Category: Publication Announcements

CHARACTERED PIECES is coming!

Coming soon(ish): CHARACTERED PIECES by Caleb J Ross. Neat!

I’ve done a lot of work for Outsider Writers Collective over the past year, so I can vouch for all of the energy that goes into their chapbooks. Well, into their first chapbook, anyway (CHARACTERED PIECES is only the second OW Press book). I did some editing and the cover design for the first book, ANTISOCIAL by David Blaine. Now, it’s my name on the cover.

A chapbook, for all who may not know, is the e.p album of the writing world, acting as a taste medium of things to come. CHARACTERED PIECES will consist of eight stories, four of which have been previously published (in print journals, so not many people have read them).

More than most things in my life, I am damn proud of this collection.

The print-run will be small (likely, beginning with 100 copies). I beg you to buy a copy, not only to satiate my ego, but to help ensure OW Press is able to produce more chapbooks. OW Press operates on a zero profit model for the time being, putting all book sales monies back into the press. I state this to assure you that nobody at OW Press lights twenty-dollar Davidoffs with your money.

More to come, including pre-order information, the final cover design, and probably a few giveaways. If you haven’t yet subscribed via RSS or signed up for my newsletter, now is a great time to do so. I’m not exactly sure what is to come, but I know it will be great.

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October 6, 2009
Solid Gold perspective

There is little inherent meaning in things. Objects are defined by their context. For example, in the African savanna, an elephant keeps an eye out for lions and crocodiles. In a circus, an elephant had better do some tricks. In both scenes, the elephant itself does not change. But the way it is described would change dramatically. Context defines everything.

So went the impetus for my story “Vertigo Unbalanced,” which has been recently reprinted in the Gold Dust Magazine anthology, Solid Gold (Merilang Press). Strangely, so to went my personal reacceptance of this piece. Once a story is physically printed (a form of context) the new medium has a way of changing a story. Every detail suddenly becomes striking, flaws and strengths alike. But of course, from the author’s perspective the flaws stand out more. So when “Vertigo Unbalanced” was first published in Gold Dust Magazine late last year, I wasn’t as comfortable with the story as when I originally wrote it. But now, after having reread the story in the printed Solid Gold anthology, I love it all over again. Truly, one of my favorite, if not one of my best.

Included in the anthology is the great Alan Kelly (now and editor over at 3:AM Magazine) and the brilliant Craig Wallwork (who was kind enough to interview me a few months back).

Buy it from Amazon (UK)
Buy it from Amazon (US) (forthcoming link)

October 5, 2009
Norman Rockwell is Full of Baloney

I’ve long used the phrase Norman Rockwell nostalgia as a way to describe those yearnings for simpler times that, in truth, never existed. We watch reruns of Leave it to Beaver or Lassie and imagine how great it would have been to have lived during those depicted times, times when war meant girls and the biggest threat to our national heath was undercooked vegetables. Because these hyper-polished versions of reality were standard TV fare, they became following generations’ standard understanding of better times. But again, this type of harmony never existed. Is it escapism that causes us to willfully absorb into obvious fictions (along with the 1950’s audience who would have seen these shows during their original runs)? I think so.

Can this concept of escaping to a fading past continue in a time when everything is recorded and youtubed? Will we ever have the opportunity to be fooled by perceived past better days?

Luckily (for you and me), I’m not burdened to find a solution. Instead, I can just write about the problem. My story, aptly titled “Norman Rockwell Nostalgia,” is now live at the October Full of Crow. Read it. Absorb it. Fear the future.

October 1, 2009
Nothing for Money OR How to Diminish a Prize’s Power

After Blake Butler, editor of the print lit journal NO COLONY, posted an aside about publishing and Pushcart-nominating anyone willing to pay $650, Shya Scanlon called his bluff, and quickly rallied 65 people, each willing to fork over $10, to put together a composite of 150 word prose chunks. That’s 9,750 words by 65 authors, each with claim to 1/65^th of a Puschart nomination.

The entire point of Butler’s original offer, I think, was to comment on how easy it is to manipulate these sorts of literary prizes. In truth, anyone with anything published can be nominated for a Pushcart. All it takes is an editor willing to write your name on a piece of paper. And in a world of zero-overhead POD printing, anyone can be an editor. I hope that those in charge of choosing the Pushcart winner know how to filter out stuff like this NO COLONY thing (unless, who knows, this collective piece ends up being the bee’s knees).

Plus, I don’t know that anything of this scale, amid these terms, has ever been done. And more and more I am learning that firsts count for a lot when trying to sell yourself and your work. Look at Blake Butler, who recently sold destroyed (but still readable) copies of his book SCORCH ATLAS and has vowed to eat an entire copy of the book, one page at a time. What did these firsts help him achieve? A recent contract with Harper Perennial. (It helps too that his work is pretty damn excellent).

Participating writers include:

Me
Ryan Call
Shy Scanlon
Richard Thomas
Nathan Tyree
J.A. Tyler
Jackie Corley
Nik Korpon
Christopher J. Dwyer

…among exactly 56 others.

September 29, 2009
Fans of Sideshow Fables

When Sideshow Fables creator Paul Eckert approached a group of writers (to which Paul and I belong) about creating a magazine of circus themed tales, I said a silent thank you on the behalf of all readers. He’s got it right, I think. Going about fanbase-building and marketing in the way that independent record companies have been doing for years is a wise move when falling publisher profits has become too common a story.

It was at last year’s AWP Conference in Chicago when I heard a panel of small press publishers (I can’t remember any of them, I apologize) where one of the editors made mention of the indie record label model. The publishing logic having always been, we will make readers fans of authors. But, said the editor, why not make readers fans of the publishers? It seems obvious. And to do that, readers have to be able to count on publishers to deliver writing with a certain consistency among publications. An example on the record label side: I know that anything Barsuk Records or ANTI Records puts out, I’ll love it. They have a fan in me. Some of the smaller book presses, like 6 Gallery Press and even larger Independents like MacAdam/Cage, have captured my money in the same way. If publishers put money toward their own brand and not the brand of the authors they represent, then how could they not come out on top? (Though, I do think putting some money toward crafting an author career is important – after all, publishers need material to support whatever reputation they are trying to cultivate).

All this is to say that with Sideshow Fables, I know exactly what I am getting. But don’t confuse this with rehash; the individual author’s themselves will provide the fresh voices necessary to keep the rag from getting stale. The first issue alone has work from Steve Almond, Nik Korpon, Colin McKay Miller, Nicholas Merlin Karpuk, and Craig Wallwork – quite a variety of voices.

I recommend you pick up a copy (full disclosure: I have a story in this first issue). You may like it. And if you do, you can count on liking all of the issues to come.

August 22, 2009
Charactered and Vain make for great reading

Vain Magazine could claim more ancestral lit zine origins than most. They have the staple bound cover of an indie mashup, the forward thinking mindset of an east coast glossy, the strong literary content of small press chap network, and the design sensibilities of art school college grad with trust fund comfort to keep his ideals high and his being higher.

Writer, editor, designer, and 1000 more -ers, Richard Thomas, turned me on to Vain Magazine last year when his story, “Underground Wonderbound” graced its pages. I was impressed, not only with his story, but with the overall aesthetic appeal of the magazine. Too often, hand-stapled, small print magazines get the scoff. This one deserves some praise.

Now, after all that build up, I’m here to let the ego shine. My story, “Charactered Pieces,” appears in the new issue, #7, right now. I wrote the original version of this story in college, and it has been sweating since. The Vain Magazine version is a much better, much more mature version, but still has all the underdeveloped Siamese twin left leg goodness of the original.

August 17, 2009
Colored Chalk #9 now live. Heaven or Hell? We’re taking a vote.

Hard to believe we are already at issue #9. And the stories just keep getting better. This new issue is all about Heaven and Hell.

From Richard Thomas, #9’s editor, and Colored Chalk staple:

IS IT YOUR IDEAL HEAVEN OR UNBEARABLE HELL?

One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor. One man’s trappings are another man’s freedom. What is heaven and hell to you? Is it brimstone and hooves opposing angels floating on ethereal clouds? Is it merely the eternal battle of dark vs. light, good vs. evil, right vs. wrong? Is it pushing a boulder up a hill day after day to no avail or having your liver eaten for eternity, each new dawn awakening to this horrible echo? Is it just a quiet moment of peace, that subtle bliss as you fall asleep or waking next to those you love?

The writers in this issue of Colored Chalk all speak about their versions of heaven and hell, visions of horrible moments they hope will never happen to themselves, or the ultimate goal, the rapture and pinnacle of good and all that is right in the world and beyond. Or maybe it’s just a weekend stuck in a crummy hotel, a quick kiss before leaving for work, the commute that drains your life force, and the smiling face of a daughter or son eager to have you home.

Now wait…where were we…heaven, or hell? You tell me. I hope you enjoy the work of these gifted writers as much as I do.

Issue 9 contains fine work Zsa Zsa Wong, Vincent Louis Carella, Beth Mathison, Craig Wallwork, Karen Brown, Shaindel Beers, Christopher Dwyer, M. Kilbain Lazer, Paul Mallaghan, Michael Paul Gonzalez, Valerie Geary, Kara Kilgore, Gayle Towell, Gavin Pate, and Nik Korpon

As always, we promote legal theft as a downloadable and distributable .pdf file. Go to the Issue 9 page for details, printing instructions, and visual over-stimulation.

August 2, 2009

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