BRIAN ALAN ELLIS runs House of Vlad Press, and is the author of several books, including Sad Laughter (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2018) and Hobbies You Enjoy (serialized daily on Instagram: @hobbiesyouenjoy). His writing has appeared at Juked, Hobart, Fanzine, Monkeybicycle, Electric Literature, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, X-R-A-Y, Heavy Feather Review, and Yes Poetry, among other places. He lives in Florida.
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on novels by Nell Zink and Adrienne Celt, thoughts on city pop, and more.
In our morning reading: stories by Richard Chiem and Brian Alan Ellis, an interview with Meghan Lamb, and more.
Elizabeth Ellen is a college dropout from the Midwest, as well as the recipient of a Pushcart Prize for fiction. Her stories have been published in American Short Fiction, Southwest Review, and Harper’s Magazine. Her first novel, Person/a, was chosen by Literary Hub as a “best work of experimental literature” in 2017.
In our afternoon reading: fiction from Howard Fast, revisiting Ralph Ellison’s letters, and more.
In our morning reading: interviews with Esmé Weijun Wang and Bud Smith, book recommendations from Victor LaValle, and more.
Brian Alan Ellis is both a prolific writer and champion of other prolific writers, releasing knock-out books by the likes of Noah Cicero, Sam Pink, Bud Smith (through House of Vlad Productions) between publishing his own steady stream of wry, scuzzy poetry and flash fiction.
His most recent book, Sad Laughter, is a cavalcade of witty one-liners, shitposts, and disarmingly funny micro-commentaries on the current state of indie publishing. Between bad band name puns and evocative new manifestations of a writer’s quiet desperation, Ellis breaks down the everyday absurdities behind trends like #AmWriting with the grace and power of Rob Van Dam’s Five Star Frog Splash. But, in line with the master-your-craft ethos behind professional wrestling, Ellis’s piledrives are safely choreographed and, dare I say, delivered with love.
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on the new anthology “Everyday People,” revisiting a classic from Talking Heads, and more.