I make lists all the time, most often in e-mails to close friends or to traumatize myself with everything I need to accomplish or to remind myself to buy a case of Diet Cherry Pepsi, the One True Carbonated Beverage. I like lists. They help me order my thoughts and they’re fun to write. I understand the desire to create lists, to make judgments, to draw attention to things that are worthy of… attention. When it comes to writing and books, the fetish for creating lists makes sense. Lists tell us what or who to pay attention to. They can cut through the noise. They challenge and frustrate us and with rare exception, they get us talking about writers and writing and the politics of publishing. If nothing else, lists are informative. When “Best of” lists and the like are released I have opinions and reactions which are sometimes positive and sometimes snarky but I don’t begrudge the existence of those lists. I read and digest and yes, I wonder if someday my name might appear on such a list.
The New Yorker recently released a list of 20 writers under 40 who “capture the inventiveness and the vitality of contemporary American fiction.” If I understand correctly, these are the writers to watch out for because not only are they talented and accomplished, they also have the potential to achieve greatness. I thought the list was interesting albeit unsurprising but what stayed with me was that I was fairly familiar with many of the writers on the list. If writers like Chimimanda Ngozie Adichie or Wells Tower or YiYun Li are the ones we should be looking out for, those of us toiling in anonymity should probably make our peace with obscurity. The Emerging Writers Network also released an alternate list with 20 more writers worth watching. As with The New Yorker list, the Emerging Writers Network list was full of fantastic writers who are immensely talented. It was heartening to see so many familiar names on that list as well and to see small press writers so well and deservedly represented.
It is strange though, that these sorts of lists ask us to watch out for people we can already see, who have achieved some measure of greatness.
A star, the kind out in space, is born in a nebula, clouds of interstellar dust and gas waiting for critical mass and gravitational forces to succumb to astronomical magic. The most interesting list would be one that included writers who aren’t well known or who aren’t rising stars either in the mainstream or independent publishing communities. Who are the writers we haven’t heard of yet, and who aren’t on the radars of the people who make lists? Those are the writers we need to be talking about. I want to be told something I don’t already know.
I am not a person of importance or influence but when I look at the whole of the writing featured on Necessary Fiction this month (would it be too much to call it a galaxy or universe?), I think I made a list of my own, a list that is a love letter to the writers I believe in most. The twenty one people I had the genuine privilege of publishing here this month are not always unknown but each and everyone of them deserves to be on any list celebrating excellence and the potential for true greatness. These twenty one writers are some (though by no means all) of the best and brightest writers we should be watching out for. These are writers who are necessary in every sense of the word. They are writing from inside their nebulae waiting for the astronomical magic to bring about the birth of their stardom. May we be so lucky as to witness those moments.
Paula Bomer writes about women and mothers and husbands and children and the complicated ways families survive each other, with words that always have a profound effect on me. I do not understand why her name is not on the lips of everyone in the world who loves reading great writing. Her brilliant (and I do not use this word lightly) short story collection Baby is available for pre-order from Word Riot. This is a book you want to own. Click here to read Homesick.
Ken Baumann is intriguing. He’s a writer and publisher and actor and photographer and so much more. When I think of Ken and the work he does, I think of the word energy because everything he does is infused with a vibrancy that demands your attention. Click here to read his story Tom Jane.
Ethel Rohan‘s writing is all heart and soul. I am always moved when I read her work. Her characters are complex and oftentimes, seething in their own skin as they try to balance who they are and who they are expected to be. Her beautiful collection, Hard to Say will be released by PANK in 2011. Click here to read Make Over.
M. Bartley Seigel is the founding editor of PANK and as a writer, he puts his fiercely beating poetic heart into everything he writes. Whether writing about persons or place or everything in between, he uses language like a puzzle, always finding fascinating ways of putting words into their proper places to create the kind of writing you want to read over and over again. Click here to read Leroy Knows Things.
Brandi Wells will be pursuing her MFA at the University of Alabama this fall. It feels strange to write that sentence because she has the kind of talent that makes you wonder what she could possibly learn in a writing program. When I think of Brandi’s writing, I think of the word fearless. Her words have teeth and they leave a mark. Click here to read Other Woman.
Ryan Call embodies imagination. His writing makes me believe in magic and worlds where anything is possible. He also has a fine sense of humor and isn’t afraid to use it. You will not find a more charming writer than Ryan and his stories are, indeed, a reflection of the man himself. Click here to read A Brief History of Nephology.
Jensen Beach impresses me with his ability to write so strongly using so many different narrative styles. Each time I read a story of his I wonder what he’s going to write about and how he’s going to do it and he always surprises me with how he has created something unique that still bears his distinct voice. Two of the finest examples of the way he is always working with unique narrative styles can be found in his story Family and his story We Cannot Cross the River both of which were included on the Wigleaf Top 50 this year. Click here to read Peafowl.
Ben White always gets my attention. There is a real sexiness and grittiness to his writing and he is often trying new things like his very short fictions inspired by Craigslist postings. Ben is particularly interested in nanofiction, what can happen to story in its most minute form, and edits Nanoism where you can begin to appreciate the narrative possibilities that can be contained within 140 characters or less. Click here to read The Woman on the Sidewalk.
Tim Jones-Yelvington is an intellectual and a risk taker and a master satirist. He is a writer cum performer who is able to insert the theatrical into his writing. He is not afraid to shock or titillate or make you uncomfortable but he never does so gratuitously. If ever there was a writer who could garner a rock star following, it would be this man. He is editing the October issue of PANK, a special issue of queer fictions and poetics. Click here to read The Subway Station.
xTx makes me feel like she is peeling my skin and muscles away from my bones with her writing. As with so many writers on this list she is fearless and thrilling and soulful. In one story she can write about a mother and son and paint a heartbreaking portrait of that bond and in another story she will break your heart in another way by writing about unrequited love or dissatisfaction or an impossible situation or frailty and weakness. There is nothing she cannot write about with beauty, intelligence and passion. You must read her collection, Nobody Trusts a Black Magician. Click here to read Ready.
Amber Sparks is intimidating because she has Catholic tastes as a writer. It’s obvious she is insatiably curious and Amber uses her writing to satisfy, in some way, that desire to know and understand the world. She’s another one of those writers who works so well with imagination, knows how to use it and how to enchant her audience. She’s at her best when she blends fiction and science or the human heart or, truly, anything at all to tell the kind of stories that are unforgettable and completely hypnotic. Click here to read Be Like Us and We Will Like You Maybe
Erin Fitzgerald is a master of subtlety and understatement. It is only after reading one of her stories, after you let her words sink into your skin that you understand the monument she has built. I have yet to read a story of Erin’s that has not made me say, “Goddamn.” Click here to read The Year Away.
Marcelle Heath knows how to tell a good story. She pulls you in to her work and whenever I’m reading a story of hers, I simply do not want the story to end because she has created such an interesting world filled with interesting people doing and saying interesting things. Click here to read Goodnight Dogs.
Robb Todd fills his stories with truth, even when it is painful and ugly and almost unbearable but he does so with a certain tenderness that makes you want to step into his words and stay there forever. He writes New York City so well it can take your breath away and is always working to improve his craft. The effort shows. Click here to read A Voice That Will Get You Anything Everything Ever.
Kathy Fish‘s writing is the finest example of the power of very short fictions. She tells the biggest stories with few words and more than that she takes ordinary moments and elevates them in truly stunning ways. Click here to read Skinny Lullaby at the Lizard Lounge Schenectady.
Amy McDaniel is a sophisticated writer. When I read a story of hers, I am always astounded by her intelligence and how her writing is witty and thought provoking. She makes me want to spend some time inside her mind to understand how she does what she does so well. Her chapbook Selected Adult Lessons is sold out. If you didn’t get a copy, I am sorry. You can console yourself with her excellent posts on HTMLGIANT. Click here to read Time/change.
Lauren Becker will shatter you into a million tiny pieces with her writing and that’s all I have to say about that. Her stories feel simple and terribly complicated all at once and there are few writers who can write a perfect sentence like Lauren. She is the editor of Corium, which just released its second issue. Click here to read His Days.
Jen Michalski is a consummate storyteller. When I read her writing, I feel like I’m sitting in a room with her as she tells me the most intriguing story I have ever heard. Her stories are lush and so richly detailed that you can literally feel the grease of a truck stop restaurant kitchen between your fingers or the humidity of a hot summer day on your skin or anything else she wants you to feel. Not only is Jen a force through her writing, she is also a genuine community builder and sets a standard for promoting the literary arts. Click here to read Cagarse en la Leche.
Matthew Kirkpatrick is amazing. That sounds kind of trite but I cannot improve upon what Amber Sparks had to say about Matthew’s writing. I will not try. Click here to read Fragments of a Pennsylvania From a Larger Region.
Lily Hoang is an alchemist, experimenting with language and form to remarkable effect. She brings wit and humor to so much of her writing and always, she is deeply thoughtful. The excerpts featured in Necessary Fiction this month are part of a novel in progress. She is the author of several books including Parabola and The Evolutionary Revolution. Links to purchase her fine books can be found on her website. Click here to read Martha in Love and here to read Martha Seeks Revenge.
Mel Bosworth brings whimsy, mystery and quirk to a lot of his writing but he is also able to ground some of his strongest writing in the real and now. I fell in love with his work when I learned about the mightiness of his beard and new he would be one of my favorite writers when I read this devastating love story Halfway which has one of the most beautiful last lines I’ve ever read. Click here to read Full Form.
Who is on your list of writers to watch out for?