Another delinquent post, but this time for good cause, as I was waiting for these several pieces to go live, which they essentially did all at once.
In such a lovely miniature format that the piece cannot be photographed without revealing the story in its entirety, “Strike Anywhere” makes its appearance as the 50th issue of Petite Hound Press, publisher of micro-texts and images. The story was paired with original artwork by Mira Sadorge (which, in fact, matches perfectly another related story, “Chestnut v. Buckeye,” that was accepted for publication the very same day this was released). All this talk about the story is longer than the story itself. So I’ll let it rest.
Also new in print is “Milk”—another installment in the ongoing toil of Coleman—in Issue 39 of Meridian. This story, resplendent with Tom Waits references and thirst-slaking skin, counts as my 90th short works publication, which sounds more impressive than it feels. The story (as well as the entire issue) can be read for free online, or purchased directly from Meridian.
And lastly—perhaps most excitingly—my collaborative project with the metallurgical genius of Cat Bates, Monolith, is now complete, assembled, and available. Five interconnected vignettes surrounding a slow hospital death, the dissolution of familial bonds, and angel’s claws scratching the walls, all manifest in a booklet, a box, and the startling gravitas of a cast iron medallion.
We couldn’t have a funeral, so instead, we had a brass band. Three men in blue suits playing songs we’d never heard before but that sounded a whole lot like my idea of New Orleans. A full ghost moon dogged the high-up sun […] It made me feel like we were in a movie. But was this the beginning or the end?
This is the second time Cat and I have put our two florescent brains together to create something new and unexpected, and I am infinitely proud of the work we produce as a team. He is a rare specimen of a human being, and I’m awed that I have the privilege of sharing in his light. We’ll be presenting Monolith this Friday on Monhegan Island, near where the narrative of our previous collaboration, “A Fluent Blue,” took place.
Douglas W. Milliken 