(GREENSBORO, N.C.) — NEWS: Bituminous Press is pleased to announce the completion of the latest book by author Gerry Stanek, scheduled to be published on August 29, 2020. At once humorous and heartfelt, “Loud and Sure of Myself” (ISBN: 979-8668873326) is a rambling and luminous childhood journey through a simpler time – the 1970s – and a loving look at a place they once called Coal Country, a pocket of small towns in Western Pennsylvania.
“Loud and Sure of Myself” is a collection of essays that evokes a world of used-to-be: youthful adventures set in Catholic schools, at little league games, and inside a unique local radio station that helped to define a culture.
Val Nieman, author of “To the Bones,” writes that “Loud and Sure of Myself” “…enchants us with these tales of Coal Country, where a radio station mattered, and people drove icy mountain roads to hear local kids becoming rockers … (Stanek) shares indelible images of a small, specific place now lost to change.”
Stanek’s sophomore effort is affectionate and laden with imagery – a clear rendering of a lifestyle that has disappeared.
“I’m not a fan of nostalgia,” Stanek says, “but it was important to get 1975 down on paper in a way that’s not so serious, important for anyone who lived through the Nixon and Carter era. I think we were fortunate to grow up then, and the remembering seems to be worthwhile.”
“Loud and Sure of Myself” follows on the heels of “They Came Here Looking for Light: The Plattsville Stories,” Stanek’s 2019 collection of gritty short stories. “Plattsville Stories” shows just as much affection for life in the Allegheny Mountains, but the earlier book is focused on the brutal nature of work and life in a coal town.
Gerry Stanek is a native of Western Pennsylvania. He currently lives in Greensboro with his three daughters and teaches writing at North Carolina A&T State University.
“Loud and Sure of Myself” is currently available for pre-order online from Barnes & Noble and will be available at Amazon.com on August 29, 2020.
For more information, visit https://gerrystanek.com/
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