As we begin a new year, we’re reflecting on some of our favorite releases from last year. Perhaps they only hit your peripheral when we mentioned them initially, so consider this note a recap on our recent release history as well as a preview for something new at the end of the month.
In November, we released a manic, raggedly edged audiobook: Stop Breakin Down by John McManus. The audiobook is read by author/narrator Dane Elcar, and it details a collection of short stories that McManus published with Picador in 2000. The stories themselves are a Nineties seppuku meant to avenge all of the social, cultural and even political mania of the time. McManus’s stories are performed by Elcar as a sort of paean to the author, the work and the time. Check it out here: https://fiddleblack.org/audiobooks/stop-breakin-down. Grab it on Audible and let us know what you think.
Later in November, we published a collection of short stories called Nights Like These by authors that have become intimately close to Fiddleblack’s aesthetic. Some you’ve heard from often, others perhaps a little less so. But the book itself is a testament to what we do and why we do it. The authors included have all together painted a very dark, austere picture of what it means to keep an interest in antipastoralism and concept horror. These folks are brilliant and their work is nothing short. Read more about the collection here: https://fiddleblack.org/press/fiddleblack-annual-2-nights-like-these.
Prior to both of these books, in June of last year, we released a book called A Shelter of Others by Charles Dodd White. The text as a whole is metaphysical, emotional, beautiful. It’s a cathartic sort of vision of family, really. We’ve only been told the best things about White’s novel, and last year it was tied to “Best of” lists, Flavorwire mentions, Goodreads buzz, prestigious award nominations, and downright good reading. Read this book: https://fiddleblack.org/press/a-shelter-of-others.
At the end of January, we’re releasing Fiddleblack #18. The issue has long been underway, and we have some stunning contributions from mostly new faces. We know the authors included in the issue are quite excited about the work, and we are too.
The list of contributors to Fiddleblack #18 is as follows:
We’ll keep you posted on a release date via Twitter.