Five of the finest debut collections of short fiction published in recent months (including a Giller nominee). Willem de Kooning’s Paintbrush, Kerry Lee PowellThe men and women who inhabit Kerry Lee Powell’s vivid and quixotic stories are often grasping the fringe — strippers, bullies, drunks, addicts and outsiders of all ages. Children of the New World, Alexander WeinsteinThis is science fiction of the highest order. The “New World” of the title story is a downloadable reality — much like Second Life, but more so — where visitors experience intense physical connection. Author Weinstein is the director of the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing.

Source: thestar September 18, 2016 03:56 UTC