jeffrey thomas

Short Story, “January Sick,” to Appear in Dim Shore’s SUFFERING THE OTHER

/ Clint Smith / Leave a comment

I’m in the clear to make an official announcement: My story, “January Sick,” will appear in the Dim Shores anthology, Suffering the Other, a charity compilation benefitting the Transgender Law Center and the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES).

When the call went out last spring, I began constructing a story I thought would hold its own in a predictably competitive field (and I’m keyed to now be in league with so many formidable voices); but the central intent was to produce a story that pulled no punches.

I have no idea how to counteract this heinous zeitgeist, but artists at large can exert our own creative forms of resistance. “January Sick” is original to, and dedicated to the spirit of, this anthology, and I’m proud to be included in a project whose motivation (thanks to Justin Steele and Sam Cowan) is to extend compassion to both vulnerable populations, and folks who’ve been acutely targeted by proudly callous contingents.

LOOMING LOW, Vol. II Now Available!

/ Clint Smith / Leave a comment

I’ve mentioned it before, but it looks like the physical-copy rollout is official. Looming Low, Vol. II is now available by the good people at Dim Shores, with my story, “Lovenest,” appearing on a roster of woefully-talented writers. Check out the trailer for Looming Low, Vol. II created by Lena Griffin. The paperback edition is coming at you (at a steal) with the price tag of $22, while the limited edition, hand-numbered hardback clocks in at a wholly-reasonable $40.

In “Lovenest,” I return to themes of relational decay and carnality amid a prolonged razing of a Midwest motel. Along with a bat-creature attack and an onslaught of reanimated corpses, it’s one of my wilder stories that’s been published.

“Sex and Character,” Alois Kolb (1903)
“Each Night a Dream Visits Us,” Alfred Kubin (1903)

And I’m privileged to share a table of contents along with this stunning, literary lineup:

  • Kurt Fawver – “Radius Unknown”
  • Alvaro Zinos-Amaro – “Undo”
  • Brian Evenson – “Vigil in the Inner Room”
  • Michael Kelly – “Dead but Dreaming Still”
  • Gwendolyn Kiste – “To the Progeny Forsaken”
  • Anya Martin – “The Other Cat”
  • Clint Smith – “Lovenest”
  • Jeffrey Thomas – “Strangler Fig”
  • Simon Strantzas – “Still Packed”
  • Brooke Warra – “We Don’t Live Here Anymore”
  • Michael Griffin – “We Spend Weekends With Dad”
  • Matthew M. Bartlett – “The Cryptic Jape”
  • Craig Laurance Gidney – “Impz”
  • Cody Goodfellow – “Protect & Serve”
  • David Peak – “Zones Without Names”
  • Erica Ruppert – “Ex Astris”
  • Richard Gavin – “The Intercessor”
  • Kaaron Warren – “Songs We Sing at Sea”
  • S.P. Miskowski – “Across the Darkness”
  • A.C. Wise – “Into the Green”
  • Gemma Files – “Bb Minor”
  • Nadia Bulkin – “Your Heart is a House on Fire”
Cover Design by Yves Tourigny