Beach Sloth

Standstill Ohio by Spencer Madsen: Out this fall on NAP

                2012 is really ‘quite a year’ for me. First we have Wes Anderson’s film ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ out this Friday. Next I heard Wes Anderson is a part of alt lit, blogging anonymously as a crouton. Those facts, while juicy, pale in comparison to the greatest thing to happen since ‘A Million Bears’. NAP magazine, a beloved favorite alt lit mag of mine, is busting Spencer Madsen’s novella online this fall.

                ‘Standstill Ohio’: I have no idea what this book might be about. Wish I had some idea as I’m interested in the Ohio alt lit scene. Ohio is a hotbed of alt lit activity. That’s probably due to the limited recreational activities one has in Ohio. You can explore the decayed ruins of America’s rustbelt. I feel terrible about the fate of Ohio. Even the writers from Ohio have all moved all over the place: to the East Coast, West Coast, and, most recently, South Korea. 

                Really happy this is coming out on NAP magazine. I follow NAP pretty carefully. What they do cannot be underestimated. A select few people work diligently into the night putting out a quality product, sometimes in a crazed fashion. Think NAP releases come out in pairs. Perhaps alt lit publications like marrying each other. Alt lit can be a lonely place; even for downloadable PDFs. Feel marrying PDFs is a good thing. It lets them procreate new alt lit chapbooks, compilations, and, now, NAP magazine’s first novella. 

                I might be wrong but I think this is NAP magazine’s first novella. Usually they put out some wonderful chapbooks by great people. A few published writers got their start at NAP. The internet alt lit scene is filled with boosters. If that’s the case I would say NAP does more than boost. NAP magazine is alt lit’s jet pack. It helps people blast off to such great heights. 

                Spencer Madsen has been fairly prolific as well. Now Spencer has an elite twitter account, actual re-tweets (I’m working on getting that), an unedited twitter account, re-pressing of his old book ‘A Million Bears’ and, most importantly, a can do attitude. I see him in more and more alt lit journals, showing his conversation from ‘potential’ to ‘kinetic’ energy. He’s been doing a number of readings in the tri-state metropolitan area. Hope all his success will lead to the thing I know he cares most about: pizza money. Pizza money is, in laymen’s terms, money for pizza. It is a necessity in New York, pizza capital of the world. 

                Get excited. Get more than excited. Get post-excited. But time it well. Summer is a long season. I feel summer drifts along slowly. That could be due to the heavy, heavy sleep I get around this time of the year. It might be due to biking. Either way, now I know I have something to look forward to in the fall. I’m happy that two of favorite parts of alt lit culture are coming together at last.