The guiding principle of Six Ridiculous Questions is that life is filled with ridiculousness. And questions. That only by giving in to these truths may we hope to slip the surly bonds of reality and attain the higher consciousness we all crave. (Eh, not really, but it sounded good there for a minute.) It’s just. Who knows? The ridiculousness and question bits, I guess. Why six? Assonance, baby, assonance.
Unsettling, atmospheric fiction can come in a number of forms. Sometimes the dread is psychological; sometimes, it’s entirely psychological. That isn’t to say that the lines can’t be blurred–over a century ago, The Turn of the Screw illustrated that there’s abundant tension to be mined from the spaces and ambiguities between the two.
Thoughts on teaching the writings of Flannery O’Connor, Jon Ronson and Frank, Jan Elizabeth Watson discusses endings in fiction, new music from Total Control, and more.
Junot Diaz on MFA programs and race, a 1969 Ellen Willis essay reappears, interviews with Victor LaValle and Molly Crabapple, a Jan Elizabeth Watson playlist, and more.