A Unique Dive Into Creativity, Stories to Make Alvin Scwartz Blush, Trans Folk Horror Sexiness, and Bad Girls Badding Badly - Reviews feat. Christopher Zeischegg, Laura Keating, Lee Mandelo, & Juliet Escoria

The only downside to giving myself breaks from stressing about constant review posts is that I then have so many reviews to catch up on. Is this going to stop me from continuing to review, despite this fact? Absolutely NOT.

Today, we once again focus our energy not into tying every thematic knot together through comparative concentration, but merely talking about fantastic upcoming and recently released books across genre. Mostly as an attempt to salvage what sanity is left in my brain. CHEERS!!

Creation: On Art and Unbecoming by Christopher Zeischegg, Apocalypse Party

This is one I've been excited for since its release earlier this year. Chris is a writer and thinker I was newly introduced to through the absolutely beloved Apocalypse Press publishing group and their zany and unhinged style of books, as well as his conversations with other writers I admire.

Creation: On Art and Becoming is his recent collection of essays and related bits of autofiction that connect to the pieces within. A kaleidoscope of a book, this collection considers Chris's own shifting ideals of what it means to be creative, predominantly influenced by his close friendship with artist Luka Fisher. Fisher is a massive crux of what brings the various pieces and formats together, as Zeischegg details their own collaborative projects, plus Luka's further work and philosophies.

There is also the subject of sex work that is featured heavily throughout, as our author reflects upon his years in the porn industry, how the landscape of sex work has shifted, and what it means to view ones body moving on from the industry. Chris's consideration of these themes prompts a fascinating look at how these spaces have changed, plus the radically shifting ways in which we engage or view these spaces. There are no definitive answers, rather a conversation sparked by someone who has spent years within.

These meditations and emotions open into some truly extreme and horrific places as essay gives way to fiction in the sordid tale, "The Most Important Part," a story that engages not only with depression and suicidal ideation, but the lengths of depravity one can travel to while attempting to fully realize their artistic vision. It is an intense read, given what precedes it, however for fans of extreme horror or autofiction, it is a complex and unnerving distillation of those intersections of worth, identity, and bodily autonomy.

Additionally, I greatly loved and enjoyed the essays that bring focus to Luka Fisher's work and ethos, providing some excellent philosophies involving identity, community, and creative energy. Her friendship with Christopher is the kind of partnership I think many artists strive for, and there is so much inspiration to find in both of their work. Plus the addition of his own essay that further explores post-sex-work experience, "On the Moral Imperative to Commodify our Sexual Suffering," which for anyone who engages with a lot of writing concerning sex work, could find quite a bit to contemplate within.

Creation is by no means a simple or breezy book you bring on vacation with you (though depending on who you are, it sure could be), but it is an absolutely fascinating and passionate engagement with the questions that haunt many a writer and creator. Like I said before, there are no concrete answers, but as we learn throughout the experience of this book, you really don't necessarily need them.

A big thank you to Chris for sending me a signed copy of this powerhouse of a book!

The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo, Tordotcom

While I was disappointed that time got away from me and I missed out on reading/reviewing this book before it came out, I was more than excited to finally sit down and dig in to the newest novella from speculative juggernaut, Lee Mandelo.

As a reader who greatly enjoyed the contemplative Southern Gothic of Summer Sons, as well as the breathtaking heartache science fiction of Feed Them Silence, The Woods All Black was definitely a highly anticipated book for this year. Telling the story of a transmasculine doctor, Leslie Bruin, brought to the sleepy, yet religiously heavy-handed town of Spar Creek to act as their visiting physician. However, upon arriving in town, Leslie is met with open hostility, leading him to question the towns request in the first place. When Leslie meets a young "tomboy" who faces all manner of bigotry from the town proper, he sees a kindred spirit he'd like to help. But there is something dark and hungry lurking out in the woods, and as tensions come to a head, it's clear that Leslie's arrival was a needed catalyst in the judgement of this oppressive town, whether he meant it or not.

Lee Mandelo writing a folk horror was definitely what I needed in my 2024. Feeding into his strengths, the plotting and pace of this novella is slow, but intentional. You can feel the rising tension as it's brought to fever pitch, only to explode in a brilliantly cathartic climax. The historical positioning serves for fascinating conversations about prejudice and identity, providing many of the pitfalls one could imagine toward trans folks in an ultra-religious town, yet leaving the space for Leslie's own clapbacks in triumphant fashion.

This book also gets pretty sexy, for my spicier readers out there. We are treated to some steamy T4T sex descriptions that even made my asexual self break a slight sweat with how well it was written.

Absolutely in conversation with writers such as Gwendolyn Kiste, Cynthia Pelayo, and many many more, The Woods All Black is a propulsive and empathetic tale of revenge and redemption, with lots of blood splashed in for flavor.

The Truest Sense: Stories by Laura Keating, Cemetery Gates Press

Laura Keating's Agony's Lodestone was one of the earliest Tenebrous Press books I read last year. Heart-wrenching in its stark terror, the tale of siblings searching for their lost sister in the wake of new video footage of her disappearance really shoed me how much punch you can pack in such a short time.

Unsurprisingly, that means I was pretty ferally excited when Keating announced an upcoming story collection several months ago. Sporting a gorgeously Alvin Schwartz-esque cover, The Truest Sense focuses on Keating's theory that fear and horror as some of the truest senses of emotion you can feel. Inside are tales that feel at home with some of the greats of the medium, practically feeling like its own take on the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark influence.

Returning in these stories is Keating's brand of found-footage tale as well, with the first story displaying the footage and information pertaining to a fated cave exploration. It's a style that Keating knocks out of the park, balancing the thrills and chills of a horror story with the focused care and research someone combing over these artifacts would display.

Throughout are characters morally dubious, attempting to survive in a caustic world, creatures, psychics, demonologists up against powerful demons. There is a little bit for every horror fan in these stories told with a master's precision. This isn't to say that Keating isn't suited for longer-form fare–I can only imagine what she could do with a good 300 pages amidst her characterization–but it remains evident that her voice is excellent within the realm of urban legend and folklore alike, delivering digestible, yet utterly terrifying fare that brings you back to youthful scares such as the work of Schwartz or the In A Dark Dark Room variety.

If you're looking for some good ole'-fashioned scares, with some profound characterization and world-building to boot, then The Truest Sense should be placed atop your TBR lists upon its release 06/11/24!

Glowing thanks, as always, to Laura for providing an e-ARC for this stunning collection.

You Are the Snake: Stories by Juliet Escoria, Soft Skull Press

For those who read my end-of-year 2023 favorites list, you may remember my rabid love for the CLASH-reissued collection of Juliet Escoria's tremendous poetry, fiction, and essays, Witch Hunt & Black Cloud: New & Collected Works. She returns this year with a brand new collection of stories featuring young women testing the limits of what we may view as "moral womanhood."

You Are the Snake is a twisting, precarious series of stories equal part bildungsroman and horror tale. There are no pretty or finely-trimmed edges, only the depravity of small-town exploration of self, whether through the eyes of youth or reluctant adulthood. Escoria's characters, whether in this or her other work, are multi-faceted, unconcerned with larger social mores and rules. They merely seek to understand themselves, others, and their own internal darkness they are told to suppress or ignore.

Whether facing religious trauma, girlhood friendships, or untethered relationships, these stories explore the sides and themes that mainstream stories may avoid, revealing the much dirtier fighting ground that many women find themselves on in the working classes. Some of the stories return to one another, with a standout found in the uniquely-formatted "Hazel," which explores the eccentricity of a long-deceased family member, written like contrasting obituaries before they seem to mirror or become one-another, testing the limits of time and existence.

Continuing to prove herself as a talented and adept writer of the darker and more human aspects of the soul, Juliet Escario continues to mine her space within the larger literary field with truly bold and understanding stories in You Are the Snake. Perfect for fans of literary fiction short stories, you can get this one starting 06/18/24.

My endless appreciation to Julia for providing me initially with an e-ARC, and then huge thanks to my coworker Daniel Ellisi for a physical ARC that made reading "Hazel" that much easier!