Category: Reviews & Criticism
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Necrology, a collaborative text by Gary J. Shipley & Kenji Siratori, reviewed by David Peak
The easiest way I found to approach Gary J. Shipley and Kenji Siratori’s collaborative text, Necrology, was by beginning at the end, or, more specifically, by beginning with the appendix (written by Iranian philosopher and writer Reza Negarestani). I use the word “easiest” here carefully, because I don’t want to convey the idea that there’s…
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“Gabe Durham’s Fun Camp”: Interview and Thoughts by Joseph Riippi
So I did a little research on real-life fun camps. The Parks and Recreation in Webster, New York, offers a couple fun camps in the summertime, one for second and third graders, another for fourth and fifth graders. Camps are offered for older kids, too, but those are no longer deemed “fun.” For the youngsters,…
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Blowout, new poetry by Denise Duhamel, reviewed by Jordan Sanderson
In Blowout, Denise Duhamel jaywalks across the intersections of the personal and historical, narrowly escaping a Mack truck and arriving safely at a picnic with a new lover who has ode-worthy eyebrows. Duhamel takes the collection’s title from a line in “Takeout, 2008”: “It is already 2009 / in Bangkok, where 61 partygoers were killed…
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“Gotta Get a Gimmick: How the Galaxy SIV’s Party Tricks Turned Innovation into a Game”: Tech Essay by Zach Tarvin
Even as a devout lover of iOS, I have to give credit to Samsung—they really know how to endlessly market their product. In the coming weeks, I’m sure we’ll continue to see campaign after campaign of ads telling us why the Galaxy SIV, The Next Big Thing, is here. The problem, though, is like Samsung’s…
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Book Review: Joshua Kleinberg on The Year of the Rooster, a poetry collection by Noah Eli Gordon
Noah Eli Gordon’s newest collection, The Year of The Rooster is like a hyper-intellectual conversation in the midst of a total rager. It’s easy to get lost, but that’s half the fun. Especially as these poems huck themselves around from existential doubt to post-modern denial, especially with this rooster running around giving everyone a hard time.…
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Byzantium, exciting historical stories by Ben Stroud, reviewed by Michael Goroff
I was kind of stunned when I opened Ben Stroud’s Byzantium for the first time to discover that I would be reading a story about a 28-year-old shut-in with a withered hand who lived during Heraclius’ reign over the Byzantine Empire. I don’t read much historical fiction, it’s true, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely…
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The Stone Thrower, stories by Adam Marek, reviewed by Ryan Werner
I recently went to the wedding of a friend I’ve had for over twenty years. Mostly I did the things I do with people I know and enjoy the company of, telling and listening to stories and generally trying to let worthwhile moments be themselves. “My wife’s a shopaholic,” one of my friends who is…
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“A Small, but Strong Cup of Coffee”: Patrick Trotti Reviews How to Shake the Other Man by Derek Palacio
Derek Palacio’s debut book, Nouvella Book’s most recent, is top notch and reaffirms everything I’ve already thought about the in-between novella form. How to Shake the Other Man is a beautiful meditation on love, brotherhood, identity, and boxing. Palacio, who has a story forthcoming in The O. Henry Prize Stories 2013 collection, has staked a…
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Is That You, John Wayne?, flash fiction by Scott Garson, reviewed by Kelsie Hahn
Scott Garson is a writer who captures moments, and it is here that his new collection, Is That You, John Wayne? excels. Individual moments are the stars of these stories, similar to the micro shorts in his previous collection, American Gymnopédies. The moments are quiet but powerful. The characters are unself-conscious. Most of all, they are…
Heavy Feather Review 