Open Joints On Bridge [Paperback]

Richard Peabody (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1999

A collection of twenty short stories by Richard Peabody. Limited 500 copy numbered edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Not since baseball's Senators left Washington has a collection of quirky, hapless losers demanded our attention and loyalty the way Peabody's team of characters does. Their attempts to score in the bottom of the ninth get thwarted at every turn by treacherous artists, flea infestations, bad acid trips, Matt Dillon lookalikes, fetching lynx wraps and sodden divorce parties. In these swift, funny, sexy stories, Peabody evokes the rueful obsessions of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers in pre-millennial, post-modern America. -- Richard Grayson, author of I Survived Caracas Traffic

Richard Peabodys' spare, poignant, understated prose cuts clean and right to the bone. With sharp humor, he casts a wonderfully fresh, irreverent eye on Washington, D.C., making it seem downright exotic, writing not of the bloated politicos and media hacks we usually associate with that city, but instead of people we care about: struggling artists, musicians, and filmmakers; hardcore teenagers who love baseball, shopping, and James Bond; and working people of all ages. -- Janice Eidus, author of The Celibacy Club

About the Author

RICHARD PEABODY is well-known as a poet, teacher, and editor. He was born in Washington, D.C., and has published four books of poems and one previous book of stories. He currently teaches fiction writing in the Johns Hopkins University Part-time Graduate Writing Program and at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Peabody is the founding editor of Gargoyle Magazine, and co-editor of the Mondo Series (Mondo Barbie, Mondo Elvis, et al.) for St. Martin's Press. His most recent book is A Different Beat: Writings by Women of the Beat Generation, which he edited for Serpent's Tail/High Risk. You can reach him at [e-mail] in Arlington, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 102 pages
• Publisher: Argonne Hotel Press (March 15, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 1887641238
• ISBN-13: 978-1887641234
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,329,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Just wanted to mention that there are a few spoken word/music Gargoyle CDs on Amazon as well. Gargoyle #52, #49, and #46. You'll find them in Music.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Groundbreaking and Thoroughly Pleasurable Read, May 28, 2000

By 

Deanna K D'Errico (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open Joints On Bridge (Paperback)

Could it be that, just when you thought there was nothing new under the literary sun, Richard Peabody has quietly invented a new genre? Open Joints on Bridge (one of the more intriguing titles to ever see print) is more and other than a collection of very short stories: It is a "poella." Each story has the evocative and titillating precision of poetry. As with films that are so rich in plot, character, dialogue, and visual splendor that they continue to reward on repeated viewings, this jewel of a book invites itself to be read repeatedly. "Dale was the tall brunette in the man's tweed who drank Myer's rum at whatever poetry reading you happened to attend. Shenendoah's pride. Groomed at Sweet Briar, Hood, or Hollins. The kind of woman who'd laugh knowingly when Natalie Barney's name croped up in conversation, while other women laughed nervously." "But as Jesus' stack of beer cups more and more resenbled a handheld Tower of Pisa, and as the girl seemed to giggle and warm to everything he said, it became clear to both Carlos and me that something had to give." "And with the faint grin displayed from any a dust jacket photo, he walked away..." These stories agitate you to return again and again to puzzle over why a particular handful of words are causing such a delightful disturbance in your mind.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Artists, acid heads, sports fans, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Open Joints On Bridge (Paperback)

Struggling artists, acid heads, sports fans...this collection of 20 shorts offers something for everyone. Set mostly in Washington, D.C., Peabody's tight prose shows us the city that lies underneath the marble veneer in a humorous and often touching way.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good story collection, May 13, 2000

By 

Jordan Cirelli (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open Joints On Bridge (Paperback)

This is an excellent collection of quirky short stories; it has wit, humor and intelligence. Peabody has a great eye for the nuances of family and romantic relationships.