The History of Great Things tells the entwined stories of Lois, an ambitious opera singer, and her daughter, Elizabeth, an aspiring writer who came of age in the shadow of her often-absent, always larger-than-life mother. In a tour de force of storytelling and human empathy, mother and daughter pull back the curtain on lifelong secrets, and, ultimately, come to understand each other in a way that feels both extraordinary and universal. Elizabeth Crane is the author of the novel We Only Know So Much, and three collections of short stories: When the Messenger Is Hot, All this Heavenly Glory, and You Must Be This Happy to Enter. Her stories have been featured on NPR’s Selected Shorts. She is a recipient of the Chicago Public Library 21st Century Award, and her work has been adapted for the stage by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater Company. A feature film adaptation of We Only Know So Much will be released in 2016. Megan Stielstra is the author of Once I Was Cool—featured in Best of 2014 lists of Chicago magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and Salon. Her next collection, Come Here Fear, is forthcoming. She recently joined the New York Times as a contributing opinion writer. She teaches creative nonfiction at Northwestern University.
