Emerging Writers Network

Holiday Shopping Guide - Temporary People

Well, I don't have a fancy avatar to go with this (yet), but today through Xmas Eve will have the EWN offering you a Holiday Shopping Guide that focuses on books or the literary world.  Tis the season after all and as it's a little after 5 a.m. on Black Friday, the stores have opened.  The bulk of the shopping suggestions will be coming from well established authors or editors over the next 30 days but the first one comes from me:

Temporary People:  a Fable by Steven Gillis

It's a title I've touted here before and can't really see myself stopping any time soon.  It's really a perfect storm book for the EWN - written by a great friend, published by a Dzanc imprint, and, oh yeah, it's freaking great!  And don't trust just me, the reviews the book has received by those that found it have been stellar.

"Temporary People by Steven Gillis is one of the best fiction novels published over the past few years." - Lene Vanelslander

"The satire is effective. Gillis is successful in painting the madness, the irrational behavior of an oppressive government, the mass fear in response, and the distortion of reality that taking away basic liberties must involve when one manipulates the many. If this echoes of current political scenarios, it should. In his characters, Gillis illustrates different forms of resistance and rebellion: indifference, self-serving cowardice, passive and active resistance, heroic if perhaps misguided protest and bloody coups. All done with a touch of Hollywood." - Zinta Aistars

It's a book that I read in manuscript form when Steve completed it, on my computer screen, straight through, something I'd never done before, and haven't since, with any other manuscript or book.  The language is exciting, the plot borders on being a page turner.  The novel was prescient in the story line of babies being born with the effects of a company/government looking for big profits, and reminds the reader of what it means to follow your conscience, and personal ethos.

It's a book I've read three or four times now and am sure I'll return to time and again in the years to come.  And I know from insider information that its publisher, Black Lawrence Press, as an imprint of Dzanc Books, happens to have a big Holiday Sale going from now through Xmas.

Come on back throughout the next month and see what others are suggesting you consider giving as gifts, be it to yourself, or others.

Thanks

The easy post for the day - what it is that I give thanks for.

I'll start with a quick nod to the non-literary world I live in - much as they're trying to slowly (hell, at times very quickly) drive me insane, I'm overly thankful for the trio of kids that call me dad.  The constant chess battle over who is really pushing who's buttons might just actually be keeping me sharper than I'd otherwise be.

This is followed by thanks for my parents, sister and one special aunt.  Without this quartet my sanity and production level nosedives to ridiculously low levels.

Sliding back towards the literary world - by far the biggest non-family related thing I give thanks for is the friendship of my partner at Dzanc, Steve Gillis.  I think it may be a bit rare for middle aged men to develop new friendships, or maybe that's just me, but I'm extremely glad that this one has developed.  Each day contains dozens of emails about Dzanc, our families, the world we live in, etc.  I get to chuckle a little bit every time I read something about myself being the "hardest working" something or other in the business as I know, and I might be the only one that knows, that I'm not even the hardest working guy at Dzanc. 

The group of friends that I'm thankful for that in the past resided in Ann Arbor or nearby has spread itself all over the place this past year - Steve is still here, as is Matt Bell, Elizabeth Ellen, and Dwayne Hayes and Jessica Bomarito.  But Mike and Julie Alber are in Columbus, Jeff Parker's in  Toronto, Barry Graham's at Rutgers, Aaron Burch is in Champagne, and Stefan and Sanaz Kiesbye are in Los Angeles.  I'm thankful for email as I've been able to keep up with all of these incredible folks while they continue to move forward.

I'm also thankful to get to work with such incredible writers as I'm able to do in my role as Director of Dzanc Books.  From our first book with Roy Kesey on up to the most recently released title by Hesh Kestin - it's been a pleasure to work with each and every author on the publishing and publicity for their books.  I'm thankful we keep getting to read these fine words before anybody else too.

Add in the great people I get to work with through Dzanc that aren't Steve Gillis and Matt Bell - like Steven Seighman (no better art director around), Diane Goettel, Gina Frangello, Stacy Bierlein, J.A. Tyler, Keith Taylor, and an incredible crew of interns.

And a big thanks to everybody that is somehow involved with the EWN - be it as email receiving members, or visitors to this blog, or publicists sending me books, etc.

Another year of realizing just how much I have to be thankful for.  I sincerely hope everybody reading this has just as long a list of their own!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Source of Lit - The Postman!

A truly solid visit from the Postman! today as he dropped off a galley copy of Ander Monson's essay collection, Vanishing Point (Graywolf Press, April 2010) which is one I've really been looking forward to.  Monson may do more with structure in the essay than any other author - okay, I'll say he definitely does more than any author I'm aware of.  By the way, Monson's website, a treasure trove of writing itself, has a major league link that applies to this collection.

Also arriving today, Allison Amend's debut novel, Stations West (LSU Press, March 2010)!!!  Yes, close readers, that would be a familiar title, as not so long ago, One Story V.1.N.13 came out and it had that same author name/title combo on the cover.  An excerpt it turns out.  This novel is part of LSU's Yellow Shoe Fiction Series.

In Passing: Donald Harington

I'm going back and forth a bit this morning deciding whether or not I should be surprised or not at how little I've seen about the recent passing of author Donald Harington.  Never a big seller, but the type of cult writer that I'd have assumed bloggers might have picked up on his work.  His fictional town of Stay More in the Ozarks has received comparisons with Faulkner's own little stamp of soil.

I actually hadn't heard until this morning that Harington had died, back on November 7th.  I stumbled across the news when visiting the Toby Press website.  The fact that Toby Press has found reason to both re-publish his earlier Stay More titles, while also publishing for the first time his last four titles, is enough reason for me to consider going back to book one and reading straight through.

I've read two of his works - The Cockroaches of Stay More, probably way back in 1989 when it came out if I remember right - and I found one of the earlier Stay More titles (one with humans as the characters) at a used store right after that.  I wasn't quite into completion back then as I am these days and also didn't have the internet at my disposal to track down all of the other titles.  It's something I've considered doing from time to time, usually while in the middle of reading the collected works of another author - probably a few years ago when I read about 12 Percival Everett titles over the course of a month or so.  I feel bad that it's the notice of Harington's death that has prompted this idea once more.  I'll probably actually follow up on it this time though.

A few nice tributes to the man can be found here, here, here, and here.

Source of Lit - Black Warrior Review

The new issue of Black Warrior Review is out and about (Fall/Winter 2009 36.1) and it's worth your time and money if only for the longish story/novella by Peter Markus, "What This All Used to Be, or Where Now All We See Are Trees."

Obviously there are other materials to read within, a story from Mary Caponegro, excerpts of work from Lily Hoang, Norman Lock, and others, and a poem I really liked by Claire Donato, plus much much more.  I have to say though that if a journal has Peter Markus in its Table of Contents, I'm going to buy it and probably read that story first.  This one, similar to the longish story/novella Markus has in the latest issue of Unsaid (that I've yet to read because I'm reading that journal from front cover to back cover in order and it's the last work included), has Peter issuing himself a very particular restraint when it comes to the work.  It's a restraint that to be honest I was worried to hear about - how much would it allow Peter to tell his story with the depth I was used to from his other work?  Not to worry at all - this story continues ramping up in energy and depth and character development all the way to the end.

If you're curious as to that restraint?  Re-read that title:  "What This All Used to Be, or Where Now All We See Are Trees" and it just might become clear.

Source of Lit - Unsaid - Shane Jones

Shane Jones - February

If I'm not mistaken (another admission, this time it's that I've yet to read the novel), this is an excerpt from Shane's novel, Light Boxes.  I like how Jones refers to February's wife/girlfriend as the "girl who smelled of honey and smoke," and does so throughout the entire excerpt, only once switching to Housewife, and that time only due to the conversation going on at that time.  It's the type of repetition that I love, one that has a purpose, that drives the narrative forward in a specific manner.  I'm not surprised to see this piece in Unsaid, if only due to that aspect of Shane's writing, as it seems to me that many of the other writers that I can think of who utilize repetition in that manner are also found within your pages at times.

David McLendon

It’s no coincidence that acts of repetition have repeatedly found their way into the pages of Unsaid. Repetition is a tool, an essential tool that strengthens the foundation of any work of art. Music is the most obvious form of art that implements repetition, but one finds it in all the arts when paying attention. You have obviously paid a great deal of attention to these and other details in your reading of Unsaid, and I respect you for this.

Jones is a lyrical writer. There is a rare unsentimental sweetness to his pages that I greatly admire. It’s important to point out that his naming a character “the girl who smelled of honey and smoke” throughout the text has less to do with repetition than consecution. Simply put, “the girl who smelled of honey and smoke” is the character’s name. This compositional choice by Jones has more to do with his lyrical stance than an act of repetition. If he had called his character “Jane” or “Mary” throughout the text, such an act would go unnoticed as one of repetition. By naming her “the girl who smelled of honey and smoke” he creates a lyrical sensation, and this is his great strength as a writer.

Similarly, when writing of an ex-girlfriend in an essay for The Collagist, I referred to her as “the girl who had some secrets” instead of the name she claims in the world. This was a choice of lyrical stance, not repetition. Calling her anything other throughout the the essay--after initiating her as "the girl who had some secrets"—would have weakened the integrity and believability of the text. The writer—especially the fiction writer—must stick to his or her initial choices throughout the text. Otherwise, the writing comes across as little more than an act of inattentive recklessness, and the fiction falls short of any truth.

Perhaps at some point you and I can speak at length about compositional acts of repetition. Both in practice and theory, repetition is regarded as essential in the making of great art. This is nothing new, but the act itself often creates a lasting newness. As Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “If the young man had believed in repetition, of what might he not be capable? What inwardness he might have attained!”

Absinthe: New European Writing Has Joined Dzanc Books

The following announcement was just posted over at the Dzanc Books Blog:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                                                            

Absinthe: New European Writing Joins Dzanc Books

 

November 18, 2009 - Ann Arbor, MI— In an effort to further our mission for bringing great writing to a broader audience, Dzanc Books is proud to announce that the literary journal, Absinthe:  New European Literature (www.absinthenew.com), has become an imprint of Dzanc.  As a 501(c)3 nonprofit publisher dedicated to publishing top drawer literarure and sponsoring free readings and workshops across the country, Dzanc is excited by the opportunity to work with the editors of Absinthe, Dwayne Hayes and Jessica Bomarito. Absinthe will serve as an invaluable addition to Dzanc, bringing the work of European writers and artists to North American audiences for the first time.  

 

Dzanc is committed to finding the absolute best literature to publish. We believe publishing works from around the world is important on two fronts – a) there is some incredible work being done in Europe that has not been made available to those who only read English, and b) reading work from different world view points is essential to having a better understanding of the world we live in, and our own place in it.

 

Dwayne and Jessica have published twelve fantastic issues of Absinthe and Dzanc looks forward to being a part of their publishing dozens more.  Readers of Absinthe may have noticed the Dzanc Books logo on the past few issues as we've had an informal arrangement helping out with some printing aspects.  Dzanc is now excited to formalize our relationship with Absinthe and looks forward to doing many wonderful things with Absinthe in the future.

 

 

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About Dzanc Books

 

Dzanc Books is a 501(c)3 non-profit literary publisher based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you would like to learn more about books and programs, or make a donation, please visit our website at www.dzancbooks.org.

Source of Lit - Monkeybicycle

Has anybody else been paying attention to the recent and near future actions of Monkeybicycle (consistently one of the better print AND online journals around)?

Issue number 7 is currently available for pre-order!  It features Elizabeth Alexander, Angi Becker Stevens, Ryan Boudinot, Rita Dahl, Craig Davis, Andrew Ervin, Molly Gaudry, Roxane Gay, Aaron Gilbreath, Reed Hearne, James Kaelan, Corey Mesler, Weam Namou, Daniel Romo, Ken Saji, Shya Scanlon, Tyler Stoddard Smith, Rebecca van Laer, Yassen Vassilev, Edwin Wilson Rivera, and Michael Wood, and can be pre-ordered here.

They have a reading coming up this Saturday in Chicago.  Details include:  7:30 Book Cellar in Chicago. Monkeybicyle & Knee-Jerk. Jac Jemc, Aaron Burch, Angi Becker Stevens, Amy Guth, Billy Lombardo & more! GO!

And the Monkey has been cranking out some fantastic stories online recently, including this great one by Alan Stewart Carl - be sure to bounce over there weekly to see what's new.

Source of Lit - Conjunctions 53

The new issue of Conjunctions comes in at right around 350 pages and is titled "Not Even Past: Hybrid Histories" and it's full of great, great writing.

It opens with a fantastic collage of both essay and inclusion of correspondence from Barney Rosset.  Titled "Remembering Samuel Beckett," it includes, as noted, letters mailed back and forth between Rosset, formerly of Grove Press, and Beckett, whose U.S. publications first appeared with Grove.  Rosset explains where he'd heard of Beckett, his early impressions of reading Beckett's work, shares his correspondence over the years, and more.  It's a fascinating piece for anybody interested in Beckett beyond his own actual writing. 

Other pieces I've enjoyed so far (again 350 pages long, I've not tackled the whole thing yet as it just arrived Friday):

Matt Bell's short story, "His Last Great Gift."  Just a great story (novella?  This sucker's 28 pages long - kudos to Conjunctions for publishing something this long) that dips into religion, creation, faith, the human spirit, and does all this with what is becoming Matt's penchant for very specific word choices.  He's becoming another writer that I find myself reading aloud as I believe he's writing for the sound as well as the read.  This story includes one of my new favorite sentences:  "He says, Even Christ was the size of a pea once."

Andrew Ervin's short story, "The Light of Two Million Stars."  It's pretty rare these days for somebody to write a story about the Holocaust and have it still feel fresh or new.  Ervin accomplishes this in spades.  A really excellent story reminding me to keep on the lookout for news of his trio of novellas being published by Coffee House Press in 2010.

Peter Orner's two-pager, "Geraldo," an innovative look back at the fine event many of us might remember, Geraldo's live opening of the long lost vault of Al Capone.  Funny, yet not strictly written for laughs, Orner's packs a great deal into his two pages.

Can Xue's "Rainscape," (translated from Chinese by Karen Gernant and Chen Zeping.  Probably my least favorite of the stories I've read so far.  Just didn't quite get what the author was doing.  I'm assuming it's more my reading than the writing or the translating.

A few others that might not need the publicity as much, but were enjoyed nonetheless, include new stories by William Gass, Robert Coover and an excerpt from Robert Bolano novel Antwerp (translated from Spanish by Natasha Wimmer). 

A great issue from a great journal.  Wander on over, look around and consider subscribing.

Some other pieces I've yet to get to but am looking forward to include new stories from Tim Horvath and Paul La Farge, and Gabriel Blackwell (and to be honest, I'm probably going to end up reading this whole issue as good as what I've read has been) plus a translation of Thomas Bernhard's poem Ave Virgil (translated from German by James Reidel).

Source of Lit - Keyhole

Keyhole's 8th issue hit the street not too long ago and recently arrived in my mailbox.  It's another excellent issue.  So far I've dipped mainly into the fiction, though I did enjoy Jamie Iredell's prose poetry first.  Back to the fiction, the issue is loaded with great stories from Anne Valente, Cooper Renner, Brian Allen Carr, Jensen Beach, and a Steven McDermott story that starts wonderfully with the line:  "As soon as that boy came through the sauna room door I was on guard."  There are also two fantastic additions to Robert Lopez's "Blind Betty" and "Pity Jimmy" oeuvre. I'll be digging into the rest soon, and you can join me by ordering the issue, or subscribing to Keyhole!