In his much-anticipated debut collection A Lucky Man, Jamel Brinkley lays bare the full and complex interiority of black men and boys kicking against all manner of inexorable truths, while living an inch from ruin in Brooklyn and the Bronx. With stunning clarity and generosity of detail, each of the nine stories leaves its own lasting impression, while the book as a whole coalesces into a devastating tapestry of confused masculinity, familial responsibility, and the intractable power of … [Read more...] about The Art of Staring: An Interview with Jamel Brinkley
writing
Editorial Outtakes: Cutter Wood
Editorial Outtakes is a series in which we publish excerpts from recent books that you won’t find anywhere else because, prior publication, these sections were cut. This installment of Editorial Outtakes features a scene from Cutter Wood's Love and Death in the Sunshine State: The Story of a Crime, an account the 2008 murder of Sabine Musil-Buehler. Wood's investigation is augmented by a more personal story about the nature of love and intimacy. What results is a deeply moving work of true … [Read more...] about Editorial Outtakes: Cutter Wood
Web Exclusive Interview: Richard Mirabella
Our November Web Exclusive story "The Sister" has a magical, fairy-tale feeling but a very real and timeless sense of the heartbreak and bewilderment of loss. We talked with author Richard Mirabella about the story's roots, queer fiction, and the pains and pleasures of writing with a full-time, non-writing job. Erin McReynolds: "The Sister" is one of the most accurate depictions of loss I've read. You managed to nail how maddening and senseless it is; how the pain casts about looking for … [Read more...] about Web Exclusive Interview: Richard Mirabella
Web Exclusive Interview: Anton DiSclafani
In our December Web Exclusive story, "Flight," author Anton DiSclafani freezes a moment in the life of an aged John J. Audubon. It's a moment that allows us a bird's-eye view of the famed ornithologist/artist's exotic origins, his loss and his passion, and his rivalry with Alexander Wilson. It's elegiac without being mawkish, and you walk away feeling as though you've just been up close with a rare and brilliant specimen. Erin McReynolds: What drew you to Audubon, as a character? Anton … [Read more...] about Web Exclusive Interview: Anton DiSclafani
Web Exclusive Interview: Michael Czyzniejewski
In August, we published a Web Exclusive story, "Monster," that seemed fitting (given that it was playground season and all) and creepy. But not creepy in the way you'd think—the unexpected twist of this story lodges itself in the place where our inadequacies lie, and it's comforting to be so recognized, isn't it? We talked to author Michael Czyzniejewski about this last month. Erin McReynolds: Your narrator in "Monster" is super relatable—in this era of social media, we're making constant … [Read more...] about Web Exclusive Interview: Michael Czyzniejewski
Ray Charles Never Lost Anything Important
Hugo was a neighborhood debate. Ask me and I’d say, No, he wasn’t gifted from birth, wasn’t like Mozart composing with a finger up his nose and diaper rash on his ass. But mine was a minority opinion. To this day, people come to me and insist, with a passion I’ve only seen in late-night infomercials, that Hugo must’ve at least been born with the capacity to prophesize—the genetic musculature, so to speak. To which I say, Lower your voice, I agree. Listen: there are times in life when we know … [Read more...] about Ray Charles Never Lost Anything Important