MFA in Writing and Literature Program's First-Time Author Signs Immediate Deal; to Address Esteemed Writers Conference

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y., July 13, 2009 – It already is widely known that Stony Brook Southampton's MFA in Writing and Literature program boasts a virtual all-star cast of literati instructors.

Helen Simonson's newly praised "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand," will be printed and distributed Internationally beginning in March 2010.

But now, the students are getting in on the act; the most recent being Helen Simonson, whose creative thesis – a novel titled “Major Pettigrew's Last Stand” – was swooped up by Random House in a heralded six-figure deal, with foreign and translation rights sold by her agent to at least six other countries. Simonson just graduated in late December. The book was picked up in April and will be published in March 2010.

With the venerable MFA program still in relative infancy – started by the former LIU-Southampton College in 1997 and acquired by Stony Brook University in 2006 – it quickly has become one to watch in New York literary circles.

“The Stony Brook Southampton writing program is definitely on my radar,” said Julie Barer, Simonson's high-powered literary agent, who became interested in “Major Pettigrew” five years ago, after seeing the first chapter in a Bronx writing contest. “I've found great writers from all walks of life, but Helen was definitely helped by the structure of such a writing program.”

Now, at its famous Summer Writers Conference – which Tom Wolfe called “the best in the country” – Stony Brook Southampton quickly turns Simonson from alum to professor, at least for a day, as she will address students on Thursday, July 16, at 2 p.m. in a presentation with Elena Gorokhova, an alum of the Southampton Writers Conference whose memoir, “A Mountain of Crumbs,” is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster.

At the Conference, Simonson will join professors in the MFA program, including: Roger Rosenblatt, Lou Ann Walker, Julie Sheehan, Alan Alda, Melissa Bank, Billy Collins, Christopher Durang, Jules Feiffer, Annette Handley Chandler, Ursula Hegi, Kaylie Jones, Matthew Klam, Frank McCourt, Marsha Norman, David Rakoff and Meg Wolitzer, among others.

“We are extremely proud of Helen and know her book will be a tremendous success,” said program director Robert Reeves, who advised Simonson and her creative thesis. “Who better to talk in our Summer Writers Conference than a recent student who really benefitted from the MFA program's focus on both hard work and publishing?”

Simonson's score is also extraordinary for a first-time novelist, but adds to the growing list of publishing credits for Stony Brook Southampton's MFA program.

Other recent student success stories have included: Bill Schutt's book, “Dark Banquet,” about blood-sucking creatures that was given front page attention in The New York Times' Science Times in October; Carole O'Malley Gaunt's memoir, “Hungry Hill,” which was named one of the 20 best books published by university presses in 2007 and featured on CSPAN; Michelle Whittaker's recent admission to the highly competitive 92nd Street Y's Unterberg Poetry Center's Master Class program, where she studied with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa; Meri Weiss's debut novel (another MFA thesis) being nominated "Best Debut Novel" by the Lambda Association, and Simon Van Buoy's second collection of stories just released by Harper and reviewed by The New York Times.

“I found myself not only inspired by the amazing faculty in the program, but also my fellow students who have had a broad array of their work published works in one way or the other,” Simsonson said. “It's an eclectic group of students, all coming together in Southampton to not only write, but publish.”

The novel, an against-all-odds love story between a retired British Army major and a British-Pakistani store clerk, is being published by Random House's acclaimed editor Susan Kamil. The story pairs the quintessential local with the permanent foreigner.

“Major Pettigrew” was sent to Barer and sold to Random House in just a few days. “It was an easy pitch because I was so in love with this book,” Barer said. “I had a hard time believing anyone wouldn't be swept away by it its charm, heartwarming story and winning cast of characters.”

Simsonson, a longtime resident of Westhampton Beach and New York City, has just moved to the Washington, DC, area with her husband, John and her two sons, Ian and Jamie.

Program Gears Up for Another Success-Filled Summer
The acclaimed Southampton Writers Conference is taking place this summer from July 8 – August 2. The Conference is well-known for providing a forum for authors of all genres to study and discuss the craft of writing under the guidance of some of the most respected members of the industry – and this year's line-up of esteemed faculty members and guest participants is no exception.

“These faculty-writers give fully of themselves and of their time,” said Simonson. “They treat students as fellow working writers. There is no condescension.”

Last summer, the Writers Conference expanded to include two new conferences in Children's Literature and Screenwriting, and this year a fourth conference will be added to the mix – Playwriting, scheduled to run concurrently with the other three.

“The hands-on, workshop structure of the Southampton program really helped motivate me and build my confidence,” Simonson added. “It's safe to say without this structure, my novel never would have been born, let alone seen to completion. It's a wonderful program.”

For more information about Stony Brook Southampton's MFA in Writing and Literature program and Summer Writers Conference, please visit http://www.stonybrook.edu/mfa or contact 631-632-5030.

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