Dine: An Anthology

by Donna Talarico, Lisa Allen (Contributor)

Daily specials. Bottomless coffee. Homefries. Pie. Ah, the diner. We bet you have a favorite: somewhere you go for unforgettable home-style cooking and camaraderie. This anthology captures 18 stories about diners and family restaurants. On the menu you'll find rich and flavorful essays that drip with detail like au jus on a daily blue plate special. Our contributors transport us to diners in bustling center cities, small towns, and along desolate highways. At these restaurants, they come of age, celebrate life milestones, recall days past, find themselves, and fall in love. Slide into your favorite red vinyl booth or grab your favorite stool at the counter and enjoy this diner-themed essay collection. Dine is the second title in our The Way Things Were Series, a line of anthologies that celebrate the things we miss, the things we long for; forthcoming titles will focus on local newspapers, mom and pop stores, corner bars, and road trips.

200 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2019

About the author

Donna Talarico is founder and publisher of Hippocampus Magazine -- and its annual conference (HippoCamp) and book division.

Now an independent writer and content marketing consultant, she previously enjoyed careers in higher education, radio, newspapers, and ecommerce. Donna's been published in a variety of publications, including higher education trade magazines and alumni magazines, and she also has work forthcoming or published in literary and mainstream publications including mental_floss, The Guardian, The LA Times, The Writer, The Los Angeles Review, and others.

She's working on a memoir called Door to Door.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I must note that I wrote one of the essays included in this anthology about old-time diners, so I am clearly biased. That said, it’s a good book. The 18 writers approach the subject from many different directions They talk about working in greasy spoons as teenagers, taking elderly parents to eat as they faded into dementia, lifelong love stories that started at diners, and the characters who worked or ate in these dens of hash browns and hamburgers. Angie Chatman talks about being black in the early diner days, and Chris Wiewiora shares his experience as a pizza chef. But all share many of the same elements: the stools at the counter, waitresses who call you “hon,” and common menu items like French fries and gravy--so much gravy!—scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes, chili dogs, burgers, milkshakes, and pie. You don’t find diners like these much anymore, but their stories are preserved here in this tasty book, which makes me hungry for a slice of pie and a vanilla milkshake.

[Wendy Fontaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, easy to read anthology of food-related diner stories. My favorites were Basic Training, Meet Me At The Big Guy's Diner, and the intro by Donna Talarico.

[Mark NP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another quality anthology from Hippocampus Books and Donna Talarico. I actually enjoyed Dine better than Air, but that's probably because the subject matter is more near and dear to my heart. Looking forward to future additions to The Way Things Were series. I actually submitted an essay for Road--here's hoping I'm published!

[JT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of short stories.