| fiction non-fiction memoir poetry |
| "Every student of writing in the country needs this book!" -- Liz Bussey Fentress |
| THE HURTING PART: Evolution of an American Play offers a unique look inside the life & work of one of America's finest authors SILAS HOUSE |
photo by Tim Webb
| ISBN 978-1-934894-05-7 |
| non-fiction 120 pages |
| Click the author's image to connect to his website |
| Good people are talking about THE HURTING PART ... |
| Silas' writing is very special to me. His voice and characters run true and clear, like a mountain stream after the thaw, with flashes of insight so startlingly resonant and beautiful, they call to mind a cardinal alighting in a winter birch. --Ashley Judd, actor (Double Jeopardy; Come Early Morning) |
| Teachers, dramatists and others will find good uses for this script and the accompanying notes, essay and short story -- not the least of which will be the sheer pleasure of reading them. --Anne Shelby, playwright (Lone Pilgrim: Songs &Stories of Aunt Molly Jackson; Passing through the Garden; The Adventures of Molly Whuppie) |
| The 1950s saw a mass exodus from the coalfields of Appalachia to cities in the North. Mountain families and communities were torn apart or vanished when jobs disappeared. Much has been said and written about leaving home, but few stories tell of the lonesome heartache and yearning to return again better than Silas House's THE HURTING PART. We are pulled into an everyday drama as a small family struggles through tragedy and loss to right itself. Excellent storytelling in the mountain tradition. Sadness, tragedy, heartache, and determination laced with dry humor can make for compelling drama in the hands of the right traveler. Silas House weaves a family story into a great dramatic gift. --Jack Wright, film professor & record producer (Ohio University School of Film; Music Of Coal) |
| Every student of writing in the country needs this book! It’s a “twofer.” First, Silas House generously demonstrates how to fictionalize a personal story for use in an essay, a short story, and a play. As a bonus, you get his writing – his poetic use of language, his rich characters, and a beautiful Christmas story about the importance of connections. This stunning collection will live in the hearts and minds of readers, writers, students, and teachers for years to come. Bravo! --Liz Bussey Fentress, playwright/director (Liz’s Circus Story; The Honey Harvest) |
| Like his novels, House’s play shows a deep sense of place and humanity... A story told with deep respect and honesty for the people it portrayed.... In theater, House has found another medium in which he speaks very well. --Rich Copley, Lexington Herald-Leader drama critic (from a review of THE HURTING PART world premiere, 2005) |
| The Hurting Part: Evolution of an American Play From earliest memory, author Silas House recalls his aunt Sis telling one particular family story every Christmas. Eventually, the tale found its way into the author's fiction. This book explores that process ... and presents the story itself as told by the author in three different genres. Includes photos and the author's production notes from the world premiere. |
(the author, Christmas 1973)
| Other works by Silas House: A Parchment Of Leaves Clay's Quilt The Coal Tattoo Something's Rising Two Stories Eli The Good |
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(c) 2012
| Two of Silas House's characters from THE HURTING PART came to life when the script had its world premiere in 2005. The women were based on the author's mother and his aunt. photo Tim Collins |
| "The hurting part of life is still life." In this multi-disciplinary book, bestselling novelist Silas House takes us through the process of storytelling in its many different forms. This book includes House’s moving short story “An Unsent Letter,” and the play, The Hurting Part, that was based on the same family tale and is available in print here for the first time. Both are about one pivotal winter in the lives of Thelma and Simeon Smallwood. Faced with a gnawing homesickness that leads to emotional explosions both quiet and fierce, “An Unsent Letter” and The Hurting Part reveal that desire which joins us all: the need for a home among people we cherish. Two additional pieces – a revealing essay about process and an enlightening interview with the author – complete this collection that is not only an exploration of different disciplines but also an insightful and original tool for anyone interested in the craft of writing. There’s good advice here, too, for anyone who simply wants to know how to go through life with what House calls “a fully conscious heart.” |
The Hurting Part
Evolution of an American Play
This book of beautiful writing is also an insightful volume about the art of writing. In the various sections of THE HURTING PART:
EVOLUTION OF AN AMERICAN PLAY, Silas House presents his three-act drama The Hurting Part alongside its full literary and
developmental context. The book contains not only the full-length script, but also the short story from which the play evolved. Also
included are a thorough interview in which House describes his writing process, and there's an analytical essay by the author discussing how
the two fictional works originated from one of his family's often-repeated stories. Personal vignettes about the author, his family, and the
play's premiere are woven into the literary and cultural fabric of the book. House offers solid insight on the Appalachian dialect, with which
he has had a lifetime of experience. He also describes some of the influences that other playwrights and novelists have injected into his own
writing. THE HURTING PART: EVOLUTION OF AN AMERICAN PLAY includes photographic images of the author, his family, and
scenes from the world premiere. This book is not to be missed by fans of Silas House's writing. It is essential for anyone who teaches,
studies or appreciates good writing and where it comes from.
Evolution of an American Play
This book of beautiful writing is also an insightful volume about the art of writing. In the various sections of THE HURTING PART:
EVOLUTION OF AN AMERICAN PLAY, Silas House presents his three-act drama The Hurting Part alongside its full literary and
developmental context. The book contains not only the full-length script, but also the short story from which the play evolved. Also
included are a thorough interview in which House describes his writing process, and there's an analytical essay by the author discussing how
the two fictional works originated from one of his family's often-repeated stories. Personal vignettes about the author, his family, and the
play's premiere are woven into the literary and cultural fabric of the book. House offers solid insight on the Appalachian dialect, with which
he has had a lifetime of experience. He also describes some of the influences that other playwrights and novelists have injected into his own
writing. THE HURTING PART: EVOLUTION OF AN AMERICAN PLAY includes photographic images of the author, his family, and
scenes from the world premiere. This book is not to be missed by fans of Silas House's writing. It is essential for anyone who teaches,
studies or appreciates good writing and where it comes from.
| Click to learn about TWO STORIES written and recorded by Silas House and published by MotesBooksAUDIO |
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