Books Read in 2022

Hag-Seed Margaret Atwood

On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan (novella)

Come Rain or Come Shine Kazuo Ishiguro (novella)

The Last Byzantine Renaissance Steven Runciman (history)

Cleopatra Michael Grant (history)

Train Dreams Denis Johnson (novella)

Barracuda Christos Tsiolkas

The Subtle Knife Philip Pullman

Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds Stephen Kinzer (expository)

Bourbon Penn 25 (collection/lit mag)  Ed. Erik Secker

The Book of Dave Will Self

Folktales of Greece Ed. Georgios A. Megas

The Sisters Brothers Patrick deWitt

Dreamside Graham Joyce

Nothing Holds Back the Night Delphine de Vigan (memoir)

The Love of a Bad Man Laura Elizabeth Woollett (collection)

The Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch

Mother Tongue Bill Bryson (expository)

How to Be an Author Georgia Richter & Deborah Hunn (expository)

Mythic Resonance Ed. Stephen Thompson (anthology)

Prosper’s Demon K.J. Parker (novella)

Island 139 Ed. Matthew Lamb (lit. journal)

Fly Away Kathleen Jennings

Black Dogs Ian McEwan

Rubik Elizabeth Tan

The Eternal Machine Carol Ryles

The Hill of Dreams Arthur Machen

To Paradise Hanya Yanigahara

Griffith Review 68 Getting On Ed. Ashley Hay (lit journal)

A Room Made of Leaves Kate Grenville                                                           

                CONGRATS TO SOME KNOWN PERTH LOCALS

I'll open with a warm congrats to a few Perthites first. 

Carol Ryles has worked a long time on her steampunk novel The Eternal Machine, so it is  heartwarming to see it published. The first fifty pages are absolutely impossible to put down. It's also a novel for readers who desire more from their magic than simply 'it exists'.  The Eternal Machine has a rare and unique scientific sense of why and how magic works. Ryles has put a lot of real thought into an authentic and innovative steampunk world. 

Deborah Hunn was a lecturer of mine, whose classes I loved, so it was also a thrill to read her work How to be an Author, which was written in collaboration with Georgia Richter. 

And I had the good fortune of studying with the talented Elizabeth Tan, and finally read the inventive Rubrik, whose emotional launch I attended a few years ago. 

And moving out of WA, I previously met Kathleen Jennings in Sydney in 2012 at the Aurealis Awards for 2011. We have shared a couple of anthology homes together, and we've also shared another four Yearly Recommended Reading lists in the back of Year's Best anthologies. Jennings is a wonderful artist, and she designed a beautiful cover for the Aurealis Award winning anthology Bloodlines (Ed. Amanda Pillar), in which we were also both story compadres. Fly Away is a unique rural Australian dark fantasy with distinct horrific elements. 

And last, but not least, I read Mythic Resonance because Sue Bursztynski has a retelling of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' within. Sue had my second story published, which happened to also be the second story I'd written, so I tracked this anthology down. And by chance, Alan Baxter has a story in it too. Bursztynski's story has the dwarves of the LOTR type, which is how I love my Khazad. 

THE SHORT FORM

In the short form, I only read eighty-nine stories, which is a far cry from my norm. I enjoyed a few stories from Mythic Resonance (Vicky Daddo's was my pick of the bunch, followed by Alan Baxter, Sue Bursztynski, and Jen White's stories). And although more for horror fans, Laura Elizabeth Woolett's dark collection The Love of a Bad Man was of a consistently good quality with strong entry and exit points. Think devotees to quality horror may unearth a real find here. All the narratives are written in first person present, and, as they're from the lenses of actual historical figures, it's a harrowing and nightmarish read. But I guess that's Woolett's intention. 

Due to my limited reading, I'll just mention ten Greek folktales as standouts rather than my usual list of twenty five or so stories. All are from George Megas' collection. As stated last year, please keep the context of production in mind if you do track these folktales down: 

‘Master Semolina’ 

‘The Turtle and the Chickpea’ 

‘The Seven Ravens’ 

‘The King’s Godson and the Baldchin’ 

‘The Navel of the Earth’ 

‘Cinderello’

‘The Two Neighbours’ 

‘What is the Fastest Thing in the World’ 

‘Princess Plumpkin (Pachoulenia)’ 

‘The King and the Basket Weaver’ 

STANDOUT NOVELS AND NOVELLAS

NOVELS

I'm limiting the brief commentary to three from each form. As usual, I could mention many more, but I like to keep my posts a little briefer. 

Hagseed by Margaret Atwood

This was the fourth novel in Hogarth's Shakespeare Initiative. Atwood has some riotous fun here, utilising caricatures for extra hilarity. The protagonist, our modern day Prospero, is the aging theatre director Felix, who although seriously flawed, we are positioned to barrack for. Felix, whose inflated air of self-importance would fuel a battalion of hot air balloons, is putting on The Tempest; partly to resurrect the memory of his own deceased daughter Miranda, who tragically passed away at only three years of age. Yet Felix with his over-the-top character reinterpretations, which include a transvestite on stilts and paraplegics on skateboards, is undone and sabotaged by Tony. Felix is fired, and flees to a hovel on the outskirts where he broods for many years in isolated squalor. 

Eventually, Felix is drawn back into the real world by taking on an educational drama programme for the incarcerated. Felix, under cover, plans his revenge with the old play within a play routine. The retelling, acted out by a colourful array of inmates, while comedic, also explores various interpretations and perspectives of The Tempest. On the more magical-realist side, Miranda's ghostly presence both haunts and guides Felix at times. 

This was my favourite read of 2023. My bookclub also loved Hag-Seed. It is a rambunctious playful read in the same cheeky style as Atwood's collection The Stone Mattress. I have been strongly drawn to books over recent years which utilise meta-elements in their narratives, and Hag-Seed falls into this category. It's an intelligent, hopeful and refreshingly fun novel. Rather than targeting the macabre, Hag-Seed is intended for readers who are after a light hearted, but still intelligent and meaningful work. Whereby Fowles looked at the dark side of The Tempest in his revered The Collector, Atwood's novel reflects the more comedic elements of the play, which is a brave move as so many readers expect these rewrites to be deep and dark and flooded with gravitas. Yet, when the original play was produced it was marketed as a comedy or tragi-comedy, and as such, Atwood has done the original play more than justice. It's a delight! 

Barracuda by Christos Tsiolkas

I have a confession to make, I really like Christos Tsiolkas: his interviews, his commentary, his articles, his work in Overland, but prior to Barracuda, I had not yet finished a novel of his. I often felt like the shock or the attempted-shock after shock after shock after shock lost its effect on me.

 Tsiolkas was a leading author in the innovative era of Australian 'grunge fiction'.  I found, however, little to connect with in his other works, and I certainly didn't see too many of those enjoyable moments of characters connecting. For me, these connections and times of light allow dark fiction to resonate more so, but Tsiolkas' lights in my previous reading seemed pretty dim, or at least in the parts I got through.

But Barracuda, although still imbued with the grunge elements of his other work, feels far more human, and there are moments of light, although not huge rays, throughout. This lengthy work is a winner. It captures the polarised class elements that exist within Australia: Tsiolkas explores self-loathing; notions of success and failure; and the loss of self with the search (and often failure) to realise one's place and identity not only within Australia but also within a broader global context. I also love Tsiolkas's inclusivity in terms of his repertoire of characters. In a sensitive writing and reading world, although Greek Australian, Tsiolkas is not fearful of portraying a broad array of characters, including a Turkish mother, another character of mixed Greek and Chinese background, a Hungarian swimming coach, both the privileged and the unprivileged, the upwardly mobile and the stuck, along with a broad spectrum of gay identities. The novel is insightful and gutsy and culturally very apt for the times. 

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

The sequel to The Golden Compass, although not quite matching the stratospheric qualities of the first, is still a delightful piece of world building and storytelling. 

NOVELLAS

The novella has become my favourite form along with novelettes and long short stories.  

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Once again, McEwan captures the times so well, and he also explores, in his typical manner, the grey areas of morality, or as I like to term it, 'McEwan's moral dilemma'. The structure is especially clever as the ending condenses time and breaks completely from the slowing down of a moment in the rest of the narrative. Another of his finest works. 

Come Rain or Come Shine by Kazuo Ishiguro

Humorous, clever and subversive.

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

Shades of Steinbeck, but with overt dreamlike elements. Unique and experimental, Train Dreams was short listed for the Pulitzer that was never awarded, and like Karen Russell's Swamplandia, it was worthy of the listing and more...

HISTORY & EXPOSITORY

The Last Byzantine Renaissance by Steven Runciman

One for history buffs alone. Runciman explores a late flourishing of thought in a dwindling kingdom. While their empire diminished rapidly around them, Byzantine scholars managed to keep alive classical philosophy,  scientific and mathematical inquiry, while also separating the spiritual side from the scientific. Not the easiest of Runciman's works but one of his most intriguing. 

Cleopatra by Michael Grant 

An enlightening read for those who want to truly understand the skills and diplomacy and navigation that Cleopatra used to strive to keep the Hellenistic kingdom of Egypt alive. 

Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds by Stephen Kinzer 

My uncle told me that this is the best work on modern Turkey, and I happened to read it twenty one years later... It's fascinating to read the book and see where Turkey was and where it is today. For instance, at the time, the once mayor (and now president) Erdogan, did time in jail and became a mocked figure for being an Islamic extremist. Ironically, in the preceding generations, Islamic extremists were kept at bay by the army. My how things have changed... Kinzer's fears have been realised, and his hopes that he had: alliances with Greece with the earthquake aid (when the Turkish army failed to prove effective when the nation needed them most);  potentially a nation that celebrates progressive elements and thinkers; and a member of a relatively modern part of the world rather than kowtowing to religion like many of its southern and eastern neighbours. Well, the hopefulness that Kinzer expresses here tragically hasn't eventuated. 

Kinzer furthered my understanding of Turkey so much, especially regarding his insight into the Kurds; but also topics like the the Korean veterans; journalists and writers and thinkers and how they are curtailed; the degree to which the former pro-Kemalist military prevented an over zealous religiosity in the country. 

However, Kinzer's insight into Cyprus is a lopsided Turkish perspective. For many years, Cypriot Greeks had been calling for  Enosis (unification) with the 'Fatherland'. As far back as 1950 only 4% of Greek Cypriots voted against unification with Greece (with a voting turn out of 90%).  Kinzer fails to acknowledge that the notion of enosis was long on the cards for the Cypriot Greeks, and he also fails to acknowledge or recognise or even vaguely understand the cultural history of the Cypriot Greek people. It's as if he's unaware that the national anthem of Cyprus is the same as that of Greece. 

Regardless of his warped view of Cyprus,  Crescent and Star is a beautiful work with a cutting and personal and confronting interrogation of modern day Turkey. Well, the Turkey of twenty years ago. Reading it now does not make it worse, in fact the parallels and downslide of Turkey become all the more apparent from understanding its recent past. 

Happy 2023 

Nice to see the world so connected again with high vaccination rates and a less virulent COVID strain. There is still some work to do ensuring all parts of the world have the opportunity to vaccinate. 

Like always, I hope we look after our wildlife, environment, and rich natural heritage, along with each other. 

Wishing you all a meaningful year. 

"Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)" from Bourbon Penn 25 on Ellen Datlow's "Recommendations for Best Horror #14 Long List"; and Bourbon Penn praised in Datlow's Opening Essay/Review

It's nice to have "Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)" from Bourbon Penn 25 on this renown and respected annual list from Ellen Datlow.

Ellen Datlow is arguably the world's leading editor of dark fiction in the short form, and her yearly Recommendation Lists, although long, are one of the best ways of promoting the genre to readers. 

This year's list (Recommendations for Best Horror #14 Long List) includes a few of my favourite short story writers with Joyce Carol Oates, Joe R. Lansdale, John Langan, and also includes Jeffrey Ford, who wrote one of my favourite novels, The Shadow Year. 

And others on the list that I have shared anthology homes with include the Antpiodean clan: Kaaron Warren (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol. 2 & Vol.6), Lisa L. Hannett  (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol. 2 & Vol.6), Alan Baxter ((The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror Vol.6, Dreaming of Djinn, & Bloodlines), Lee Murray (At the Edge); and the Americans Seanan McGuire (Bloodlines) and Louis Evans (Bourbon Penn 25 & Spawn of War and Deathiness).

And congrats to another Aussie, Ben Peek, who I met in Sydney at The Aurealis Awards. 

And although my lungs may burst, I'll make a trans-hemispehric shout-out to Erik Secker, the editor of Bourbon Penn, along with the other Bourbon Penn 25 writers listed. There are actually three from only six stories in Bourbon Penn 25 on Ellen's list of recommendations; the two other works being Simon Stranzas' 'That House' and Louis Evans' 'Lazaret'.  

And a heartfelt congrats to Simon Stranzas, Kaaron Waaren and Lee Murray who have made the eclectic and much shorter final ToC. 

Opening Essay/ Review of Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year Volume 14

And a friend just sent me a pic of the opening essay in Datlow's Best, which is now on my reading shelf. I am thrilled to see the Bourbon Penn and Erik Secker deservedly highlighted in Datlow's Year's Best:

Bourbon Penn edited by Erik Secker is one of the best, regularly published small press magazines, mixing horror, sf, and weird fiction. It's supported by a Patreon and is well worth the investment. The best horror stories in the three 2021 issues are by Simon Stranzas, Louis Evans, Hamdy Elgammal, Willian Jablonsky, A.C. Wise, Charles Wilkinson, Chelsea Sutton and Anthony Panegyres. The Wise is reprinted herein. 

Books Read and Stories Published in 2021 and a Dash of Mad Opining

 Books Read 2021

 

The Winter of Our Discontent John Steinbeck                                          

The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck                                                             

Sula Toni Morrison (novella)                                                                         

The Outsider Albert Camus (novella)                                                            

The Wisdom of Crowds Joe Abercrombie                                                 

Bourbon Penn 24 Ed. Erik Secker (lit mag/anthology)                                             

Heroes Stephen Fry (mythology/collection)                                                  

The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison (novella)                                                   

The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Conetmporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern (anthology)                                                                                    

The Limits of Enchantment Graham Joyce                                                     

The Toddler Brain: Nurture the Skills Today that Will Shape Your Child’s Tomorrow  Laura A. Jana (expository)                                                                              

The Cockroach Ian McEwan (novella)                                                          

Crome Yellow Aldous Huxley (novella)                                                        

The Girl With No Hands and other tales Angela Slatter (collection).       

Warriors 1 Ed. George R.R Martin & Gardner Dozois (anthology)              

The Devil You Know K.J. Parker (novella)                                                     

Hamnet Maggie O’ Farrell                                                                             

The Mystery Knight George R.R Martin (novella)                                    

The Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle                                      

The Twilight Pariah Jeffrey Ford (novella)                                                   

David Balfour Robert Louis Stevenson                                                    

Spawn of War and Deathiness Ed. Tom Easton (anthology)                         

The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil George Saunders (novella).           

The Falling Woman Pat Murphy                                                               

What the Family Needed Steven Amsterdam                                                 

The Writing Book Kate Grenville (expository)                                              

Kidnapped Robert Louis Stevenson                                                               

Asimov’s (March/April 2018) Ed. Sheila Williams (mag/journal)                

Kassandra and the Wolf Margarita Karapanou (novella)                              

Bury Me in the Rainbow Bill Johnson (novella in Asimov’s March/April 2018) 

Fox 8 George Saunders (chapbook)                                           

Prince Otto: A Romance Robert Louis Stevenson                                         

The Black Arrow Robert Louis Stevenson                                                     

Monkey Grip Helen Garner    

 

Four Highlight Reads

 

Keeping my commentary to four highlight reads (although there were plenty more that I loved). And this time, for a change, they’re all classics, so I’ll be brief. 

 

Although neither compared to East of Eden, Steinbeck’s The Winter of Our Discontent and The Grapes of Wrath were the two clear standout novels. 

 

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

 

Similar to East of Eden, The Winter of Our Discontent has quite a bit of humour. It does, however, differ in terms of scope and magnitude, and is a far smaller story, albeit equally sinister in parts. The protagonist, Ethan Hawley, is intelligent, witty and chatty, and the reader is immediately drawn into his world. Ethan is from old-world money and of a privileged aristocratic status, but now essentially works as a grocery clerk in a store he once owned. Although initially content, this warm family man is tempted to be more, both in terms of wealth and status, and he is also tempted in terms of fidelity.  Without giving too much away, Ethan passes some of these ‘temptations’ and succumbs to others. Steinbeck cleverly creates a dichotomy of a likable character who ultimately performs some morally vulgar self-centred acts. Steinbeck does not necessarily privilege Ethan’s actions or thoughts, but asks the reader to evaluate. Rather than the larger events that Steinbeck’s epics East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath explore, this smaller story is as equally meaningful, acting as an excellent critique of the trappings of US style capitalism and class, which in many ways is as relevant today as it was at the time of publication. As always, Steinbeck’s work is brave, but also very human. 

 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

 

There’s enough commentary out there on this without me adding anything to the oceanic pool. I will say that while brilliant, it lacks the bravado and humour of East of Eden. This grave story of the Oakies’ migration west is important, especially as it such a significant part of the USA’s history. Steinbeck gives the theme justice with a defiant work in both a cultural and political sense.

 

 

Sula by Toni Morrison

 

While not The Song of Solomon, this is still a delightful little magical realist novella. Sula exhibits a beautiful voice throughout, capturing the time and place as only Morrison is able to. 

 

I had to laugh, when Morrison mentions “ the bull-necked Greeks and Italians” and then on the final page it’s the Greeks alone with the same phrase (‘the bull-necked Greeks’). I’m probably one of those ‘bull-necked Greek types’, and growing up, there seemed to be so many relatives and family friends just like that…

The Oustider by Albert Camus (also called The Stranger)

 

As with The Grapes of Wrath, my thoughts won’t add anything to what has already been discussed by a myriad of others. On the surface, this is a quick and easy read, but the morally grey areas will provide readers with some powerful reflection. 

 

Publications

 

New story: “Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)” in Bourbon Penn 25 

 

This is a delightful home for a story. Bourbon Penn privileges a variety of styles rather than the sardine can formulaic story. Bourbon Penn contains my favourite type of writing:  innovative, slightly unconventional, brave but readable, and it almost always strikes that delightful spot where the ‘lit’ and ‘genre’ boundaries blur. 

 

I found all six stories in BP 25 strong, and most superb. 

 

An early review is already out at SFRevu. I've decided to copy the part that mentions my story (mild spoiler alert) as I've realised with 'Reading Coffee' and other stories that web reviews can vanish into the ephemeral Etheretherlands: 

"The first story is "Anthrophages Anonymous (AA) by Anthony Panegyres.

James Davis has become Holy James to intelligent bears and has weaned them away from eating humans. Ted is a bear with a little more intelligence and loves his wife, Liz. But Holy James is far from divine.

A great little story."

  

I'm not on the Twitter-sphere, but a friend sent me pics of two tweets, one regarding the journal with Jeffrey Ford stating Bourbon Penn is 'One of my all time favourite magazines', which gave me tingles as Jeffrey Ford's The Shadow Year is one of my all time favourite novels. 

And Emma Culla, who contributed a poetic, colourful and structurally innovative story to Bourbon Penn 24 ('Red Diamond, Black Diamond, Golden Hexagon') wrote about my own story: 'I loved the AA story in this issue (AA as in bears who've stopped eating people and can speak, some of them very eloquently). What a ride!' There are few things more invigorating than a fellow writer enthusing about your own work. 

Although an American publication and easily ordered online through a host of channels, Bourbon Penn 25 is available at Planet Books here in Perth, both in Northbridge and in Mt Lawley. So if you're a Perthite, head on down. 

Reprint: “Reading Coffee” an Aurealis Award finalist story originally published in Overland Literary Journal 204, and then reprinted in Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene’s The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2011, found its third home a decade on in a colourful anthology of reprint stories called Spawn of War and Deathiness Ed. Tom Easton. 

 

I wanted to highlight three standout stories: ‘Wallflower’ by Tom Easton, ‘The Sidewalk’ by James Dorr, and ‘Daddy’s Girl’ by Jennifer R. Donohue. Other stories that I found especially entertaining were ‘Power of Attorney’ by Louis Evans, ‘Starship Scion’ by David F. Schultz, ‘The Schrodinger Child’ by Dwayne Minton, ‘The Inn of the Dove’ by Gordon Linzner, and ‘The Last Death’ by Sarah Seddon. But there is something here for everyone, a mixture of light and dark and all the greys in-between. 

Concerns and a Happy 2022

Opining Away on Opening Up 

We are opening here in Perth. I do feel for families who haven’t seen loved ones (and perhaps some work can be done on that front), but I don’t think that opening up is the solution, so I hope, perhaps vainly, that Premier Mark McGowan changes his mind. Healthy people make for a healthy economy, and, as we have seen, we are leading the nation in terms of employment, economic growth, health, liberties, and lifestyle. Ironically, 'opening up'will most likely mean closing more often; it will also place unnecessary pressure on hospitals and businesses. I would like to think that we've learned from the train wreck over East. NSW have just banned dancing at bars and clubs, hospitals are under immense pressure, more elective surgeries are on hold, plus, most tragically, deaths are on the rise. We will have to open up eventually, but with some patience we can see what the 'let rip' or the euphemistically labelled 'push through' policy brings over East. At present it doesn't look great. Who knows what, with a little patience, a couple of months of observation will bring? Albert Bourla is already discussing an omicron-specific vaccine for potential release in March. By waiting, we could also make a decision based on how the Australian COVID-19 modelling (although already flawed) works in practice –– especially regarding the alleged peaking.

 

At the moment, here in Perth, we have one of the best lifestyles in the world. But our wily Premier may yet have a few more cards to play in keeping the population safe. 

Vaccines and Global Inequality

The data out there is evident that vaccinations significantly help reduce symptoms. I am not claiming that vaccinations will solve the COVID -19 crisis, but they are currently an integral step in protecting lives where COVID-19 is prevalent. Having said that, the arena seems to be forever changing, and so too will vaccines and anti-viral treatments. But the tragedy is that some nations have incredibly low vaccination rates. I heard a programme on Radio National highlighting horrific issues in Papua New Guinea.Cultural and economic reasons mean that they, and many other countries, especially with low GDPs, have extremely low rates of vaccination (and they are often 'gifted' vaccines that have a lower efficacy rate). It may be idealistic, but I'd love it if we globally united to deliver to nations like Papua New Guinea. 

Happy 2022

 

On the brighter side, I hope you read a few books, take care of your loved ones and friends, along with our precious environment. It’s wishful thinking, but in a political sense wouldn't it be great if the era of the demagogue was over? The polarisation fuelled by fringe extremists on both sides is ugly. 

 

As always, I wish all a healthy, happy, but also meaningful, year.

 

25 Superb Stories Read in 2021

I read 174 short stories in 2021. I'm brutally keeping these yearly lists now to my favourite 25 stories read, which is a real challenge as many wonderful stories aren't listed. I am also very careful about listing works from anthologies I've stories in. 

The couple of Greek folktales listed also privilege a few outdated values, which naturally relate to their context of production. 

As always, the list is about celebrating the stories listed, rather than denigrating any that are not mentioned. 

‘Talking Dog’ by Francine Prose (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from The Peaceable Kingdom: Stories)   

‘The Free Radio’ by Salman Rushdie (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from East, West)

‘Mark of Satan’ by Joyce Carol Oates (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from Antaeus)

‘The Girl Who Left Her Sock on the Floor’ Deborah Eisenberg (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. Originally published in All Around Atlantis by Deborah Eisenberg)

‘Optimists’ by Richard Ford (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. From Rock Springs by Richard Ford).   

                                     

‘Willing’ by Lorrie Moore (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from Birds of America)

‘The Lifeguard’ by May Morris (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from The Lifeguard)

‘The Green Man’ by Jeanette Winterson (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from The World and Other Places)

‘The Bone Mother’ by Angela Slatter (The Girl With No Hands and other tales)

‘The Monk’ (Folktales of Greece Ed. Georgios A. Megas)

‘Anthousa the Fair with Golden Hair’ (Folktales of Greece Ed. Georgios A. Megas) 

        

‘Minutes of Glory’ by Ngugi wa Thiong’o ((The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern)

‘Wilderness Tips’ Margaret Atwood (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories)

‘G-String’ Nicola Barker (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. First published in The Three Button Trick and Other Stories)

‘Portrait of the Avant-Garde’ by Peter Hoeg (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from Tales of the Night)

‘Intimacy’ by Hanif Kureishi (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. Ed. Daniel Halpern. Originally in The New Yorker)

‘The Farm’ by Joy Williams Prose (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from Taking Care)

‘The Hunt at Rotherdam’ by A.C Wise (Bourbon Penn 24)

                                      

‘Appearing Nightly’ by Gregory Norman Bossert (Bourbon Penn 25) 

                             

‘The Juniper Tree’ Heart’ by Angela Slatter (The Girl With No Hands and other tales. First published in Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet #18)
                                                                                             

‘Dresses, Three’ by Angela Slatter (The Girl With No Hands and other tales. First Published in Shimmer Spring 2008)

                                                                                                         

‘Love Songs for the Very Awful’ by Robert Reed (Asimov’s March/April 2018) 

                

‘Escort’ by Abdulrazak Gurnah (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. First appeared in New Writing Ed. Peter Porter & Christopher Hope)

‘John-Jin’ by Rose Tremain (The Art of the Story: An International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories Ed. Daniel Halpern from Evangelista’s Fan)

'All Lateral' by John Summell (One Story 201)     

Publishing News:'Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)' in Bourbon Penn 25

New Story: 'Anthrophages Anonymous (AA)' in Bourbon Penn 25

Some stories are written relatively quickly, whereby little changes from the first draft to the final product. Others take an aeon of reflection and fine tuning. "Anthropophages Anonymous" is of the latter kind. It is an ambitious story, which took over four years of rewrites and edits. I recall sending Carol Ryles an earlier version, and this final product bears little to no resemblance at all to that draft. 

There's an old writing exercise where there is a bear at the front door, and you come up with five plot outlines for the story. The lesson is that the most outrageous will be fun but most likely unworkable, and the most tame too mundane and dull. Well, this story is more the outrageous kind –– I'm always up for a masochistic-challenge with my writing. 

For those who have read "Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)' - every syllable is accounted for. 

I was flattered when Stephanie Gunn told me she'd thanked me in her Aurealis Award for Best Novella acceptance speech for the feedback I'd given her. With some stories, due to tight time parameters, you work in isolation, but with others you may have the fortune of discussing them before submitting. So in turn, I'd like to thank my writing group at the time of this story's production, my mates: Marty Young, Pete Kempshall, and Daniel Simpson. Dan, who has has been of great support for many years, told me to persist with it, while Pete and Marty helped me work in a sense of verisimilitude into an outlandish story which has a thread exploring verisimilitude, which isn't easy when you are writing about cultish bear folk going through the 'AA' stages; all set in a bear-folk compound run by a human 'deity'...

I have to thank Erik Secker too. This is the first time I've collaborated on a plot change with an editor (a rewrite of a scene). It was a third of a page, but a major change. Erik was never forceful, but thought it would improve the story. And it truly did. I had something similar in one of the earlier twenty or so drafts, so I was eager to see how it eventuated in this later version. 

Although humorous and a little dark, the story is hopefully also poignant and meaningful. Adrian Van Young, who has helped me with story ordering for a potential collection (a WIP), told me that I was free to paste some of his feedback regarding the story here. Van Young has works published in Granta, The New Yorker, Conjunctions, Black Warrior Review and other places, said the following about the story. Always nice for positive FB on a new story. 

to the somehow altogether plausible plights of the cultish, flesh-addicted Bear people in “Anthropophages Anonymous (AA),” these stories again and again managed to walk that razor’s edge between humorous and horrifying, daring us to laugh at the most uncomfortable moments (often we have no choice!), and forcing us in the process to examine why we’re reacting the way we do; what we’re able to face head-on and what we just can’t.  You set up their work as a hinge that swings between humor and horror, discomfort and amusement....

 

“Anthropophages Anonymous (AA)”:” this was yet another of my favorites, perhaps my favorite along with “Honey Possum” (on which more soon!) and I could also see cause for moving it up earlier in the collection; I think it’s always best to really slam them at the beginning... But, Anthony, really fantastic stuff. This one did a pitch perfect job of integrating the fantastic and the realist on a need-to-know basis, and of showing how a story about the inhuman, or un-human, as it were, is always a stand-in for a story about the human—again, that emotional anchor. And the prose truly sings in this one! You were hitting your stride here on multiple fronts—in terms of genre, tone, stylistics & characterization...Loved it!

Bourbon Penn is a quality production of exceptional stories with a beautiful cover. The stories are meaty and imaginative, often with  a touch of the odd, and are of a literary bend too. It's the type of fiction I am naturally drawn to. 

And I couldn't be prouder of being in the lineup with the other five writers: Allie Kiri Mendelsohn, Gregory Norman Bossert (Winner of the World Fantasy Award & Theodore Sturgeon Award), E. Catherine Tobler (a story finalist for Theodore Sturgeon Award and also a renown editor), Louis Evans (Analog, Interzone), Simon Strantzas (finalist for four Shirley Jackson Awards, two British Fantasy Awards, and The World Fantasy Award). 

The exquisite cover art is by Dan Quintana. 

The Short Story Genre Down Under: Side Note

I love supporting and reading Australian short work, but I find that there's an obsession within the Aussie literary scene for primarily short, tight work. These stories naturally have, and deserve, their place, however, it is also a limiting view of the genre. It's most likely the outcome of having such short word counts in Australian literary journals (most Australian journals max out at 3K), along with the fiction-submission  readers adhering too stringently to creative writing 'rules' taught at a tertiary level. The best readers, writers, and editors have an understanding of the 'rules' but they also know why they can be broken for the betterment of a story. 

American journals often only buy the meatier type of short story. For instance, One Story's minimum cut-off is 3000 words, Bourbon Penn is at 2000 words, Colorado Review 3750, Crazyhorse 2500, Virginia Quarterly Review (VQR) 3500; and even UK's Granta is at 3000. So, I do think we've fallen down the wrong rabbit hole Down Under as it means falsely pigeonholing the short story genre into very short stories and flash fiction, rather than a more representative embracement of the genre's lengthier narrative. 

Current Reads

I've also just finished Bourbon Penn 24 and found all the stories brave and innovative. Although Sam Rebelein, Michael Gardner, Charles Wilkinson, and Chelsea Sutton's works are strong, the story that has especially stayed with me is the haunting-yet-fun tale ‘The Hunt at Rotherdam’ by A.C Wise.

And my book club has just read John Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent. While it's not East of Eden (which for me is the magnum opus of magnum opuses), it is still wonderful. Like the contemporary writer Ian McEwan appears to do with his works, the overarching theme in Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent revolves around a moral dilemma; in this novel, Steinbeck explores the trappings of capitalistic temptation and class status.

Reprint News: 'Reading Coffee' 

'Reading Coffee', an Aurealis Award finalist story originally published in Overland Literary Journal 204 (fiction Ed. was Jane Gleeson-White at the time) and republished in The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror, 2011 Ed. Liz Grzyb & Talie Helene, has found another home a decade on. Spawn of War and Deathiness Ed. Tom Easton is an American anthology of reprint stories.

I always try to keep tabs on anthology buddies, and this time around it's the second home I've shared with American poet Gerard Sarnat (Changing Tides pub. 2020 was the previous home); and I had to laugh when I realised it is the second home shared this month alone with Louis Evans as we also both contributed to Bourbon Penn 25. 

 More news to come.