Authors >
Alicia Oltuski

Alicia Oltuski
Joelle Phillips

Alicia Oltuski

Alicia Oltuski received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA in writing from Columbia University, where she was awarded a David Berg Foundation Fellowship. Her work has appeared on NPR’s... Read full bio

Author Revealed:
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. I don’t have one, perhaps because I grew up speaking two languages. Idioms and proverbs don’t tend to translate well. It was years before I learned that one doesn’t steal a parade, but rather rains on it.
Learn more about Alicia Oltuski
My life in 8 words: "I wear headphones, even when I’m all alone."
Related multimediaclose x

Video

1 to 1 of 1
  • 1635265513_1215411618001_5-full
    1. A Legacy of Diamonds
    03:30
    1000987325001
See more multimedia
Precious Objects will be released on July 03, 2012 in Trade Paperback
Feb 20, 2012
Oct 05, 2011
Author Revealed Answer:
Who is your favorite fictional villain?
Oct 05, 2011
Author Revealed Answer:
What are your 5 favorite songs?
Oct 05, 2011
Author Revealed Answer:
What do you regret most?
Oct 05, 2011
Oct 05, 2011
Oct 05, 2011
Author Revealed Answer:
What is your motto or maxim?
Oct 05, 2011
Oct 05, 2011
Excerpt:
Excerpt 1 from Precious Objects
Sep 08, 2011
Author Appearances have been announced:
Find Alicia Oltuski appearances
Aug 18, 2011
Precious Objects will be released on July 19, 2011 in Hardcover, eBook
Jul 19, 2011
Precious Objects is now available in Hardcover, eBook
Jul 19, 2011
Excerpt:
Excerpt 1 from Precious Objects
Jul 15, 2011
Brightcove:
A Legacy of Diamonds
Jun 17, 2011

Alicia Oltuski Revealed

Q. What is your motto or maxim? A. I don’t have one, perhaps because I grew up speaking two languages. Idioms and proverbs don’t tend to translate well. It was years before I learned that one doesn’t steal a parade, but rather rains on it. Q. With whom in history do you most identify? A. Anyone about whom a good movie has been made or a good book has been written (presuming I’ve seen or read it) Q. What are your 5 favorite songs? A. This changes almost daily, and I listen to a lot of music. At the moment, though: Sunny Road (Emiliana Torrini), La Legierezza (Franz Liszt), Everyday (Rogue Wave), Better (Regina Spektor), 99 Luftballons (Nena), rotating songs by The Pixies Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain? A. There’s this German children’s book called the Der Struwwelpeter, which is sort of a twisted version of a morality tale. In one of the stories, a mother warns her son not to suck his thumb and, when he disobeys one night, an evil tailor referred to as “the great, long, red-legg’d scissor-man” comes into his home and chops his thumbs off with giant scissors. Guess who was a thumb sucker when she was a little girl? Still, having long since recuperated from the terror of this story, I find the scissor-man one of the most creative and enigmatic of fictional villains. Who was his boss? I still find myself wondering sometimes. Q. How would you describe perfect happiness? A. Being with those you love, doing what you love to do (well) Learn more about Alicia Oltuski

Authors on the Web

National Jeweler, January 3, 2012
...be presenting Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family and a Way of Life, a lecture featuring author Alicia Oltuski, the daughter of a diamond dealer. The lecture is named after Oltuskis book by the same name, a family narrative account which...
Hometown News, December 30, 2011
...McClure, writer of "The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie," Alicia Oltuski, author of "Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life" and Jim Lehrer, author of "Tension City: Inside the...
Examiner.com, December 18, 2011
...family history in the intriguing diamond business. Like a diamond's prism, "Precious Objects" (Scribner) by local writer Alicia Oltuski radiates adventure, mystery, comedy, science, and much more. And the most precious gift is love. "And the Bridge is...
Sarasota Observer, November 14, 2011
...org starting on September 26, 2011. The Jewish Book Festival will conclude during February 26 through March 1. Alicia Oltuski "Precious Objects"...
St. Petersburg Times, November 12, 2011
...Book Talk The Jewish Book Festival and its book sponsor, Inkwood Books, present Alicia Oltuski (Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life), 11 a.m. today, Congregation Rodelph Sholom 2713 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa; tickets $18, call...
St. Petersburg Times, November 5, 2011
...of the Great Depression), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Beth Shalom Synagogue, 706 Bryan Rd., Brandon; tickets $5. Alicia Oltuski (Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life), 11 a.m. Nov. 13, Congregation Rodelph Sholom, 2713 Bayshore Blvd.,...
Gazette.net, November 2, 2011
...Lynn Gittleson says several of the books featured in this year’s event focus on hidden worlds, including Alicia Oltuski’s “Precious Objects: A Story of Diamonds, Family, and a Way of Life,” which follows her childhood growing up in New York...