Poet Debra Albery examines the influence of Sherwood Anderson on her writing, and on her understanding of her own history and place. She writes: “If I came into writing feeling largely without history or place, writing became a means of discovering both; it also became [...] a means of discovering a way out, the road ahead. Sherwood Anderson gave me a map.”

Writers are continually told to trim their work down, but is that always the best course of action to follow? Not if you don’t know why.

Jonathan Lethem discusses our unwillingness to let go of the Tinkerbell-myth of benevolent power, MFA programs, the idea of New York City as a Ponzi scheme, why in some ways subcultures are all that exist, and his past and future work in this wide-ranging interview with Roohi Choudhry.

“Thunderstruck,” Aaron Cance describes his reading of Bruce Machart’s two debut books: a novel, The Wake of Forgiveness, and a story collection, Men in the Making, out this week. They also discuss the themes of faith, masculinity, and love, and how a New England basement is a helpful metaphor for writing.

What happens when a composer falls in love with a David Foster Wallace short story? Eric Moe describes the genesis of his “sit-trag /concert monodrama” Tri-Stan, his correspondence with DFW about the project, the challenges of translating a short story to a one-woman vocal piece, and why “making art is a lot more exciting when big risks are being taken.”

Tyler McMahon’s new novel, How the Mistakes Were Made, is a tragedy set to rock and roll. In this conversation with Caleb Winters, McMahon recalls the paranoia of Cold War America, shares his experiences touring with a band, and reveals how writing can be like church.

This week’s feature is Orientation, by Daniel Orozco. Published in May by Faber & Faber, this long-awaited and much-anticipated collection is Orozco’s first book. His stories have appeared in such places as Zoetrope: All Story, Ecotone, Harper’s Magazine, McSweeney’s, StoryQuarterly, Mid-American Review, Seattle Review, and Story. In 1995 the title story of this collection was [...]

Last week we featured Miracle Boy as our Book-of-the-Week title, and we’re pleased to announce the winners. Congratulations to:

Kate Thompson (@kateEthompson)
Francesca Miller (@creoleimp)
Angela Meyer (@LiteraryMinded)

To claim your copy of this collection, please email us at the following address:
winners [at] fictionwritersreview.com
If you’d like to be eligible for future giveaways, please visit our Twitter [...]

Daniel Orozco’s debut has been a long time coming. Now fans of his prizewinning fiction can enjoy an entire collection, Orientation: And Other Stories. Michael Shilling calls him in Idaho to talk geographic love letters, G. Gordon Liddy, and the peculiar challenge of gimmicks.

Last week we featured the multi-genre craft anthology  Lit from Within as our Book-of-the-Week title, and we’re pleased to announce the winners. Congratulations to:

Michelle Hoover (@MichelleHoover_)
Rick Fisher (@fishfire)
Lit Drift (@litdrift)

To claim your copy of this anthology, please email us at the following address:
winners [at] fictionwritersreview.com
If you’d [...]