September 30, 2004 SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) – Gary Fincke will read from his recently published book of short stories, Sorry I Worried You, on Tuesday, Oct. 12. The reading, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in Isaacs Auditorium of Seibert Hall, is free and open to the public. Sorry I Worried You was the winner of the 2003 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. The Flannery O’Connor Award is arguably the most prestigious prize for literary fiction in the United States. Well-received in pre-publication reviews, Fincke’s short story collection has been described by Kirkus Reviews as “steady as a hammer, nailing the emotional shifts of men hovering over the half-century mark…consistent and moving tales.” Likewise, Dan Chaon, author of You Remind Me of Me, says, “Gary Fincke writes wonderfully quirky, unpredictable stories full of vivid characters and unforgettable details and moments.” Fincke has published 17 books of poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction. Among his most recent publications was Amp’d: A Father’s Backstage Pass, a personal recording of his son’s rock and roll life with the signed bands Lifer and Breaking Benjamin. His collection of poems Writing Letters for the Blind won the 2003 Ohio State University Press/The Journal Book Award. A new collection of poems, Standing Around the Heart, is scheduled to be published by the University of Arkansas Press in the spring of 2005. Fincke has received the Bess Hokin Prize from Poetry Magazine, the Rose Lefcowitz Prize from Poet Lore, a PEN Syndicated Fiction Prize, as well as seven fellowships for creative writing from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, including one this year for creative nonfiction. Fincke recently won the George Garrett Fiction Prize for a new story called “The Blazer Sestina.” His poems, stories, and essays have appeared in such periodicals as Harper's, Newsday, The Paris Review, The Kenyon Review, The Georgia Review, American Scholar, and Doubletake. Fincke is director of the Writers’ Institute at Susquehanna University, which oversees the development of more than 60 creative writing majors. He teaches introductory and advanced classes in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Copies of Sorry I Worried You will be available for purchase and signing the night of the reading. Contact: Victoria Kidd 570-372-4119 #vk/0683#