Description
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.
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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.
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