Press Release:
West Texas: Land of Basketball, Prairie Dogs, and Strange Acorns!
Though best known for cotton, windmills, prairie dogs, Buddy Holly, Texas Tech University, and—of course—basketball coaches Marsha Sharp and Bobby Knight, the West Texas city of Lubbock is also home to the author of some rather unusual books.
The creation of one small-town keeps going a long way for that writer. Duane Simolke’s best-known book is The Acorn Stories, a story cycle set in the fictional West Texas town of Acorn. Filled with quirky characters, controversial issues, and experimental narrative techniques, The Acorn Stories continues to receive positive reviews at Amazon.com and bn.com.
Simolke wrote three other books: Degranon, Holding Me Together, and New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. Degranon, a science fiction adventure that deals with themes like diversity, violence, and free speech, was just released. That edgy, satirical novel will create quite a stir, especially among those who think people shouldn’t think for themselves or be themselves.
Next, watch for a collaborative spin-off from The Acorn Stories. The new collection, The Acorn Gathering, will feature some stories set in Acorn, and others set across the United States, with all author and editor royalties going to fund cancer research. Several authors have contributed stories for The Acorn Gathering.
Find details about The Acorn Gathering and Simolke’s other projects at his home page (duanesimolke.com). That page also includes a variety of links for readers, writers, activists, and everyone else. Simolke holds degrees in English from Belmont University (BA, 89), Hardin-Simmons University (MA, 91), and Texas Tech University (Ph.D., 96). He has appeared at various literary conventions and sometimes gives public readings of his work.
Readers can order his books at most local or online bookstores, if they aren’t already in stock.
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