Susan Jane Gilman

Susan Jane Gilman (born October 22, 1964) is an American writer and novelist.[1] She is the author of two novels, The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street (2014)[2] and Donna Has Left the Building[3] (2019) in addition to three non-fiction books: Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven (2009); Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress (2005); and Kiss My Tiara (2001).

Photo of Susan Jane Gilman

Early life and education

Gilman was born in New York City and grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[4] She attended Stuyvesant High School in New York City and was a student of Frank McCourt.[5][6] Gilman attended Brown University where she got a B.A. in 1986.[1] She received a Masters' in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan in 1993.[1][6]

Career

She has written for several newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, the L.A. Times, Salon, the Guardian, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, and Ms. magazine.

She has been a contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered,[7]" and won literary awards for her journalism, short fiction, and audio book recordings.[8]

Kiss My Tiara, Gilman's first book, is a smart-ass reaction to the advice that women are given. She implores women to get "a life not husband".[9]

Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, a New York Times Bestseller[10] is a memoir of the author growing up in New York City.[11][12][13] The topics range from growing up with hippy parents, meeting Mick Jagger, getting bullied at school, and moving overseas.

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven is a true story of the author setting out to backpack across China in 1986 and running into trouble with her friend and Chinese authorities.[7][14]

The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street is the author's first novel. It follows the rise and fall of Lillian Dunkle, a Russian immigrant who arrives in America as a child in 1914 and goes on become the doyenne of an empire of ice cream franchises over the course of 70 years.[15]

Gilman's second novel, Donna Has Left the Building, chronicles Donna Koczynski, a wife, mother, former punk rocker, and recovering alcoholic who blows up her own life and takes off on an epic quest across America that ultimately lands her in the middle of a refugee crisis halfway around the globe.

Her books have been translated into eleven languages.

She made the keynote presentation entitled “There is No Lightning Bolt" at the TedXZurichWomen on May 29, 2015.

Bibliography

Awards
  • Literary Award for Short Fiction, Greensboro Review[1]
  • Three Avery Hopwood Awards, University of Michigan, for fiction and nonfiction[1]
  • Cowden Memorial fellowship[1]
  • Gutterman Poetry Prize[1]
  • New York Press Association Award for feature writing, for articles written on assignment in Poland for Jewish Week[1]

References
  1. "Contemporary Authors Online". Biography in Context. Gale. 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. "Book review: 'The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street' by Susan Jane Gilman". Chicago Tribune Online. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  3. Pollitt, Katha. ""DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE OF AMERICA": KATHA POLLITT TALKS WITH SUSAN JANE GILMAN". Publicbooks.org.
  4. "The Author of The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street Shopped On the LES Before It Was Cool". Bedford + Bowery. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  5. Lipp, Yvonne (June 17, 2014). "'The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street' is a sweeping novel with a sense of humor".
  6. March, Jill (January 16, 2015). "LOCATION, LOCUTION: Author and part-time expat Susan Jane Gilman, who plunders her life for memoir and fiction". The Displaced Nation. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  7. "Susan Jane Gilman". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  8. "Amazon.com: Susan Jane Gilman: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  9. "How a Feminine Badass Found Love - Last First Date". Last First Date. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  10. "Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List". The New York Times. February 8, 2005.
  11. Barber, Brandy (March 28, 2005). Issue 31, Feb/Mar 2005. "Book Review: Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress". Bust: 87.
  12. ""Dress" for Success - Book review". Entertainment Weekly: 94. January 14, 2005.
  13. Prose, Francine (January 10, 2005). "Critic's Choice: Hyprocrite in a Pouffy White Dress". People: 45.
  14. "Out Far and in Deep". Oprah.com. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  15. Gilman, Susan Jane (June 19, 2014). "11 Insane Ice Cream Flavors That Really Need To Exist". Huffington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
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