In our morning reading: new writing by Marlon James, a playlist from Colin Winnette, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Randall Kenan’s Legacy, Stephen Graham Jones on Horror, Steve Gerber’s Comics, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Randall Kenan’s legacy, Gabino Iglesias interviewed Stephen Graham Jones, and more.
Inside the Uncanny Histories of Robert Kloss
Late last year, Inside the Castle published new editions of two novels by Robert Kloss: The Woman Who Lived Amongst the Cannibals and A Light No More. Describing either book isn’t easy — Kloss combines the hallucinatory history of acid Westerns with the linguistic experimentation of Caroline Bergvall’s Drift. The overall sensibility is both fragmentary and all-encompassing, unlike anything else out there today. With these new editions made more widely available, I chatted with Kloss about the process of putting them together and exploring what might be next for him.
Morning Bites: Victor LaValle’s New Novel, Marcus Pactor and Angela Woodward, M.S. Coe Excerpted, and More
In our morning reading: previewing new books by Victor LaValle and Christopher Rowe, an excerpt from M.S. Coe’s forthcoming novel, and more.
Sunday Stories: “Kaleidoscope”
Kaleidoscope
by Lizzie Lawson
The jar was full of souls. Charlotte didn’t believe Jaci at first, but when Jaci revealed the glass container over the dandelion grass in her backyard, Charlotte could see for herself. Still in their navy jumpers after school, the girls huddled close as Jaci unscrewed the lid. Charlotte could see wispy bubbles swimming in the glass, iridescent and slippery.
Weekend Bites: Stephen Graham Jones Interviewed, Allegra Hyde on Writing, “Videodrome” Turns 40, and More
In our weekend reading: interviews with Stephen Graham Jones and Allegra Hyde, “Videodrome” turns 40, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Samuel R. Delany’s Early Work, Revisiting Nick Cave, Colin Winnette’s Latest, and More
In our afternoon reading: revisiting Samuel R. Delany and Nick Cave, an interview with Kashana Cauley, and more.
Todd Dills on “Shining Man,” Southern Literature, and the Search for Joy
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.