Sterling College assistant professor Aaron Brown will have his manuscript “Acacia Road” published in February 2018 as the result of winning the 2016 Gerald Cable Book Award through Silverfish Review Press. Brown grew up in Chad, Africa, and describes his first full-length book as exploring the “memories from growing up in Chad and the years afterward –  memories of belonging and dislocation, friendship and war.”

The Gerald Cable Book Award is given for an author’s first full-length book. Brown has previously published two shorter pieces: a chapbook, “Winnower,” and a novella, “Bound.” His new book, “Acacia Road,” speaks to the experience of children raised in a culture other than their parents’ culture for a significant part of their formative years. Brown said, “These poems navigate what it means to be a child of many countries and multiple continents, while exploring themes of trauma and transnational identity.”

“Having worked on these poems for a number of years –  from my graduate creative writing program at the University of Maryland and beyond –  I’m grateful that this work has found a home in Silverfish Review Press,” said Brown. “More than anything, I am excited to share these poems with readers and hope they will connect with the book itself. I hope this book draws attention to the great work we do in the Language and Literature Department here at Sterling.”

“Acacia Road” will be available February 2018 at writing and literature conferences hosted by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and through the Modern Language Association. It will also be distributed by Small Press Distribution, select bookstores, and Amazon.com.

Sterling College is a Christ-centered, four-year college located in Sterling, Kansas, with a mission to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. For more information, visit www.sterling.edu.