Donnie Darko

Third-Way Fiction

Happy Weekend, NPL’ers!

Today’s feature is Donnie Darko… a story for cat-loving students of life by Kathleen Crane. ‘Donnie Darko’ is part of Kathleen’s upcoming short story collection titled Aloha From Detroit… more detail on that to come. In the meantime, enjoy Donnie!

If he could only find a comfortable position, then he might get some sleep. But he couldn’t even turn over, there simply wasn’t any room. If he moved to the right, he’d knock over his water, if he moved to the left, he’d spill what was left of his food. The blanket under him felt stiff and dirty and smelled like urine. He shifted irritably. And that ungodly howling and yowling, it never stopped. He felt as if he were going mad.

What had he done to deserve this?

Jonathan Carroll, Tao Lin…

Announcement

Happy Friday, New Pop Lit’ers! Some fun offerings for the last few hours of your working week…

Check out Lloyd’s latest news story on Jonathan Carroll’s new book, Bathing the Lion at NPL News.

Also, Karl weighs in on the continuing implosion of Tao Lin, with nods to Ed Champion, n+1, Alex Shephard… read the disinfecting truth here: Tao Lin and American Cronyism.

Thank you, interviewmagazine.com... also The Coen Brothers?

Thank you, interviewmagazine.com… also The Coen Brothers?

Brian Moves Back

Third-Way Fiction

October is getting on, New Pop Lit fans, which makes it a perfect time to bring you something from the dark side…

Wred Fright gives us a flash-fiction tale today, filled with scary dead-ends and the remnants of dreams. Feast upon Brian Moves Back!

After college, Brian moved back to his shitty hometown.
Slept in his shitty old bed in his parents’ shitty old house.
His parents got upset every time Brian called their town “shitty”.

New Pop Lit News is Here!

Announcement, News, Opinion

Hey, everybody!

I’m thrilled to announce that NPL will now have it’s own news feature, New Pop Lit News, complete with our dedicated correspondent, Lloyd Poast! Catch our paper in the Coffeehouse!

Lloyd will keep you informed about changes in the literary world, as well as pop news, such as New York Comic Con ’14!

Welcome, Lloyd!

Also, don’t miss Karl’s latest, Ten Unanswered Questions about Tao Lin, where our editor asks ten painful questions about Tao’s *strange* career.

Foreign Language

Third-Way Fiction

We’ve something a little different for you today, New Pop Lit fans. With Foreign Language, our writer Franz Pantaleon brings you a glimpse of unrequited love; a glimpse that suggests a larger story around it. Franz writes from the Philippines.

You’ve never really experienced heartbreak until you’re forced to watch a foreign romantic-drama alone.

I remember the seat beside me being empty, and all I had in my hand was an unused ticket for the same screening. She didn’t show up at the place we had agreed to meet and I decided against making contact with her to ask if she was still coming. So I went into the cinema alone thinking it would have been a waste of perfectly good tickets.

Kindergarten (1962)

Third-Way Fiction

Good morning, Pop Fans!

Today’s story is a bittersweet look at growing up by our author Dan Nielsen, who writes from the shores of the great Lake Michigan: Kindergarten (1962).


It was the first day of school. As the final bell neared, Mrs. Sawyer divided the class into those with rides and those walking home. On the chalkboard, she’d drawn a map of the neighborhood with street names and familiar landmarks.

Each walking child used a pointer to show their route home, and at each intersection recited the rules for safely crossing a street. Those living closest to each other were put into buddy groups. Billy and Dave and Sharon made up one such group.

Catch Dan’s work, as well as previously featured stories, on our Featured Stories page! Enjoy!

** ALSO check out Karl’s take on the weirdness behind The Guardian’s and The New York Times Book Review’s simultaneous plugs for esteemed establishment writer Hilary Mantel @ NewPopLitInteractive!**

Continue reading →

An Interview with Andrea Gregovich

Announcement

This Saturday’s treat is an interview with the author of The Unshakable Kayfabe of Tommy Rage, Andrea Gregovich!

Andrea gives the inside scoop on what inspired Tommy Rage; her latest translation projects; and where to find out what’s happening with Russian Literature.

An unmissable interview from our Pop Lit wrestling maven!

The Old Guard

Opinion

A new addition to our Opinion page!

New Pop Lit editor Karl Wenclas weighs in on the controversy surrounding Paul Elie’s Vanity Fair article “How Salman Rushdie Survived the Satanic Verses Fatwa”.

Catch Karl’s essay, The Old Guard, or check out previous commentary here.

Thank you to Vanity Fair and Washingtonian for the photo.

The Janitor

Third-Way Fiction

Happy Sunday, New Pop Lit’ers!

We’ve got a deliciously wicked story for you today by our featured author Ian Lahey: The Janitor.

Who hasn’t heard about superheroes with wacky, theatrical powers? Powers that by their very eccentricity save the good guys from impossible situations. What if the world was smothered in superheroes, but your only superpower was smarts…

 Ever heard of the proverbial ‘last straw’? The one that broke the camel’s back? Well, it’s bullshit. A straw can’t break a camel’s back; all the straws break it. They’re equally responsible. All of them.

Check out Ian’s previous story, Matt Murphy Private Eye, or his interview.