Long Bright River: A Novel (38 page)

Thank you to those who have spoken to me over the years about their personal experiences with a variety of the subjects covered in this novel, especially India, Matt, David, José, Krista Killen, and the women of the Thea Bowman Center.

Thank you to photographer Jeffrey Stockbridge, who has dedicated a large part of his life to photographing Kensington, and who first introduced me to the neighborhood in 2009. Without his introduction, this novel would not have been written.

Thank you to Natalie Weaver, Father Michael Duffy, and the staff of St. Francis Inn for your friendship, your service to the community, and the opportunity to get to know your organization. Thank you also to Women in Transition and Mighty Writers, two other organizations that provide indispensable aid to the city of Philadelphia and its residents.

Thank you to Zoe Van Orsdol, Signe Espinoza, Dr. Charles O’Brien, Nathaniel Popkin, Marjorie Just, and Clarence for your help with the research that informed this novel and related writing projects, and to Jessica Soffer and Mac Casey for reading and discussing early drafts.

Thank you to the authors of the following books, which provided useful information as I wrote:
Voices of Kensington: Vanishing Mills, Vanishing Neighborhoods
, by Jean Seder, with photography by Nancy Hellebrand;
Silk Stockings and Socialism: Philadelphia’s Radical Hosiery Workers from the Jazz Age to the New Deal
, by Sharon McConnell-Sidorick;
Work Sights: Industrial Philadelphia, 1890–1950
, by Philip Scranton and Walter Licht;
Whitetown USA
, by Peter Binzen; and the
WPA Guide to Philadelphia
.

Thank you to Seth Fishman and the Gernert team; to Sarah McGrath, Jynne Dilling Martin, Kate Stark, and the Riverhead team; and to Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and the Gotham team, for your professional guidance and your friendship, too.

Thank you to the many family members, friends, and providers of childcare who facilitated the writing of this book. Every day, I’m grateful for you.

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