Ben Tanzer: So Different Now

I just finished reading Ben Tanzer’s latest short story collection from CCLaP, So Different Now. This is a follow up to his previous collection (also published by CCLaP), Repetition Patterns. Before I get into the meat of it, I must confess that I consider Ben Tanzer to be a friend; I also feel the need to let you know that CCLaP published my collection of micro-fiction earlier this year. I’m not even going to pretend that this post is going to be unbiased.

That being said, I do feel the need to justify my biases… I am drawn to Tanzer’s writing for the same reasons I enjoy getting a beer with him: there is a charm, in both his manner and his writing, which is simply entertaining, yet hints at a much more complex, sometimes dark, psychological underpinning. While reading this collection I continuously found myself lulled into the natural cadence of his writing, only to come to the end where I would find myself helplessly sitting in a pot of boiling water, unable to jump out.

While reading So Different Now, I was transported back to the small town in which I grew up. Tanzer does a wonderful job of capturing that Neverland quality of small town barrooms where patrons live in the past and refuse to adopt the adult version of their names (Stevey and Richie). Tanzer is also a master of building, and playing out, the tensions found in everyday relationships.

In my opinion, as biased as it may be, this short story collection is well worth every dime you choose to spend on it; CCLaP offers a Radiohead type purchase option where you pay what you want to for the book (which I personally think is brilliant). Check it out!

Hosho McCreesh

It’s been a really, really long time since I’ve read a book of poetry. I used to love it, write it, and just plain absorb it, but somehow, someway, I’ve fallen away from it. I recently won HoSho McCreesh’s latest, For All These Wretched, Beautiful, & Insignificant Things So Uselessly & Carelessly Destroyed, and I got it in the mail today. I opened it, thumbed through it, and then put it down for later. My internal monologue went something like this: “I’ll read it later.” “But when?” “Later.” “Why not now?” “Too much going on.” “Ha! Too much going on? Your wife and daughter are at a princess birthday party, and your son is sleeping off a fever in his room.” “Yeah, that’s a lot going on.” “But you’re doing nothing.” “I’m watching football.” “You’re watching a game you don’t really care about.”

Needless to say, I picked up the poetry book again. I was first struck by the unique art work on the cover, and throughout the book by Kevin Charles Kline. It seemed to generate its own dark whimsy as body parts (arms and legs) were strewn across the cover and spilled onto the back. There was no blood, no guts, or no gore; just numerous non-threatening drawings of body parts and two skeletons who seemed to be hard at work, quite possibly cutting up these bodies. I just reread the above, and I realize it sounds morbid, but honestly, it really wasn’t, and I think that’s where the dark whimsy comes in to play.

As I moved past the art work, and began to delve into the meat of the book, I noticed a similar dark whimsy as it also danced through McCreesh’s poetry. His words scrambled across the page like ants on a mission, knowing exactly what their job was, and skillfully, precisely, masterfully, building a work that is much more than the sum of all its parts.

For All These Wretched, Beautiful, & Insignificant Things So Uselessly & Carelessly Destroyed is written by a man who loves words. It is through McCreesh’s love of words, and their beauty, combined with his ability to find that special kernel of truth in the banal, that a refreshingly raw, new world was created for me. It was a world where I was confronted with the cruelty of mankind, and at the same time, was so taken with the vehicle of confrontation, McCreesh’s words, that I felt a certain dissidence.

Experiments in Manhood

I want to thank Robert Duffer for publishing my essay on fatherhood titled, "God death and love" at Experiments in Manhood.

CCLaP - A thank you from me to MN book club...

Thank you to Jason Pettus, the man behind CCLaP, for publishing a thank you letter I wrote to the book club that invited me to discuss my book, Salt Creek Anthology, in Minnesota. The letter also doubles as a brief summary of my experience...

Lorrie Moore

I have been listening to The New Yorker fiction podcasts on my runs, and was blown away by the short story, Dance in America, written by Lorrie Moore. It was beautiful, honest, strange, intense, and unpredictable. At the end of the story, I felt like it all made sense, but if asked, I wouldn't be able to explain how it made sense.

Before bed that night, I downloaded her novel, A Gate at the Stairs. Last night, as I was reading, I came across a section of the book that was so powerful that I had to skim it, to read it quickly, in order to get through it. My heart raced and I wasn't able to get to sleep for hours after. Granted, it may be because I'm a parent, but I cannot remember the last time a book has moved me like that, so I thought I'd blog about it, and there it is - blogged!

I love her writing!

Tonight's the night.

Tonight is the book release for Salt Creek Anthology, and well as CCLaP's three other books. Also, hear Ben Tanzer, Mark R. Brand, Sally Weigel, and I read at the Beauty Bar.

Book Release Party - 08.10.11

This is going to be fun!

More Minnesota...

I recently went to the Twin Cities to visit a book club that decided to read Salt Creek Anthology for their July book. I want to thank Maria Armstrong for offering her cozy home as a meeting place for the discussion. Maria also wrote up a very nice review of the time we spent discussing the book, as well as touching on different aspects of the book. I am always interested in what others have to say about books or stories that I have written. Maria wrote the following:

He seems to have this zeal for getting into the nitty gritty about people and their complexities in a realist fashion. The contrast between what we would typically classify as good characteristics and bad, doesn’t really seem to matter that much to him. While most are pushing away from reality because it’s distasteful or painful, he seems to be barreling into it and wanting to define reality by looking at all the angles, not just what’s comfortable."

Thank you Maria!

A Review of the Book Discusion Group by Sara Peoples

Below is a review of the time I spent with a book club in Minnesota, written by Sara Peoples. I want to thank her for inviting me; I had a great time discussing Salt Creek Anthology.

07/29/11 - Book Club Review,
Salt Creek Anthology
by Sara Peoples

It seemed fitting that we would meet in a house tucked in the woods. You can't talk about other people, even if they are fictional, in front of them. You have to be somewhere quiet, somewhere out of the way, which is where our book club chose to meet to discuss "Salt Creek Anthology" with Jason Fisk.

We started innocently enough, asking about Fisk's writing process and comparing which stories we hooked into, as well as marveling at the "craziness" of some of the characters, but the safety of our surroundings and the succinct honesty of Fisk's writing pulled our conversation from the outside in.

What began as a discussion about fictional others quickly turned to ourselves and our own little bits of crazy. We praised Fisk for his ability to hand-pick what is absolutely essential about a story, entertain us with it, and then make us look twice for a glimpse we thought we caught of ourselves - all in two to four paragraphs.

Hidden in the green of the woods, on the pages of this little green book, we found our neighbors, families, fears, and hillarities. The size of this gem should have foreshadowed our evening-we came together thinking we would "gossip" about these stories and relish in their absurdity only to find ourselves discussing the truth about ourselves and humanity.

We observed the standard party progression of time, beginning with drinks and finishing with pie, but like the book, when it was done, we all wished for more.

*If you, or someone you know, would be interested in a book discussion about Salt Creek Anthology, please contact me at fiskjason@gmail.com.

Book Club - Minnesota, 2011

My first book talk, discussion, club, chat, ever! It's happening this evening here in the Twin Cities. I'm actually pretty nervous, but looking froward to it!

The Orange Spotlight

A big thank you to Jason Behrends over at What to Wear During an Orange Alert for the kind review of my latest microfiction project, Salt Creek Anthology. Check it out!

A lot has been happening...

So recently, a lot has happened. My poetry collection, the fierce crackle of fragile wings, was published by Six Gallery Press, and is available for purchase here. The Examiner.com had some nice things to say about it here (a big thank you to Zack Kopp).

Also, as of yesterday, my hyperfiction project, Salt Creek Anthology, was published by the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography (CCLaP), something I'm very proud of and excited about.

And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Jason Behrends for his very kind words and his promotion of both the fierce crackle of fragile wings and Salt Creek Anthology on his most excellent Orange Alert Podcast! Thank you Jason!

A Nice Review

I would like to thank Jason Behrends and Chicago Subtext for reviewing Decay, my recently published chap book of poems. Read the review here, or buy the chap here.

Mark R. Brand and Life After Sleep

I have never been a big fan of science fiction; however, within the past year, I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Since then I have had the honor of reading with author Mark R. Brand a number of times. Mark introduced me to the world of speculative fiction; a world where future possibilities reside very near reality. A place where ideas from the future do not require a giant leap of faith. McCarthy's The Road inhabits this world, as well as Mark R. Brand's Life After Sleep. The novella maintains mainstream literary credibility while cultivating a realistic science fiction plot. Check it out here...

Eggshells...

A huge "Thank you" goes out to Curbside Splendor for publishing my short story "Eggshells." Check it out!

"Pish, posh."

"Pish, posh." Check it out. Also check out Another New Calligraphy.