Press Release

JASON OCKERT WINS 2010 DZANC SHORT STORY COLLECTION CONTEST February 16, 2011, Ann Arbor, MI--Dzanc Books is pleased to announce that Jason Ockert, Professor of English at Coastal Carolina University, is the winner of our short story collection contest. Ockert's manuscript, Neighbors of Nothing, was selected from nearly 300 submissions. This collection will be published in October 2013. Steve Gillis, Co-Founder and Publisher of Dzanc Books, notes: "Jason Ockert spins tales that synthesize all the best particles of great story telling. His collection is filled with mystery, poetry, pain and passion, fused throughout with humor and elements of what makes his every character completely human. There is also a strong sense of locale in Neighbors of Nothing, the feeling that we have all been here before. Though the settings are oddly off the map and out of this world, it is a world which brings great joy to read and we at Dzanc are honored to name Jason Ockert as the winner of our 2010 Short Story Collection Contest and look forward to publishing his masterful work." Jason's response upon hearing that his collection had been selected: "This is humbling news. What a privilege to see my collection added to Dzanc's fine publishing list." The short list of finalists also included collections from Matthew Derby, Rebecca Kanner, Evan Lavender-Smith, Ben Miller, August Tarrier, Anne Valente, Corinna Vallianatos, and Tom Whalen. ABOUT JASON OCKERT Jason Ockert has won several national fiction awards and is the author of the short story collection Rabbit Punches. His stories have appeared in many journals, including the OxfordAmerican, Witness, Ecotone, Indiana Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Mid-American Review, McSweeney's, and The Iowa Review. His work is included in the anthologies New Stories from the South and Best American Mystery Stories. He teaches in the English Department at Coastal Carolina University.