Our current feature is Dylan Nice’s debut story collection, Other Kinds, which was published by Short Flight / Long Drive Books in October of 2012. His stories and essays have appeared in NOON, The Rumpus, The Collagist, and MAKE, among others.
In his recent interview with the author, Brian Allen Carr describes Nice’s collection as “a hot, taut little read with big life, precise writing, and haunting characters.” But what most struck Carr about Nice’s new book was its structure, particularly the organizing elements that Other Kinds and his own recent book of stories, Vampire Conditions, had in common. So in an attempt to track down their shared influences and literary ancestors, Carr and Nice virtually sat down together for a chat about structure, process, and the influence of Jesus’ Son.
In response to an early question about how he conceived of the book as a whole, Nice responds:
I definitely wanted to avoid the collection feeling like it was all my stories in a pile, which was probably an unwarranted fear, one that started in the vast imagination of my insecurity. I knew that the stories talked to each other, since they were all of the same world and born of a single vision: a working through of a conflicted self.
We’re happy to announce that we’ll be giving away a copy of Other Kinds to three of our Twitter followers. To be eligible for this giveaway (and all future ones), simply click over to Twitter and “follow” us (@fictionwriters).
To all of you who are already fans, thank you!
Links and Resources:
- Read the rest of Nice and Carr’s recent FWR interview.
- Read Dylan Nice’s story “5/24/2010” at Wag’s Review.
- Check out his Rumpus essay on Orwell’s role in his development.
- From the Texas Observer, read Brian Allen Carr’s story “The First Henley” and his interview on Vampire Conditions and being from Texas.
