Jason's Blog

An Open Letter to Spencer Dew...

2012-02-08T04:04:00.000-08:00

The letter below was written as an open response to a review of my poetry collection by Spencer Dew.

Dear Mr. Spencer Dew,

First, I want to thank you for taking the time to read, and write about, my poetry.

While I respect your opinion, I was surprised at your seemingly strong reaction to the two particular poems you chose to focus on. I thought it was interesting that you approached the collection of poems as "very personal reflections on a moment in a life," and did not give them the benefit of standing on their own as individual pieces; a benefit I believe any collection of poems deserves. If you had, perhaps you would have appreciated the differences in the various narrator's perspectives and points of view (self-righteousness and hints of racism being two of them).

There is also a point in your review where you do not separate the "narrator" from the "poet," which seems to be very unprofessional when reviewing any piece of writing: "The poet waxes regretful about “the world” and its insistence “that real men / are not sensitive."" You have not even afforded me that simple distinction.

William Carlos Williams wrote, "No ideas but in things." While I know that my poetry is nowhere near Williams' level, it is something I strive to emulate. I love the thought of "No ideas but in things," and only want to paint what I see (whether it is in my imagination, or in real life). What the reader takes from it is their business. That’s where I let go of the poetry. With that in mind, I question the possibility of the following line from your review: "...because so much of this scene is interpretation, and interpretation with a self-righteous slant." The fact that you seem to have foisted a self-righteous slant on something that you yourself said was open to interpretation seems to be a contradiction in and of itself, and possibly says more about you that it does about the poem.

These poems originated as kernels of, what I believe to be, truths about human nature, and then a poetic narrative was built around them. I'm sorry this formula didn't work for you, particularly with those two poems. However, your review seems rushed and your arguments, as eloquent as they sound, do not seem to be well thought out.

I apologize for even responding to you like this, and will freely admit that it is difficult for me to separate my writing from my being. That being said, I will stand by my writing like I would stand by one of my children, especially if I do not believe they have been given a fair shake.

Sincerely,

Jason Fisk

A big thank you to...

2012-01-14T11:16:00.000-08:00

A big thank you to Grey Sparrow Press for publishing a short, short story of mine titled, Yellow Daffodils. This is a piece from a yet unpublished larger collection, Hank and Jules. It is a collection of flash fiction pieces about a couple, Henry and Julie. Anyway, thank you very much editors at Grey Sparrow Press.

Ben Tanzer: So Different Now

2011-12-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-19T17:27:00.000-08:00

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

2011-09-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-08-18T14:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-08-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

This is going to be fun!

More Minnesota...

2011-08-05T13:38:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

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...

2011-07-01T11:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-02-24T17:46:00.000-08:00

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

"Pish, posh."

2011-01-10T17:03:00.000-08:00

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

99 Problems. Ben Tanzer

2010-10-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

Check out Ben Tanzer's latest book, 99 Problems: essays about running and writing . Great read! Ben Tanzer: Where running and writing meet. A very compelling read!

Silverthought - Breakfast with the Author

2010-10-12T17:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mark Brand of Silverthought for including me, along with Ben Tanzer, in the first Breakfast with the Author. Check it out!

New fiction

2010-10-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

I have a new short story up at Underground Voices.

Podcast

2010-07-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

A piece that I read at the Orange Alert Reading Series was included their Podcast.

Flash Fiction

2010-07-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

I have a short piece published at In Between Altered States...

Reading in July

2010-07-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Who? Me
What? Reading a couple of short stories
Where? The Whistler, Logan Square, Chicago
When? On Sunday evening, July 18th at 6pm
Why? Because it is an opportunity given to me by Jason Behrends of WTWDAOA.

Also, I will be reading with author Mark Brand, who's novel, Red Ivy Afternoon, I've just finished, and really enjoyed. So come on out and hear some great fiction... What else are you going to do on a Sunday evening?

New poetry

2010-07-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

New Poetry @ The Medulla Review

Live fiction...

2010-06-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the good people at This Zine Will Change Your Life for publishing my short story, "Do Not Resuscitate."

half familiar faces

2010-06-17T06:54:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a face in a crowd, and you swear you know the face, but it just doesn't completely match up in your memory? I recently had a similar experience, only with music. I was listening to Josh Ritter, my new favorite musician, and heard Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and others. However, the music just didn't match up, and for that I'm thankful. Josh Ritter seems to be able embrace the spirit of great music while creating and maintaining his own musical identity. His latest album, SO RUNS THE WORLD AWAY is a musical masterpiece as well as a work of literary genius. Check it out...

Podcasted

2010-06-15T06:50:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Ben Tanzer and This Blog Will Change Your Life for interviewing me. Check out the podcast @ A Glimpse of Truth. Also, look for my short story (one of my first to see light) to published this week at This Zine Will Change Your Life.

The Sagging: Spirits and Skin - A recent review...

2010-06-12T08:34:00.002-07:00

A recent review of my little chapbook at fiddler crab review. It is under the "short reviews" section on the right hand side.

A Poem, or two...

2010-06-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, here's a poem that was published at Word Riot in March; love Word Riot.

Also, a poem from The Orange Room Review. I love this publication because they publish narrative poetry, and I love me some narrative poetry.

And, last (for today), but certainly not least, a poem published from This Zine Will Change Your Life of which Ben Tanzer is the publisher extraordinaire.

CCLaP Reading at The Op Shop

2010-05-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

I had a great time at the CCLaP reading on Friday night at The Op Shop. It was awesome to meet new writers (Sally Weigel, Mark Brand and Katherine Hodges) and Jason Pettus (Owner and founder of CCLaP). It was also good to see good friend and novelist, Ben Tanzer, whose blog I would recommend you check out daily, because it's bound to change your life, guaranteed.

Here are links to a podcast and photos of the show. You can also listen below.

RIP ZIMC

2010-05-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

I was saddened when I woke up yesterday and an email sat in my in-box announcing the end of Zygote In My Coffee. Brian Fugett, editor of ZIMC, played a huge role in my interest in poetry, and in my desire to write poetry. Best of luck to him in everything he does from here on out...

Second post, same as the first

2010-05-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

As you're planning your holiday weekend, don't forget to include CCLaP's first reading. Pretty cool. I'm looking forward to meeting, and reading with a lot of great Chicago writers. I will be reading a series of 11 poems (short poems, mind you) that (hopefully) flow as a cohesive narrative. Come on down and check it out!

Welcome

2010-05-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

Hello. I'm starting a blog. Not sure how frequently I'll be adding items, but hey, I'm blogging.

I will be reading at Chicago Center for Literature and Photography's first literary event with Sally Weigel, Ben Tanzer, Mark Brand, and Katherine Hodges. Looking forward to it...

How's that for a first post? Not bad, huh?