Review: Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson, Soul of the Beach Boys
Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson, Soul of the Beach Boys by Kent Crowley Books about the Beach Boys tend to focus on Brian Wilson, depicting him as the “mad genius” behind the band’s music. While such narratives are certainly valid, they tend to ignore other members of the band—in particular Carl Wilson, the youngest of […]
Poetry: From Aaron McCollough, Author of Rank
Untitled by Aaron McCollough WALNUT SKULL of some brutal fairy run afoul of my dog in the juniper mire what depends in these binds, passion strings, ivy suckers climbing the knock kneed craning bridge to that bright food can freedom even begin to form in the morning, reforming blossoms if we mean to tread with […]
Poetry: Northwest by Khaty Xiong
All the magpies are here, all the wings in the soup, stirring the recognition of flight out of all touching. A milky breast and a missing tooth, a maggot. A winter in the pines, a wind that binds. A real ghost in open wounds and closed sockets. In the middle, fork-tender bones, bubbling spice-water, lemongrass, […]
Feature: Lessons Learned by Jake Kerr
my self-publishing journey In my last column I noted that traditional publishing marketing methods had turned out to be ineffective. I had sent out copies of the book to over 200 book bloggers. I advertised and promoted in social media. I even used Google, Bing, and Facebook for advertising. In the end nothing seemed to really […]
Feature: Cli-Fi: Fertile Ground
Thoughts on the genre from J.K. Ullrich, whose Blue Karma is a finalist in the 2015 Shelf Unbound Competition for Best Indie Book by J.K. Ullrich In the carnival of literature, science fiction is the House of Mirrors, inviting readers to explore distorted reflections of their own world. The genre’s classics reveal a timeline of […]
Feature: Do you cli-fi?
Thoughts on “cli-fi” from the guy who coined the term by Dan Bloom What is climate fiction? Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood asked that question a few months ago, posing this riddle: Is “cli-fi” a genre, a meme, a motif or a buzzword? I don’t think she really wanted or expected an answer. I think she […]
Excerpt: Jules Verne’s The Purchase of the North Pole
About the Book: Jules Verne! Among boys a name to conjure with. What memories of half-forgotten books does it bring back! Journeys into the Interior of the Earth, Voyages on Comets, Journeys to the Moon, Submarine Boats—all are creations of his marvellously inventive brain. The Purchase Of the North Pole is a sequel to ” […]
Excerpt: Three Ways of the Saw: Stories by Matt Mullins
About the Book: Atticus Books http://www.atticusbooksonline.com A startling new voice in traditional storytelling carves out a territory all its own. The vibrant prose of this debut collection—ranging in both style and length from experimental and realistic to flash and longer form fiction—searingly probes and dissects the idea of connection and alienation with one’s self, the […]
Feature: Anthropocene Fictions: The Novel in a Time of Climate Change by Adam Trexler
University of Virgina Presshttp://upress.virginia.edu Although Michael Crichton’s State of Fear is neither high literature nor scientifically accurate, it may well be the most important climate change novel yet written. Driven by Crichton’s reputation as the author of Jurassic Park and creator of the television show ER, over 1.5 million copies were printed in the United […]
Interview: Berit Ellingsen Author of Not Dark Yet
Berit Ellingsen blends climate change, existentialism, and a love story in this fiercely original novel. Two Dollar Radiohttp://twodollarradio.com Shelf Media: The novel begins with Brandon, who suffers from PTSD, escaping his city life and boyfriend to a tiny cabin in the mountains. “He closed his eyes and there was no body, and no world either, […]