One Story author Ben Greenman (Issue # 113, “The Tremulant”) has published a new collection of stories that has literary critics buzzing. “What He’s Poised To Do” (Harper Perennial) has raked in shining reviews from several publications. The Los Angeles Times calls it “astonishing”; Bookslut proclaims it “a book so beautiful, you’ll feel mysteriously compelled to mail it to a stranger”; and PopMatters writes, “I want to run out onto the balcony of my apartment and yell from there how snazzerific, how terrificadelic, how ubertastic this book is.”

Finally, The Millions notes, “After reading What He’s Poised To Do, it’s almost baffling that Ben Greenman isn’t a full-fledged star…he exhibits such compelling mastery over the form and engages readers with compact, electrifying prose.” To read the rest of this review, visit their webpage.

Or, alternatively, you can read the stories yourself and see what has the critics raving! To learn more about Greenman or to share your own comments about his book, contact Gregory Henry at Harper Perennial.

Hey, hey, BK-Manhattan commuters! Doesn’t the morning ride to work suck? Aren’t you tired, grumbly, hungover (L liners, I’m grumbling at you), dreading your Wall Street boss, or the stock market, or whatever it is you 9-5 commuters dread? Don’t you wish you had some reading material to keep you from staring wide-eyed at that stinky half-naked man with the shopping cart, or focusing too much on your need for oxygen? Well we’ve got the answer: FREE stories!

From 7:30-9 am on Wednesday, September 8th, volunteers will be handing out free copies of One Story at subway stations throughout Brooklyn, as part of the “One Story, One Borough” campaign, in our ongoing effort to save the short story. Each issue will include an invite to a One Story reading by Brooklyn OS authors James Hannaham, Reif Larsen and Caedra Scott-Flaherty at noon at The Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 12th. The campaign is being hosted by One Story and The Brooklyn Book Festival, and is sponsored by the JP Morgan Chase Regrant Program, administered by the Brooklyn Arts Council.

Here are the subway stations where you’ll find us:

Atlantic Ave.-Pacific St. (M, N, Q, R, B, D, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Court St.-Borough Hall (M, R, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Jay St.-Borough Hall (A, C, F)

Clinton-Washington Aves. (A, C)

Grand Army Plaza (2, 3)

Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum (2, 3)

Carroll St. (F, G)

7^th Ave. (F, G)

York St. (F)

Morgan Ave. (L)*

Bedford Ave. (L)

So please, keep an eye out for us, and take a story–we won’t even make you let go of your coffee or take off your uber-huge headphones to do it.

*Did you know that this was found to be the “most romantic NYC subway station,” according to a Craigslist Missed Connections study?

When I was first introduced to A.M. Homes’s work, I was a bookseller in Massachusetts, and a friend pressed a copy of her collection, The Saftey of Objects in my hands. I had never read a writer who broke so many rules so well, and I tore through her other books: Jack, In A Country of Mothers, and The End of Alice. Later, I waited for her new books to be released with great anticipation: Music for Torching, Things You Should Know, This Book Will Save Your Life, and her memoir The Mistress’s Daughter. She is hands-down one of my favorite authors.

A.M. Homes is a legend in the literary arena, but she has also made a name for herself in the art world, collaborating with artists to produce books and writing introductions to gallery catalogs. “The Omega Point or Happy Birthday Baby” was inspired by the work of Petah Coyne, published in conjunction with Coyne’s new exhibition at Mass Moca in North Adams, MA titled Everything That Rises Must Converge.  

Petah Coyne Untitled # 1240 (Black Cloud)

It is clear from the title that Coyne was inspired by the work of famed short story writer Flannery O’Connor. And here is where all things began to fall into place for me, because I’ve always associated A.M. Homes’s work with O’Connor–they are both masters at combining violence with spirtuality, while at the same time keeping their stories grounded in character–real, ordinary people having an extraordinary moment in their lives.

And that brings us to our new issue, “The Omega Point or Happy Birthday Baby,” where Homes quickly draws us into a family circle of Mary Grace Mahon, her son Paul, her daughter Eliza  and her granddaughter Ruby.  Mary Grace has been keeping a secret about their shared heritage, and through a variety of events involving Lue Gim Gong and Peking Man, the truth comes out, and things that rise do, in fact, converge.

For the first time One Story has included an author’s note at the end of the issue, to explain the connection of Petah Coyne, Flannery O’Connor, and some of the historical facts involved with this story. I hope that you will also read our Q&A with A.M. Homes about how she wrote the story, and also go to see Petah Coyne’s exhibit at Mass Moca. The Omega Point is a term coined by Jesuit priest (& philospher) Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, used to describe a maximum level of complexity and consciousness that the universe seems to be evolving towards. The idea is in some ways the opposite of the big bang theory, which has all life developing as it moves away from that one spark. In the Omega point, all life is moving towards something, and this moving forward is dependent on interconnectedness. I’m no philospher, or even a scientist, but I do like the idea of trying to connect, and I can’t help but feel that even a tiny effort like reading a short story can potentially, even if only for a moment, bring us closer together.

With food, drinks and music provided, we can assure you it will be a good time. All we request of you is that you come join us in celebrating all things literary!

“Daniel’s characters are emotionally complex and so believable that Stiltsville almost reads as a memoir rather than a work of fiction . . . Daniel strikes a perfect balance of wit, weakness and tenderness . . . Wonderfully buoyant.”

And the Miami Herald:

“Stiltsville becomes the metaphor for a happiness taken for granted and lost in an instant . . . Daniel renders Frances and her family so authentically, their dynamics and quirks come to feel utterly familiar and endearing. Deceptively placid Stiltsville reminds us, like Frances, to appreciate the small but potent magic in everyday life.”

Now you have the chance to find out what happened to Frances and Dennis. Order your copy today! And be sure to also check out this great essay by Susanna over at Slate, which chronicles the writing of her novel, over 10 years. Sure to give heart to any writer struggling to finish that elusive first book.

Of course in the way life tends to go…all of that happened.

My assistant Michael J. Pollock and I put together a tiring week of craft lecturers and panels, then combed through the rich and varied writing portfolios of all the tremendous people who applied.  On Sunday, July 24^th, we welcomed the students at a cocktail at the Can Factory and I promised them a week that would intellectually and physically tire them out so much they would spend all of Saturday sleeping. 

Every morning, I led workshop.  We made our way through the students’  stories, novel excerpts, short shorts and, in Patrick Gaughan’s case, prose poems.  I knew the week would be all green lights Monday morning during introductions.  Julia Strayer, the first to go, asked me what I meant when I said: tell everyone a little about yourself.  “What would anyone want to know?”  She said.  After I explained that any detail would do, she said “Fine,” blew the blonde bangs out of her eyes and stated, deadpan, “I like fast cars.” 

Every afternoon, a visiting writer lectured on a particular element of craft, starting with our own  Hannah Tinti, who delivered a lecture on structure.  Myla Goldberg, Terese Svoboda, Allison Amend and Ann Napolitano gave talks on character, figuring out where the story starts, dialogue and description, respectively.

Each night a different panel of professionals dispelled common myths of publishing.  The students found agents Renee Zuckerbrot, Paul Cirone and Julie Barer so warm and friendly they couldn’t believe they had previously thought agents were scary.  “They’re just people who like books, just like me,” Sarah Broderick said.

On Editors night, Johnny Temple (Akashic Books), Carla Blumenkranz (n+1), and Scott Lindenbaum and Andy Hunter (Electric Literature) spoke about publishing ideology in the wake of digital advancement.  Together, these illustrious editors dispelled the myth that New York fiction editors drive Audi convertibles, wear magic clothes pressed and washed by animated birds, and eat sandwiches made from the dreams of young writers. 

Not only did we learn about craft issues during the week, but I got to learn about the students who came from as far as England to attend the intensive.  Mackenzie Brady and Joseph Jordon, for example, are both training for the New York Marathon, and would wake at 5am every morning to run Prospect Park which is, you know, insane.

Speaking of running, the week itself took on the pace of a marathon.  We on The One Story staff had to keep ourselves energized.  I did so by excessive caffeine intake and dancing around to INXS.  Michael took what he called “gentlemen’s naps” in Prospect Park before each night’s panel.  Our amazing staff helped us every step of the way by setting up and taking down drinks and snacks for each event, and generally being a joy to be around.

On Thursday night, we enjoyed “An Evening with Sam Lipsyte,” who read hilarious excerpts from his newest novel “The Ask,” and told moderator and Managing Editor Tanya Rey a list of words his teacher Gordon Lish banned in stories: restaurant, thigh, splayed.

Themes sprung up.  For example, writers who are also rock stars or who have “screamed loudly in front of bands”: (Johnny Temple, Myla Goldberg, Sam Lipsyte), working with Gordon Lish (Sam Lipsyte, Terese Svoboda), and community.  Another theme was community.  Josh Henkin and Deborah Landau , Directors of the MFA programs at Brooklyn College and NYU, respectively, listed it as a major reason to attend an MFA program, to find people who are trying to do the same thing you are, to find “your readers.”  And the final theme was a little thing called magic.  Over and over, speakers mentioned it as the unexplainable factor in a favorite piece.  Hannah called a good resolution of a story “a magic feeling you get in the pit of your stomach.”  And, I began every workshop by saying, “Let’s make some magic, people.”

Here is where I talk about the moon.  Every evening in Brooklyn, the moon sat fat above the rooftops like it was auditioning for a movie with Cher about opera and bread.  On Friday night, we had our final reading and “family” dinner.  During dessert our hilarious intern Adina Talve-Goodman debuted a slideshow of pictures she had taken throughout the week to the song “Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster.”  As I drove home in my Hummer, eating a croissant made out of gold, I felt a hollow, buzziness in my stomach, as if I had just taken a good hill fast in my car.  It could only be one thing: a good resolution to a story.

Thank you to the talented and lovely students of our inaugural Workshop: Mackenzie, Eric, Sarah, Joseph, Brianna, Erin, Bobby, Julia, Meghan, Jude and Patrick.  Thank you to all the amazing professionals who came in to lend their expertise.  Thank you to our wonderful staff; Maribeth Batcha, Tanya Rey, Hannah Tinti, Jenni Milton, Cordelia Calvert, and Adina Talve-Goodman who helped Michael and me pull off a great show.  Thank you to Nathan at the Can Factory and Nana, our caterer with the mostest.  Thank you to Scottadito Osterio Toscana, who hosted our yummy final Italian family dinner.  And thank you to Michael J. Pollock, who never fails to crack us all up. 

I will think of all of you while I am on the beach next week with Jay-Z and the cast of Mad Men, being massaged by singing, animated blue jays.  Damn.  It does feel good to be a gangster.

For more pictures, check out our Facebook page.  I hope you will join us if and when we do this crazy intensive next year.  Bring Vitamin Water.

Until then I remain your dedicated Associate Editor,

Marie-Helene

The workshop is designed to help emerging writers determine what will be the next phase of their writing journey.  On Sunday, we welcomed 11 excited and talented students to a jam packed week, one that Associate Editor Marie-Helene Bertino promised would “tire them out intellectually and physically so they spend the full day after its conclusion sleeping.”  Each morning they workshop their short stories, novel excerpts, short shorts and, in one case, prose poems with Marie-Helene. 

Every afternoon they have been treated to craft lectures with different writers.  Hannah Tinti kicked off the lecture series with a discussion about story structure in which she read aloud from “Cat in the Hat” and we all sat and listened like good little four year-olds before bed realizing, at last, that the little fish was right. Myla Goldberg encouraged everyone to take a walk and eavesdrop in order to build strong characters during her lecture. And yesterday One Story author Terese Svoboda (Issue #130: “Bomb Jockey”) stressed the importance of using contradictions to create energy, in her lecture on how to begin a story.

At night the tone changes as the panels of agents, MFA directors, and editors address questions of the business side of writing and publishing. The question driving the workshop has been: Are MFAs for me? I am happy to say that as someone who is always asking this question to my bank account and my writing, this workshop has been honest and illuminating.

Onto day 5: a lecture on dialogue with Allison Amend (Issue #13, “Stations West”), and a reading by Sam Lipsyte!

MFA directors Josh Henkin (Brooklyn College) and Deborah Landau (NYU) talk about what they look for in an application.