What happens with the quotidian and the uncanny collide? There was a point in my early 20s, when I’d started writing fiction but was still highly impressionable, when I began considering what it might be like if one combined a Raymond Carver-esque realism with Lovecraftian forays into cosmic horror. Behold, suburban repression with eldritch horrors glimpsed in the background, never quite making their way forward to devour souls and drive people to madness.
The guiding principle of Six Ridiculous Questions is that life is filled with ridiculousness. And questions. That only by giving in to these truths may we hope to slip the surly bonds of reality and attain the higher consciousness we all crave. (Eh, not really, but it sounded good there for a minute.) It’s just. Who knows? The ridiculousness and question bits, I guess. Why six? Assonance, baby, assonance.
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Madhuri Vijay, a playlist from Jordan A. Rothacker, an interview with Matmos, and more.
We’re pleased to present an excerpt from Jordan A. Rothacker’s new collection Gristle, out this week on Stalking Horse Press. We’ve been excited about this one ever since it came up when we interviewed Rothacker last year. Please enjoy “Something That Happened a Long Time Ago,” an excerpt from the story “The Fish Family Album.”
What literary delights does March bring? A number of books we’ve been awaiting eagerly for years, for one thing, including new works by Mitchell S. Jackson and Seth Fried. A host of ambitious literary debuts as well — and a number of collections of short fiction that push at the limits of storytelling. Here’s a look at some of the March books we’re looking forward to the most.
In our morning reading: interviews with Carrie Gibson and Ishmael Reed, a review of Sarah Moss’s new novel, and more.
In our afternoon reading: new writing by Adam Nemett and Lance Olsen, an interview with Jordan A. Rothacker, and more.
In our morning reading: thoughts on a new true crime book, revisiting David Lynch’s foray into music, and more.