The Impossible Weight of Life

by Michael Bailey

Written Backwards presents The Impossible Weight of Life, a painfully autobiographical collection of speculative fiction and poetry by Michael Bailey, author of previous collections such as Scales and Petals, Inkblots and Blood Spots, and Oversight. This time around, after an imbalanced world temporarily destroyed his vestibular system and flipped life upside-down, thanks to an extended bout of a strange condition called Bilateral Loss of Labyrinthine Function, literally burned to the ground during California wildfires, then became threatened after rising from the ashes by acts of school violence, a flood, further fire evacuations, prolonged power outages, multiple uprootings, social injustice, political unrest, and finally a global pandemic, he decided it’s time to bend the boundaries of the written word once more, in case, you know, the world rolls itself off the giant scale that balances life and death to end things once and for all. This collection contains Bram Stoker Award-nominated short stories such as “I Will Be the Reflection Until the End” and “Time Is a Face on the Water,” but also never-before-published mind-benders created during his “highly-medicated” state of recovery, including a story about memory loss called “Fragments of Br_an,” (composed on a typewriter that no longer exists, now ash), “Emergence of the Colorless,” a statement about the beginning of the end of prejudice, and the far future “Oll Korrect,” in which artificial intelligence is used to explore humankind. As for poetry, there are favorites such as “Loosed Earth” and “Shades of Red,” but many new poems to help with balance, including “Hurt People Hurt People,” “Night Rainbows,” and “Paper Earth.” 13 stories. 13 poems. Time to crack the spine once more and see what kind of darkness and truths seep out ...

Genres: Poetry

290 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2020

About the author

Michael Bailey is a recipient and ten-time nominee of the Bram Stoker Award, a five-time Shirley Jackson Award nominee, and a three-time recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award, along with several independent publishing accolades. He has written, edited, and published many books of various genres. His latest is Righting Writing, a nonfiction narrative used as curriculum for aspiring writers, and Silent Nightmares: Haunting Stories to Be Told on the Longest Night of the Year, an anthology co-edited with Chuck Palahniuk to be published by Simon & Schuster in fall of 2026. He is also the screenwriter for Madness and Writers, a creative documentary series about writers, and a producer for numerous film projects. Find him online at nettirw.com, or on social media @nettirw. He is represented by Lane Heymont of the Tobias Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Cindy O’Quinn]

The Impossible Weight of Life — a collection of 13 stories by Michael Bailey. It didn’t take long to see why two stories were nominated for the HWA Bram Stoker Award!

Bailey’s unique way of pulling you into the pages makes him an authentic story teller. His stories can also rip you to shreds or scare the wits out if you.

Each story is exceptional, making it nearly impossible to pick a favorite. If pushed, I’d have to say “Speaking Cursive,” is my #1 choice. I felt what the characters were going through and found myself holding my breath for what would or wouldn’t happen next.

Anyway you look at it, you can’t go wrong with any of the stories. Who says thirteen is an unlucky number? Not me! And definitely not for this smart collection.

[Michael]

I just read THE IMPOSSIBLE WEIGHT OF LIFE from cover to covering in one sitting. I could not put this awesome collection of short stories down. My eyes are fried but it was definitely worth it, folks. Two of the tales were nominated for the Bram Stoker Award previously, and I have to say it won't surprise me if a couple of the new stories garner similar nominations in the near future. This is a must-read collection which I give Five Stars and the Serious high five!