Some of the first readings I ever did were with writer Todd Dills, who was and is one of the most engaging people to see read from their work in front of their audience. (I still have fond memories of watching Todd shaking an upside-down mic stand at an event at an Atlanta coffee shop.) The guy’s a fantastic writer as well, and when his latest novel Shining Man was published in 2019 — it’s a followup to his earlier Sons of the Rapture, which I also highly recommend — I eagerly read it and sent him some questions on it. And then the pandemic happened and the interview was paused for a bit. And now it’s complete — and features Dills discussing everything from the literary influence of Ralph Ellison to the role NASCAR plays in his work.
Morning Bites: Todd Dills Interviewed, Taco Bell Quarterly, Thurston Moore’s Latest, Deesha Philyaw, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Todd Dills, a playlist from Deesha Philyaw, and more.
Morning Bites: Jeet Thayil, Big Other Book Awards, Todd Dills, Revisiting Jean-Luc Godard, and More
In our morning reading: an excerpt from Jeet Thayil’s new novel, reviews of books by Todd Dills and Brandon Shimoda, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Melissa Duclos, Juan Villoro Interviewed, Todd Dills, Alex DiFrancesco Fiction, and More
In our afternoon reading: a review of Melissa Duclos’s novel, new fiction by Alex DiFrancesco, and more.
Vol.1 Brooklyn’s December 2019 Book Preview
Snow’s on the ground, the winds are chilly, and the holiday season looms. December can be an unexpected month for new books. But there are a host of gems due out in the coming weeks, including a number of great works in translation, some boldly inscribed poetry, and new and unpredictable novels from some of our favorite writers. Here are some December books that caught our eye.
Afternoon Bites: Sylvia Townsend Warner Revisited, Inside Tough Poets Press, Todd Dills’s Latest, and More
In our afternoon reading: reviews of books by Sylvia Townsend Warner and Todd Dills, new writing from Gabino Iglesias, and more.
An Excerpt from Todd Dills’s “Triumph of the Ape”
Triumph of the Ape, the new collection from THE2NDHAND editor Todd Dills, abounds with loving descriptions of Chicago and the Southeast, deadpan humor, and occasional shifts into the surreal. Last week, we noted that it was “a fusion of Barry Hannah and Touch & Go Records” — both aesthetics that we wholeheartedly support. We’re happy to have an excerpt up from it today. DEATH IN HAMMOND My buddy Mort got married on April Fool’s Day, 2005, his reasoning at upwards of […]
#tobyreads: Venturing Into the South with Samuel R. Delany and Todd Dills
I was born in upstate New York and grew up in New Jersey; depending on how you keep track, I’ve lived in New York for between fourteen and eighteen years now. What all of this means is that I’m not much of an authority on all things Southern — but, like many a reader of literary fiction, I find myself drawn to a certain quality exhibited by writers from that part of the country. Wiser critics than I can ponder […]