Anthologies/Short Stories
Fierce, searing, and darkly comical, Garriga's debut collection of short-short fiction depicts historical and imagined duels, re-envisioning in a flash the competing points of motivation--courage and cowardice, honor and vengeance--that lead individuals to risk it all.
In this compact collection, "settling the score" provides a fascinating apparatus for exploring foundational civilizing ideas. Notions of courage, cowardice, and revenge course through Michael Garriga's flash fiction pieces, each one of which captures a duel's decisive moment from three distinct perspectives: opposing accounts from the individual duelists, followed by the third account of a witness. In razor-honed language, the voices of the duelists take center stage, training a spotlight on the litany of misguided beliefs and perceptions that lead individuals into such conflicts.
From Cain and Abel to Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickenson; from John Henry and the steam drill to an alcoholic fighting the bottle: the cumulative effect of these powerful pieces is a probing and disconcerting look at humankind's long-held notions of pride, honor, vengeance, and satisfaction. Meticulously crafted by Garriga, and with stunning illustrations by Tynan Kerr, The Book of Duels is a unique and remarkable debut.
A Creature Wanting Form is a bleakly funny work of fiction from a journalist widely celebrated for his wry, mordant take on life.
Filtered through the lens of a writer and characters who are horrified by the earth's looming mortality, and their own, but still compelled to carry on, O'Neil interweaves science fiction, allegory, fables, poetry, and reflections on the deeply grounded indignities of modern life. In these pages, climate catastrophe lurks on the horizon; animals voraciously devour each other; your parents only call to tell you who from home has just died; and you want to go for a swim, but there's a shark in the pool.
In short, A Creature Wanting Form is a book for anyone trying to survive with a shred of humanity in the bleak alienation of America, 2023.
A collection of short stories by actor, poet, playwright, storyteller, and one-time poet laureate of Greenwich Village (1959), Will Anthony Madden.
New York: Exposition Press, 1963. 1st edition; inscribed by author on ffep; dust jacket in protective cover; edges worn; spine edges creased and chipped; covers lightly soiled; price clipped; blue-green cloth with black lettering on cover and spine; water damage along upper edges; edges worn and frayed; binding tight; text clean. G/G
McSweeney's 62: The Queer Fiction Issue, collects absurd, bold, bleak, humorous, and astonishing works of fiction and art by queer writers of all orientations. Inside this luxurious hardcover, you'll find stories about storm chasers and Colombian supermodels, about talking plants and DIY bands and camboys and encounters with the dead. Contributors include Bryan Washington, Eileen Myles, Kristen Arnett, Sarah Gerard, Juli Delgado Lopera, Gabby Bellot, Denne Michelle, Emma Copley Eisenberg, K-Ming Chang, and many more. Guest-edited by Patrick Cottrell, and filled to a surfeit with letters, stories, and dazzling full-color comics and art, you'll be jealously hoarding this collection for decades to come.
"A key barometer of the literary climate."
--The New York Times "McSweeney's is so much more than a magazine; it's a vital part of our culture. " --Geoff Dyer, McSweeney's contributor and author of Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasiand Otherwise Known as the Human Condition
