I like James Robinson. He’s thoughtful and funny and his work is very separate from what the rest of the world is doing. Read his “essay” about Native Americans up now at Requited. He’s not just studying language, he’s plowing right through it, right into social constructs, and figuring out how we act the way we act. Charts and drawings and guides are always appearing in James’s works. I think it’s because words and language are not enough for what he’s trying to do, and he’s not satisfied with saying, “Look! Words failed. Isn’t that cool?”

Scott McClanahan did a terrific reading for the most recent episode of Apostrophe Cast. This one quickly goes into my ‘Best Of” list. It’s a story of telemarketing, just in time for the holidays!

And here’s his Apostrophe Cast interview.

Just got back to Brooklyn after a weekend in New Hampshire – a blizzard hit while I was gone. So after digging out a parking space for my car and then shoveling my stairs and sidewalk, I got inside inside to find a floor full of mail including the following books. (It was a welcome surprise.)

Two gifts from Alec Niedenthal: Will Gass’s The Tunnel (this was the push I needed to finally read this beast), and Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely (on which I actually collaborated with Claudia). Thanks, Alec!

My contributor copy of the new Caketrain. (Did some drawing to accompany a few of J.A. Tyler’s Jimmy stories.)

Kristina Born’s One Hour of Television the first book from Year of the Liquidator.

Another press debut, Mud Luscious’s first novella, Molly Gaudry’s We Take Me Apart. (This book is as pretty looking as the internet pictures make it seem.)

And one of the most glorious looking indie books I’ve ever held, Brandon Downing’s Lake Antiquity. This thing is so wonderful looking, I don’t know how it only costs $40.

Y’all jealous or what?

You’ll want to be the first to read Hiromi Ito’s Killing Kanoko. This translation just came out from Action, and if you wait to read it, even for a few days, you’ll be far from the first.

It’s an awful and head-checking collection that brings the expectation of female physicality into sharp and unrelenting focus. I’m grateful that this book made it’s way into English, and I do hope it finds a wide audience.

Publishing genius Adam Robinson just posted an interview with me at HTML Giant. He is serious about what he does and the way he reads and I appreciate that. Plus he suggests several much more reasonable alternative titles for The Complete Collection of People, Places & Things. We also had a chance to discuss Jem and the Holograms, which was a long time coming.

Check out the cover for Adam’s upcoming poetry collection, Adam Robison. That’s a portrait of the author himself.

Kristen has an amazing story of love (of mothers) and loss (of mothers) and gypsying over at Harper Perennial’s 52 Stories. This one will be remembered.

One of the stories that I’m most glad that I wrote has just been published – at very long last – in the new Anemone Sidecar. It’s been a while since the last issue, but, from what I can tell, Kathryn Rantala has spent her time well putting this one together. The story is called “Waterslide” and it means a great deal to me. Please read it here, on page 11, if you have a chance (and be sure to check out some other stuff while you’re there, including work from fellow Big Others, Greg Gerke, J.A. Tyler, and Ryan Bradley). Anyone who wants to send me a note or leave a comment here about your thoughts on the story, it’d be much appreciated.