Private Languages & Public Disturbances: A Review of “Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality”

Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality by Bill Peters Black Balloon Publishing; 280 p. They aren’t necessarily found in a prime spot in every writer’s toolbox, but fictional private languages can be evocatively effective when used well. Bill Peters’s novel Maverick Jetpants in the City of Quality is one example of this, while others come from a more cinematic place: consider the odd syntax used by the protagonists of Gus Van Sant’s Gerry, or the fictional characters held up as demi-gods […]

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Afternoon Bites: New Iceage, Steve Erickson on James M. Cain, Inside “Fairytale of New York,” and More

The story behind The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York.” Steve Erickson on James M. Cain? Yes, we will read that. Roxane Gay’s notable reading for 2012. Seattle’s Wimps have a new album out next year. The Conversations With Women project has begun. Warren Ellis on hauntological literature. Details have emerged on Iceage’s second album. Nathan Larson talked with Bill Peters for Canteen. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and our Tumblr.

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