Upton's 2026 Novel Secures Thurber Prize Semi-Finalist Status

Lee Upton’s novel Tabitha, Stay Up, released this year, advanced to the semi-finalist stage of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The book serves as a sequel to Tabitha, Get Up. Upton also published The Withers in 2026. The author identifies as a writer and poet.

Mitch Wieland read the poem Even If during a segment of the program Something I Heard. The reading occurred during the first week of November. The monthly theme for the series is reclamation, defined as the idea or hope that one can regain something once lost. Wieland cited Allen Ginsburg, who stated that poetry reclaims awareness of the world. Ginsburg added that this awareness is the only thing that can save the world.

Wieland reflected on his early career as a copywriter for a small marketing firm. He described working for a global client that faced criticism for tactics in the agricultural sector. Wieland was the only copywriter at the firm. He managed the client's ads and press releases while feeling conflicted about the company's reputation. A manager with ten years of experience assured Wieland that the client had executed a proper mining reclamation project. The manager toured the site and maintained confidence in the project's integrity.

Wieland noted that he was in his early twenties at the time of the engagement. He stated that he had no reason to disbelieve his senior colleague. Wieland said he still considers what he might do differently in that situation. The program Something I Heard receives support from the Idaho Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.