | Pink Slip | — | Pirate's Alley (Faulkner) | 受賞 |
| 2002 | Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction | Mother Rocket | 短編小説 | University of Georgia Press | 受賞 |
| 2017 | Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Series Award | Second Wife | チャップブック賞 | The Florida Review | 受賞 |
| 2019 | F(r)iction Creative Writing Award | 'merigan | — | F(r)iction | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Accenti Writing Contest Prize | Anywhere in the World | — | Accenti Magazine | 受賞 |
Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers Series (selection)
1996
Work:
Blue Italian
Organization:
Barnes & Noble
Result:
選出
Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction (Los Angeles Times)
1993
Work:
Mother Rocket
Category:
First Fiction
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
ファイナリスト
Pirate's Alley Faulkner Award for Fiction
1997
Work:
Pink Slip
Organization:
Pirate's Alley (Faulkner)
Result:
受賞
Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
2002
Work:
Mother Rocket
Category:
短編小説
Organization:
University of Georgia Press
Result:
受賞
Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Series Award
2017
Work:
Second Wife
Category:
チャップブック賞
Organization:
The Florida Review
Result:
受賞
F(r)iction Creative Writing Award
2019
Work:
'merigan
Organization:
F(r)iction
Result:
受賞
Accenti Writing Contest Prize
2022
Work:
Anywhere in the World
Organization:
Accenti Magazine
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Mother Rocket
1993 Short story collectionA short story collection addressing Italian-American experiences, exploring family ties and immigrant memory.
Italian-American identityFamilyMemory
Translations
- Translated into German
- Translated into Polish
Blue Italian
1996 Short stories/novelA work that portrays everyday life and identity of Italian-Americans with humor and poignancy.
Humor and pathosCultural identity
Translations
- Translated into Dutch
- Translated into German
Pink Slip
1998 Novel (romantic comedy elements)A novel that humorously blends tragedy and comedy while exploring love and unemployment.
Love and lossEconomic insecurityHumor
Translations
- Translated into Greek
Sometimes I Dream in Italian
2000 Short stories/essaysA collection including dreamlike pieces about Italian language and memories of home.
LanguageNostalgia
Remind Me Again Why I Married You
2003 Romantic comedy/novelA novel that mixes humor with the struggles and joys of married life.
MarriageEveryday humor
Bring Back My Body to Me
2012 Short stories/flash fictionA collection of short, sharp pieces focusing on embodiment and loss.
GriefEmbodiment
Second Wife
2018 Chapbook/short fictionA chapbook of short fiction about marital relationships and new beginnings.
MarriageNew beginnings
Love on Longboat Key (as Meg West)
2017 Romance / Romantic comedyBook 1 of a romantic comedy series published under the pen name Meg West.
RomanceHumor
Bibliography
- Mother Rocket (1993)
- Blue Italian (1996)
- Pink Slip (1998)
- Sometimes I Dream in Italian (2000)
- Remind Me Again Why I Married You (2003)
- Bring Back My Body to Me (2012)
- Second Wife (2018)
- Love on Longboat Key (as Meg West, 2017)
- Love on Lido Key (as Meg West, 2018)
- Love on the Links (as Meg West, 2019)
Translations of Works
- Her fiction has been translated into German, Dutch, Greek, Polish, and Bulgarian
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Realist style focusing on Italian-American experienceHumorous narration that blends tragedy and comedyConversational, accessible prose
- Recurring Motifs
- FamilyFood cultureItalian-American identityIllness and griefLove and new beginnings
Legacy
Rita Ciresi is recognized for works about the Italian-American experience and for blending tragedy and comedy in her storytelling. She has contributed as an educator and is respected for both her short fiction and novels.
Quotes
-
On her novel Pink Slip she is appreciated for her ability to mix the tragic and the comic aspects of love.
Source: Critical reception (Wikipedia summary) (1998)
Trivia
- Writes romantic comedies under the pen name Meg West.
- Her fiction has been translated into German, Dutch, Greek, Polish, and Bulgarian.
- Served on the faculty of the University of South Florida (professor emerita).
- Has written at residencies such as the Ragdale Foundation.