Messages from the American Trashcan

by Bram Riddlebarger

Short stories, or maybe they're poems, about America during the age of Trump and trash. The author spins tales based on handwritten notes he's found strewn along the highway. Beautiful and ugly at the same time.

ebook

Published July 4, 2020

About the author

Bram Riddlebarger writes, plays music, and lives in Southeastern Ohio.

Reviews

[KKUURRTT · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of smallies has definitely been inspiring me as of late. I took about 5 months to read it because I wanted to savor every page and now that its over I don't really know what to do with myself. Been looking through trash bins and I fear that this is my life now. All at the sake of a great book?

[Alan ten-Hoeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love MESSAGES FROM THE AMERICAN TRASHCAN! Just when I think I’ve acclimated to Bram’s unique style and think I know what to expect, he somehow manages to surprise. The short pieces that make up this collection can take on multiple dimensions that will have you coming back for rereads. It’s always a pleasure visiting planet Riddlebarger.

[Tex Gresham · Rating 5 out of 5]

channel surfing through the heart of an america most never see. heartfelt, sad, sincere, and absurd. a lot of reviews compare this collection to richard brautigan, but where brautigan leans heavily into the abstract and absurd, the ethereal -- these pieces are more closely aligned with the stories you hear from a chain-smoking uncle or a papier-mâché grandma or your neighbor at the trailer park. the messages written on trash found in various nook of american reality resonate the meaning that we are all, in a way, living in a trashcan.