Zachary Kocanda on Ryan Werner’s Brainwashing Miss Teen Nosebleed USA, a book of one sentence album reviews

I was introduced to Ryan Werner’s work when I read and reviewed his novella Soft (Passenger Side Books, 2015) a … More

BRAT, a graphic novel by Michael DeForge, reviewed by Ryan Werner

*Ed.’s Note: click images to view larger sizes. For years now Michael DeForge has been building these fucked-up worlds that … More

ACTIVAMERICA, a story collection by Meagan Cass, reviewed by Ryan Werner

I’m a bad loser and an even worse winner. My wife won’t go mini-golfing with me. I’ve slammed bar stools … More

Jesse Jacobs’s CRAWL SPACE

*Ed.’s Note: click images to view larger sizes. One time at the preschool where I work, a four-year-old asked me … More

VHS & WHY IT’S HARD TO LIVE by Tatiana Ryckman

Memory is built from pieces of itself: perfect enough at best, like a glued-together mirror or you or me. This … More

Dan Mancilla’s THE DEATHMASK OF EL GAUCHO

I would assume that writing about professional wrestling is infinitely harder than writing professional wrestling itself. The conceit of wrestling … More

THE WELL-DRESSED BEAR WILL (NEVER) BE FOUND by J. Roselló

The titular Well-Dressed Bear of J. Roselló’s The Well-Dressed Bear Will (Never) Be Found doesn’t seem to ever finish reading … More

SOFT, by Ryan Werner

There’s not much to writing rock and roll music. A popular quote says all you need is three chords and … More

BALDUR’S GATE II, by Matt Bell

  Once a year, I drive an hour and a half to get pictures with some old wrestlers in Waterloo, … More

TRUE FALSE, by Miles Klee

Whereas some writers try out different voices, Miles Klee tries out different worlds. In True False, ghosts come alive, men … More

If There’s Any Truth in a Northbound Train, by Ryan Werner

In Ryan Werner’s slim, beautiful collection, If There’s Any Truth in a Northbound Train, twins vie for birthright order, a … More

Murmuration, by Ryan Werner

Ryan Werner’s Murmuration sort of creeps out from the distance like the starlings in the title story—you’ll see. These five … More

The Stone Thrower, by Adam Marek

I recently went to the wedding of a friend I’ve had for over twenty years. Mostly I did the things … More

Any Deadly Thing, by Roy Kesey

Sometimes I remember that the world is big. I remember this in the context of thinking about how the world … More

Review: The Law of Strings, by Steven Gillis

As I am an idiot, it’s unsurprising that I was not the speaker at my college graduation. I was nominated … More