New Review of THE TIDE KING

Jen Michalski’s debut novel–and Big Moose prizewinner–The Tide King gets some love from The Baltimore Sun: “Michalski creates a tale that sweeps history by marrying icons of childhood nightmares such as witches, magic, and children struggling on their own to the icons of adult nightmares: war battles, socially sanctioned violence and murder, success and failure in love, success and failure in connecting meaningfully with others, and the mind-numbing, soul-sucking daily grind.” Read the entire review here, and buy your copy of this magnetic and beautiful book here.

New Reviews of THE MORROW PLOTS and THE LOST EPISODES OF REVIE BRYSON

The latest issue of Mid-American Review is packed with great stuff, including reviews of Matthew Gavin Frank’s  The Morrow Plots and Bryan Furuness’ The Lost Episodes of Revie Bryson. This issue isn’t online, but click here to order a copy. (And click here and here to buy copies of Matt’s and Bryan’s stellar books.)

New Review of THE LOST EPISODES OF REVIE BRYSON

HTML Giant reviews Bryan Furuness’ debut novel, writing “I was first introduced to Furuness – and to Revie Bryson – in a story called “Ballgrabber” that appeared in Hobart 9.  Revie surveyed the world of kids in such an irreverent, fresh, hilarious way that I filed Furuness’s name away and vowed to read his first novel whenever it came out. I read Lost Episodes in three days, and that same irreverent freshness was there to remind me why I’d been anxiously awaiting its release.” Read the entire review here, and grab your copy of this fantastic book here.

New Review of SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS

David Rigsbee’s new full-length collection of poems, School of the Americas, is brilliant–and Literary Aficionado agrees: “David Rigsbee knows his craft well and somehow manages to spread his creative shadow over a very broad spectrum of topics and ideas and thoughts and challenges – and he keeps us with him at every step, whether in awe of his talent or nurtured by his insights…It is rare to pass through more than two or three pages without being punched in the gut or hugged by some greater, more understanding arm.” Read the entire review here, and buy a copy here.

New Review of THE AVERSIVE CLAUSE

The Nervous Breakdown says it best: “The Aversive Clause is out from Black Lawrence Press. And it is fucking great.”

They’re totally right. Buy it here.

New Review of THE BRANCHES, THE AXE, THE MISSING

Diagram has lovely things to say about Charlotte Pence’s prizewinning poetry chapbook: “Like the early humans conjured in The Branches, the Axe, the Missing, Pence crafts a subtly intricate world with ‘just’ branches, fire, darkness, memory, and the sharp scythe of questions. No doubt, her poems will continue to evolve, too. This is a wise and brave little book, and we’ll soon have a chance to see more; her first full-length collection of poetry is due out from Black Lawrence Press in 2014.” That’s right–more Pence is on the way, and we can’t wait. For now, slake your thirst for “wise and brave” poetry here.

New Review of THE MAN WHO NOTICED EVERYTHING

Speaking of Adrian, his prizewinning short story collection gets some love from Vol. 1 Brooklyn: “Adrian Van Young’s debut collection, The Man Who Noticed Everything, sits neatly between Donald Ray Pollock’s rust-stained noir and Brian Evenson’s more surreal tales of existential horror and bloodletting.” What else do you need to know?

Read the whole review here, and buy a copy of Adrian’s book here (or stop by Table Q7 at AWP!).

New Review of THE BEAUTIFUL WISHES OF UGLY MEN

Publishers Weekly reviews Adam Prince’s dark and funny collection, writing “Throughout he seeks the coupling of despicable actions and intentions, mining that seedy side of humanity only faintly illuminated by the stubborn hope that we have the power to transcend such ugliness. Prince’s stories are both entertaining and insightful.” Check out the entire review here, and buy a copy of this provocative collection here. It’s the perfect read for these snow-bound winter weeks…

New Review of MARGINALIA FOR A NATURAL HISTORY

Great reviews of Keith Taylor’s stunning poetry chapbook keep rolling in: the LA Review writes “[Taylor] encapsulates a bold rendering of everyday detail within the fabric of natural and human existence. Marginalia for a Natural History, a series of eight-line, nine-syllable-per-line poems, seeks to carry out a project in formal constraints by condensing vibrant and imagistic language that guides the reader to focus on suspended moments… Fusing poetic language with scientific precision and knowledge, each poem freezes time to explore the proximity and distance of the speaker to the subjects… Reverent and even-paced, this concentrated poem series grasps the importance of slowing down, and receiving each moment as it arrives.” Click here to buy your copy; at just $9, it’s a perfect stocking-stuffer.

New Review of THE BEAUTIFUL WISHES OF UGLY MEN

Pank Magazine raves about Adam Prince’s debut collection of stories, writing “Part of what makes Prince’s characters likeable in face of their ugliness is that they are intelligent, pensive people. One wonders about ‘the difficulty of accounting for the distance between who a person was and who that person would like to be, between ourselves and the performances we put on for those we hope will love us.'” Read the entire review here, and buy a copy of Adam’s provocative collection here.