On Thursday, December 12, 2019, 6:00 p.m., the All But True series presents two spectacular books of flash fiction.
In her debut fiction collection, FAMILYISM, Tori Bond explores the weird moments that make up family life. These very brief stories, averaging less than three pages, offer a unique blend of irony and tenderness. We meet a “sweet sadistic” bartender lonely for his wife; a couple arguing about the lack of verbs in their relationship; a wife who may have left her identity in the refrigerator, and another who contemplates sex with a stranger who happens to be her husband.
“Bond knows the vagaries of the human heart and explores it with warmth and wit and savage intelligence.”
—Kathy Fish, author of WILD LIFE
Dedicated to “those who don’t quite fit in,” Nathan Alling Long’s collection of 50 flash fictions, THE ORIGIN OF DOUBT (a finalist in the 2019 Lambda Literary Awards), brings us a postmodern collage of searchers, outcasts, travelers, immigrants, lovers and parents—doubters of all ages. The stories reveal the subtle currents of longing, anger, and hope hidden beneath our ordinary conversations.
“Each story is a gem, a glimpse into moments of yearning and unexpected perception, instants that many of us might otherwise miss.... These are stories of male and female desire, of love and longing and loss. They are told to us like secrets, each simple moment a revelation that generates surprise and wonder.”
—Patricia Smith, author of THE YEAR OF NEEDY GIRLS
“[Long’s] stories, intense and sensual, demand repeated reading. Like prayers, they trigger reflection.”
—Julia MacDonnell, author of MIMI MALLOY, AT LAST!
The event includes author readings, discussion, book signings, and free refreshments.
The venue, as usual, is the lovely bookstore at 130 S. 34th Street in Philadelphia. This was Penn Book Center, but the store has a new name and logo, reflecting its new owners and commitment to the community: People's Books & Culture.
In her debut fiction collection, FAMILYISM, Tori Bond explores the weird moments that make up family life. These very brief stories, averaging less than three pages, offer a unique blend of irony and tenderness. We meet a “sweet sadistic” bartender lonely for his wife; a couple arguing about the lack of verbs in their relationship; a wife who may have left her identity in the refrigerator, and another who contemplates sex with a stranger who happens to be her husband.
“Bond knows the vagaries of the human heart and explores it with warmth and wit and savage intelligence.”
—Kathy Fish, author of WILD LIFE
Dedicated to “those who don’t quite fit in,” Nathan Alling Long’s collection of 50 flash fictions, THE ORIGIN OF DOUBT (a finalist in the 2019 Lambda Literary Awards), brings us a postmodern collage of searchers, outcasts, travelers, immigrants, lovers and parents—doubters of all ages. The stories reveal the subtle currents of longing, anger, and hope hidden beneath our ordinary conversations.
“Each story is a gem, a glimpse into moments of yearning and unexpected perception, instants that many of us might otherwise miss.... These are stories of male and female desire, of love and longing and loss. They are told to us like secrets, each simple moment a revelation that generates surprise and wonder.”
—Patricia Smith, author of THE YEAR OF NEEDY GIRLS
“[Long’s] stories, intense and sensual, demand repeated reading. Like prayers, they trigger reflection.”
—Julia MacDonnell, author of MIMI MALLOY, AT LAST!
The event includes author readings, discussion, book signings, and free refreshments.
The venue, as usual, is the lovely bookstore at 130 S. 34th Street in Philadelphia. This was Penn Book Center, but the store has a new name and logo, reflecting its new owners and commitment to the community: People's Books & Culture.
