Stories on Stage Sacramento has announced that Anthony Marra as the featured writer for its monthly event, Friday, August 29, 2014. His debut novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, was praised as “a 21st-century War and Peace” by the New York Times Book Review. The Washington Post extolled it as “a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles.” Marra’s brilliant tale of love and forgiveness in war-torn Chechnya is a New York Times bestseller, on a dozen national “best ten” lists, the winner of the 2014 National Book Critics Circle’s inaugural John Leonard Prize, on the shortlist for the 2014 PEN/Robert W. Bingham prize for debut novel, and was recently named Book of the Year by the Northern California Independent Booksellers. 

In addition, Marra is the winner of a Whiting Award, a Pushcart Prize, and the Narrative Prize. Stories on Stage, the popular, award-winning series where actors perform short stories, is celebrating its fifth year. It takes place on the final Friday of each month, customarily at the Sacramento Poetry Center. But because of the anticipated size of the audience, the August event will be held at Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S Street, Sacramento.