Author George Saunders G’88, professor of creative writing in the Department of English, was recently featured in several major media outlets following the publication of his book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (Penguin Random House, 2021). In it, Saunders analyzes seven classic Russian short stories, exploring what makes great stories work and what they reveal about people and the world today.

The book incorporates some of what he and the students in his Russian short story class at Syracuse University have discovered together during his 20 years teaching the course. In a post by Saunders on Goodreads he says, "The book came out of a moment a few falls ago—I’d just come back to teaching after some time off and, after a good class, standing there in the empty classroom, was struck by how much teaching at Syracuse had meant to me over the years. It’s been, really, the foundation of my creative life. (Teach a little, write a little; teach a great story, resolve to do better in my own work.)"

Media placements include:

• New York Times review
• Esquire Q&A
• The Guardian Q&A
• Dallas Morning News review
• Chicago Tribune review
• Late Night with Seth Meyers interview

Saunders is the author of nine books, including the novel Lincoln in the Bardo, winner of the Man Booker Prize, and Tenth of December, which was a finalist for the National Book Award.