Stillhouse Press is thrilled to announce the release of Amy Stuber’s debut short story collection Sad Grownups, a powerful exploration of the search for joy in a dying, adult world. Sad Grownups examines the often-unspoken challenges and emotional landscapes of adult life with a poignant blend of humor, honesty, and understanding. Described by Kate Doyle, author of I Meant It Once, as “an incisive collective portrait of contemporary Americans,” Stuber’s collection captures the complicated, melancholy, and ultimately liberating essence of what it means to navigate the world as a grown-up.
Amy Stuber’s unique voice shines through in this collection, offering readers a chance to reflect, laugh, and see themselves within these “sad grownups” and their dynamic stories. For Stillhouse Press’s editorial team, these ambitions rang true. “Working on Amy Stuber's short story collection was an incredible experience that really inspired my own writing,” stated Jacob Sharp, a 2nd year MFA fiction candidate at George Mason University and editorial assistant to Sad Grownups. “The complex characters she created captivated me and pushed me to think more deeply about how to portray complicated human behavior and motivation in my stories.”
Olivia Bissell, MA Literature ’24, also shared these sentiments about Stuber’s work. “I had the privilege of working as an Assistant Editor on Amy Stuber’s Sad Grownups, in addition to creating a significant portion of the promotional media graphics for the book,” stated Bissell on the project. “As a recent post-graduate entering the publishing industry, watching this book evolve from its developmental edits to its release was an invaluable learning experience. It gave me a comprehensive view of the publishing process, from editorial to marketing, and allowed me to develop skills that I will carry into my future career.
“Sad Grownups is a moving exploration of the challenges of adulthood, and working on it as I transitioned from being a graduate student to an alum felt especially meaningful. Stuber’s stories resonated with my own experience of leaving behind the structure of college and entering adulthood, offering a sense of validation and comfort. I believe readers, too, will find in her work the reassurance that they are not alone in navigating the complexities of growing up.”
Amy Stuber’s writing has appeared in the New England Review, Flash Fiction America, Ploughshares, The Idaho Review, Cincinnati Review, Triquarterly, American Short Fiction, Joyland, and elsewhere. She’s the recipient of the Missouri Review’s 2023 William Peden Prize in fiction, winner of the 2021 Northwest Review Fiction Prize, and runner-up for the 2022 CRAFT Short Fiction Prize. Her work received a special mention in Pushcart Prize XLIV, appeared on the Wigleaf Top 50 in 2021, has been nominated for Best of the Net, and appears in Best Small Fictions 2020 and 2023. She has a PhD in English, has taught college writing, and worked in online education for many years.
Stillhouse Press is George Mason University’s teaching press, one of the few literary presses in the country designed to give students the keys to the publishing house, offering experiential education in the field of publishing to undergraduate and graduate students alike. Sad Grownups is currently available for purchase from Stillhouse Press, Bookshop.org, and Amazon.
October 23, 2024