Adam Robinson shows Sean Lovelace some html kindness...

....in this review over on html giant. Of the book itself, he says, "it’s a beautiful artifact. The typesetting is impeccable, the design is striking, and the construction is solid. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that holding this book instills a sense that this is what a chapbook is meant to be. The production quality exemplifies the value of a chapbook, distinct from a ‘zine or something full-length; this justifies the medium."

And of Sean, "I find it remarkable how much technique he is able to carry over from the lunacy of his blog. This comparison ought to be a case-study in how a blog works for a serious writer; how easily he moves away from the tomfoolery of clicking 'Publish' in WordPress for the nobler duty to a story, how he can select from a better pool of metaphors than “run like a friend’s closet” in something that appears between two covers." Thanks, Adam, and thanks html giant!

Tinderbox Lawn reviewed by Jory Mickelson

According to Mickelson, "Guess's collection is an example of prose poetry at its best: highly textured, compact, and sharp. But, the work will not please every reader. Those looking for straightforward poems or prose may find themselves flummoxed. Guess’s work demands that the reader collaborate in the reading process, requiring him or her to fill in some gaps." We agree. Thanks, Jory!

Be sure to check out the whole review here.

The Field Guide in Profile

Kelly Spitzer just posted an admiring write-up of the Field Guide over on her Writers in Profile blog. "But I try not to define things that don’t have conclusive answers. I am what I am, and that’s a whole lot of things. What I do know is this—when I return to writing, I’m going straight to the Field Guide to work on some of the exercises within," she says. And then she lists some of her faves among said exercises including those by Tom Hazuka, Sherrie Flick, and Kim Chinquee.

You can see her whole list and read the whole write-up here. Thanks, Kelly!

BookWomen and BookMen

The Austin Launch of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction took place last Friday at BookWoman. In spite of the uncharacteristic (albeit much-needed) torrential rain, it was standing room only. Intrepid bookseller Allison introduced the event...
...and then I introduced everybody else and read an essay from the Field Guide by the inimitable Ron Carlson, plus the story "I Love Bocce" from our latest greatest chapbook How Some People Like Their Eggs by Sean Lovelace...
Next, Robert Shapard read some Latin American and American Latino short shorts, as well as his own story from the Field Guide......and then special guest and newly minted Austinite (Austinian?) Elizabeth Crane read some of her finest flashes... Last but not least was special guest Elizabeth Harris reading a series of short shorts, plus a super-short novel excerpt:

Thanks so much to all the readers and to BookWoman for hosting us, and to everyone who braved the weather to come hear us do our thing!

GenPop Books Hearts Carol Guess...

...as do we at Rose Metal Press. You can read four new poems and all of what the independent publisher of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, cross-genre work, and sundry literary curiosities has to say about Guess here, but the gist is that her "new work has the unmistakable air of Washington State driftwood and houses made of tires" and that it is very good. She will be reading in Portland and Washington, DC later this fall, so be sure to keep an eye on our calendar, and if you can't make it to either city, you can always buy a copy of Tinderbox Lawn right here.

Jake Freivald reviews the Field Guide at Flash Fiction Online

And it's not just a review, but kind of a field guide to the Field Guide. "Arnold Schoenberg, the inventor of the twelve-tone musical system, told his students, Don’t compose in my method. Learn my method and then just compose. The contributors to the Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction, edited by Tara L. Masih, seem to have the same attitude. They want to hit writers with new ideas, like little meteors striking earth, and see what unique sparks fly. Instead of formulae, they offer perspectives, exercises, and strategies to help new and experienced writers address the unique problems of the short-short form," he says. Right on.

You can read the whole review here. Thanks, Jake!

How PANK Magazine likes How Some People Like Their Eggs

According to Roxane Gay: "Ultimately, this collection is witty, at times tender, at times magical, but always a fine example of how wonderful short short stories are when well-executed. In reading How Some People Like Their Eggs, I was reminded of Mozart and the Marriage of Figaro and how in one scene the score moves from aria to duet to trio to quartet to quintet until twenty voices are singing in perfect harmony. This collection is like that composition. Every word, every sentence, every story work together in perfect harmony."

You can read the whole review here.

And while you're at it, be sure to check out the review on Ethel Rohan's blog here. Thanks, Ethel. And thanks to Pank for sending her a copy!