Kyle Flak recommends:

The Collected Writings of Joe Brainard

“What a fun, friendly book full of variety and love! Keep it around on a coffee table and for the rest of your life, you’ll never be lonely or bored.”

 

 

 

Claire Hopple recommends:

See You in The Morning by Mairead Case

A coming-of-age novel for every age, this book is honest and funny and definitely worth your time.

 

 

 

Nikki Barnhart recommends:

Girl With Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace’s “girl with curious hair” is worth the price of admission, ten times over, for “little expressionless animals” alone — really, the story rivals “infinite jest” as his true masterpiece and is a hell of a lot shorter. the other pieces might not hold up quite as strong, but in any case, they’re a must read for anyone who loves dfw, or who is interested in metafiction, or postmodernism (or post-post-modernism?) or satirical, yet extremely thoughtful, takes on the concept of celebrity

Benjamin Lee recommends:

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

The short story, The Paper Menagerie, won all of SF’s major awards (the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy Award) and for good reason. It’s a touching story about the cultural struggles of a biracial boy and his relationship with his Chinese mother. I won’t say more but it’s a definite read, as well as the other stories included.

Mallory Smart recommends:

someday i’m going to be so so happy by carmen e. brady

 

Carmen E. Brady’s  full-length collection of poems and drawings, published through 2fast2house, is soft and relatable. It is bizarre and blunt. In her own words it’s “for sad teens everywhere”. In this book she makes me feel like a sad teen and that’s pretty fricking awesome. I have nothing else to say about this sad, lonely book of poetry other than to read it. It’s fantastic.

 

Laura Knicklebine recommends:

A Manual For Nothing by Jessica Anne

This is book is so abundant, despite the lackluster cover. Author Jessica Anne pulls us deep into her own history and her gatherings of what it is to be an artist and a loved human being. Composed monthly in list form, Jessica Anne’s writing is nimble, clever and glows furiously on its own. What I mean to say is, she writes like no one else, and that’s a sign of genuine talent.