Anne Enright and Ann Patchett

When she was short-listed for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2007, Anne Enright was considered a long shot. Her novel The Gathering, in which she wanted to "explore desire and hatred," was thought to be too dark to be a true contender, and it wasn't a best-seller. Never mind the fact that the Irish writer was a darling of the critics. Of course, she won the prize (and her husband won 1,000 euros on a side bet), and the rest is history. Her books are selling quite well now, thank you very much. Her latest release is Taking Pictures, a collection of short stories.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Ann Patchett has been busy winning her own awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the Orange Award for Fiction for her 2001 novel Bel Canto about a bungled terrorist attack. Her latest release is Run, about a fragmented family. See both winners read tonight at 7:30 p.m., courtesy of Inprint, at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For information, call 713-521-2026 or visit www.inprinthouston.org. $5.
Mon., Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m., 2008