A Story for Submission
by Jacky Stephenson
NEW NEW NEW– write something NEW you dusty brained bastard. Something they haven’t seen. Something pouring out of you with the precision of articulated prose and the whimsy of Dadaism, but not the Fascist kind– God forbid we leave room to credit Ezra Pound as an influence. Something, something, black petals on a bough? Was the bough black? I would Google it if I gave more of a shit.
In our weekend reading: James Baldwin’s connection to New Jersey, an interview with Tara Isabella Burton, and more.
In our afternoon reading: an interview with Marin Kosut, revisiting books by Octavia E. Butler and Kazuo Ishiguro, and more.
In our morning reading: a playlist from Lena Valencia, revisiting the English Beat, and more.
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Gabino Iglesias’s new novel, an interview with Tim Kinsella, and more.
Chapter 32
Morgen hands a copy to everybody.
We get letters from mothers and grandmothers and spouses from all over threatening to sue us over their sons and daughters losing their sense of reality after watching videos which they describe as “circus art” and “demonic athletic performances”.
Behold, it’s August and — for the moment, at least — the weather is almost….nice? The heat and humidity aren’t conspiring to make our lives miserable; instead, there’s something almost cozy in the air. “Cozy” and “August” aren’t two words often used together, so it’s a moment worth savoring. Also? Books. We have some we’d like to recommend. Unnerving takes of the uncanny, thoughtful works of nonfiction, and sharp explorations of familial dynamics are all on the menu; read on for what we’re reading this month.
In our morning reading: an interview with Helen Phillips, thoughts on a collection of William Gay’s work, and more.