Vol. 1 Brooklyn
@vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Thoughts on books and culture, plus original fiction and essays.
"I like having a challenge. It’s difficult to radically alter what people expect you to do, and to give yourself a narrative goal like sequestering the cast in a new location or telling the story backwards is to dare yourself to see it through." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/24/w...
“We Came to Aliens Through the Lens of Folklore”: Kris Bertin on “The Secret of the Saucer”
I’m Adam Szym, cartoonist of many years and of late a hobbyist screenwriter. Last September my graphic novel Little Visitor & Other Abductions, a collection of three sci-fi horror stories conne…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:02 PM
"I like having a challenge. It’s difficult to radically alter what people expect you to do, and to give yourself a narrative goal like sequestering the cast in a new location or telling the story backwards is to dare yourself to see it through." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/24/w...
"He had intensely stupid masculine resistance to letting me be the one with superior drug connections." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/23/s...
Sunday Stories: “Kiss Off or Kill”
Kiss Off or Killby Sylvia Math One of the mysteries of life is that you could live with a really smart guy for a year and learn nothing, but date a dimwit for a month or so and have several Revelat…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:34 PM
"He had intensely stupid masculine resistance to letting me be the one with superior drug connections." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/23/s...
"Because the author’s voice is instantly recognizable to any Japanese person, and I do mean her actual voice, it was important to me that I try to capture it in English." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/21/y...
Yuki Tejima on Translating Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s “Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel”
What does translating the follow-up to an internationally beloved book involve? That was the question that translator Yuki Tejima faced when working on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s book Totto-chan, t…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
"Because the author’s voice is instantly recognizable to any Japanese person, and I do mean her actual voice, it was important to me that I try to capture it in English." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/21/y...
"You have to give yourself up, in a way, fracture your comfortable identity, to do anything worthwhile." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/21/k...
Karen Schoemer Debuts the Video for “August 24” — and Discusses Her New Album
There’s a lot going on in Karen Schoemer’s new album August, which blends her wide-ranging approach to writing lyrics with musical contributions from the likes of Mike Watt and Amy Rigb…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:57 PM
"You have to give yourself up, in a way, fracture your comfortable identity, to do anything worthwhile." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/21/k...
Reposted by Vol. 1 Brooklyn
New Six Ridiculous Questions up today! My guest this time was Chloe N. Clark aka @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social. Thanks, as always, to @tobiascarroll.bsky.social and @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social for hosting! Read, please...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/18/s...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/18/s...
Six Ridiculous Questions: Chloe Clark
The guiding principle of Six Ridiculous Questions is that life is filled with ridiculousness. And questions. That only by giving in to these truths may we hope to slip the surly bonds of reality an…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:22 PM
New Six Ridiculous Questions up today! My guest this time was Chloe N. Clark aka @pintsncupcakes.bsky.social. Thanks, as always, to @tobiascarroll.bsky.social and @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social for hosting! Read, please...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/18/s...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/18/s...
"I once spent an inordinate amount of time trying to name a new cupcake recipe, so I may be more attuned to this question than others. However, I believe there’s a sort of hopeless beauty in these extravagant names." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/18/s...
Six Ridiculous Questions: Chloe Clark
The guiding principle of Six Ridiculous Questions is that life is filled with ridiculousness. And questions. That only by giving in to these truths may we hope to slip the surly bonds of reality an…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:35 PM
"I once spent an inordinate amount of time trying to name a new cupcake recipe, so I may be more attuned to this question than others. However, I believe there’s a sort of hopeless beauty in these extravagant names." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/18/s...
Reposted by Vol. 1 Brooklyn
Had so much fun answering @kurtbaumeister.bsky.social Six ridiculous questions for @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Managed to make one about Oreos as is my curse/gift
Managed to make one about Oreos as is my curse/gift
Six Ridiculous Questions: Chloe Clark
The guiding principle of Six Ridiculous Questions is that life is filled with ridiculousness. And questions. That only by giving in to these truths may we hope to slip the surly bonds of reality an…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Had so much fun answering @kurtbaumeister.bsky.social Six ridiculous questions for @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Managed to make one about Oreos as is my curse/gift
Managed to make one about Oreos as is my curse/gift
"I think of my music visually, imagining a horror scene for example with red and purple lights, and fog in the woods. Those are fun images to have in your mind when you are creating a song." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/p...
Pictureplane on His Haunting New Album and His Favorite Horror Imagery
Travis Egedy has a lot going on. You may know him best from his musical work under the name Pictureplane or the designs he’s created for the clothing company Alien Body. Pictureplane has a ne…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:49 PM
"I think of my music visually, imagining a horror scene for example with red and purple lights, and fog in the woods. Those are fun images to have in your mind when you are creating a song." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/p...
In our morning reading: thoughts on Natasha Stagg’s novel, new writing by Luke O’Neil, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/m...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/m...
Morning Bites: Natasha Stagg’s Latest, Revisiting Dennis Potter, Luke O’Neil Fiction, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Natasha Stagg’s novel, new writing by Luke O’Neil, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:41 PM
In our morning reading: thoughts on Natasha Stagg’s novel, new writing by Luke O’Neil, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/m...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/17/m...
Reposted by Vol. 1 Brooklyn
Thrilled to have my story “Lace” hit tonight. Themes of #girlhood #growingupcatholic #comingofage
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/16/s... Thank you @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Thank you for selecting “Lace”
@tobiascarroll.bsky.social
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/16/s... Thank you @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Thank you for selecting “Lace”
@tobiascarroll.bsky.social
Sunday Stories: “Lace”
Laceby Jeanne-Marie Fleming My father, in his leisure suit, rose from the couch and belted out the wedding march—don, don, da don, don, don, da don as I paraded my fancy dress around the living roo…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Thrilled to have my story “Lace” hit tonight. Themes of #girlhood #growingupcatholic #comingofage
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/16/s... Thank you @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Thank you for selecting “Lace”
@tobiascarroll.bsky.social
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/16/s... Thank you @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social
Thank you for selecting “Lace”
@tobiascarroll.bsky.social
"The pink tissue box served as the altar, and the narrow-figured, blue ceramic Virgin Mary stood in the center cut-out, over the Holy Communion cards. I could read most of the words. Dear. Bronagh. God. Bless. You. Love." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/16/s...
Sunday Stories: “Lace”
Laceby Jeanne-Marie Fleming My father, in his leisure suit, rose from the couch and belted out the wedding march—don, don, da don, don, don, da don as I paraded my fancy dress around the living roo…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 16, 2025 at 8:18 PM
"The pink tissue box served as the altar, and the narrow-figured, blue ceramic Virgin Mary stood in the center cut-out, over the Holy Communion cards. I could read most of the words. Dear. Bronagh. God. Bless. You. Love." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/16/s...
"Constraints are great and strangely freeing in the best ways." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/14/b...
Beyond the Trilogy: Robert Lopez and Molly Gaudry on Writing Interconnected Books that Defy Expectations of Traditional Series
Robert Lopez is the author, most recently, of The Best People (2025), the third installment of interconnected “People” books, which began with Good People (2016) and continued with A Better Class o…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"Constraints are great and strangely freeing in the best ways." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/14/b...
We've got some November book recommendations, yes indeed. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/13/r...
Recommended Books: November 2025
This took a little longer to come together than we would have liked. Still, we hope this rundown of notable November books gives readers some ideas for a post-cold snap reading session. There’…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:48 PM
We've got some November book recommendations, yes indeed. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/13/r...
Morning Bites: Jan Kerouac's Novel, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore's Latest, Patrick Wensink's Playlist, and More www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/13/m...
Morning Bites: Jan Kerouac’s Novel, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore’s Latest, Patrick Wensink’s Playlist, and More
In our morning reading: thoughts on Jan Kerouac’s novel, revisiting the work of J.L. Carr, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Morning Bites: Jan Kerouac's Novel, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore's Latest, Patrick Wensink's Playlist, and More www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/13/m...
Reposted by Vol. 1 Brooklyn
So proud of my Tin House baddie @sumaiya.bsky.social for fighting for this story and doing a public reading for Brooklyn and the world last August.
Now everyone can read it online, thanks to @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social 🩵
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/02/s...
Now everyone can read it online, thanks to @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social 🩵
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/02/s...
Sunday Stories: “You Say Roti; I Say Ruti”
You Say Roti; I Say Rutiby Sumaiya Aftab Ahmed for Abdul Latif Joarder Jessore, East Pakistan, 1971 The Pakistani soldiers joke among themselves, and Iftekar cannot trace the indefinite shapes of t…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:32 PM
So proud of my Tin House baddie @sumaiya.bsky.social for fighting for this story and doing a public reading for Brooklyn and the world last August.
Now everyone can read it online, thanks to @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social 🩵
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/02/s...
Now everyone can read it online, thanks to @vol1brooklyn.bsky.social 🩵
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/02/s...
"He thumbed through the record collection and said something about the one that was already playing and she nodded and asked him who it was that was playing and he said who and she nodded, as if she had forgotten." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/09/s...
Sunday Stories: “What We Can Do Without”
What We Can Do Withoutby Jake Winn Night came early that day, and not for the first time that week. Owen Smith woke from an inebriated sleep to discover his wallet missing. He checked underneath th…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:11 PM
"He thumbed through the record collection and said something about the one that was already playing and she nodded and asked him who it was that was playing and he said who and she nodded, as if she had forgotten." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/09/s...
In our weekend reading: thoughts on a Denis Johnson film adaptation, an excerpt from John Tottenham's novel, and more. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/08/w...
Weekend Bites: “Train Dreams” on Film, Quan Barry’s Latest, John Tottenham’s Fiction, and More
In our weekend reading: thoughts on a Denis Johnson film adaptation, an excerpt from John Tottenham’s novel, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:01 AM
In our weekend reading: thoughts on a Denis Johnson film adaptation, an excerpt from John Tottenham's novel, and more. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/08/w...
In our morning reading: catching up with Tortoise, notable horror fiction, and more. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/07/m...
Morning Bites: Tortoise Interviewed, Naomi Kanakia on YA, Nadia Bulkin on Horror, and More
In our morning reading: catching up with Tortoise, notable horror fiction, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:00 PM
In our morning reading: catching up with Tortoise, notable horror fiction, and more. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/07/m...
Afternoon Bites: Ben Okri's Latest, Claire Rousay's Recommendations, Sari Botton Interviewed, and More www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/05/a...
Afternoon Bites: Ben Okri’s Latest, Claire Rousay’s Recommendations, Sari Botton Interviewed, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Ben Okri’s new novel, Claire Rousay on her recommended music, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Afternoon Bites: Ben Okri's Latest, Claire Rousay's Recommendations, Sari Botton Interviewed, and More www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/05/a...
A Taxonomy of the Weird: On “Cathedral of the Drowned” www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/05/a...
A Taxonomy of the Weird: On “Cathedral of the Drowned”
Ever since I first sat down with Nathan Ballingrud’s collection North American Lake Monsters, I’ve been enthusiastic about his work. The stories in that collection and its followup, Wounds, abounde…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:10 PM
A Taxonomy of the Weird: On “Cathedral of the Drowned” www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/05/a...
In our morning reading: an interview with Erin Somers, nonfiction by Thomas Beller, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/04/m...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/04/m...
Morning Bites: Erin Somers on Writing, World Fantasy Award Winners, Jesi Bender’s Latest, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Erin Somers, nonfiction by Thomas Beller, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:11 PM
In our morning reading: an interview with Erin Somers, nonfiction by Thomas Beller, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/04/m...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/04/m...
"Ansari Bhai munches. His son takes a bite. In nine hours, all Iftekar has eaten is a bowl of chira. He swallows his saliva. Ruti crumbs coat the headlines." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/02/s...
Sunday Stories: “You Say Roti; I Say Ruti”
You Say Roti; I Say Rutiby Sumaiya Aftab Ahmed for Abdul Latif Joarder Jessore, East Pakistan, 1971 The Pakistani soldiers joke among themselves, and Iftekar cannot trace the indefinite shapes of t…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM
"Ansari Bhai munches. His son takes a bite. In nine hours, all Iftekar has eaten is a bowl of chira. He swallows his saliva. Ruti crumbs coat the headlines." www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/02/s...
Reposted by Vol. 1 Brooklyn
Yes. This gets the novel:
“Enter the Peerless is grade-A Weird fiction, with imagery that follows its own logic and neatly juxtaposes the everyday with the utterly bizarre.”
“Enter the Peerless is grade-A Weird fiction, with imagery that follows its own logic and neatly juxtaposes the everyday with the utterly bizarre.”
We reviewed @bleakhousing.bsky.social's very strange, very good ENTER THE PEERLESS. www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/10/30/n...
Not the Locked-Room Mystery You Were Expecting: On “Enter the Peerless”
Is the idea of a crime taking place in a locked room the most primal version of the mystery novel? As a young reader, I devoured plenty of mystery stories, beginning with the Hardy Boys and Encyclo…
www.vol1brooklyn.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Yes. This gets the novel:
“Enter the Peerless is grade-A Weird fiction, with imagery that follows its own logic and neatly juxtaposes the everyday with the utterly bizarre.”
“Enter the Peerless is grade-A Weird fiction, with imagery that follows its own logic and neatly juxtaposes the everyday with the utterly bizarre.”
In our weekend reading: new work from Lynda Barry, revisiting “Frankenstein,” and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/01/w...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/01/w...
Weekend Bites: Lynda Barry Returns, Revisiting Grace Jones, Jen Wang’s Comics, and More
In our weekend reading: new work from Lynda Barry, revisiting “Frankenstein,” and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 2, 2025 at 3:32 AM
In our weekend reading: new work from Lynda Barry, revisiting “Frankenstein,” and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/01/w...
www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/11/01/w...
Afternoon Bites: Colin Dickey Gets Gothic, Anne Sexton and Horror, The Necks' Latest, and More www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/10/31/a...
Afternoon Bites: Colin Dickey Gets Gothic, Anne Sexton and Horror, The Necks’ Latest, and More
In our afternoon reading: writing from Colin Dickey, thoughts on the latest album from The Necks, and more.
www.vol1brooklyn.com
November 1, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Afternoon Bites: Colin Dickey Gets Gothic, Anne Sexton and Horror, The Necks' Latest, and More www.vol1brooklyn.com/2025/10/31/a...