…called Low Tide Gurgling Against the Breeze (title courtesy of dispatch litareview editor P.H. Madore).
The piece is an excerpt of the novel manuscript I’m working on now. I’m tentatively calling the novel Fine Creature. We’ll have to see what it becomes.
Thinking about all the awesome books I should read next term. I’ll be studying under Amy Hempel. Rock.
Posted under Bennington, Writing
This post was written by Jackie Corley on June 3, 2009
Word Riot Press reading
Freebird Books and Goods
123 Columbia Street (between Degraw and Kane Sts)
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York
Sunday, June 7 @ 7 p.m.
Readers: Nick Antosca, Timmy Waldron & Jackie Corley
Posted under The Suburban Swindle, Word Riot
This post was written by Jackie Corley on May 30, 2009
Hipster Book Club on Nick Antosca’s Midnight Picnic:
“This might be the scariest thing about the book, the essential thing that all scary books need: the conviction that, for as long as you are reading the story, the world is inescapably dark, and all one’s experiences that would say otherwise are simply tricks or misunderstandings. The feeling of relief on putting the book down after its satisfying ending—of seeing that it’s light out and your loved ones are alive—is followed by a nagging feeling that one has missed something. There might be dead people right in front of the reader’s face, in a space stained by trauma.”
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P.H. Madore reviews The Suburban Swindle:
“These are stories which even Bruce Springsteen wouldn’t want to tell. Mostly gritty and realist: the kind of stories I love. Corley flexes some real descriptive power… Yes, The Suburban Swindle is full of the stories of street punks and noir beauties–probably the stuff of real New Jersey, not the New Jersey I’ve seen on television. I don’t know. I just know that I liked the way she painted her youthful characters and did this without apology.”
One of the first times P.H. Madore emailed me was to say that some of Word Riot’s design was lame and that I should take down the animated GIF ads I had up. That got my attention. I don’t get insulting emails very often or if I do they’re just lame and emotional and don’t have a point. I thought P.H. had balls to say that, and he was right. I took down the crappy ads.
I was nervous when I saw on Goodreads that Madore was reading The Suburban Swindle. I knew if he thought it sucked he wouldn’t have qualms about saying so. I’m glad he liked the collection.
Posted under Books, The Suburban Swindle, Word Riot
This post was written by Jackie Corley on May 9, 2009
WORLD TAKES author Timmy Waldron has recently been honored by the New Jersey State Assembly:
New Jersey General Assembly
Assembly Resolution
By Assemblyman Gusciora
WHEREAS, The General Assembly of the State of New Jersey is pleased to honor and salute Timothy Patrick Waldron, an esteemed lifelong resident of West Trenton, Mercer County, in recognition of his highly acclaimed first book, World Takes; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Timothy Patrick Waldron is a renowned author and editor whose work has been circulated widely on the Internet and in print, his debut book of thirteen short stories was published in March 2009 by Word Riot Press; and
WHEREAS, Timothy Patrick Waldron’s World Takes has been noted as being both darkly humorous and endearing as it leads readers through America’s interior landscape with tales that explore people of all backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, Within all spheres of his life and work, Timothy Patrick Waldron has established a model to emulate and set a standard of excellence toward which others might strive; and
WHEREAS, It is altogether proper and fitting for this House to pause in its deliberations to praise the creative work of Timothy Patrick Waldron, and to commend him as an individual of strong character and exceptional determination; now, therefore
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: That this House hereby salutes Timothy Patrick Waldron, pays tribute to his meritorious record of achievement, and extends sincere best wishes for continued success in his literary career; and,
Be It Further Resolved, That a duly authenticated copy of this resolution, signed by the Speaker and attested by the Clerk, be transmitted to Timothy Patrick Waldron.
Posted under Books, Jersey, Word Riot
This post was written by Jackie Corley on April 16, 2009
I should carry cash more. I suck at blogging. All I can do is shout out self-promotional lists at you people. And, but, so…
1) Josh Maday’s review of The Suburban Swindle at New Pages:
“Corley has a superlative ear for the music of language. Her lines and rhythms are rich, lyrical, and energetic, carrying the reader along and juxtaposing interestingly with the tension in the stories themselves, reflecting the tension within the characters, between the hard façade and the longing lonely vulnerability behind it… Jackie Corley’s writing captures and conveys the impassable conflict of being human at every level.”
2) Reading in Providence in two weeks organized by William Walsh, author of Questionstruck:
Myopic Books
5 S. Angell Street
Wayland Square
Providence, RI
Saturday, April 18 @ 7 p.m.
Readers: Jackie Corley, Timmy Waldron and Brian James Foley
3) P.H. Madore’s dispatch litareview lives. I have a book excerpt appearing there soon. I got paid in real world dollars - ten of ‘em.
4) So New Publishing introduced the So New Writers Prize. The winner gets their novella published in a limited run of hand-bound books.
5) Contracts are rolling in for the not-so-secret-but-I’m-not-telling-yet anthology that Word Riot Press will publish in Spring 2010. Big names attached to this one.
6) Timmy Waldron has a story appearing as part of genius ml press publisher j.a. tyler’s Stamps Stories project.
7) Tobias Carroll interviewed Nick Antosca over at the scowl
I got Keyhole’s handwritten issue in the mail and thoroughly had my mind blown.
9) I like the look on the face of the old lady on the subway when Blake Butler curses:
Posted under Books, The Suburban Swindle, Word Riot
This post was written by Jackie Corley on April 3, 2009
<HTMLGIANT>’s pr reviewed The Suburban Swindle on Friday:
“And here is the key to the brilliance of this collection; there is God in these people, even if it’s hidden deep and swathed in pain and ugliness and carelessness. These are stories that don’t shy away from anything: the realities of class, the pain of love and the simmering violence in all of us. Corley’s evenness of tone truly astonishes. She shows a impressive, sustained effort and does justice to words and humans. And regardless of squalor and suffering, Corley insists that our lives have meaning, have true and astonishing beauty, and our time on earth, even in New Jersey, is profoundly precious. This is soulful stuff. Read it.”
Posted under Books, The Suburban Swindle
This post was written by Jackie Corley on March 22, 2009
Timothy Gager invited me back to the Dire Reading Series in Cambridge, Mass. on Friday. T’was awesome. Wish I had more time to wander around Boston but this weekend was too cramped.
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Advance review copies of Timmy Waldron’s WORLD TAKES are in the mail. The files for the final copies are at the printer and the books should be ready in a few weeks.
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Big news on the horizon for WRP’s next title. It’s an anthology with some big names attached. I’m keeping mum until the contracts are signed and make their way back to me.
This post was written by Jackie Corley on March 9, 2009
Jac Jemc’s The Rejection Collection is hysterical.
Also, she has a piece in Word Riot this month titled ‘Half.’
Posted under Blogging, Word Riot
This post was written by Jackie Corley on February 16, 2009
I have to submit a creative writing packet of 20-30 pages each month for Bennington. I’ve been using the good ol’ 300 word a day minimum routine I set for myself in Haverford when I was working on my first novel (’At the Slaughter’). The plan has been working well. I’m getting a lot of work done on the novel I’m writing now. I’m calling the thing ‘Fine Creature.’ (I can pick a good short story title by my novel titles are always lame.)
There’s a decent amount of dirty Jersey politics in this book. I needed some distance from the intense reporter days to really reflect on the politics so as not to let it subsume the other elements of the book or correlate too closely to actual events. I think I’ve acquired that distance. At least, I hope I have. I’ve got a little under 25k words to the book so far. I’m aiming for 60k though it looks like this will wind up being longer. I’m hoping to have a first draft done by the end of the year.
Posted under Bennington, Writing
This post was written by Jackie Corley on February 10, 2009
Latest on Midnight Picnic by Nick Antosca:
• Nick Antosca tells Tao Lin a thing or two
• The Bat Segundo Show: Nick Antosca
• Popmatters reviews Midnight Picnic
Also, Amazon.com sold out of Midnight Picnic but more copies are on the way.
This post was written by Jackie Corley on February 10, 2009
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