Jason Pettus's Blog, page 26

The CCLaP Weekender for October 30th is here!

It's Friday, which means it's time for the newest issue of the Pushcart-Prize-nominated CCLaP Weekender! This week's issue features a new original piece of fiction by CJ Arellano; a photography feature by Michelle Siu; and a look at the next seven days of literary events happening all across the city. The PDF is completely free to download, using the links below, or can be viewed online in its "flippable" form at Issuu.com (or just use the embedded version above, if your particular device i...

American Odd: "Conspiranoia!: the Mother of All Conspiracy Theories," by Devon Jackson

A look at peculiar institutions, oddball literary experiments, and reckless rugged individualists. A celebration of American non-conformity. Conspiranoia!: The Mother of All Conspiracy Theories By Devon Jackson Plume (2000) Review by Karl Wolff "The earth is hollow. There's a vast subterranean network of alien government bases underneath the very ground we all work on. The smallpox and polio vaccines are part of a federal plot to catalog people for future mind-control experiments." Devon Jac...

Book Review: "Death and Mr. Pickwick" by Stephen Jarvis

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Death and Mr. Pickwick By Stephen Jarvis Farrar, Straus and Giroux Reviewed by Jason Pettus Earlier this fall...

Book Review: "John Smith" by Roland Hughes

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) John Smith: Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars By Roland Hughes Logikal Solutions Reviewed by Jason Pe...

Book Review: "Artificial Absolutes" by Mary Fan

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Artificial Absolutes By Mary Fan Red Adept Publishing Reviewed by Jason Pettus Because of CCLaP's policy of r...

Two more CCLaP books have reached their "pre-release" debuts!

Wow, what a busy year this has ended up being for CCLaP! A jump in our catalog from six new paperbacks last year to a whopping eleven this year, all while I was attending a labor-intensive "computer coding bootcamp" the first six months of 2015, I'm immensely proud of all the books we've gotten out the door, and look forward to the even greater challenge of a scheduled 16 paperbacks for 2016, as well as our first-ever presence expansion into neighboring cities St. Louis, Milwaukee and Minneap...

The CCLaP Weekender for October 23rd is here!

It's Friday, which means it's time for the newest issue of the Pushcart-Prize-nominated CCLaP Weekender! This week's issue features a new original piece of fiction by TJ Davis; a photography feature by Julie Weber; and a look at the next seven days of literary events happening all across the city. The PDF is completely free to download, using the links below, or can be viewed online in its "flippable" form at Issuu.com (or just use the embedded version above, if your particular device is ab...

Book Review: "Capone, the Cobbs, and Me" by Rex Burwell

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Capone, the Cobbs, and Me By Rex Burwell Livingston Press / The University of West Alabama Reviewed by Jason...

Book Review: "Half an Inch of Water," by Percival Everett

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 12 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Half an Inch of Water By Percival Everett Graywolf Press Reviewed by Chris Schahfer Percival Everett is such...

Book Review: "Apocalypticon" by Clayton Smith

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Apocalypticon By Clayton Smith Dapper Press Reviewed by Jason Pettus Clayton Smith's Apocalypticon is incredi...