is there any definable characteristic that separates what is called “flash fiction” from what is called “short story” or “novella” or “novel.”
i read this story and wondered that.
Ryan Call—
Don’t know if we covered this already, but last Friday Starcherone Books announced that Alissa Nutting’s manuscript Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls won the 6th Starcherone Prize for Innovative Fiction.
2
Jimmy Chen—
Greying Ghost/Corduroy Mtn. introduce Let Us Make a Story, a sprawling exquisite corpse experiment in which one anonymous sentence is added on to the former, without context or, it seems, editorial discretion. This just may be the perfect way to get published, but not credited. Maybe what’s more at stake is the ever manifesting story — let’s see, and see wide.
On “e”
e-cigarette
There’s something very strange and non-ironic about the Electronic Cigarette, a cigarette shaped device which mimics an actual cigarette using electronically vaporized liquid nicotine, rechargeable battery, and pressure sensors. (Check out these companies here, here, and here.) I can’t figure out if E-Cigarettes are supposed to help you quit smoking, or to exploit the gestural and oral flourishes of smoking, or simply to deliver nicotine without the other harsh elements to your body and/or environment. I won’t get into the culture of smoking — its hegemony of rebellion and corporately endorsed counter-culturalism — but rather, investigate the prevalence of this “e” prefix.
God’s Hazard, Power Excerpt (?)
Nicholas Mosely served in Italy during World War II. His first book was published in 1951.
His first book is old enough to be your grandfather.
I’ve been meaning to check out Mosley for some time. He’s intimidating, though—has been writing for quite some time, has stacked up a pretty large bibliography.
God’s Hazard is a 2009 novel published by Dalkey Archive. I am tired today because I started the book before bed last night, and stayed up an hour later than usual to continue reading it.
I will try to talk about it in depth in a couple of days when I finish it. Until then, here’s a section. Screw context. READ MORE >
Rob McLennan interviews Ken Sparling
Excellent 12 or 20 question interview with Ken Sparling over at Rob McLennan’s blog, about Sparling’s next book, Lish, editing, process, etc. “I haven’t met many editors who can make themselves essential. The only way to do that is to get carnal with the work you’re editing, fuck with it, cross things out, move things around, maybe even add things in.”
Spader is the new Rumsfeld
I didn’t think it was possible to pack so many cliches into such a small space, but the voiceover on this trailer for the 1985 James Spader vehicle Tuff Turf may have set some kind of record. It’s almost poetic…
Meet Morgan Hiller
He’s got an attitude
They’ve got a problem
He lives in two worlds
Always behind enemy lines
Tuff Turf
He’s a loner on a roll
An outsider on the edge
Caught between a dangerous loser
And the girl they both love
They can’t shut him down
And they can’t cool him off
Tuff Turf
He stands alone
And one way or another
He’s going to make this town his own
He’s always been a rebel
Now he’s about to become a hero
Tuff Turf
Today at Coop’s Place: It’s MIKE YOUNG Day!
Highlights of the Day include several more videos of MY’s music project, The Cinnamon Urns, plus links to Young-authored literature around the web, and excerpts from the MC Oroville chapbook. Of course, every day is MIKE YOUNG DAY in the collective heart of this blog, but a thousand cheers to you all the same. And bonus points to anyone who catches the titular reference in the video in this post. Double bonus points to anyone who posts a link to the *other* song that borrows that line for a title. (I’ll give you a hint: It’s much much worse than Mike’s song.) ((Triple bonus points for anyone who heard the phrase “Mike’s Song,” and instantly thought “Weekapaug Groove,” then felt a little bad inside, but also a little good.))
Let’s Get to Know Darcie Dennigan
I was reading Alexis Orgera’s blog last night, and she had posted something about something Tony Hoagland wrote about “the cult of Dean Young” in American Poetry Review, and some subsequent vituperative blogging induced thereby. But what caught my attention was something Alexis mentioned in passing, while talking about something John Gallaher said about Hoagland’s piece. “I do like that Gallaher calls Hoagland out for defining the new American poetry by young, white men. I think two of the most interesting and fearless young poets right now are women: Darcie Dennigan and Dorothea Lasky.” This, to me, is infinitely more interesting than whether Tony Hoagland thinks Dean Young is being trampled to death by geese or not. What’s especially infinitely interesting is the fact that I’ve never even heard of Darcie Dennigan. (Pretty sure I’m on-record as a fan of Dottie L’s, but if not, let this be that record.) Or I thought I’d never heard of her. It actually turns out that DD is the author of Corinna A-Maying the Apocalypse, a book I most definitely remember hearing about. It came out from Fordham University Press last year, after winning their Poets Out Loud prize. So let’s all get to know Darcie Dennigan.
– Matt Hart reviews Corinna at Coldfront
– “Orienteering in the Land of New Pirates” is a poem by DD in H_NGM_N #6.
– “The Canon Come Again: Same Themes, Different Centuries” is an essay by DD at the Poetry Foundation.
– Raymond McDaniel at Boston Review also digs Corinna.
– Paul Vermeersch had the same idea as I did about DD, and already did more legwork than I’m going to. So for more, go over to his blog and see what he’s rounded up.