Steven Nightingale
Steven Nightingale writes novels, sonnets, long essays, and is exploring currently a promiscuous range of projects. His interests include the medieval art of Spain and Italy, the wild country of the American West and the Caribbean, cooking for his treasured wife and daughter, astronomy, venture capital, the quantitative arts, and Emily Dickinson, whom he loves.
His latest book, Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God, is a finalist for both the 2016 Chautauqua Prize and The Northern California Book Award in Creative Nonfiction.
He divides his time between Palo Alto, California, his beloved home state of Nevada, and the beautiful Albayzin, a barrio in Granada, Spain.
"I have heard Steven speak on numerous occasions--at public unveilings of new collections of his sonnets; and, not long ago, at the premiere of Granada. On each of the former occasions, something almost unprecedented for a poetry reading occurs: Steven prefaces each selection with an eloquent, deeply personal, and often very funny introduction, then reads the poem beautifully. The rarity follows: at poem's end, the audience applauds delightedly. This continues throughout the evening. In much the same way, the unveiling of Granada was a spirited and brilliant presentation that in addition to readings from the book included flamenco music, a short, vivid excursion through 1300 years of Iberian history, photographs and explications of Alhambran tile work, and charming anecdotes recalling how Steven discovered and came to love his adopted city. Such are Steven's presence on these occasions, his relish for sharing his thoughts and words, and, I believe, his esteem for his audience, that any public appearance by the man is an event to savor. "
-- Robert Leonard Reid, Writer
"Steven Nightingale is a speaker of great energy, appreciation, and care for his audience and subject. He capably integrates the beauty and wisdom of the humanities with history, science, architecture, agriculture, and business. Informed by a realistic understanding of personal and public economies, Steven fosters engaging, hopeful, sobering, and spirited conversation. He is the author of 9 books including his latest, "Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God" (Counterpoint Press) in which we are treated to a buoyant and honest survey of the incalculable significance of successful economic, scientific, cultural and religious diversity. Steven's presentations and readings have always drawn a full audience and he represents the best of what we hope to achieve with our events here at our bookstore."
-- Christine Kelly, Owner, Sundance Books and Music
"I have had the pleasure of reading many of Steven Nightingale's published books - novels and poetry collections - and then of seeing him read from those works before large audiences. His performance on these occasions has been friendly, insightful, eloquent and salted with humor when the time is right. Now, with the publication of Granada, A Pomegranate in the Hand of God, I add "brilliant" to this list. It's not that I haven't seen that quality in his other works and in his readings from them. This book is so ambitious and encompassing, literary yes but so much more. It is a history of a grand city, of a great era of Spanish accomplishment and the collaborative diversity of the people who made it happen, and of five centuries of loss that followed. It's range across the arts and sciences, economy and politics, tragedy, hope and a family's love for the city is exceptional. I was fortunate enough to be in an audience recently that witnessed Steven bringing this book to life. His presentation was brilliant, the evening remarkable - altogether appropriate for this brilliant and remarkable book."
-- Joe Crowley, Former President, University of Nevada
For more about Steven and his works, go to http://stevennightingale.net/
Reviews of Granada
His book is not only a memoir of one family's communion with a dream house, it's the unearthing of a long-buried dream of civic harmony, a reawakening. Even if you have visited Granada and walked the labyrinthine ways of the Albayzín, Nightingale makes you want to go there again, to see it with new eyes.
-- The New York Times Book Review,
An exuberant and beautifully written book and as packed with information as a pomegranate is with seeds... Nightingale possesses a keen tactile sense of the place; his approach is refreshingly sensuous.
-- The Wall Street Journal,
