American Housewife: Stories

by Helen Ellis

  Thank you to Martin Wilson, for margaritas and drunken book shopping; to Douglas Stewart, the best third wheel ever; and to Colson Whitehead, who reminded me that I’m brave.

  Thank you to my friend and agent, Susanna Einstein, who shepherded me back into the book world (Gil would be pleased). To my editor, Jennifer Jackson, who drew hearts in my manuscript margins and made me open up more. To Sandy Hodgman, who introduced me abroad. To Clare Hey in the UK for letters and vision boards. And to John Fontana, who’s covered me from my start.

  Thank you to my book clubs, YA and Classic Trashy. And to poker players and bridge ladies.

  And finally thank you to the magazine fiction editors who pulled nearly all of my stories out of the slush. You made me trust my voice after a long silence. Without your support, there would be no American Housewife. And this American housewife is forever in your debt. Cheers to: Laurel Coffey of Blue Mesa Review, David Daley of FiveChapters, J. Bradley of Monkeybicycle, Randa Jarrar of The Normal School, Jessy Goodman of The Rumpus, Sayantani Dasgupta of Crab Creek Review, Tagert Ellis of Faultline Journal, Barbara Westwood Diehl of The Baltimore Review, Emma Carmichael of The Hairpin, and Allegra Hyde and Gary Garrison of Hayden’s Ferry Review.

  Many of the stories were previously published in the following publications: “What I Do All Day” in Monkeybicycle (June 2013), “The Wainscoting War” in Faultline Journal of Arts and Letters (June 2014), “Dumpster Diving with the Stars” in Five Chapters (July 2013), “Hello! Welcome to Book Club” in Blue Mesa Review (Spring 2013), “The Fitter” in Hayden’s Ferry Review (Fall 2014), “How to Be a Grown-Ass Lady” in The Baltimore Review (Summer 2014), “How to Be a Patron of the Arts” in Crab Creek Review (Spring 2014), “Pageant Protection” in The Rumpus (February 2014), “Take It from Cats” in The Hairpin (July 2014), and “My Novel Is Brought to You by the Good People at Tampax” in The Normal School (Spring 2014).

  A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Helen Ellis is the acclaimed author of Eating the Cheshire Cat. She is a poker player who competes on the national tournament circuit. Raised in Alabama, she lives with her husband in New York City.

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