This collection of reductions, distillations and parodies contains a delectable assortment of surprising, delightful and sometimes frightening miniatures by a writer whose most profound influence is the 30-second spot. If less is more, then Condensed Book is the next best thing to no book at all.

Condensed Book

Literature & Fiction

Cherches, Peter

United States

Benzene Editions

The five sequences of Lift Your Right Arm are minimalist novels of sorts--thought-provoking, mostly deadpan prose that is often darkly humorous. From the stark relationship studies of "Bagatelles" and "Dirty Windows" to the wry observations of "Mr. Deadman" and "A Certain Clarence," the stars of these pieces are Peter Cherches' unique takes on Everyman and Everywoman--dead or alive--navigating a world in which very little is what it seems. The title is taken from a piece that appeared on the website Poetry 180, which has introduced hundreds of thousands of high school students and other readers to Cherches' work over the past decade. For additional related material, visit: liftyourrightarm.wordpress.com

Lift Your Right Arm

Short Stories & Anthologies

Pelekinesis

Fiction. Literary Nonfiction. There's a thin line between memoir and fiction, and Peter Cherches walks it in AUTOBIOGRAPHY WITHOUT WORDS. We follow the main character, variously known as Pete, Mr. Cherches and Peter Cherches, through the big and small adventures of life, from childhood crimes and punishments to trips to India and Mars. A departure from the cool minimalism of Cherches' previous collection, LIFT YOUR RIGHT ARM, this book will break your heart, mess with your head and have you rolling on the floor, all at once.

Autobiography Without Words

In these mini memoirs, Peter Cherches revisits musical experiences, pleasures, and obsessions that have punctuated his life. A singer and lyricist as well as "one of the innovators of the short short story" (Publishers Weekly), Cherches writes here from the perspective of a voracious listener for whom music is a constant companion. Whether reminiscing about the joys of musical discovery or paying tribute to musicians who have inspired him, Cherches shares his passions with verve and wit. From an early baptism in Beatlemania, to adolescent encounters with free jazz, to expeditions for local musical treasures around the world, this collection of singles in prose is a testament to the sustaining power of music in our lives.

Tracks: Memoirs from a Life with Music

Arts & Photography

Music

Bamboo Dart Press

Fiction. WHISTLER'S MOTHER'S SON collects over 100 prose pieces of varying length and styles--from minimalism to satire to noir to children's tale to abstraction to surrealism. Featuring parodies, standardized tests, nursery-rhyme anxieties, fables, riddles, collaborations, conundrums, rescued cliches, abominations-in-training, dark Americana, existential misdemeanors, misbegotten mysteries, identity crises, optimistic nihilism, formal experimentation, and polyrhythmic prose, its cast of characters includes Hamlet, Gertrude Stein, Amelia Earhart, Fred Flintstone, Mr. Mondrian, a little girl whose mother takes up with a smelly old man, embattled aunties and uncles, a man with two mustaches, several hard-boiled dicks, and an eternally confused Peter Cherches.

Whistler’s Mother’s Son and Other Curiosities

Humor & Entertainment

Humor