Rilla Askew

The Tulsa Historical Society and Museum and Magic City Books are proud to welcome Rilla Askew for a special program in celebration of her most recent book, Prize for the Fire, on Saturday, February 25 at 11:00 am. This free event will be held at the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, 2445 S. Peoria Avenue.

Prize for the Fire is a rich evocation of Reformation England, from the fenlands of Lincolnshire to the teeming religious underground of London to the court of Henry VIII, this gripping tale of defiance is as pertinent today as it was in the sixteenth century. While skillfully portraying a significant historical figure–one of the first female writers known to have composed in the English language– Prize for the Fire renders the inner life of Anne Askew with a depth and immediacy that transcends time.

Copies of Prize for the Fire and other books by Rilla Askew will be for sale at the event and after the program there will be a book signing.

About Prize for the Fire

Lincolnshire, 1537. Amid England’s religious turmoil, fifteen-year-old Anne Askew is forced to take her dead sister’s place in an arranged marriage. The witty, well-educated gentleman’s daughter is determined to free herself from her abusive husband, harsh in-laws, and the cruel strictures of her married life. But this is the England of Henry VIII, where religion and politics are dangerously entangled. A young woman of Anne’s fierce independence, Reformist faith, uncanny command of plainspoken scripture, and–not least–connections to Queen Katheryn Parr’s court cannot long escape official notice, or censure.

In a deft blend of history and imagination, award-winning novelist Rilla Askew brings to life a young woman who defied the conventions of her time, ultimately braving torture and the fire of martyrdom for her convictions. A rich evocation of Reformation England, from the fenlands of Lincolnshire to the teeming religious underground of London to the court of Henry VIII, this gripping tale of defiance is as pertinent today as it was in the sixteenth century.

While skillfully portraying a significant historical figure–one of the first female writers known to have composed in the English language– Prize for the Fire renders the inner life of Anne Askew with a depth and immediacy that transcends time.

Rilla Askew is the author of five novels, a book of stories, and a collection of creative nonfiction, Most American: Notes from a Wounded Place. She’s a PEN/Faulkner finalist and recipient of the American Book Award and the Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her essays and short stories have appeared in AGNI, Tin House, World Literature Today, Nimrod, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and elsewhere. Askew’s novel Prize for the Fire, about sixteenth century English martyr Anne Askew, will be released October 20.