Topograph: New Writing from the Carolinas and the Landscape Beyond

by Jeff Jackson, John Darnielle, Blake Butler

Topograph surveys the literary landscapes that have emerged in recent decades, exploding tarnished ideas about Southern fiction. For anyone interested in the latest writing trends, this collection offers a broad spectrum of styles including formally innovative essays, adventurous flash fiction, and minimalist poetry, alongside more traditional storytelling and memorable travelogues. It provides a vista of the most exciting work being done in the area, writing that s often informed by geography in unexpected ways.

With more than 30 authors, Topograph s contributors include John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, Blake Butler, Jack Pendarvis, Alan Michael Parker, Frank Lentricchia, Jon Pineda, Melissa Malouf, Madge McKeithan, Sally Keith, Janice Fuller and Kirsten Hemming.

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Anthologies, Short Stories

234 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2010

About the author

Jeff Jackson's "Destroy All Monsters" was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in Fall 2018. Like a vinyl single, it has a Side A and Side B which can be read in any order. It received advanced praise from Don DeLillo, Ben Marcus, Janet Fitch, Dana Spiota, Laura van den Berg, and Dennis Cooper, plus rave reviews in The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, NPR, and more. It was Largehearted Boy's "Best Novel of 2018."

His first novel "Mira Corpora" was a Finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. It was praised by Dennis Cooper, Eimear McBride, and David Gates. It was selected one of the Best Books of 2013 in Slate, Salon, and The New Statesman. His limited edition novella "Novi Sad" was picked by Vice as one of the best books of 2016.

As a playwright, six of his plays have been produced by the Obie Award-winning Collapsable Giraffe company. "Botanica" was selected by New York Times as "one of the most galvanizing theater experiences of 2012." His adaptation of the Chinese novel "The Dream of the Red Chamber" - a performance for a sleeping audience" debuted in Times Square in 2014. "Vine of the Dead," an art ritual that attempted to contact the spirits of ancestors, premiered in 2016.

He also ran the popular jazz web site Destination: Out (www.destination-out.com).

Reviews

[Jeff Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I edited this so take the rating w/the requisite grain of salt. But I do want to mention that the book includes new and exclusive work from John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, Blake Butler, Scott McClanahan, Jack Pendarvis, Andrew Ervin, Frank Lentricchia, Sally Keith, Jon Pineda, and Alan Michael Parker. Plus amazing pieces from new writers you may not know: Alec Neidenthal, Megan McShea, Maryke Burger, Amy Bagwell, and Jody McAuliffe. All the proceeds from the book help the ailing library system in Charlotte, NC.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest (and apparently last) book from Novello Press is a collection of short stories from the American South. Thankfully, you won't find any nostalgic reminiscences about the "good old days" of segregated lunch counters, free labor, and forced politesse. There's not even a single ode to grandma's old scrap bag. Instead, Topograph is a reflection of the 21st century South, to which writers have often emigrated from states outside the Confederacy.

Crappy jobs, fractured families, conflicted cultural identities...these stories reveal a shifting South, in which the national identity has somehow subsumed regional pride. Many of the stories, poems, and memoirs are laced with dark humor. Alan Michael Parker's "From the Committee on Town Happiness" and Gilbert Allen's "The Final Days of Great American Shopping: 2084" are especially delicious, and coincidentally derive much of their humor from a suffocating corporate culture that almost makes the antebellum South seem like Haight-Ashbury. Jack Pendarvis's "A Wonderful Excursion to the Moon" was just that; after reading this story, I'll follow this hilarious author anywhere. His story reminds me a bit of the ones you used to find in The National Lampoon, back when it was, um, good. Frank Lentricchia, my new favorite writer, has a great piece called "The Rookie" that offers a tantalizing peek at life behind the academic curtain, while offering several laugh-out-loud moments for this reader.

There are some radical departures from traditional short stories, and these inclusions are refreshing. Megan McShea's brilliant one-minute stories ("Martini," "Film," "Forgery," "Teeth," and "Skeleton") are beautiful blasts of spring air, while Blake Butler's "Choir" is more like a fetid kiss from the coffin. Both writers are stand-outs in a very strong group.

There is room for sentiment here, but it's not the treacly kind conjuring up old Country Time commercials. Alec Niedenthal's "Dog w. Velvet Ears" is oddly moving, a story that somehow warms your heart while tearing it to shreds. Melissa Malouf's "Along the Way" is lovely and entertaining, with one of those protagonists you hope is actually walking around out there in the real world. Jon Pineda's "Nothing Beautiful about the Ocean" was a personal favorite, with a mother-daughter relationship that offered this reviewer a generous dollop of validation.

All the poetry featured is exceptional, and gives me hope for the future of the form. Janice Fuller's "Flies" got me excited about poetry in a way I hadn't felt since first reading Baudelaire. Amy Bagwell actually made me want to pick up a pen and write some verses of my own, in a futile attempt to emulate her raw power; her words hit like bullets. I was particularly struck by Kirsten Hemmy's "Sabbath," but really, there isn't a weak poem in the entire collection.

There are some more melancholy pieces, all quite engrossing. Jody McAuliffe's "Mythical Bill: An Inordinately Bright, Dreary Life" is the heartbreaking story of a daughter trying to come to terms with her father's mysterious -- and ultimately fatal -- illness. Rosa Shand's "Solomon" is a gripping story of Uganda that will resonate with fans of Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible." Marann Mincey's "Rewriting Khe Sahn" is one of those stories with an ending that feels like a punch in the gut -- and I mean that in a good way.

If you're looking for something good to read that's off the beaten path, be sure to pick up a copy of this book. It features writers that should have a much bigger presence, and probably will if there's any justice in the world.

[Bob Comparda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Anthology was very interesting because it contained stories, essays & poems, none of which really followed one specific genre or theme. The only requirement to be included was the author had to have lived in the South for a considerable amount of time. So you end up getting a little bit of everything in this anthology. I only knew 3 contributers coming into this, so it was a great way to find some new authors/poets. I would have bought this alone for the short story from Scott McClanahan, it was easily my favorite in the anthology, about working as a telemarketer. A close second was the essay from Jody McAuliffe about her father's struggle with mental health and how if effected her family. There was also a lot I didn't like, but it was still refreshing to get some new voices.

Scott McClanahan - This is a Story with a Phone Number in it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alec Niedenthal - Dog W. Velvet Ears ⭐⭐⭐
Andrew Ervin - Meatland ⭐⭐⭐⭐
John Darnielle - 3 poems ⭐⭐
Amy Bagwell - 6 poems ⭐⭐⭐
Jody McAuliffe - Mythical Bill: An Inordinately Bright, Dreary Life ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Alan Michael Parker - From the Committee on Town Happiness ⭐
Frank Lentricchia - The Rookie ⭐⭐⭐
Katherine Min - After the Falls ⭐⭐⭐
Madge McKeithen - The Great Salvific Power ⭐
Janice Fuller - 5 poems ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sally Keith - 4 poems ⭐⭐⭐
Melissa Malouf - Along the Way ⭐
Gilda Morina Syverson - Messina Arrival ⭐⭐⭐
Marann Mincey - Rewriting Khe San ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rosa Shand - Solomon ⭐⭐⭐
Robert Martin Evans - 3 poems ⭐⭐
Mark Hossfeld - 2 stories ⭐⭐
Jack Pendarvis - A Wonderful Excursion to the Moon ⭐
Lynn Veach Sadler - The Two Alices ⭐
Janice Lierz - Roastmaster (an excerpt) ⭐⭐
Kirsten Hemmy - 3 poems ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Michael J. Solender - Unaffiliated ⭐⭐
Marjorie Hudson - Home ⭐
Jon Pineda - Nothing Beautiful About the Ocean ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shireen Campbell - Self Study ⭐
Cindy Droege - 4 poems ⭐⭐
Maryke Burger - 4 poems & 1 story ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gilbert Allen - The Final Days of Great American Shopping: 2084 ⭐
Megan McShea - 5 stories ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Blake Butler - Choir(s) ⭐⭐⭐