Lori Jakiela

American author of memoirs and poetry

Lori Jakiela
Occupation	Author
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Gannon University
Notable awards	William Saroyan International Prize for Writing (2016)

Lori Jakiela is an American author of memoirs and poetry. She won Stanford University's William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for non-fiction for her third memoir, Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth Maybe, in 2016.^[1]^[2]

Education and career

Jakiela was raised in Trafford, Pennsylvania and attended Gannon University.^[3] She is a professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg,^[4] and has also taught at Chatham University and served as co-director of the Chautauqua Institution's Summer Writers Festival.^[5]

Recognition

Jakiela won Stanford University's William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for non-fiction for her third memoir, Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth Maybe, in 2016.^[1]^[2] She was awarded a City of Asylum residency in Belgium in 2015.^[6]

She has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.^[1]

Personal life

Jakiela has worked as a flight attendant and as a freelance journalist, including The New York Times. the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Washington Post. She is married to novelist Dave Newman.^[6]

Selected works

Memoir

They Write Your Name on a Grain of Rice: On Cancer, Love and Living Even So (Atticus Books, 2023)
Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe (Atticus Books, 2015; Autumn House Press, 2019)^[2]^[7]
The Bridge to Take When Things Get Serious (C&R Press, 2013)^[8]
Miss New York Has Everything (Hatchette 2006)^[9]

Essays

Portrait of the Artist as a Bingo Worker: Essays on Work and the Writing Life (Bottom Dog Press, 2017)^[10]
Ed. by M.J. Fievre. All that Glitters: A Sliver of Stone Anthology (Lominy Books, 2013)
Ed by Sheryl St. Germain and Margaret Whitford. Between Song and Story: Essays for the 21st Century (Autumn Press House, 2011)
Ed. by Elizabeth Penfield. Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition (Pearson)
Ed. by Lee Gutkind. Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know about Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction (W.W. Norton, 2008)
Ed. by Dinty Moore. The Truth of the Matter: Art and Craft in Creative Nonfiction (Pearson, 2006)

Poetry

How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? Poems at Mid-Life (Brickhouse Books, 2021)
Spot the Terrorist (Turning Point 2012)
The Regulars (Liquid Paper Press, 2001)
Red Eye (Pudding House, 2010)
The Mill Hunk's Daughter Meets the Queen of Sky (Finishing Line, 2011)
Big Fish (Stranded Oak Press, 2016)^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "2016 nonfiction winner". Stanford Libraries. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
^ ^a ^b ^c DiPerna, Jody (September 9, 2019). "Pittsburgh Author Gets Re-Release Of Award-Winning 2016 Memoir". Pittsburgh Current.
^ "A closer look: Lori Jakiela". University Times. 2013-04-04. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
^ Jones Susan. "Blum, Shekhar named to lead search committee for new chancellor." Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: University Times, University of Pittsburgh, August 24, 2022.
^ "Lori Jakiela". University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
^ ^a ^b Carpenter, Mackenzie (2015-01-19). "Trafford writer wins City of Asylum residency in Belgium". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
^
Reviews of Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe:
- Reed, Shannon (August 15, 2015). "'Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe': Lori Jakiela elevates the adoption memoir". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Norman, Tony (June 15, 2015). "Hot Book Titles to Take to the Beach". The Frederick News-Post – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- Voss, R. A. (June 6, 2015). "Creation Stories: A Review of Lori Jakiela's, Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe". Weave Magazine.
- Wagner, Vivian (November 11, 2015). "Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe, by Lori Jakiela". Heavy Feather Review.
- Sharpe, Michele (October 19, 2019). "Reviews of three adoption memoirs". Hippocampus.
- Prince, Ellee (September 8, 2015). "A Review of Lori Jakiela's Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe". Brevity.
- "Finding Yourself Among Shifting Identities: A Review of 'Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe' By Lori Jakiela". Atticus Review. October 4, 2015.
- Boyle, William. "Belief Is Its Own Kind of Truth, Maybe". New Orleans Review.
^
Reviews of The Bridge to Take When Things Get Serious:
- Norman, Tony (May 19, 2013). "Briefing Books: 'Hemlock Grove' hits it big; Lori Jakiela hits a nerve". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- O'Driscoll, Bill (July 24, 2013). "Lori Jakiela's new memoir is as much coming-of-age story as it is mid-life crisis". City Paper.
^
Reviews of Miss New York Has Everything:
- "Nonfiction Book Review: Miss New York Has Everything: A Memoir". Publishers Weekly.
- Rouvalis, Cristina. "'Miss New York Has Everything' by Lori Jakiela". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
^
Reviews of Portrait of the Artist as a Bingo Worker:
- Shaw, Fred (January 24, 2018). "Lori Jakiela's Portrait of the Artist as a Bingo Worker: The book's backbone is its celebration of labor". City Paper.
- Collins, Kristofer (September 27, 2018). "Undercover: What We're Reading in October". Pittsburgh Magazine.
^
Review of Big Fish:
- Shaw, Fred (July 6, 2016). "Reviews of new chapbooks by Lori Jakiela and Judith Robinson: Jakiela's Big Fish explores everyday life, while Robinson's When I Loved You gets more philosophical". City Paper.