acknowledgements

This book owes its existence to many human bodies. Please keep in mind that since I am an imperfect human body, I will almost certainly leave people off this imperfect list. If I’ve left you off, please know that I am almost certainly still overflowing with gratitude toward you.

Thank you first and foremost to the editors and staff at the following publications where these stories first appeared: Unsaid, elimae, Bust Down the Door and Eat all the Chickens, New Dead Families, Annalemma, Necessary Fiction, trnsfr, Bluestem, matchbook, Buffalo’s Art Voice, A Capella Zoo, Splinter Generation, Wigleaf, Corium, Everyday Genius, Tiny Hardcore Press, decomP, Storyglossia, Smokelong Quarterly, The Collagist, Titular, Gargoyle and Paycock Press, Dark Sky, and Barrelhouse. (David, Brandon, Bradley, Zack, Christopher, Steve, Alban, Roxane, Edward, Greg, Colin, Alan, Scott, Lauren, Adam and Alec, Jason, Anne and Steven, Tara, Matt, Reynard, Richard, Brian and Kevin and Christy and Gabe, and Dave, I hold you responsible for this book starting to be a thing.)

Thank you to Greg Gerke, Michael Kimball, Jen Michalski, Kirsty Logan, Michelle Reale, Paula Bomer, Christopher Newgent, Scott Garson, JA Tyler, Molly Gaudry, Mark Cugini, Amelia Gray, Ben Loory, Jason Jordan, xTx, Sal Pane, Mel Bosworth, John Madera, Tom Williams, and all the writers and editors and readers and blurbers and reading series organizers and all-round terrific human beings who made me feel welcome right away in what for me has been a brave new world.

Thank you to Dave Housley and Roxane Gay for more or less introducing me to that world and helping me find my footing there so many times.

Thank you to my wonderful editors and all the staff at Curbside Splendor. You’ve made this the best, most positive experience I could imagine and I couldn’t ask for a more supportive or hard-working team.

Thank you to Alban Fischer for making my book gorgeous and perfect and exactly what I’d somehow wanted it to be without knowing what that was.

Thank you to Robert Kloss, Matt Bell, Lauren Becker, Steve Himmer, and Erin Fitzgerald for being such fine readers and editors and writers and teachers and collaborators and cheerleaders and mentors and truth-tellers and most of all, friends. I owe you guys more beers than we will ever have time to drink.

Thank you to Loki, Neela, Vesta, and Ilsa, the non-humans who hung out in all the highest places of my life while I was writing this book.

Thank you and so much love to my mom and dad, who wish that I wrote happier stories, but who have always been unendingly supportive and proud of my melancholy madness just the same.

And thank you most of all to Chris, who’s had to put up with me for nine years now and has somehow managed to be nothing but encouraging and steadfast and awesome. He is, and always has been, my better half.