Top Picks from AWM Staff: April 2025 Edition
The American Writers Museum recommends captivating books, films, shows, plays, albums, and games for entertainment. These recommendations are released monthly, offering a mix of well-known classics and fresh finds. You can find many of the April book suggestions on Bookshop.org, which benefits independent bookstores, or support your local bookstore by visiting them in person or ordering online.
"Absolution" by Jeff VanderMeer is one such book recommendation. From the publisher, it's the fourth volume in VanderMeer's Southern Reach series, providing readers with an intriguing plunge into distinctive and fertile literary territory. "Anselm Kiefer: A Monograph" offers insights into the foundation of Kiefer's work, focusing on memory and our response to it, as well as his connection with literature, myths, and Kabbalistic mysticism.
Paula Vogel's "The Baltimore Waltz and Other Plays" contains a collection of her remarkable works from the 80s, exploring contemporary issues such as feminization of poverty, non-traditional families, and the AIDS epidemic. Brian Eno's documentary, "1971-1977: The Man Who Fell to Earth," explores his life, career, and music during this crucial period.
"The Buffalo Hunter Hunter" by Stephen Graham Jones offers a chilling historical horror novel that follows a vampire seeking justice on the Blackfeet reservation. "The Calculating Stars" by Mary Robinette Kowal presents a gripping tale of survival and space colonization, as humanity faces a climate catastrophe following a meteorite impact.
"Childhood and Other Neighborhoods" by Stuart Dybek provides a nostalgic look at Chicago, weaving tales of wonder in unexpected places. Visitors can attend a special event with author Dybek on April 29th to learn more about his work.
"Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly" provides a raw, honest account of a server's rise and fall in the restaurant business. The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor offers a collection of her poignant, thought-provoking fiction that remains influential in modern literature.
"Don't Sleep with the Dead" by Nghi Vo reimagines "The Great Gatsby," with the ghost of Jay Gatsby haunting the protagonist, Nick Carraway. "The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1" offers a thrilling blend of horror and manga, appealing to fans of Junji Ito.
The Museum is excited to announce several events in April, including a conversation with author N. K. Jemisin for "Making New Gods," discussing the exhibit and programming initiative "American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture." Additionally, attendees can enjoy a screening of short film "The Apprentice" based on a Stuart Dybek short story, followed by a Q&A with the director Mary Livoni and the author himself.
Purchase tickets or register for the online viewing link at specified links provided for in-person or virtual events respectively. For more updates on events, subscribe to the American Writers Museum's podcast, Nation of Writers, featuring an upcoming episode with Cassie Munnell, Curator at Andalusia, the Home of Flannery O'Connor.
Enjoy the intriguing literary journey of "Absolution" by Jeff VanderMeer, a book recommendation from the American Writers Museum that delves into the distinct and fertile territory of the Southern Reach series. For those interested in visual arts, "Anselm Kiefer: A Monograph" provides insights into Kiefer's work, focusing on memory, literature, myths, and Kabbalistic mysticism.
