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Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
“You can get away with anything in fiction as long as you make it believable” – An Interview with Dave Margoshes
In his new novel A Simple Carpenter (Radiant Press), Dave Margoshes plays with the story of Christ to tell a tale of Najjar (“Carpenter” in Arabic),a man who must rediscover all things after he loses his memory. We chat with Dave about writing magical realism, how he stumbled upon this unique story, and more.
Excerpted: The Field by Dave Lapp
What happens when developers dig up a field on the edges of a Dave’s small town just as summer break begins? We peek two vignettes of a long, hazy 1970s summer in Dave Lapp’s indelible graphic novel memoir The Field (Conundrum Press).
The Short of It: Lulu Keating & Splinter & Shard
Award-winning filmmaker Lulu Keating tells us about her debut short story collection Splinter & Shard (ECW Press), why she loves the form, and what’s next from her writing desk. Plus, we read some of the story “Mother Lode” from the collection.
Writer’s Block: Ho Ka Kei (Jeff Ho)
Award-winning playwright and actor Ho Ka Kei aka Jeff Ho whose coming-of-age play Cockroach (Playwrights Canada Press) was highly praised by critics when it first premiered at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. Today, he chats with us about the little-big moments that led to playwriting.
Interview: AGA Wilmot, author of Withered
We talk to AGA Wilmot, author of the queer paranormal horror novel Withered (ECW Press) about the intersection of mental health and horror and their own approach to writing. AGA tells us about using horror as a tool for self-discovery, writing characters, and what’s coming up next for them.
Excerpted from El Ghourabaa: A Queer and Trans Collection of Oddities
This week’s excerpt is from the forthcoming El Ghourabaa (Metonymy Press), a collection edited by Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch and Samia Marshy that assembles inventive, fun, experimental, playful, and wonderfully weird works by Arab and Arabophone queer authors. Below, we share two evocative teasers by George Abraham and Karim Kattan.
The Short of It: Barbara Black & Little Fortified Stories
In her new collection of micro and flash fictions Little Fortified Stories (Caitlin Press), Barbara Black creates strange characters in stranger worlds. We chat with her about writing shorter-than-short stories and read “Salon of Mirrors” from the collection.
Writer’s Block: Connie Gault
The unnamed narrator in Connie Gault’s The Rasmussen Papers (Thistledown Press) becomes so infatuated with late poet Marianne Rasmussen that she begins to infiltrate Marianne’s life. We get our own (much more measured!) infiltration with Connie herself, who joins us for today’s Writer’s Block interview.
Interview: Kat Simmers & Ryan Danny Owen, authors of Pass Me By
We talk to Kat Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen, co-creators of Pass Me By (Renegade Arts Entertainment), an award-winning coming-of-age graphic novel series about queer identity, self-discovery, and the power of connection. Kat and Ryan tell us about their very collaborative creative process and how their own personal growth and self-discovery took shape alongside the…
Excerpted: A Reluctant Mother by Deirdre Simon Dore
What happens when the supposed child of Frida’s husband shows up on her doorstep? We see the first inklings of the dark family drama A Reluctant Mother (Ronsdale Press) Deirdre Simon Dore has concocted in this riveting excerpt from the novel.
The Short of It: Michael Maitland & The World Is But a Broken Heart
Short story writer Michael Maitland tells us how his debut collection The World Is But a Broken Heart (Signature Editions) is “an ode to the struggles of the working-class,” and shares an excerpt from the story “The Rabbit.”
Writer’s Block: Adrienne Gruber
Writer Adrienne Gruber contends with the chaos and beauty of being alive in her new book of essays on motherhood, Monsters, Martyrs, and Marionettes (Book*hug Press). In our Writer’s Block interview, we get a glimpse into that chaos and beauty; read on.
Excerpted: Skater Girl by Robin Pacific
In her debut collection of essays Skater Girl (Guernica Editions), Robin Pacific shares intensely personal stories from her life. Including this one, “One Stroke and You’re Out;” an at-times difficult look at how society once treated those with mental illness (and sometimes, still does).
The Short of It: Sara Power & Art of Camouflage
For Short Story Month, we interview Sara Power about her debut collection Art of Camouflage (Freehand Books), stories that explore the intricate and often overlooked lives of women and girls entangled within the complex web of military culture, revealing their resilience, sacrifices, and quests for identity. Read our chat with the author and an excerpt…
There’s a Poem for That: Domenica Martinello + Good Want
Poet Domenica Martinello walks us through how a daily ritual was the impetus for Good Want (Coach House Books), her collection of poems that entertains the notion that perhaps virtue isn’t all its cracked up to be. Read our full interview with the poet and the poem “I Pray to Be Useful.”
Got any book recommendations?