We’ve all had those life-changing discoveries, those moments where we find things we could never imagine living without. Mine came with an obscure, underground small-press genre called bizarro fiction. In the summer of ’06, I visited Prague with my mother. My reading and writing at the time revolved around fantasy with bits of literary fiction … Continue reading How I Discovered Bizarro Fiction
Author Interview: Andrew J. Stone
Before we get started, I thought I’d share that S.T. Cartledge interviewed me on his blog “The Manifold,” my first time on that side of an interview. You can find it here. - - - With two books published and more on the way, Andrew J. Stone has accomplished a lot in his mere 26 … Continue reading Author Interview: Andrew J. Stone
Book Review: ALL HAIL THE HOUSE GODS
Rating 8/10. The spectrum of bizarro fiction goes from “kinda weird” to” 4-plus-wacko-bananas.” Andrew J. Stone’s novella All Hail the House Gods is definitely in bananas territory. Still, he manages to pull off a believable and engaging story that rivets you to the page. I’ve read it twice now and I’m so glad I did. … Continue reading Book Review: ALL HAIL THE HOUSE GODS
4 Great Books by Italo Calvino
Gore Vidal described Italo Calvino as “the only great writer of my time.” And while I may not go that far, Calvino is certainly my favorite author. As a postmodernist and a fabulist, his works possess that “bizarreness” I love. At the time of his passing, Italo Calvino (1923-1985) was the most translated modern Italian … Continue reading 4 Great Books by Italo Calvino
A Guide to Neurotic Editing
All last month and into this one, I’ve been editing like mad. Eraserhead Press (the largest bizarro publisher out there) is starting one of their yearly open submissions, putting the pinch on what is otherwise a leisurely task. Meanwhile, I’m struggling to rewrite a novel I wrote years ago that just won’t cooperate. This week … Continue reading A Guide to Neurotic Editing
Author Interview: John Wayne Comunale
I got the chance to pick the brain of the immensely talented writer, musician, podcaster, and all around great guy John Wayne Comunale. Click here for my review of his novel Scummer. ZÉ BURNS: When did you start writing? JOHN WAYNE COMUNALE: When I was a kid I liked to write stories. As I got older … Continue reading Author Interview: John Wayne Comunale
Book Review: SCUMMER
Rating: 9/10 John Wayne Comunale shows us a grimy world: the filth and stench palpable. But he also invites us to search for meaning in our lives, to find the pillar that can support us in the scary chaos of the world around us. Meet Scummer. He drinks the backwash from leftover beers, smokes discarded … Continue reading Book Review: SCUMMER
