Name
James Mulhern (also published as James F. Mulhern)
Based In
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Genres
Literary fiction, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction
Publisher
Silver Current Press (founder)
Best Known For
Give Them Unquiet Dreams — Kirkus starred review, Kirkus Best Book of 2019
Notable Honors
Pushcart Prize nominee · Oxford writing fellow · Aesthetica shortlist · Best of the Net nominee · Readers' Favorite winner
Publication Count
300+ appearances in international literary journals and anthologies
Press & Media
press@silvercurrentpress.com
General Inquiries
james@silvercurrentpress.com
Submissions
submissions@silvercurrentpress.com
Amazon
Amazon Author Page

James Mulhern is a Philadelphia-based novelist, poet, and essayist. His Kirkus-starred novel Give Them Unquiet Dreams was named a Best Book of 2019. He is the founder of Silver Current Press.

James Mulhern is a Philadelphia-based novelist, poet, essayist, and professor emeritus. His fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in more than 300 international literary journals and anthologies. His novel Give Them Unquiet Dreams received a Kirkus starred review and was named one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2019. He was awarded a fully paid Creative Writing Fellowship to the University of Oxford and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He is the founder of Silver Current Press.

James Mulhern is a Philadelphia-based novelist, poet, essayist, and professor emeritus whose fiction, poetry, and nonfiction have appeared in more than 300 international literary journals and anthologies. His novels and story collections — among them Give Them Unquiet Dreams, Molly Bonamici, A Prayer for Home, and Assumptions and Other Stories — have earned favorable critiques from Kirkus Reviews, including a starred review.

Mulhern was awarded a fully paid Creative Writing Fellowship and graduated with “Highest Distinction,” the most prestigious designation granted by the college. In 2015, he was awarded a fully paid writing fellowship to the University of Oxford. That same year, a story of his was longlisted for the Fish Short Story Prize. In 2017, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He has been shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award, nominated for Best of the Net, and named a Finalist for the Tuscany Prize in Catholic Fiction. He is the founder of Silver Current Press, which publishes literary fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

Novel · 2019

Give Them Unquiet Dreams

Kirkus-starred novel · One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2019.

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Novel · 2016

Molly Bonamici

A novel of a resilient young woman whose name and spirit echo Defoe's Moll Flanders.

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Novella

A Prayer for Home

A spare, lyrical novella — Wishing Shelf Red Ribbon Winner.

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Stories

Assumptions and Other Stories

A collection of literary short fiction.

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"A luminous, beautifully told fairy tale grounded in history and elevated by spirit." Kirkus Reviews (starred), on Give Them Unquiet Dreams
"Give Them Unquiet Dreams is brilliant; it's most highly recommended." — Readers' Favorite, on Give Them Unquiet Dreams
"Well-written, complex characters and a fantastic voice." The Missouri Review, on A Prayer for Home
  • — Writing the Irish Catholic Boston of Give Them Unquiet Dreams
  • — Founding and running an independent literary press
  • — Teaching American literature to inner-city students for three decades
  • — The role of the gothic in contemporary literary fiction
  • — Poetry and place — Boston, Philadelphia, and Pompano Beach
  • — The craft of the short story collection
  • — The literary contest world from a judge's point of view