Joytime Killbox

Brian Wood has worked as a ghostwriter on five published books. This is his first collection published under his own name. He has served as the Managing Editor of Reed Magazine and the Fiction Editor for POST. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from San Jose State University, and his work earned him a Ludwig Scholarship for Excellence in Creative Writing, as well as the James Phelan Award for Short Fiction and Familiar Essays. Most recently, his story collection was a finalist for the BOA Editions Short Fiction Prize. He lives in Rochester, NY, where he is a writing instructor at Writers & Books and the co-host of the Two Month Review podcast produced by Open Letter Press.

• PART I. STRANGERSWhat to Say to a Child in the Speedway BathroomJoytime KillboxFallen TimbersPART II. FRIENDSUSS FlaggBeasts of FlightDiary of a Bad Afternoon at NordstromPART III. LOVERS My RobertaWalking DogsRough Air

“A collection full of startling, unforgettable treasures. With echoes of Kafka and homages to George Saunders, Brian Wood rewards readers with his remarkable combination of tenderness, searing wit, and striking inventions.”—Joanna Scott, author of Careers For Women“In my list of favorite stories—written by people like Cheever and Bolaño and Nabokov, Denis Johnson and Barry Hannah—are the ones that always, when I read and reread them, make me think: ‘Ah, yes: this is exactly how a short-story should be, look, sound, work.’ Welcome to my list, short-stories by Brian Wood.”—Rodrigo Fresán, author of The Invented Part