The stories in April Wilder's debut collection, This is Not an Accident, inhabit, in her words, "the territory of the American absurd," and each first page is like the edge of a cliff. A story might begin, say, in a defensive driving class or in a kitchen with the grandchildren, and then it careens off, suspending the reader in that place where falling feels like flying. Take "Creative Writer Instructor Evaluation Form," which we were so lucky to publish as this month's Web Exclusive; the way it … [Read more...] about Online Fiction Interview: April Wilder
On Leaving the Sea by Ben Marcus
For all intents and purposes, Leaving the Sea is Ben Marcus’s first “true” short story collection. Arriving almost twenty years after his debut, The Age of Wire and String, the stories demonstrate an impressive and almost un-stomachable ability to jump from one style to the next, yet they're watermarked with voices so uniquely Marcus's own. When I had the chance to speak with him over the phone, I fanboyed-out about this dexterity and acuity, his stylistic hopscotching. “In some ways,” he said, … [Read more...] about On Leaving the Sea by Ben Marcus
Along for the Ride: At the Waffle House with Mary Miller
The table at which I wait for Mary Miller in a Waffle House off US-183 in Austin is disappointingly well-kept. It’s my first experience with a Waffle House, so I expected and hoped for a table with spilled sugar crystals, the surface sticky with syrup. That the table has been recently wiped clean is briefly, marginally disappointing, and I feel slightly robbed of the desired authenticity. What I believe is the authentic Waffle House experience is how Mary Miller depicts it in the first few pages … [Read more...] about Along for the Ride: At the Waffle House with Mary Miller
Things American: Authentic Desire & the Root of Sexuality in HBO’s “Girls”
What if I said I do not believe in desire? As the holidays wind down, and with them the inundation of images of midnight smooches on New Year’s Eve and nuclear families unwrapping presents by the tree, I am always left with that seasonal-depression-idea that I’ve somehow failed to live up to the status quo—those unreachable expectations. And then I pause and think, “Wait, why do I care? That’s not even what I want.” I’m thrown by how much those desires feel, momentarily, like my … [Read more...] about Things American: Authentic Desire & the Root of Sexuality in HBO’s “Girls”
ASF’s Holiday Gift/Get/Just Go Buy It Guide
'Tis the season: to ask for books and buy books with abandon. So, we've asked our ASF staff to share what books they're gifting to their friends and family, what books they want to be gifted, and what short story collections they think you should just go ahead and get for yourself. Andrew Bales Give: With Maggie Nelson's Bluets, Wave Books has perfected the stocking stuffer. At 99 pages, it's an unassuming book—a faintly cosmic blue cover with a white square on the … [Read more...] about ASF’s Holiday Gift/Get/Just Go Buy It Guide
We’re Back!
ASF is back with a new issue brimming with exquisite fiction. Behind Elizabeth Chiles' gorgeous cover photo you'll find wonderful stories, including: Joyce Carol Oates' "The Disappearing" Kevin Wilson's "The Horror We Made" Rachel Swearingen's "The Night Between Us" Barrett Swanson's "Annie Radcliffe, You Are Loved" Kellie Wells' "A Unified Theory of Human Behavior" and the stories that won our Short(er) Fiction Contest: Ryan MacDonald's "The Observable … [Read more...] about We’re Back!