"Susann Cokal's "Fourteen Shakes the Baby" compels me through its pages in a way that's both profoundly uncomfortable and unlike my usual mode of reading. Last night, for instance, poling through this brief piece of perhaps four thousand words took five sittings - or, rather, unsittings, since again and again I found myself wandering the house in a fever of empathetic anguish.
It's a raw, harrowing story: A young girl is out with friends at a southern California beach, meets some surfers, shares an illicit and thrilling beer, says yes to their invitation to a party - and then discovers, in ways increasingly horrifying, what the young men there take and take and take that yes to mean." - Michael Griffith
About the Author: Susann Cokal's novels are Mirabilis, Breath and Bones, and The Kingdom of Little Wounds, which won several awards, including a 2014 Printz Honor from the American Library Association. Her short stories and nonfiction have appeared in an array of literary journals, and she is the editorial director of the nonfiction magazine Broad Street. She teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.
About the Guest Editor: Established in 2003, The Cincinnati Review draws together within its pages the finest creative and critical work from across the country. We provide a venue for writers of any background, at any point in their literary careers, to showcase their best writing. Each issue also features a portfolio of artwork from a local or national artist.
Michael Griffith's most recent novel, Trophy, was named one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of Fiction for 2011. He is Professor & Director of Graduate Studies in English at the University of Cincinnati, and he serves as Editor of the Yellow Shoe Fiction series (LSU Press) and as Fiction Editor of Cincinnati Review.
About the Publisher: Electric Literature is an independent publisher amplifying the power of storytelling through digital innovation. Electric Literature's weekly fiction magazine, Recommended Reading, invites established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommended great fiction. Once a month we feature our own recommendation of original, previously unpublished fiction. Recommended Reading is supported by the Amazon Literary Partnership, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For other links from Electric Literature, follow us, or sign up for our eNewsletter.
Genre: General Fiction
It's a raw, harrowing story: A young girl is out with friends at a southern California beach, meets some surfers, shares an illicit and thrilling beer, says yes to their invitation to a party - and then discovers, in ways increasingly horrifying, what the young men there take and take and take that yes to mean." - Michael Griffith
About the Author: Susann Cokal's novels are Mirabilis, Breath and Bones, and The Kingdom of Little Wounds, which won several awards, including a 2014 Printz Honor from the American Library Association. Her short stories and nonfiction have appeared in an array of literary journals, and she is the editorial director of the nonfiction magazine Broad Street. She teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University.
About the Guest Editor: Established in 2003, The Cincinnati Review draws together within its pages the finest creative and critical work from across the country. We provide a venue for writers of any background, at any point in their literary careers, to showcase their best writing. Each issue also features a portfolio of artwork from a local or national artist.
Michael Griffith's most recent novel, Trophy, was named one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of Fiction for 2011. He is Professor & Director of Graduate Studies in English at the University of Cincinnati, and he serves as Editor of the Yellow Shoe Fiction series (LSU Press) and as Fiction Editor of Cincinnati Review.
About the Publisher: Electric Literature is an independent publisher amplifying the power of storytelling through digital innovation. Electric Literature's weekly fiction magazine, Recommended Reading, invites established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommended great fiction. Once a month we feature our own recommendation of original, previously unpublished fiction. Recommended Reading is supported by the Amazon Literary Partnership, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For other links from Electric Literature, follow us, or sign up for our eNewsletter.
Genre: General Fiction
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