The death of a little girl. The Vietnam War. Drug abuse and sexual misconduct. A boy coming of age.

Matt Briggs packs together enough “big themes” in Shoot the Buffalo for several novels. Yet he does so with such attention to particulars that they only stand out as “themes” in retrospect. While reading, you’re aware only of the candid generosity of the family portrait. …more

Eric Leuschner has been active in Seattle’s creative underground for 15 years, as a multidisciplinary artist, producer, and advocate. …more

The last book I loved was Hunts In Dreams by Tom Drury. Here’s the first sentence: “The man behind the counter of the gun shop did not understand what Charles wanted, and so he summoned his sister from the back room, and she did not understand either.” And this is kind of how the book is. Its characters live in overlapping worlds that, while sharing common elements, are separated by certain incommunicable, private concerns and motivations. …more