The Weak Spot (New York: Soft Skull Press, 2021), Lucie Elven’s debut novel, is a timely fairy tale about the sorcery of disbelief. The book opens when a young woman runs away to a secluded town, in the mountains, only … Continue reading “Once Upon a Time: A Book Review of Lucie Elven’s The Weak Spot“
This excerpt is from a short novel, “Dudeboy,” included in The Life & Times of Steve Orth, a collection of fiction and poetry forthcoming in October 2020 from Dogpark Collective. Chapter 1 I’m at my apartment and I’m just chilling … Continue reading “from “Dudeboy””
In Germany, you can see trashy signs all over that summarize the commodity fetish with such acuity that describing them feels indulgent and derivative. I could never come up with anything so apt so who am I to try and … Continue reading “Ova und Mehr”
Poor Diana–Diana batchari. Whole bloody family ruined her life. Look at your grandma–your Bibi–tell me she’s not just like the Queen. Everyone running after them both–oh Bibi, your majesty, yes Bibi, haan Bibi, anything else? We say–Sikhs say–daughter-in-law should be … Continue reading “A Song from the Past”
For a couple of years, I was the president of a fan club on a proto-internet online service, called Club Cruehead, a board for devotees of the dinglewood hard rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE. The service, Prodigy, limited users to thirty … Continue reading “From The Tragicall History“
Even with everything in such turmoil since Antoine’s body had been found on the beach, Maï was very happy that Emilie had decided to come see her. The two friends Skyped all the time, but it was the first time … Continue reading “from Emilie’s Flight“
Is there a characteristically Gazan sentence? Could it be this one from Asmaa al-Ghul’s recent short story “You and I,” published in The Book of Gaza (Comma Press, 2014): “Drops of morning dew evaporate taking the pain with them, because … Continue reading “Gaza Fractures”
They were ex-cons and grad students, fractious Bolsheviks and urban castaways, rock-throwers and pot-smokers, juggalos and candy kids. They were people angry at their chances or at someone else’s. They were there because they were trying to make art about … Continue reading “Michael Jackson”
I push the sharp edges of the shovel into the scorched, dry dirt. The ground gives way and a stinking clump of earth slides out. I dig in the earth because I must tend to the plants, and I must … Continue reading “Labors in a Field”
