The Virgins
Page 20
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Deep thanks to my agent, Anna Stein, and my editor, Tony Perez, each of whom has given so much to this book, and whose loyalty I prize. Thanks also to Anna’s assistant John McElwee and to the dynamic Nanci McCloskey, Rob Spillman, Diane Chonette, Jakob Vala, Anne Horowitz, and the rest of the amazing crew at Tin House Books, as wonderful a home as an author could hope for.
Jim Ruland, Jane Avrich, and Joanne Fisher read the manuscript and gave invaluable feedback, while “the Thursday group” of Therese Eiben, Lynn Schmeidler, Joanne Fisher (again), and Philip Moustakis helped with tune-ups. So did Kirsten Menger-Anderson.
Harold Brown offered me carte blanche and tour-guide services on a research trip, while Peter Greer and the late David Thomas responded to queries about boarding school life. John Casey explained crew; Daniel Gesmer got me up to speed on skateboarding. John Kim, Dot Bowe, and Caryn Bowe answered various oddball questions. Christine Schutt illuminated the big picture.
Julia Bogardus and Susan Lane: Just because you helped with material that didn’t end up making it into The Virgins doesn’t mean you didn’t help. My fault, not yours. Same goes for the late, warm-hearted Louis E. Catron.
My pals at Zoetrope Virtual Studio—too many to name, but I want to offer special appreciation to Mary Akers, Roy Kesey, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Alicia Gifford, Myfanwy Collins, Ellen Meister, Cliff Garstang, Darlin Neal, Len Joy, Marko Fong, Jim Tomlinson, Anne Elliott, and Mary Lynn Reed—keep me feeling that the writer’s life is not only survivable but a privilege.
Claudia Putnam and Elena Sigman have always shared the passion and listened to the complaints.
The Seasoned Moms—you know who you are—maintain my balance so I can put the words on the page.
No copy question is too minor for Phyliss Greenberg to deal with at the eleventh hour, and my husband, Jonathan Ratner, is also a crack pro bono proofreader.
Kathy Melillo: Thanks for making everything run smoothly while I was upstairs.
It feels corny to say it, but my mother, Patricia Erens, always believed I really was a writer—or at least she did a good job of hiding any doubts. It’s time for a shout-out, Mom.
Jonathan, Abraham, and Hannah: You are my life’s grounding and grace.
PHOTO © MIRIAM BERKLEY
PAMELA ERENS’s first novel, The Understory, was a finalist for both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction and the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. For many years she worked as a magazine editor, including at Glamour.