KtBlog

Lake Comeagain
KtB’s devoted cryptozoologist and volunteer typesetter, David Lloyd Rabig, has been moonlighting as an archivist over at A Prairie Home Companion. The other day when we were waiting for our laundry, he was telling us how a certain Mr. Keillor wasn’t always the rhubarb and meatloaf man he is today. Here’s one of the lost…

Jeff Sharlet Fall Book Tour
Following are some of the events I’ll be doing this fall in support of my new book, Sweet Heaven When I Die, and around other topics. I’ll probably be adding a few more. Bookstores interested in hosting an event should contact my publicist, Whitney Peeling, at whitney.peeling at gmail.com. Universities, colleges, and other organizations should…

For Every Life Saved
The last Yiddish writer. A story from the newest book to come out of KtB, Sweet Heaven When I Die.

The Lingering Loveliness of Long Things
When was the last time someone read you a (really long) story?

Alive, Son of Awake
Hayy Bin Yaqzan by Ibn Tufayl. In Medieval Islamic Philosophical Writings, edited by Muhammad Ali Khalidi (Cambridge University Press, 2005) Fitting, I think, that what is regarded as the world’s first philosophical novel can’t decide between science fiction and biblical plagiarism. The work is Hayy Bin Yaqzan by Ibn Tufayl, a Muslim philosopher and court…

Essential Stories
I like to think of Blaise Pascal, though fiction didn’t much concern him, when trying to understand why fiction has more and more been reduced to details of quotidian life as against a vision of universal life, of essential life. Contemporary fiction seems to be locked in nothing but details, though at one time in…

Content to Find the Planet Mysterious and Beautiful
Peter Bebergal’s new piece on KtB, “Bedtime Stumblings,” has prompted a number of reactions. Over on our Facebook page, where some of our most vibrant discussions have been lately (become a fan if you aren’t already!), there were three glowing comments: Milton W. Kliesch: This is an excellent article about grief and the struggle of…

Must One Describe?
The air here is always dry. Thin, but also thick. A white pipe the width of a soda can reaches from floor to ceiling, making the never-ending music of a rainstick. From it comes enough heat that even on the coldest days of winter I’ve had to keep the window open at least a crack…

Please Don’t Feed the Prophet
What would you do if you got a note from God? Would you sell it on Ebay? Would you call the cops?