The Gorelets Omnibus collects all the bloody little bits of Michael Arnzen's poetry written in the past 10 years into one big volume. From the contents of the original Gorelets chapbook and his classic "refrigerator of the damned" online magnetic poetry experiment, to Arnzen's latest flash fiction and brand new Zombie Haikruel series, this collection chronicles his revolutionary vision for the horror short form. He even received a Bram Stoker Award for Alternative Forms for some of the work included in this book. As one of the first writers to recognize the creative capacity of handheld devices, Arnzen's pioneering work to deliver gory entertainment in as few characters as possible is still eminently relevant today. Thus, a "casebook of criticism"-a collection of scholarly analyses of Arnzen's unique approach to the genre-is included alongside the poetry.
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"Michael Arnzen's poems are absolutely terrifying. His writing makes me uncomfortable for all the right reasons. If you enjoy the things that go bump in the night, Arnzen's poems might change your mind. Arnzen is disturbingly, madly, brilliant and I pray for those close to him." --Ryan Mecum, author of Zombie Haiku--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
About the Author
Michael Arnzen (gorelets.com) is the four-time Bram Stoker Award winning author of such books as 100 Jolts, Grave Markings, and Play Dead. He recently co-edited an instructional guide for writers called Many Genres, One Craft: Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction, inspired by his work as a professor at Seton Hill University, home of the country's only MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. The hardcover edition of The Gorelets Omnibus includes "instigation" for other writers of horror and dark poetry.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Details
Paperback: 180 pages
Publisher: Raw Dog Screaming Press (January 25, 2012)
Michael Arnzen (http://gorelets.com) is an award-winning author of horror and dark suspense fiction, a poet, and an English professor. His trophy case includes four Bram Stoker Awards and an International Horror Guild Award for his often funny, always disturbing stories. The best of these appear in the Bram Stoker Award-winning career-length retrospective, Proverbs for Monsters, which Dread Central called "a guided tour of insanity and the macabre, with a few moments of touching grace combined with repulsive terror...[which] serves to document the evolution of a great writer."
Arnzen holds a PhD in English from the University of Oregon (where he researched his non-fiction book, The Popular Uncanny) and he is presently a Professor at Seton Hill University, where he teaches horror and suspense fiction in the country's only graduate program in Writing Popular Fiction (http://fiction.setonhill.edu).
Arnzen resides near Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife of many years, Renate, and a brood of deranged cats.
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"In a little over a decade, Michael A. Arnzen has achieved what few writers manage in a lifetime. He has become the master of a brand of literature that is uniquely his own, and I do not doubt that his approach to horror will soon (if it has not already) be referred to as 'Arnzenian.' When you begin an Arnzen story, you embark on a journey where the old maps do not apply. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory, barreling through landscapes more fascinating and twisted than any previously encountered. Be assured, you will be amazed, startled, amused, and creeped out along the way, but whatever the road has in store, you will not be able to stop reading until the story ends. Horrifying, captivating, ironic -- Arnzenian! -- the works of Michael A. Arnzen are in a class all their own. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!" -- Lawrence C. Connolly, author of Veins
If you have even the slightest interest in horror poetry, this is a highly recommended book. If you have even the slightest interest in writing horror poetry, this is mandatory reading.
Originally conceived as a literary experiment to create short, media-compatible poetry for then-prevalent handheld technology, Michael Arnzen's Gorelets has mutated and evolved in the decade since their introduction. Yet at their heart they've remained unchanged--brief, vivid poems written with skill, verve, and perverse humor. THE GORELETS OMNIBUS collects nearly everything Arnzen's written under the Gorelets banner, and it's a must-have for the dark-verse aficianado.
The hardcover edition contains bonus material (including the razor-sharp Martha Stewart parody "Michael Arnznen's Dying," one of the author's lesser-known classics), a handful of critical pieces analyzing Arnzen's work, and a compact poetry workshop with how-to articles and creative prompts. These nuts-and-bolts articles are a great resource for those looking to hone their craft, and more than justify the hardcover price.
Whichever edition you choose, you'll be rewarded with a wealth of strange, satirical, and clever poetry that packs an incredible amount of detail and power in their short line counts. A safe bet for the year's best horror poetry collection.
Gorelets Omnibus gives a tour of Arnzen's work from his poetry through his short stories and onto abstract lists.
Arnzen's dark minimalist poems show us snippets of film stolen from the larger picture. We get to look at a flashed image, shot at us and left to the reader to flesh out the overall ourselves. My favourite poems were Killing Pinocchio (which I am dying to create some drawings for), Eeerie Gyri (one of Arnzen's Haikruel)and A Good Enough Box (obsession and possession a favourite theme of mine).
The longer cuts are like Twilight Zone episodes I want to see. I loved Endless Shrimp (a marine Midas touch) and Brian Keene Must Die (an almost fourth wall spiral).
Arnzen seems to favor the smaller pieces but I for one hope he does some more in the way larger stories.
This is most definitely an experiment in poetry. These poems were specifically designed to me read on a PDA screen and now brought into the modern age and available for the Kindle and Kindle apps. Each one poem was purposefully constructed to fit in the screen. Every word is important. All that being said, these are horror poems that will repulse and horrify. Some of Arnzen work is down right hopeless. There are no happy endings here. There's no room. Every poem jumps you right into the muck, the guts and the gore.
The book also includes micro poems that were published on Twitter from 2009 to 2011. These are very interesting. It's great to see an artist overcome a 140 character limit. Included are a few examples of flash fiction. These are great examples of Arnzen's ability to tell a story in short form.
Also included are essays of criticism on the Gorelet experiment. These are great examples of insight on what others think of Arnzen's poetry.
If you are not a fan of Arnzen, this is a wonderful introduction and for those fans of Arnzen's writings, this is a must have.
