Ryan Call

Another story from Thomas Bernhard’s Prose is available online, this one at Asymptote. It is titled “Is It A Comedy? Is It A Tragedy?”

(via Scott Esposito)

Random / 8 Comments
February 23rd, 2011 / 11:25 am

HTMLGIANT Features

An Interview with David Cotrone of Used Furniture Review

Ryan Call: Tell me a little bit about yourself. I’ve seen your name and writing around online, and I know you live in Plymouth, MA, but other than that, I don’t know much about you.

David Cotrone: No worries; there’s still a lot I don’t know about me, too. But here’s what I do know: I’m currently a student at a school in Massachusetts. I’m afraid of driving a car.

RC: Wait, why are you afraid of driving a car?

DC: I don’t know, really. Maybe it’s because I have visions of losing control of the wheel, or of another driver taking me out. Or maybe I’m afraid to move in vehicle that’s not my own body because my body’s exactly what I’m not yet comfortable with–rather, the thing that controls my body. So I speak to this thing at night. Converse. Get to know it. Make peace. Repeat. READ MORE >

13 Comments
February 10th, 2011 / 12:06 pm

At work today, I was looking at the wear patterns on my keyboard and I realized that when I type, I strike the space bar with my right thumb. I hardly ever use my left thumb.

Random / 24 Comments
January 27th, 2011 / 5:33 pm

Holiday Sales

I’ve tried to gather after the jump as many holiday sales as I could find over the weekend. Secret Santas, pay attention; some of these sales go above the $20 limit, but you can always keep some books, send other books, or bust the limit knowing you might not get the same in return. Any editors/publishers who’d like to drop their special on our internet, do so in the comments or email me and I’ll add the sales here. For those not in Secret Santa, many of these will still apply to you, though some are only for Secret Santa participants. If you haven’t, please consider signing up to participate in the exchange.

READ MORE >

Random / 5 Comments
December 9th, 2010 / 11:47 am

At Montevidayo, Megan Milks wrote about Anna Joy Springer’s The Birdwisher from Birds of Lace Press. She received The Birdwisher from her HTMLGIANT Secret Santa last year. If you haven’t signed up yet, you have less than two weeks to make sure you get a cool gift like Megan did.

Last year I participated in the HTML Giant holiday gift exchange and Birds of Lace Press was my secret giftgiver, sending me among other things Anna Joy Springer’s The Birdwisher. Because I was focusing on my qualifying exams all year, I couldn’t crack it open…until now………

Random / 3 Comments
December 2nd, 2010 / 10:49 am

30 Minutes

How long it will take to print your book.

How long it will take to turn your book into toilet paper.

Random / 3 Comments
November 24th, 2010 / 3:31 pm

Third Annual Indie Lit Secret Santa Gift Exchange

From now until December 14th, you can sign up to participate in our annual Indie Lit Secret Santa Gift Exchange. We are again using Elfster this year to handle the exchange, so if you’d like to sign up, head over to our gift exchange page and join.

When you click on the link, it will take you to the exchange page with an RSVP field. Add comments if you want, click ‘Yes’ in the left top corner of the field, and then click the green RSVP button. If you haven’t joined Elfster before, then you will be prompted to join.

If you’re unfamiliar with the exchange, it’s pretty simple. We’d like everyone to exchange gifts related to indie lit presses and publications. We’re thinking that $20 is a solid gift value. We’ll draw names the 15th, the day after the exchange closes, and then participants will have about a week and a half to buy and ship out their gifts.

If you have any questions about the exchange, let me know. Email me, comment here or at the Elfster page, and we’ll figure it out.

Random / 18 Comments
November 23rd, 2010 / 3:51 pm

Two Obituaries: Glimmer Train and Tin House

Glimmer Train (1990 – October 2010) Respected literary magazine Glimmer Train died of exhaustion yesterday evening, having finally succumbed to the strain of ‘going full steam ahead’ to ‘present stories in a handsome physical publication that people would keep.’ The literary community will fondly keep alive the memory of Glimmer Train by storing the colorfully illustrated issues in English Department libraries across the country. Glimmer Train is survived by its two founding editors, sisters Susan and Linda, and by approximately 22,250 contest finalists, many of whom will console themselves by listing the meaningless accolade in their submission cover letters. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 30th, 2010 at 2:30 PM, 1211 Glisan Street, Suite 207, Portland, OR 97209. Glimmer Train will be buried next to its siblings, Iron Horse Literary Review and Night Train, may they all rest in peace.

Tin House (May 1999 – October 2010) Bi-coastal purveyor of literary culture, Tin House passed away on Monday after a long battle with alcoholism. Tin House will be remembered for its tin-sided Portland office, now an iconic landmark to many literary acolytes; its popular writer’s conference, at which authors could add their voice to the desperate din; and its less popular ‘New Voices’ magazine feature, occasional evidence of the staff’s tin ear. Memorial services (Theme TBA) to be held Sunday on the hallowed grounds of Reed College, Steve Almond officiating. In lieu of flowers, please send receipts of your latest purchases from a bookstore. If you cannot provide a receipt, please send a written explanation in 100 words or less.

Mean / 12 Comments
October 27th, 2010 / 11:58 am

Obituary Prize

We’re posting obituaries throughout Mean Week and wanted to invite you to email us your own or post in comments. Kill us, kill your favorite press, kill an author you hate, do whatever. We’ll post some of the ones we like, sure sure, and whoever writes our favorite will receive a few books for the trouble: Dear Everybody by Michael Kimball, The Pharmacist’s Mate by Amy Fusselman, and Ghost Machine by Ben Mirov. Deadline, Thursday at 11:59 PM CST.

Contests / 3 Comments
October 26th, 2010 / 11:50 am

Need a tissue?

To what author/press/litmag should HTMLGIANT send a box of Kleenex and why?

Please continue to nominate. So far, we have nominated:

  • PH Madore
  • MuumuuHouse
  • Zachary German
  • Spork Press
  • Gray Dog Press
  • Jonathan Franzen
  • Vladmir’s press
  • JT Leroy
  • Jonathan Safran Foer
  • Artifice Magazine
  • Franz Wright
  • Marky Mark
Mean / 59 Comments
October 25th, 2010 / 5:38 pm