Synopses & Reviews
An all new collection from the popular literary magazine features a series of poet chains featuring contributions from Denis Johnson, C. D. Wright, and Mary Karr, among others; a list of unused story premises from F. Scott Fitzgerald that are completed by such writers as Nick Flynn and Diane Williams; and the president of the French Oulipians looking at his groups experiments with linguistic constraint.
Synopsis
McSweeney's Issue 22 is a three-part exercise in inspired restriction of author, of content, and of form. In section one, poets (yes poets!) including Mary Karr, Denis Johnson, C. D. Wright, and D. C. Berman initiate poet-chains, picking a poem of their own and one by another poet. The next poet will then do the same, and then again, and again, and so on. In section two, Fitzgerald (yes F. Scott Fitzgerald!) provides a list of unused story premises first cataloged in The Crack-Up; his mission is completed by writers like Diane Williams and Nick Flynn. In section three, finally, the president of France's (yes France!) legendary Oulipians offers a rare glimpse into his group's current experiments with linguistic constraint. Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.