“The Whole Thing Was Built on Nuance”: Peter Straub on Fiction, Jazz, and the Making of “Interior Darkness”

One of the most significant moments in my reading life to date came when was in high school and Peter Straub‘s novel The Throat. The metafictional elements found in that novel were my first really immersive experience in that as a storytelling technique, and the effect was groundbreaking, an expansion of what I was aware that fiction was capable of doing. I’ve continued to read Straub’s work over the years, and on the occasion of the publication of Interior Darkness, […]

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Vol.1 Brooklyn’s February 2016 Books Preview

February is upon us, bringing with a host of intriguing books, from expansive historical epics to disquieting novels of suspense and horror to biographies of literary and political heroes. For whatever reason, many of the books that have caught our eye for February are due out on the 9th of the month. Perhaps it’s a pre-Valentine’s Day maneuver, because nothing says romance like narratives that bend space and time or those that run paranoia and existential dread to unsettling extremes. […]

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#tobyreads: Short Works, Plus the End of the World

Writing this column poses something of a conundrum, as nearly all of the reading I’ve done this week has been for upcoming freelance assignments. So expect to see more of a focus on shorter works this time out: stories and essays I’ve encountered in publications in print and online. Plus one novel about attraction, a declining Iowa town, and giant bugs.

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Afternoon Bites: Neverending Songs, An Epic Peter Straub Interview, Free Ham, Vanessa Veselka and the Truck Stop Killer, and More

There is a sequel to the bizarre adventure comic Far Arden? Excellent. Vanessa Veselka’s “The Truck Stop Killer” may fill your daily required dosage of excellent nonfiction. Douglas Wolk explores the world of very, very long songs. Jason Rice on Marie-Helene Bertino’s “Free Ham.” Nightmare Magazine has published the first part of a lengthy interview with Peter Straub. Ben Tanzer has new fiction up at Hobart. Hyperallergic has some art world-themed costume suggestions for your young’uns. Follow Vol. 1 Brooklyn on Twitter, Facebook, Google + and […]

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