Nü Americans on Film

AV at AWP in KC

To quote my friend Jon Coombs, who’s always quoting Bill Fay:

LIFE IS PEOPLE.

I brought two cameras to Kansas City for AWP. My intention was to capture a shitload of writers, publishers, and readers. However, looking through the pics, I see that I mostly hung out with the same small group of folks the whole time, and that’s just fine. Smiling faces, some repeating, below.

CORE TRIO

Mike Nagel and Janessa B. were my constant companions. I love these two dearly. You might know Mike from the column he wrote for Little Engines last year. You might know Janessa as J, the initial Nagel uses when invading his wife’s privacy in his perfect little books.

Last fall, on a test run at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, we learned that Janessa is particularly skilled at bookfair life. She was a massive help in establishing the Little Engines booth’s vibe, which we carried forward to KC. Often it was Janessa holding down the spot, talking to bookfair attendees showing interest in the mag while Mike and I yapped obliviously about his belt, Septology, or Chipotle.

An annoying side effect of the magazine being free is that people are suspect. They think we’re up to some bullshit, that a hidden catch is coming. But look at this smile. Who wouldn’t trust J as she Jedis an issue into your tote bag?

MORNING, FUCKERS

Little Engines held its first event in over 20 years! The initial reaction to the Morning, Fuckers announcement was a freak out about the 9:30am start time, but we filled the room up with people and donuts and had a very nice time. I don’t think peeps were blowing smoke when they told me again and again that it was one of their favorite readings. Surprise, surprise: the timing was an asset. I plan to host another one for early-risers next year at AWP in LA.

I kicked us off with a few words of thanks and an abbreviated version of my Bad Billboards piece, then the other writers took their turn at the mic. I must tell you, the readings were high caliber.

Michael Wheaton read from his new book Home Movies, which is out now from Bunny. Beyond his own writing, Michael is a model literary citizen, publishing and championing writers with his Autofocus operation, including books, a lit mag, and a podcast.

Sandy Morby is songwriter Kevin Morby’s mom. They both make KC their home, but because Kevin was out of town, Sandy tagged in and read from Kevin’s essay which appeared in Little Engines Issue Nine.

If you follow Little Engines, you’ll soon hear from Amy Barnes monthly. Her new column for the magazine, A Little Local News, begins imminently. Having Amy read at Morning, Fuckers was a fine way to welcome her into the fold. Amy’s new book Child Craft is out now from Belle Point Press.

Mike Nagel’s book Culdesac, the hysterical follow-up to the hysterical Duplex, is super fresh—it just came out last month—but he read from an unpublished essay. I happen to know that Mike’s sitting on a trove a new work. I haven’t read any of it, because he’s being a little bitch, but this first taste bodes well for what’s coming. Get up to speed with his first two books, both available from Autofocus.

Stephanie Austin’s piece about a dog eating a grape had people rolling. Her work has yet to appear in Little Engines, but we’re trying to fix that. Stephanie’s new book Something I Might Say is available now from WTAW Press. They call it a chapbook, but I’m on a mission to remove that word from the lexicon. Slim volume. Small book. Quickie. Anything but chapbook, please.

Kyle Seibel’s gonna be big, I have zero doubt. Everyone loves him and his stories. His book Hey You Assholes almost came out when it was picked up by a new publisher who promptly ghosted, but we can rejoice that the collection is now coming early 2025 from Clash Books. In the meantime, find him in all your favorite mags, including the most recent Little Engines with a story about a near miss clipping by an SUV and an unwarranted erection.

Sadly, Bethany Ball was under the weather in New York and unable to make it to Kansas City. While she didn’t get to read, you can find two magical stories from Bethany in the latest issue of the mag, and she’s got two novels, The Pessimists and What To Do About the Solomons, out now with Grove Atlantic.

MEET THE NÜ AMERICANS

Early on when wiggling my way back into the lit, Nagel and I were discussing our favorite journals and the writers who circle them. Mike wondered earnestly: Is this a fuckin’ scene?

Like a real dickhead, I wrote the question off as corny. No, dude, I thought. Calm down.

In retrospect, the correct answer was yes! My initial response, of course, was down to self-doubt. I worried that after throwing in the towel in 2007, folding the magazine and not writing shit, I would not be allowed to rejoin the party decades years later.

Well, this was my second time attending AWP, not enough times for even a sniff of cynicism from me. Last year in Seattle, I happily found real-ass community. This year there were deeper hangs with those friends, and new connections, too. I can’t wait to watch those ones grow. Now who’s earnest, motherfucker.

One night, late in a hotel lobby, a few of us had a wack conversation about whether the “scene” should have a name. It started when Kyle Seibel asked if there was a better word to use than indie, which is when I started jumping up and down begging YES, PLEASE.

Several ideas were kicked about, lots of resistance, debate, mockery, but a few decent contenders came up. Mine wasn’t one of those. As Nagel told me, “it’s just an umlaut to process,” but I find it funny, and I’m doubling down. I didn’t get snaps of everyone, regrettably, so this should not be considered a definitive roll call, but please enjoy this small sampling of Nü American writers at the literary happening in Kansas City last week.

Caleb Curtiss, poet. I’m forever grateful to this man. He knows why. Please buy his book, Age of Forgiveness, even if the publisher wimped out in using the original title, Mortal Kombat.

Julián Martinez, poet and new friend this year. Julián complimented my writing during a self-pitying hour or so when I was feeling like ‘just a publisher’ and it went a long way. Here he is with Lauren Theresa, co-EIC of Icebreakers Lit, who I met last year on a smoke break. She and her Icebreakers crew brought big energy to AWP.

The aforementioned Kyle Seibel, along with Aaron Burch, who is basically the mayor of Nü America. Aaron edits HAD and WAS, and has several books out, the two newest out now from Autofocus.

Axel Kolcow, writer, artist, deputy editor and snack technician at the mighty Taco Bell Quarterly, and Greg Mania who’s memoir Born to Be Public is out now from Clash.

Jim Morby, Katie Crutchfield (attending for Sandy’s moral support), and Sandy Morby

New friend Travis Alexander, who the lovely Bud Smith connected us to in advance of AWP. He fit like a glove AND had on a Jawbreaker sweatshirt at Morning, Fuckers. Check out his serialized novel SIRENS.

Olivia Muenz, poet and music industry ex-pat. Her inventive book I Feel Fine is available now from Switchback Books.

Axel again, and M.M. Carrigan, editor of Taco Bell Quarterly and recent lightning rod for dumbass pot shots. Anyone actually paying attention knows there is no master plan.

Kevin Maloney wrote the funniest two chapters of a book I’ve ever read in Red-Headed Pilgrim which is out from Two Dollar Radio, and Nick Rees who’s got two books out, and another incoming. You can find info on each on his website.

Alex Miller, author of White People on Vacation, available now from Malarkey Books. I feel like Alex might be mysterious, but I have no evidence for it.

Alyssa Freeman, who we met when J asked if we could join her table with three open chairs at an event. Alyssa told us she was about to read publicly for the first time and was nervous, but she killed on stage, delivering one of the best pieces of work I heard in KC.

Erin Slaughter, who has the coolest Nü American name by far, and whose collection of stories A Manuel for How to Love Us is out now from Harper Perennial,

Michael Wheaton again, here with Andrew Bertaina whose collection of essays, The Body is a Temporary Gathering Place, is coming later this year from Wheaton’s Autofocus.

Maloney and Nagel, the funniest two writers ever to appear together in a photograph.

Kirsti MacKenzie, proving Canadians can be Nü Americans, too, though they may resent the name. Her book Better to Beg is out now from Tough Bastard Books.

Christoph Paul, editor of Clash Books, who said the coolest thing when I told him I was hyped he’d picked up Kyle Seibel’s book: “We’ve got a hot hand right now, and we’re going to use it to show Kyle’s book a lot of love.”

Wheaton and Nagel, publisher and author. Wheaton took a chance on Mike and vice versa, and we’re all lucky for it.

M.M. again, here with Terri Linn Davis & Aubri Kaufman from Icebreakers Lit, and Emily Laura Costa, editor of Farewell Transmission and whose book Until It Feels Right is out with Autofocus,

Maloney, again. Burch, again. Dudes.

If I were homosexual…

OPEN FOR NON-BUSINESS

Still surprised, but my god I love the booth. Thanks to all who came by to say hi, and to friends who lurked around and lent a helping hand. We gave away several hundred mags. I’m out of all the back issue again, and gone is my own Regarding the Howlers loosie. For now, I’ve still got some of the newest issue, and copies of Nagel’s The Unintentionalist (abridged) loosie comes along with it. Get at ‘em, they’re free!