The month of May, a.k.a. Short Story Month, is coming to a close with surprisingly little fanfare. What gives Dan? Last year there were ticker tape parades in the streets and children were running wild reciting Carver stories by heart. Okay, maybe not. But I a lot more lit web people were getting involved. Whatever. I’m still gonna hype this shit cause I think it’s cool.
Over at the origin point of Short Story Month, EWN, there’s been some heavy reviewing action of the new issues of stellar journals Redivider and Hobart (I’m reading #11 now and it’s awesome and I’ll be reviewing it tomorrow). #11 turned me on to Patrick Sommerville. Why did no one tell me about Patrick Sommerville?! He’s got a scorcher of a story in the new Hobart, which is talked about at length here. Some of Patrick’s work can be found online here. If you’ve never read any of his stuff you need to check it out now, but you probably have because apparently I’m the only one left who’s never heard of the guy.
And in well-well-well-look-what-we-have-here news: old friend Theresa Holden got Scary Stories published over at Knee Jerk. Highlight of the piece for me was this sentence:
The architectural construct of one man’s life – his friends, family, and reputation – would be consumed so fast he’d gag on the smoke before getting the chance to put out the flames.
Go read up on these two amazing writers right this second and let them remind you why connecting with other humans makes life worth living.
Hey, man, thanks for the shout out! When I saw my name, I feared it was another searing Annalemma exposé on the counterfeit paperback operation I was running out of the back of my van. But this is even better.
Your latest print edition is gorgeous. As usual. They keep getting better and better.
So YOU’RE the one cutting into the profit margins of the publishing industry. I guess someone’s got a scolding from Garrison Keillor coming their way.
Question for the writer: was the sentence I italicized inspired by the line, “I will burn your life like a cane field in a high wind.”?
On an unconscious level, it must have been, seeing as how it is my favorite go-to empty threat to yell at people. “You will rue the day” just isn’t cutting it anymore.
I’m imagining you doing an impression of John Turturro’s fake country accent while reciting that line and it is making me smile.