In our morning reading: interviews with Anne Helen Petersen and Robin Sloan, talking reunions with Tim and Mike Kinsella, and more.
Permutations, Mutations, and New Ballads: Thoughts on Three Literary Remixes
Ubiquity is a hell of a thing. No two people will have the same narratives, pop culture references, or cultural mythologies dwelling in the back of their heads–but there are certain stories that are familiar enough to enough people that they’re ripe for retelling. Or, in some cases, they’re ripe for modification, for translation into another narrative, playing with readers’ expectations and knowledge of the source material. To cite a few examples, John Darnielle’s short novel Master of Reality used […]
Quiet Moments Amidst Musical Chaos: A Review of Tim Kinsella’s “All Over and Over”
I’ve known Tim Kinsella almost twenty years. He used to work at the coffee shop I haunted. Then, many years later, he interviewed me when my first book came out. Then he commissioned me to paint a cover for one of his records. I wouldn’t say we’re close friends but over the years we’ve had many good talks and there’s a level of mutual respect between us. I’ve never been in a band or been on tour (aside from a […]
Afternoon Bites: Tim Kinsella, Leena Krohn Fiction, Velvet Underground, “This American Life” at 20, and More
In our afternoon reading: a new book from Tim Kinsella, new nonfiction from Megan Stielstra, a corner of Velvet Underground history, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Mat Johnson, Colin Winnette Interviewed, Inside Featherproof Books, Agnes Martin, and More
In our afternoon reading: interviews with Mat Johnson and Colin Winnette, a look at the life and art of Agnes Martin, checking in with featherproof books, and more.
A Revitalized Featherproof Books
Chicago’s featherproof books has, over the years, released excellent books from the likes of Blake Butler, Lindsay Hunter, Amelia Gray, and Tim Kinsella. (Full disclosure: I contributed to their minibook series several years ago.) This summer has brought with it the news that Kinsella will be taking over the press. In a recent interview with Chicago, Kinsella discussed his plans:
The Life of Laurie Bird, Transmitted in Fiction: An Interview with Tim Kinsella
The Karaoke Singer’s Guide to Self-Defense, Tim Kinsella‘s 2012 debut novel, impressed for a number of reasons. Its evocation of daily rhythms and of lives grappling with trauma and flawed histories made it a thoroughly compelling read. And for those who largely know Kinsella through the music he’s made since the 1990s, it was also a declaration that his talents weren’t solely confined to one artistic discipline. Let Go and Go On and On, his followup, takes a very different approach. […]
Announcing Tim Kinsella at WORD Brooklyn
2012 saw the release of Tim Kinsella’s first novel, The Karaoke Singer’s Guide to Self-Defense. We were big admirers of that novel, and the ways in which it depicted a number of lives intersecting in and around a gentleman’s club/karaoke bar in a small Midwestern town. Kinsella’s new novel, Let Go and Go On and On, moves away from the quotidian rhythms of small-town life and is based on the life of actress Laurie Bird, who appeared in films like Annie Hall and Two-Lane […]