Small Press Holiday Recommendations: Day 25

Today's post brings you some small press titles that landed on various Best Books Of 2010 lists around the web:

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from the Chamber Four blog, Best Literary Fiction of 2010:

We Take Me Apart, Molly Gaudry (Mud Luscious Press)

Museum of the Weird, Amelia Gray (FC2)

See more: http://chamberfour.com/best-books/best-books-2010/#litfic

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from the Small Press Distribution Staff Picks 2010:

SLEEPINGFISH8, Gary Lutz and Derek White, eds. (Calamari Press)

The Creepy Girl and Other Stories, Janet Mitchell (Starcherone Books)

Hyperart: Thomasson, Genpei Akasegawa (Kaya Press)

See more: http://www.spdbooks.org/pages/staff-picks/default.aspx

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Caleb J. Ross’ Top 5 Books of 2010 include:

Wolf Parts, Matt Bell (Keyhole Press)

Bliss Inc., Ron Burch (BlazeVOX [books])

See more: http://www.calebjross.com/2010/12/top-five-of-oh-ten/

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The No Tells Poetry Blog has been running Best Poetry Books of 2010 lists from various poets since late November.

Poet Brian Foley included these small press titles in his picks:

Lake Antiquity, Brandon Downing (Fence)

Bluets, Maggie Nelson (Wave Books)

The Redcoats, Ryan Murphy (Krupskaya)

See more: http://notellpoetry.blogspot.com/

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Bookforum asked authors to list the best books they read in 2010. Some small press books that made their lists include:

The Importance of Being Iceland: Travel Essays in Art, Eileen Myles (Semiotext(e) / Active Agents)

The Guilt Project: Rape, Morality and Law, Vanessa Place (Other Press)

La Medusa, Vanessa Place (FC2)

How, Emily Pettit (Octopus Books)

Collected Fictions by Gordon Lish (O/R Books)

See more: http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/017_04/6673

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Shelf Unbound's Top 10 of 2010 picks include:

The Orange Eats Creeps, Grace Krilanovich (Two Dollar Radio)

I Hotel, Karen Tei Yamashita (Coffee House Press)

If You Lived Here You’d Already Be Home, John Jodzio (Replacement Press)

See more: http://www.shelfmediagroup.com/blog/2010/11/shelf-unbound-indie-book-review-magazines-top-10-books-of-2010/

Small Press Holiday Recommendations: Day 24

Today’s recommendations come from three multi-talented women of the small press. Lynn Alexander is a poet who also works non-stop behind the scenes: She’s one of the main creative forces behind the full-service Full of Crow, a press, literary website, online audio show, and distro. She’s also the creator of numerous zines, co-edits the journal Fashion for Collapse, works on production and distribution for the micro-fiction journal Blink-Ink, and was a force behind the latest incarnation of the Outsider Writers Collective. Andria Alefhi is a writer and zinester who hosts the radio show Zine Therapy and publishes the awesome non-fiction zine, We’ll Never Have Paris. The zine gets better-looking everytime another issue comes out, and I love that it’s dedicated to the theme of “all things never meant to be.” Christen Clifford is a fearless writer and performer of some powerful one-woman shows tackling taboo subjects, including the acclaimed “Baby Love”: This Off-Broadway show talked frankly about the sexuality of maternity, and started out as an essay on Nerve.com. I’m also a fan of Christen’s essay about moving out of Williamsburg (published at Evergreen Review) and of her illustrated memoir piece, My Home Birth at Smith Magazine. Christen offers three memoir recommendations today, while Lynn recommends poetry, and Andria focuses on zines and the micro-press.

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1. In Praise Of Absolute Interpretation, Felino A. Soriano (Desperanto-Foster, 2010)
See Lynn’s review here:
http://karenslibraryblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/guest-review-felino-soriano-reviewed-by.html

2. Prominences, John Swain (Flutter Press)
This was John's first chapbook, he has a few out now and actually we just printed one at Full Of Crow called "Burnt Palmistry". He is definitely one to keep an eye on.

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/prominences/6264172

3. Voices, Kyle Muntz (Enigmatic Ink)
See Lynn’s review here at Crow Reviews:
http://www.fullofcrow.com/crowreviews/2010/09/voices-by-muntz/

Recommended by
Lynn Alexander, co-editor at Full of Crow and Fashion For Collapse, and production assistant at Blink Ink
http://www.fullofcrow.com

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1. Aaron Lake Smith, self-published author of zines Big Hands and Unemployment
2. Tin House literary journal
3. I Like to Keep My Troubles on the Windy Side of Things, Buzz Poole (Fractious Press)
4. Microcosm Publishing and Parcell Press: two great, great websites for window shopping

Recommended by
Andria Alefhi, curator of the zine We'll Never Have Paris.

http://neverhaveparis.blogspot.com/
Andria is also working on a collection of her personal writings, essays and creative nonfiction, out on Fractious Press sometime in 2011.

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1. Inferno: A Poet’s Novel, Eileen Myles (O/R Books)
2. There's a Road to Everywhere Except Where You Came From, Bryan Charles (Open City Books)
3. The Adderall Diaries, Stephen Elliott (Greywolf Press)

Recommended by
Christen Clifford, writer and performer
Christen at Evergreen Review: http://www.evergreenreview.com/112/contents.htm
Christen at Smith Magazine:
"My Home Birth: A Graphic Graphic Memoir by Christen Clifford & David Heatley":

http://www.smithmag.net/memoirville/2009/05/06/my-home-birth-a-graphic-graphic-memoir-by-christen-clifford-and-david-heatley/

"Clippings": http://www.smithmag.net/memoirville/2007/06/15/clippings-by-christen-clifford/

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Stay tuned for more small press holiday gift recommendations, publisher giveaways, and guest reviews.