9-22-09

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Two Lycoming College faculty members, Dr. Sascha Feinstein, professor of English, and Dr. David Rife, professor emeritus of English, have published “The Jazz Fiction Anthology.” 

“No previous anthology of jazz-inspired fiction,” writes jazz critic A.B. Spellman, “has assembled under one roof such a culturally varied and historically important group of stories. Here at last is a beautiful, carefully chosen collection, as surprising as the music, as swinging as the rhythms of this age.”

The book, published by Indiana University Press, is a gathering of the best of jazz fiction from the 1920s to the present. The anthology explores the strong influence of jazz on fiction and how that influence can be felt in different prose styles, ranging from freewheeling to conversational. Pieces from players as well as listeners are included in the book, all connected by the universal voice of humanity that is the essence of the music.

In 2008, Feinstein was named Artist of the Year as part of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Awards for the Arts. He is the founding editor of “Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature.” His recent books include the memoir “Black Pearls” and “Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz and Literature.”

Rife is the author of “Jazz Fiction: A History and Comprehensive Reader’s Guide” and has published work in such publications as “American Literary Realism,” “Dictionary of Literary Biography,” “Annual Review of Jazz Studies,” and “Journal of Modern Literature.”

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