We are loving our new friends at Faster Than Forty and we hope you will spend some time on their site and check out all the cool things they are trying to do around the Mark Gomes, his masters running career and the sheer joy and wonderment, is that a word, that is running itself, over 40 or not. Meanwhile, one thing they're doing, self-absorption alert, is hyping the work of TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer and the CCLaP published 99 Problems, big appreciation that, and we not only look forward to watching Faster Than Forty blow-up in all the ways we expect it soon will, but playing some, any, role in said explosion.
Indeed. There is a most generous review of 99 Problems at the Goodreads from author Lavinia Ludlow and we are most appreciative. Drinks on us for sure whenever, and wherever, we finally meet.
Life After Sleep is the new novella by TBWCLY, Inc. favorite and This Podcast Will Change Your Life podcastee Mark R. Brand. It is also the new joint from CCLaP Publishing, which means, first, that 99 Problems is officially archived, which we're okay with, really, because not only has it been a good run, but we are quite geeked about Life After Sleep, which we are certain will change your life; and second, that the brain trust at CCLaP has asked our team here to write a "Passing the Torch" essay for the CCLaP site as they seek a gentle transition from one book to the next. We in turn would like to share a slightly tweaked version of the essay here as well, which we hope is cool with you? Great.There is the belief that we should temper our reaction to things, that caveats are required, and biases should be identified, that it's okay to love something as long as we explain how and why that love may be impacted by the personal, by history and preferences. But we would rather not take that approach to things. We suppose this eliminates any hope we have of being perceived as any kind of legitimate critic, but being a critic has never been the goal. In fact our primary goal is to embrace the sheer fanboyness of our day to day existence and not be so embarrassed by our exuberance for the things we love and that which we have any kind of personal association with.
Which brings us to Life After the Sleep, the new book by Mark Brand which is being released by the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography. Mark Brand is a friend. We have read together and edited one another's work. Mark Brand is also quite attractive, and we, like you are drawn to attractive people, that's just evolution so please don't fault us for that. Mark Brand writes science fiction, love the science fiction, always have, and that's not changing.
Further, CCLaP has released two joints of ours and we are indebted to them for that. CCLaP's director Jason Pettus and TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer have also drank any number of beers together and we greatly appreciate his discerning and critical eye, even when we disagree, which isn't often, but it happens.
Hello, Requiem for a Dream. What the fuck?
But we digress.
We are also drawn to any author that matures with his work and grows more nuanced as his vision expands, as well as, any publisher who understands what he likes, yet continues to try and capture that like in as many disparate ways as possible.
Which also brings us to Life After Sleep, a book by a maturing, and yes, dammit, attractive writer, being published by an ever evolving publisher, and our unabashed excitement by all facets of this project, none of which should diminish the work itself, a comment on who we are now and where we might be, but still remains grounded in all things recognizable as real, work stress, PTSD, family dynamics, and mostly, finally, sleep, how we get it, why we need it, and what happens when we can't find it, something else I am terribly biased about, but as we said, we are not critics, we're are fanboys, and we are all fan when it comes to this book and all it represents.
Quite geeked we are to have our new joint "Taking Flight" up at the Metazen. "Taking Flight" is the first of a series of pieces we have been working on that are set in Chicago and were referenced to and dissected in 99 Problems. We hope you dig it. We also hope, no think, it could change your life, so for a literary appetizer of sorts please do enjoy the brief excerpt below.
The collective minds at CCLaP Publishing will soon be launching a "hipster" photography magazine titled Imago and as part of the debut issue are including a full page ad for 99 Problems which is full of lovely comments from an array of sources that doesn't even include our mothers, wives or sisters. We are, as always, thrilled and embarrassed about this kind of thing, but not so embarrassed that we won't mention it here, or encourage you to hit the CCLaP link if you prefer to see it in all its "full-sized" awesomeness.
When Jason Pettus at CCLaP expressed interest in publishing 99 Problems he said he was particularly struck by how many writers were also runners. As we read Cardboard Gods by Josh Wilker what we were initially struck by was how many writers seemed to have offbeat, if not outright strained childhoods, filled with all sorts of funky family dynamics, struggles with self-confidence and the inability to find their way, both as a writer and in life. But then we thought, maybe that's everybody in some form or another, and what we're really encountering here is the writer's ability to translate that pain and strife into words and image and narrative that transcend mere description and turn them into something powerful, engaging and even beautiful. Which then got us thinking that if any of this is remotely true, the real challenge may be how the writer accomplishes this in a way that sounds vibrant and different and brings new perspective and language to the discussion, continuing an ongoing dialogue in fresh and exciting new ways. Which brings us back to Cardboard Gods and Josh Wilker's moving exploration of his childhood, pop culture, the last third of the last century, and the start of the new one, rooting for the Boston Red Sox and the birth of the writer through his youthful obsession with all things baseball card, the players, both obscure and star, their stats and back stories, and the endless hopes, needs, and anxieties we can project onto an object of desire. Why do all writers seem to know pain, because we all do, everyone, but writers labor to describe it, because they, we, have no other choice.
Most proud we are to learn that 99 Problems has made the Pete Lit Good Reading 2010 list. We are also most thrilled to be in such fine company, the Mel Bosworth, Tim Hall and Matt Bell, not to mention, Studs Terkel and Nelson Algren, yes that Studs Terkel, and yes, that Nelson Algren, among others. Big thanks to Pete Anderson and the crew, drinks on us, soon, somewhere, yes? Good. And please note that our Top Ten lists are forthcoming, soon, like next week.
You may recall that Jason Pettus of CCLaP Publishing fame decided to play with Google Maps and create a freakishly cool story map for our story the "Long Haul" from the CCLaP published 99 Problems. Apparently, the Pettus has decided, however, that there is no reason to settle for freaking coolness when you go for super freaking coolness and do a 3D version of the story on Google Earth. So please do enjoy this look into the future, which may or may not change your life at this very moment, but may very well already be changing it in ways we cannot even yet conceive of.
Big thanks to author, new BFF, and as it turns out, former teammate Alex Kudera and the crew at The United States of Kudera for the very generous review of 99 Problems. Drinks on us for sure when we meet again, and for the rest of you Alex has a new book out himself, Fight for Your Long Day, which we will be reporting on soon, for real, right here, pinkie swear, all of it.
Brace yourself. Are you braced? Good. We are going off of the grid for a few days and thought it was only right to leave you with something that is sure to change your life, a quite fine remix of 99 Problems by The Prodigy. Please do enjoy it and please have yourselves a most Happy Thanksgiving as well, cool? Cool.
Hella thanks to John Frenette and Hella Sound for interviewing TBWCYL, Inc. spokesperson Ben Tanzer about all things 99 Problems. Hella drinks as well on us when next we meet. And now some hella excerpt.
One thing we have been quite digging with the reaction to 99 Problems is not just the positivity, though that's awesome, and humbling, but the personal reactions to the work, both from those we know and those we do not. In the case of Baby Got Books we do know the crew there, but it certainly doesn't change how much we appreciate their kind words or the highly intimate response to the work. Many thanks, and in this case, drinks for sure, and as usual, when next we are there."99 Problems is a gem of a book. You’ll learn a lot about the author and his creative processes, which highlights the level of introspection that can come from time alone pounding the pavement. Of course, my favorite essay is about a run that Tanzer takes in Atlanta. I met up with Ben and some literary scenesters that he assembled at Twain’s Tavern after the run, and we talked over beers about books and bad TV. Here’s how Ben characterizes the book scene in Atlanta:
