Series: Carnegie Mellon University Press Fiction Series

Unflinching and deeply human—Derek Green perfectly encapsulates the quiet dramas of modern America. The characters in Jackson State live in a land of contradictions—where wealth and poverty, beauty and decay, hope and despair exist side by side. In this striking collection, Derek Green brings the American Midwest to life, tracing the tensions of class and race through intimate, unforgettable stories....

Stories of resilience, belonging, and the quiet beauty of life on the edge of the wild. In The Little Lights of Town, acclaimed poet and memoirist Jonathan Johnson turns to fiction, bringing to life the rugged landscapes and tightly knit communities of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Against the backdrop of Lake Superior's cold, untamed shores, his characters navigate love, loss, and...

Disillusioned former high school sweethearts must come to terms with their past and present in the face of a tragedy. 2008: the age of the blog, the dawn of social media, and the birth of the smartphone. Obama is running for president on a slogan of hope, while in the shadows, an opioid crisis emerges, and the housing market teeters....

Follow the everyday lives of those trying to keep up with a changing Nashville, Tennessee. Set in the rapidly changing city of Nashville, Tennessee, the characters in Dear Second Husband struggle to make their marriages, friendships, and families thrive despite the pressures of modern life. An unapologetic widower, a self-destructive musician, a teacher grieving a miscarriage, and a mother trying...

Reflects on the dark rise and fall of an ambitious rock music collective in the upper Midwest. Matthew Pitt's first novel draws from characters introduced in his debut story collection. The rock band Some Assault—comprised of dropouts and hedonists—flails from gig to gig, directed by their volatile drummer Liddy, who careens between foster homes and addictions. She and the band...