‘At Danceteria and Other Stories’ by Philip Dean Walker
This short story collection is inspired by the heady mix of sex, celebrity, and sinisterness inherent in the metropolitan cities of the 1980s
‘Black Sheep Boy’ by Martin Pousson
What Pousson does so masterfully is to take such a dazzlingly fantastical and specific world and render it universally recognizable
‘The Brink’ by Austin Bunn
The Brink is a fast-paced, slim, engrossing collection that reminds its reader of one of life’s most essential truths: we’re always on the cusp of something new, and every passing moment, for better or worse, changes us
Jonathan Galassi: On Publishing, Poetry vs. Prose, and Meeting Your Literary Heroes
“I chose to write about publishing because it’s the world I know best, and because I wanted to leave a record of a way of working that really is gone now.”
‘Muse’ by Jonathan Galassi
Jonathan Galassi does a superb job of offering a meticulously observed peek behind the curtain of the book publishing world, complete with an eclectic cast of outsized characters.
‘Orient’ by Christopher Bollen
Bollen crafts a series of interweaving threads with impressive finesse and detail, and it’s a testament to his talent that the reader can become equally invested in them as they are in getting to the roots of the murders and arson that begin to pepper the narrative
‘Aquarium’ by David Vann
Ultimately, the characters in Aquarium are desperately struggling to move toward forgiveness and redemption—it’s a story you can’t help but be submerged in completely
‘The Autumn Balloon’ by Kenny Porpora
Porpora deploys a deft hand and straightforward tone that lifts what could have easily been a maudlin, self-pitying—or, in the opposite direction, self-congratulatory—narrative into a memoir that should be moved to the top of everyone’s to-read list immediately.
‘Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe: A Biography’ by Philip Gefter
Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe: A Biography is a book-length argument for Wagstaff’s importance in the world of American art.
