Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story
(on a postcard)

Tue, Feb 26 2013 04:03

It's a Book!


Michael Kimball Writes Your Life Story (on a postcard) started five years ago at a performance arts festival. Between then and now, I wrote over 300 postcard life stories, condensing over 10,000 years of life. Now it's a book. You can get it directly from Mud Luscious or from Amazon. Unfortunately, I couldn't publish everybody's postcard life story in the book or it would have come in around 700 pages. So the book is a selection from the project. Here's the Table of Contents: #45 Adam Robinson, #46 Karen Lillis, #52 Josh Maday, #49 Red Delicious Apple, #66 Blake Butler, #67 G, #70 Elizabeth Ellen, #75 Moose the Cat, #76 Deborah Ling, #91 Kathryn Jachowski, #98 Chair, #100 Jonathon Bender, #101 Elizabeth Crane, #102 Shanti Perez, #103 Rachel Joy, #111 Aaron Goolsby, #114 Sammy the Dog, #117 Baby C, #118 Nate Jackson, #125 J, #129 Matt Bell, #130 El Duque the Cat, #131 Tao Lin, #133 Rahne Alexander, #137 Rhode Island Red, #141 Steve Katz, #149 Christopher Douglas Bowles, #158 Patrick King, #161 L, #166 Beowulf the Cat, #167 Ken Baumann, #170 T-Shirt, #176 Cyndy Taylor, #184 Stephanie Barber, #188 R, #195 Kaya Larsen, #197 A. Jarrell Hayes, #199 Luca Dipierro, #200 Grendel the Cat, #209 Julie Riso, #210 F, #221 Effie Gross, #228 Nick Kane, #240 Monte Riek, #242 N, #249 Umbrella Cover, #255 Andy Devine, #263 Edgar Allan Poe, #265 Abby the Horse, #267 Michael Kimball, #280 Brin-Jonathan Butler, #282 Robin Black, #288 Stephen Graham Jones, #290 Catherine Lacey, #302 John Quincy Adams, #304 Shannon Sullivan, #307 Soap.
Comments
| Adam Robinson, Andy Devine, Blake Butler, Brin-Jonathan Butler, Edgar Allan Poe, Elizabeth Ellen, John Quincy Adams, Ken Baumann, Matt Bell, Mud Luscious Press, Rahne Alexander, Robin Black, Stephen Graham Jones
Wed, Sep 19 2012 01:03

Michael Kimball's Enormous Death-Eye


Blake Butler asked me some great questions about BIG RAY and I tried to answer them. The interview is up at Vice. Plus, Blake says this: "Somehow [BIG RAY] manages to be simultaneously Kimball’s most brutal and heartfelt and blackly hilarious book yet."
Comments
| Big Ray, Blake Butler, interview, Vice
Wed, Sep 14 2011 09:00

What Are Some of the Best Books of the Year?

The wonderful Penina Roth answers the question at Flavorwire and places Us on the list -- along with books by Blake Butler, Deb Olin Unferth, Emma Straub, Joshua Cohen, Karen Russell, Seth Fried, Stefan Merrill Block, and Teju Cole.
Comments (1)
| Blake Butler, Deb Olin Unferth, Emma Straub, Joshua Cohen, Karen Russell, Penina Roth, Seth Fried, Stefan Merrill Block, Teju Cole
Mon, Aug 1 2011 12:00

Welcome to the Golden Age

There's a wonderful group review -- books by Blake Butler, Scott McClanahan, Joshua Cohen, and me -- in the Charlotte Viewpoint. Jeff Jackson makes an interesting argument -- that "we’re living through a golden age for American literature" -- and then goes on to say nice things about each of our books. Of Us, he says, "this examination of love, grief and family makes these universal themes seem achingly fresh. ... Us delivers a powerful emotional experience."
Comments
| Blake Butler, Charlotte Viewpoint, Jeff Jackson, Joshua Cohen, Michael Kimball, Scott McClanahan, Tyrant Books, Us
Wed, Jun 29 2011 11:35

All the Characters Are Versions of Myself

I have an interview with Justin Taylor up at The Faster Times. We talk about The Gospel of Anarchy, the great stuff he does with third-person close narration, and writing sex scenes, among other things.

More interviews @ The Faster Times: Gary Lutz, Blake Butler, Laura van den Berg, Brian Evenson, Robert Lopez, Dylan Landis, Padgett Powell, Sam Lipsyte, Dawn Raffel, Kevin Sampsell, Gina Frangello, Evan Lavender-Smith, Ken Sparling, Matt Bell, Ingrid Burrington, Andy Devine, and Jessica Anya Blau, Deb Olin Unferth, Blake Butler, and Susan Henderson.
Comments
| bad sex writing, Blake Butler, Justin Taylor, sex scenes, sex writing, The Faster Times, The Gospel of Anarchy, There Is No Year, third-person close, Writers on Writing
Wed, Jun 1 2011 01:25

Dirty Southern Cross Tour

I have a bunch of Us stuff coming up. Tomorrow, June 2, I'm reading and doing a Q&A at Atomic Books, 7pm -- plus, there will be adult beverages.

Friday, June 3, I'm looking forward to joining the discussion at #LitChat -- just use the #litchat hash tag.

Saturday, the Tyrant is giving me a break. Sunday, the 5th, is the beginning of the Dirty Southern Cross Tour, at the Beep Beep Gallery.

When I leave Atlanta, I'm taking Blake Butler with me. Monday, the 6th, we'll be reading at Portland Brew East in Nashville.

Tuesday, the 7th, we'll be reading at Square Books in Oxford -- where there will also be a special appearance by William Faulkner.

Wednesday, we'll mostly be gambling at little casinos along the Mississippi River. Thursday, the 9th, we'll be reading at the Antenna Gallery in New Orleans. I hope to see you in any of those places.
Comments
| #litchat, Antenna Gallery, Atlanta, Atomic Books, Beep Beep Gallery, Blake Butler, Nashville, New Orleans, Oxford, Square Books, twitter, Us, William Faulkner
Mon, Apr 4 2011 11:07

My Brain Kept Going in the Machine: Blake Butler

I have an interview with Blake Butler up at The Faster Times. We talk about There Is No Year, the space on the page, being receptive, doubling, and a possible sequel.

More interviews @ The Faster Times: Gary Lutz, Blake Butler, Laura van den Berg, Brian Evenson, Robert Lopez, Dylan Landis, Padgett Powell, Sam Lipsyte, Dawn Raffel, Kevin Sampsell, Gina Frangello, Evan Lavender-Smith, Ken Sparling, Matt Bell, Ingrid Burrington, Andy Devine, and Jessica Anya Blau, Deb Olin Unferth, and Susan Henderson.
Comments
| Blake Butler, The Faster Times, There Is No Year, Writers on Writing
Wed, Feb 2 2011 10:35

The Zoo Reading


I'm reading at an AWP off-site event at the ZOO -- Friday, February 4, 2pm. It's with Stephanie Barber & Matt Bell & Blake Butler & Amelia Gray & Alec Niedenthal & Alexis Orgera & Timothy Sanders & Deb Olin Unferth & Colin Winnette & Joseph Young. It's with Tigers and Polar Bears and Gorillas. Come see the animals. Come hear the stories.
Comments
| Alec Niedenthal, Alexis Orgera, Amelia Gray, Blake Butler, Colin Winnette, Deb Olin Unferth, gorillas, Joseph Young, Matt Bell, polar bears, Stephanie Barber, tigers, Timothy Sanders, zoo reading
Fri, Nov 5 2010 01:15

TRNSFR #3

My contributor copies of trnsfr #3 arrived the other day and it is an amazing-looking book-thing. Six of the postcard life stories are reproduced as postcard tear-outs. Plus, there's a broadside fold-out from Paul Maliszewski. Plus, there is great work for J.A. Tyler, Robert Hinderliter, Blake Butler, Janet Freeman, Ryan Bradley, Mark Gluth, Chelsea Martin, Matthew Simmons, Sutherland Douglass, James Greer, Paul Kavanagh, Thomas Michael McDade, Michael Stutz, Catherine Lacey, Molly Gaudry, and Scott Bradfield. Many thanks to Alban Fisher.
Comments
| Alban Fisher, Blake Butler, Catherine Lacey, Chelsea Martin, J.A. Tyler, Janet Freeman, Matthew Simmons, Michael Stutz, Molly Gaudry, Paul Maliszewski, Ryan Bradley, Scott Bradfield, TRNSFR
Thu, Oct 28 2010 09:28

Word-Things

I have an interview with Ingrid Burrington up at The Faster Times. We talk about word-things, protest signs, Venn diagrams, etc.

More interviews @ The Faster Times: Gary Lutz, Blake Butler, Rachel Sherman, Laura van den Berg, Ben Tanzer, Brian Evenson, Robert Lopez, Samuel Ligon, Dylan Landis, Joseph Young, Andrew Porter, Padgett Powell, Zachary German, Christopher Higgs, Sam Lipsyte, Dawn Raffel, Adam Robinson, Kevin Sampsell, Gina Frangello, Evan Lavender-Smith, Ken Sparling, Matt Bell.
Comments
| Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Dawn Raffel, Dylan Landis, Gary Lutz, Gina Frangello, Ingrid Burrington, Ken Sparling, Matt Bell, Padgett Powell, The Faster Times, Writers on Writing
Tue, Oct 5 2010 01:33

A Sentence of Mystery

I have an interview with Matt Bell up at The Faster Times. We start with the ways in which Matt begins a fiction, talk about working with ideas and working with language, and then finish with the way a fiction ends.

More interviews @ The Faster Times: Gary Lutz, Blake Butler, Rachel Sherman, Laura van den Berg, Ben Tanzer, Brian Evenson, Robert Lopez, Samuel Ligon, Dylan Landis, Joseph Young, Andrew Porter, Padgett Powell, Zachary German, Christopher Higgs, Sam Lipsyte, Dawn Raffel, Adam Robinson,Kevin Sampsell, Gina Frangello, Evan Lavender-Smith, Ken Sparling.
Comments
| Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Dawn Raffel, Dylan Landis, Gary Lutz, Gina Frangello, Ken Sparling, Matt Bell, Padgett Powell, The Faster Times, Writers on Writing, Zachery German
Tue, May 4 2010 02:16

Screenings in ATL and LA






















Atlanta: On Friday, May 14, at 8pm, at eyedrum, there will be a screening of 60 Writers/60 Places. There will also be readings by Zachary Schomburg and Ann Stephenson. Many thanks to the great Blake Butler for setting this up.

Los Angeles: On Thursday, May 20, at 10pm at Sunset 5 Theater, there will be a free double feature, both I Will Smash You and 60 Writers/60 Places. Many thanks to the great Ken Baumann for making this happen.

There is more information about both documentaries, plus stills and trailers, at Little Burn Films.
Comments
| Ann Stephenson, Blake Butler, Eyedrum, Ken Baumann, Little Burn Films, Luca Dipierro, Michael Kimball, Zachary Schomburg
Thu, Dec 24 2009 10:23

Redivider

I have a tiny fiction called "Tom's Mother Died Today in New Jersey" in the new Redivider, along with some great writing from Blake Butler, Robert Travieso, Dan Chaon, Kate Russell, Jeff Porter, Krista Benjamin, and a ton of others. Thanks to the good Matt Salesses and Cat Ennis Sears.
Comments
| Blake Butler, Cat Ennis Sears, Dan Chaon, Jeff Porter, Kate Russell, Krista Benjamin, Matt Salesses, Redivider, Robert Travieso
Thu, Dec 10 2009 11:13

DEAR EVERYBODY: 25 Important Books of the 00s

DEAR EVERYBODY was named one of the "25 Important Books of the 00s" at the wonderful HTMLGIANT.

Thank you, Blake Butler.

Thank you, HTMLGIANT.
Comments (2)
| 25 Important Books of the 00s, Blake Butler, Dear Everybody, htmlgiant
Wed, Dec 9 2009 08:44

Details Are My Weakness

I have an interview with Dylan Landis up at my interview column for The Faster Times, Writers on Writing. We talk about her new book, Normal People Don't Live Like This, first lines, and some really great stuff on details.

More interviews @ Writers on Writing:
I Am Not a Camera: Gary Lutz
A Ribbon of Language: Blake Butler
What People Do When No One is Watching: Rachel Sherman
Justify Every Sentence: Laura van den Berg
Most Violence Is Intimate: Ben Tanzer
I'm Not Trying to Trick the Reader: Brian Evenson
Where Commas Ordinarily Go: Robert Lopez
My Narrative Mind: Joanna Howard
Comments (2)
| Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Dylan Landis, Gary Lutz, Michael Kimball, Normal People Don't Live Like This, Rachel Sherman, Robert Lopez, The Faster Times
Thu, Dec 3 2009 10:27

New York Tyrant #7

I have a new piece in New York Tyrant #7, which can be ordered here. There's also great work by Alex Balk, Blake Butler, Erich Hintze, Brian Kubarycz, Christopher Kennedy, Joseph Cardinale, Jason Schwartz, Greg Mulcahy, Luca Dipierro, Rachel B. Glaser, Ken Baumann, Peter Gajdics, Peter Markus, Shane Jones, Conor Madigan, Scott Indrisek, Harry Cheadle, Joshua Furst, and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola.
Comments
| Blake Butler, Greg Mulcahy, Joshua Furst, Ken Baumann, Luca Dipierro, New York Tyrant, Rachel B. Glaser
Mon, Nov 30 2009 02:08

My Narrative Mind

I have an interview with Joanna Howard up at my interview column for The Faster Times, Writers on Writing. We talk about her new collection, On the Winding Stair, story openings, and how to get from one sentence to the next.

More interviews @ Writers on Writing:
I Am Not a Camera: Gary Lutz
A Ribbon of Language: Blake Butler
What People Do When No One is Watching: Rachel Sherman
Justify Every Sentence: Laura van den Berg
Most Violence Is Intimate: Ben Tanzer
I'm Not Trying to Trick the Reader: Brian Evenson
Where Commas Ordinarily Go: Robert Lopez
Comments
| Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Gary Lutz, Joanna Howard, Michael Kimball, On the Winding Stair, Rachel Sherman, Robert Lopez, The Faster Times
Wed, Nov 18 2009 10:07

Where Commas Ordinarily Go

I have an interview with Robert Lopez up at my interview column for The Faster Times, Writers on Writing. We talk about his new novel, Kamby Bolongo Mean River, writing with constraints, the revision process, and commas.

More interviews @ Writers on Writing:
I Am Not a Camera: Gary Lutz
A Ribbon of Language: Blake Butler
What People Do When No One is Watching: Rachel Sherman
Justify Every Sentence: Laura van den Berg
Most Violence Is Intimate: Ben Tanzer
I'm Not Trying to Trick the Reader: Brian Evenson
Comments
| Ben Tanzer, Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Gary Lutz, Kamby Bolongo Mean River, Laura van den Berg, Michael Kimball, Rachel Sherman, Robert Lopez, The Faster Times
Tue, Nov 10 2009 09:39

I'm Not Trying to Trick the Reader

I have an interview with Brian Evenson up at my interview column for The Faster Times, Writers on Writing. We talk about Fugue State, irresolvable narrative, the ending of The Open Curtain, and form as it relates to the novel, the novella, and the story collection.

More interviews @ Writers on Writing:
I Am Not a Camera: Gary Lutz
A Ribbon of Language: Blake Butler
What People Do When No One is Watching: Rachel Sherman
Justify Every Sentence: Laura van den Berg
Most Violence Is Intimate: Ben Tanzer
Comments
| Ben Tanzer, Blake Butler, Brian Evenson, Fugue State, Gary Lutz, Laura van den Berg, Michael Kimball, Rachel Sherman, The Faster Times, The Open Curtain
Mon, Nov 2 2009 10:09

Most Violence Is Intimate

I have an interview with Ben Tanzer up at my interview column for The Faster Times, Writers on Writing. We talk about Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, dialogue, narrative speed, pop culture references, and what characters want from fiction.

More interviews @ Writers on Writing:
Gary Lutz
Blake Butler
Rachel Sherman
Laura van den Berg
Comments
| Ben Tanzer, Blake Butler, Gary Lutz, Laura van den Berg, Michael Kimball, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, Rachel Sherman, The Faster Times
Tue, Oct 27 2009 01:39

Justify Every Sentence

I have an interview with Laura van den Berg up at my interview column for The Faster Times, Writers on Writing. We talk about What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us, mythological creatures, endings, and what it means to justify every sentence.

More interviews @ Writers on Writing:
Gary Lutz
Blake Butler
Rachel Sherman
Comments
| Blake Butler, Gary Lutz, Laura van den Berg, Rachel Sherman
Mon, Sep 28 2009 10:32

A Ribbon of Language: Blake Butler and Michael Kimball Talk About Acoustics

Blake Butler and I talk about acoustics--how we think about acoustics, how we use acoustics, and where we feel acoustics. We called the talk A Ribbon of Language. It originally appeared in Unsaid #4. Now it's posted in my interview column at The Faster Times, along with a Gary Lutz interview.
Comments
| acoustics, Blake Butler, Michael Kimball, The Faster Times
Wed, Sep 9 2009 09:18

#66 We're Lucky There's Blake Butler

Blake Butler’s two older brothers were miscarriages. Blake was almost a miscarriage too. He was blue and not breathing. He scored 1 out of 10 on the Apgar scale, which is almost not alive, and lived under the lights in the ICU for days. When he went home, he was his mother’s miracle. Understandably, she was overprotective with Blake when he was an infant, but that turned into permissiveness as he grew older, which gave him a sense of freedom that continues to inform his writing today. By 4 years old, Blake was performing considered monologues, crazy dances, music videos, and both sides of talk shows. It’s all on video (his mother will show you, if you want). Despite these performances, Blake was a fat child by the 4th grade. He liked comic books and video games. By 10th grade, he weighed 250 pounds and felt disregarded. His bedroom walls were covered with pictures of women that he tore out of magazines at the grocery store. He started playing bass in a band and started to feel better. By 11th grade, he weighed 170 pounds and people were nicer to him. He lost all the weight for a girl named Jen. He thought his weight was the only thing keeping her from him. It wasn’t, but Blake stopped being shy and started talking to girls. He played in lots of different rock bands—15, eventually. The first time Blake was on stage, under the lights, it reminded him of when he was in the ICU. Eventually, writing replaced music, though Blake brought the rhythm of the bass with him to the page. Blake still thinks of himself as the fat kid and he writes to find out what is inside him. This is one explanation for his tremendous written output. Another explanation is his insomnia, which allows him more conscious hours than most people are allowed. Blake is never fully awake or fully asleep, though, and the normal often becomes strange. But Blake keeps giving us everything that is inside him. It’s not pounds, but it’s a different kind of weight.

[New Update: Today is the official release date of Blake Butler's second book, Scorch Atlas, which is an obliteration. There are links to reviews and lots of other stuff at Blake's blog.

[Old Update: Blake Butler's first book has just been released. I've already bought my copy and you can buy your copy of EVER by clicking on EVER. There are blurbs from Brian Evenson and Gary Lutz. There are excerpts. There is an official trailer. There is an unofficial trailer.]
Comments
| Blake Butler, Ever, fat kid, insomnia, Scorch Atlas
Mon, Aug 24 2009 09:59

Featherproof iPhone App

Featherproof Books has launched an iPhone app with 333-word stories. I'll have a piece out with their September launch, as will Amelia Gray, Blake Butler, Matt Bell, and a bunch of other fine writers.
Comments
| Amelia Gray, Blake Butler, Featherproof, iPhone, Matt Bell, Simon Appleby
Wed, Jul 8 2009 11:14

The Dollar Store Tour and I Will Smash You

I have two events coming up that I've been looking forward to for a while:
(1) The Dollar Store Reading on July 11th @ 730pm @ The Lof/t.
(2) Smashing for Success on July 18th @ 2pm @ the Contemporary Museum.
I hope to see you there or there.
Comments (2)
| Aaron Burch, Adam Robinson, Amelia Gray, Blake Butler, Contemporary Museum, Featherproof, I Will Smash You, Jac Jemc, Lindsay Hunter, Luca Dipierro, Mary Hamilton, Michael Kimball, Zach Dodson
Thu, Apr 2 2009 09:37

Blake Butler Asked Me to Guest Edit Lamination Colony and I Said Yes

I guest edited Blake Butler’s Lamination Colony and the issue looks amazing. Blake asked me what I wanted it to look like and then he made it look like that. It’s all different-colored boxes that you have to scroll over until a name pops up and then you click on that some-colored box and there is something for you to love there. There are 100 boxes and 38 writers and over 60 pieces.
Comments
| Blake Butler, Lamination Colony, Michael Kimball
Tue, Mar 31 2009 12:59

Blake Butler Asked Me to Guest Edit Lamination Colony and I Said Yes

I guest edited Blake Butler’s Lamination Colony and the issue looks amazing. Blake asked me what I wanted it to look like and then he made it look like that. It’s all different-colored boxes that you have to scroll over until a name pops up and then you click on that some-colored box and there is something for you to love there.

There are 100 boxes and 38 writers and over 60 pieces. There is Kim Chinquee, Adam Robinson, Ben Mirov, DS White, Matthew Salesses, Blaster Al Ackerman, M.T. Fallon, Adam Good, Stephanie Barber, J.A. Tyler, Catherine Moran, Cooper Renner, Luca Dipierro, Amanda Raczkowski, Rupert Wondolowski, Whitney Woolf, Lauren Becker, Michael Bible, Robert Swartwood, Darcelle Bleau, Robert Bradley, Jamie Gaughran-Perez, Aimee Lynn-Hirschowitz, Shane Jones, Conor Madigan, Krammer Abrahams, Shatera Davenport, Jordan Sanderson, Stacie Leatherman, Josh Maday, Joseph Young, Jason Jones, Gena Mohwish, Jen Michalski, Aby Kaupang, Jac Jemc, Karen Lillis, and Justin Sirois.
Comments (1)
| Blake Butler, Lamination Colony, Michael Kimball
Wed, Mar 25 2009 08:56

Blake Butler, That's the Worm; Or, Another Book Trailer for My Friend, Adam

Here is another short video with Adam Robinson and Blake Butler in the foreground, Shane Jones and Molly Gaudry and me as voices.

Comments (2)
| Adam Robison and Other Poems, Blake Butler, Molly Gaudry, Narrow House, Shane Jones
Mon, Mar 9 2009 01:59

60 WRITERS/60 PLACES

60 WRITERS/60 PLACES is the title of a new film I'm making with Luca Dipierro. There is a concept. There are rules. There is a list of places to choose from. And, for now, there is the trailer, with the amazing Blake Butler reading on the subway.