45 years ago today. Buried on page 20 on a holiday Friday just like this one, news that changed the world. www.nytimes.com/1981/07/03/u...

Desperate Living (1977)

I’m obsessed with this pair of novellas. They pose twin puzzles, with many clues and hints as to what actually happens and how the narratives may intersect. And they are impeccably written. Stephen Beachy maintains a measured tone while giving an almost cosmic register to his lonely characters.

The June Watchlist is the best place to find new and forthcoming writing in translation from Brazil, the Faroe Islands, and more. Scroll on to see what’s on the list this summer: buff.ly/vSV8HSK

Mario Bellatin is a fascinating writer. This novella is partly excerpts from a lost (fake?) work by Joseph Roth, partly interpretations of that work, and partly memoir-ish fragments. Recommended if you like seeing a writer pushing, or perhaps breaking apart, the boundaries of form.

"The Girls is many things at once. It’s a comedy but it's also a portrait of an England of down-at-heel seediness, where flower shows, dirty coppers and the serial killer Dennis Nilsen are part of the same social fabric." Me on John Bowen's 1986 novel The Girls, reissued by Vintage and McNally:

Twin Peaks: The ceiling fan in the Palmer house.

one trillion dollars is so much capital as to be effectively infinite for a single individual, which is why when we talk about this kind of wealth it needs to be expressed in terms of what it could do for the rest of us

Matthew Cheney (@melikhovo.bsky.social) examines what we can learn from Clive Barker and Joel Lane, two very different queer writers who began carving out new spaces in weird fiction and horror in the dark days of Thatcherism and the AIDS crisis. reactormag.com/poetry-from-...

It seems to be a hot JCO summer for me. Two recommendations for your reading pleasure. First, Heat, which must be one of her best story collections.

they do not post much but we are so fortunate to have @wakefieldpress.bsky.social in the world, keeping some of the most vital books in print, doing so many good things

Introducing @darkertimes.bsky.social - a new worker-owned website for cultural criticism about all things horror! www.darkertimes.com

Whether you’re seeking dark humor, magical realism, graphic fiction, experimental translation, or something else, @tobiascarroll.bsky.social's May Watchlist has you covered. Read on to see what made the list: buff.ly/ypDEmuY

Piżama 2026 launch day & stock is already low! Wouldn't it be cool if we had to order a second pressing on release day? asterismbooks.com/publisher/pi...

This is what drinking water in Georgia looks like after Meta began data center construction in the community. Yesterday I called for EPA and Congressional investigations into the impact of data center construction on local drinking water supplies. We cannot take water for granted.

This week's Elegant Variation is a gorgeous book review of a gorgeous book, @suzyeynon.bsky.social's Terrestrial (@malarkeybooks.bsky.social), by @jonathanin2k.bsky.social. www.stanchionzine.com/post/best-ne...

Dark auguries speak the fell truth...HELLARKEY 5 is again open for submissions! Send @renbolger.bsky.social, @ossuary.bsky.social, and yer's truly your best, weirdest, scariest stories for the single most important horror publication in the history of the written word docs.google.com/document/d/1...

After a publishing hiatus, we're coming back, getting things lined up for later this year and 2027. Are you interested in reviewing some of our new books when they're ready to go? If so, drop your details into this form and feel free to share widely: forms.gle/85CyFN27dDM9...

Doesn't the phrase "a fictional staple in the literature world" suggest that...the book doesn't actually exist? My favorite fictional staples are the works of Archimboldi. Or maybe the Necronomicon.

Happy to share my new story, now on JAKE's website (@publishedbyjake.bsky.social): "A Wickedness." I'm really proud of this one. I think it's one of my more innovative pieces. It's not a horror story; it's a grief-horror-anxiety-anger-resentment story.

Just finished reading MY HOME IS NOT THERE by @froid.bsky.social and am moved by it. The loss is relatable, never sentimental: wanting to keep an archive of the lost, the irritation at those who don't get it, not feeling at home on this planet. Beautiful work and a worthy tribute.

With all submissions answered, I'm pleased to share the cover for Cold Signal, Issue Three: Underworld! A massive thank you to all submitters, whether chosen for inclusion or not 🙏 Putting this issue together is already and will continue to be very cathartic. Can't wait to share it with you all!

RIP, king www.vulture.com/article/davi...

David Lynch’s influence and the potency of his work seem almost impossible to express. He’s been in my own brain for almost 20 years. Rest in peace.

Here it is: my chapbook, alongside my beloved dog. Losing her inspired this weird little tale. I wanted to write a story about loving a dog (among other things) that was surreal and challenging and not sentimental; I hope I succeeded. You can get a copy here: bottlecap.press/products/not...

I’m sad to hear this. I published my first short story in Coffin Bell. Thank you for reading, publishing, and promoting our work.

My last read of 2024 was also one of the best ever. Miss MacIntosh, My Darling is my new religion.

"We’re having coffee, me and my sister-in-law Sharon, when Sharon says, “It would be nice if we had some apple pie to go along with this.” A pie arms race that goes off the rails--don't miss the delightfully absurd/absurdly delightful "Pie" by @hughbehmsteinberg.bsky.social , new on hex today !

The one skill that I am possibly the very worst at in all the world is wrapping presents. Cannot do it. Gifts wrapped by me have an uneasy aura, like non-Euclidean geometry. They will drive you insane if you look at them too long.

Malarkey was nominated for an award entitled "Publisher least likely to screw you over." They're not fancy or run through a prestigious uni program or publishing house owned by lit nobility. Alan didn't go to Harvard or Iowa. He just loves writers and literature.

Very excited to share that I'm publishing a chapbook with Bottlecap Press! I'll be upfront: MY HOME IS NOT THERE is about losing your dog. I wrote this as a tribute to my own beloved canine friend. It's weird and prickly and quasi-mystical. You can preorder now. :) bottlecap.press/products/not...

Very excited to share that I'm publishing a chapbook with Bottlecap Press! I'll be upfront: MY HOME IS NOT THERE is about losing your dog. I wrote this as a tribute to my own beloved canine friend. It's weird and prickly and quasi-mystical. You can preorder now. :) bottlecap.press/products/not...

Submissions now open for issue 8.2 - DYSTOPIA www.coffinbell.com/submit

The population was intended to be 5,120, but network execs wanted the setting to seem less rural. I used to think that was too big, but then I went to grad school in a city that was a little bit bigger than Twin Peaks but somehow felt smaller, weirder, and scarier.

I recently (re)read all four of Renee Gladman’s Ravicka books (published by @dorothyproject.bsky.social). Brilliant, beautiful, rigorous, weird—these are some of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read.

We aren’t a nonprofit but we are unprofitable. We make books because we love books. If you’re able, and you love books, we would love for you, and some of your money, to join us. It all goes into the books: printing, covers, writer payouts. We have a t-shirt! www.kickstarter.com/projects/pro...

Finished and submitted my story for The Malarkey Sampler, one of a few pretty awesome rewards for the @malarkeybooks.bsky.social Kickstarter campaign, currently running to bring the press to the next level in 2025. Kick'm a few bucks, huh? www.kickstarter.com/projects/pro...

We can get to $11,500 off of mostly $5 contributions. It’s easy if a shit ton of people kick in. I promise it’s worth it, you will be rewarded with a massive, wonderful digital sampler featuring writing by a wild array of our authors. www.kickstarter.com/projects/pro...

Please, if you can, support one of the finest small presses to have ever done the damn thing (and is publishing my short story collection next year, among other incredible books!) Malarkey Forever! www.kickstarter.com/projects/pro...

I took a break from social media due to day-job busyness, general existential dread, and mourning a pet. I think I'm back now and feel very behind. 😬

Back at the Bluesky to see if things have improved for the better here and also to share as widely as I’m able that Issue Two of Cold Signal: Pygmalion & Galatea is now available to read at cold-signal.com!

Twin Peaks: The Log Lady.

85%! Woo-hoo!

65% funded! Thank you! Please share, and, if able, consider contributing. Cheers! crowdfundr.com/weirdhorror