Friday, January 6, 2012

Indie Book Buzz: Coffee House Press




It's the return of the Indie Book Buzz here at TNBBC. Over the next few weeks, we will be inviting members of the indie publishing houses to share which of their upcoming 2012 releases they are most excited about!



This week's picks come from Tricia O'Reilly, 
Publicist at Coffee House Press.




The Impossibly by Laird Hunt
(February 2012)

This is a dark, literary spy novel written in Laird Hunt’s unmistakable style. When first released in 2001, no one else was really writing this kind of modern, literary noir novel, where the dark, atmospheric, shadowy tone and unexpected plot twists of a traditional spy novel also infiltrated the style, structure, and language of the text in such innovative ways. For Laird, words and meaning are not necessary a straight and narrow path, and no where is his dexterity with language as strange and beautiful than in this, his debut novel. For the first time in paperback, and with a new introduction by Percival Everett, The Impossibly is Paul Auster meets Kafka meets Terry Gilliam’s Brasil and the result is a tense, funny spy novel that you will not soon forget. 


Errançities by Quincy Troupe
(February 2012)

Quincy Troupe is truly a legendary poet. The author who helped bring the story behind of The Pursuit of Happyness to life and whose account of his friendship with Miles Davis in Miles and Me is also heading to the big screen has been writing soulful, bluesy poetry for decades and his latest is his most polished and powerful collection to date. One of my favorites is the long poem dedicated to Michael Jackson called “Michael Jackson & the Arc of Love,” which somehow manages to distill Jackson’s whole career, his cultural significance, unavoidable controversy, symbolism, -- his own conflicted, fragile soul — into one beautiful, and sad, poem. Always a lover of invention, Troupe took the title from the French word errance, which means ‘to wander,’ but the word errançities itself is something he made up as an “expression [he] felt more at home with.” And wander he does, through the sights and sounds of the New York City subway, through images of life and nature that inspire him—or vex him. The poem “What’s the Real Deal Here,” another of my favorites, is a great example of the latter, starting out as this kind of rant against media sensationalism and “empty-headed showbiz prevaricators” and ends with just one of the most beautiful images I’ve come across. Quincy is nothing if not surprising and this is great poetry—a fun and fascinating journey with a brilliant storyteller. 



About:

Tricia O'Reilly is the publicist for Coffee House Press. She can be found maintaining the Press's Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you've seen Coffee House at conferences, festivals, or book fairs, there's a good chance you've seen her!


So what do you think guys? See anything that catches your eye? Which of these books are you most excited to see release? Help TNBBC and Coffee House Press spread the buzz about these books by sharing this post with others!

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