Which author’s writing taught you the most about how you wanted to write? Was there a particular novel or book?
That she received my manuscript in her third stage of cancer and went down to the printer to publish it herself…well, I’d better take it seriously!
I do not believe I would have ever taken myself seriously without her first taking me seriously. LEORA SKOLKIN-SMITH: Oh, it was essential. How critical to your decision to make a serious life of writing was that kind of support and encouragement? She also nominated you for a PEN/Faulkner Award and PEN/Earnest Hemingway Award. KRISTEN TSETSI: Grace Paley (1922-2007), one of your instructors at Sarah Lawrence College and also Vermont’s Poet Laureate for four years, published your first novel, Edges, under her own imprint.
She is currently a contributing editor at, and her critical essays have been published in The Washington Post, The National Book Critic’s Circle’s Critical Mass, and other places. Hystera was also a finalist in The International Book Awards and a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards. Hystera was the winner of the 2012 USA Book Award and the 2012 Global E-books Award. Her novels, Hystera, Edges, and The Fragile Mistress, were selected by Princeton University for their series The Fertile Crescent Moon: women writers writing about their past in the Middle East. She earned her BA and MFA and was awarded a teaching fellowship for graduate work, all at Sarah Lawrence College. Leora Skolkin-Smith was born in Manhattan in 1952 and spent her childhood between Pound Ridge, NY, and Israel, traveling with her family to her mother’s birthplace in Jerusalem every three years. In this installment of 5 On, author Leora Skolkin-Smith discusses the pain (and hidden value) of rejection, the time she simply could not agree with her editor, her strong feelings about traditional publishers, and more. She recently left her full time feature-writing job at the Journal Inquirer (in Connecticut) to be a full-time novelist. She is also the author of the novel Pretty Much True, which has been featured on NPR and NBC. 22, under the name Chris Jane) and is a former adjunct English professor. For some, it may also provide a much-needed reality check.Ībout Kristen Tsetsi ( She recently independently published the novel The Year of Dan Palace (Nov. The series is designed to educate and encourage newer writers looking for guidance and, frankly, hope. Note from Jane: Today, I’m pleased to announce the series 5 On by author Kristen Tsetsi. 5 On asks established, traditionally published authors and experienced self-published authors five questions about writing and five questions about their experiences with the publishing industry.
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