<p><em>Black Tie Optional </em>is a book for the front of the store, and an excellent recommendation for book clubs.&nbsp; Carrie&nbsp; Knowles&rsquo; short stories are spare, tightly woven narratives with crisp, compelling dialogue. They cut to the bone. The themes in this collection are far-reaching, touching on family ties and friendship, infidelity, loss, Alzheimer&rsquo;s and impending death, fear of terrorism, border patrol, and life after death. The stories are guaranteed to challenge perceptions and assumptions and to spark lively discussion. As a reviewer recently said about one of her earlier books: &ldquo;If all writing were this good, I&rsquo;d read more books.&rdquo;</p><p>Carrie Knowles was selected to be North Carolina&rsquo;s 2014 Piedmont Laureate for her work in short fiction. She has three novels: <em>Lillian&rsquo;s Garden</em>, <em>Ashoan&rsquo;s Rug</em> and <em>A Garden Wall in Provence</em>. &nbsp;In addition to fiction, she writes a regular Personal Perspectives column for Psychology Today, called &ldquo;Shifting Forward.&rdquo;&nbsp; <em>Glimmer Train</em>, one of the top literary journals in the country, has given recognition to 6 of the 17 short stories in <em>Black Tie Optional</em>.&nbsp;&nbsp;5 of the stories have been awarded honors by other literary journals.</p>