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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch
@aaronburch.bsky.social
2.9K followers 720 following 3.8K posts
Author: A KIND OF IN-BETWEEN; YEAR OF THE BUFFALO; STEPHEN KING'S THE BODY; BACKSWING Editor: HAD; Short Story, Long (on Substack) https://linktr.ee/aaronburch
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · Nov 9
I completed a new short story collection, so have been thinking about my first, BACKSWING, lately.

I say this every now and then over on Twitter and so am taking the opportunity to post here: it's out of print, but I'm happy to send a PDF to anyone who wants one! dm me, reply here, email me, etc.
cover of BACKSWING by Aaron Burch, showing a closeup of a yellow line on a road back cover of BACKSWING, with blurbs: Throughout Aaron Burch’s debut full-length collection of fiction nearly everyone is seeking some kind of perfection. Despite their attempts falling short, going stray, or sometimes not even making it off the ground, they keep swinging—at latent nightmares and glaring domestic lives, at severed limbs and redemptive baptisms, at the awe of what has been taken and the bewilderment over what remains. Nevertheless, in these stories ranging from the magical to realism, from Biblical allegory to everyday relationships, the characters of Backswing, faithful that forward motion will someday strike, keep driving toward grace. "Reading Backswing, you find yourself laughing, no–waying, reaching out to give bro–hugs and clappy high–fives to an author you swear must be standing beside you, so present is his voice. Burch is the bard of the American dude." —Adam Levin, author of The Instructions and Hot Pink "Aaron Burch’s Backswing is a terrific debut, fast, funny, at times fantastical, a diverse, deft collection of stories about becoming a man and other unsolvable mysteries." —Jess Walter, author of We Live in Water and Beautiful Ruins "In his new collection, Aaron Burch’s achievement isn’t only in the masterful storytelling, it’s how through each character’s yearning and loneliness he succeeds in making us readers feel less alone. Even in the surreal, the creepy, the sad, the lusting, we recognize ourselves. Backswing is full of characters trying to find themselves, journeys you’ll feel privileged to join." —Lindsay Hunter, author of Daddy’s and Don’t Kiss Me "At the driving range of American fiction, Aaron Burch crushes his stories deep into the haunted night. Backswing is brave and odd and very human." —Sam Lipsyte, author of The Subject Steve and The Fun Parts
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 53m
I've had it for almost 30 years! lol. A quick googling found one tho!

amoktime.com/hope-industr...
Hope Industries Star Wars Millennium Falcon/C-3PO Digital Watch
Hope Industries Star Wars Millennium Falcon/C-3PO Digital Watch
amoktime.com
aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1h
you: What time is it?

me:
photo of old C-3PO watch on wrist photo of old C-3PO watch on wrist, flipped open, digital time no longer working but inside of watch it says, “WE’RE DOOMED!”
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1h
sometimes, when I send an acceptance, I get as anxious and impatient to hear back from the author as I do when I submit something
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Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 2h
a very important lesson here in how the world works!
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 2h
it is @emilylauracosta.bsky.social's bday today, and so now you should extra def order Girl on Girl for yourself to celebrate

bookshop.org/wishlists/0a...
aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3h
Free shipping on @bookshop.org today!

I'd recommend picking up anything you've had yours eyes on, but here's some specific, recent indie press story collections I've loved:
Magic Can't Save Us, Josh Denslow Girl on Girl, Emily Costa My Prisoner and Other Stories, Tyler McAndrew Sad Grownups, Amy Stuber Horsegirl Fever, Kevin Maloney The Nothing, Lauren Davis Cheap Therapist Says You're Insane, Parker Young Where the Pavement Turns to Sand, Sheldon Birnie Hey You Assholes, Kyle Seibel Are You Happy?, Lori Ostlund This Is the Afterlife, Jeff Chon Birds Aren't Real, D.T. Robbins Survival Tips, Miriam Gershow Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts, Nick Rees Gardner Early Sobrieties, Michael Deagler
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3h
I'm reeeeeally supposed to be grading... so put together this @bookshop.org list of these fave recent indie press short story collections:

bookshop.org/wishlists/0a...
recent fave indie press short story collections
Bookshop.org Custom Wishlist
bookshop.org
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3h
Free shipping on @bookshop.org today!

I'd recommend picking up anything you've had yours eyes on, but here's some specific, recent indie press story collections I've loved:
Magic Can't Save Us, Josh Denslow Girl on Girl, Emily Costa My Prisoner and Other Stories, Tyler McAndrew Sad Grownups, Amy Stuber Horsegirl Fever, Kevin Maloney The Nothing, Lauren Davis Cheap Therapist Says You're Insane, Parker Young Where the Pavement Turns to Sand, Sheldon Birnie Hey You Assholes, Kyle Seibel Are You Happy?, Lori Ostlund This Is the Afterlife, Jeff Chon Birds Aren't Real, D.T. Robbins Survival Tips, Miriam Gershow Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts, Nick Rees Gardner Early Sobrieties, Michael Deagler
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3h
Here's the @ambersparks.bsky.social story mentioned. You've probably already read it. It's an immediate new classic.

ashortstorylong.substack.com/p/your-life-...
"Your Life in Parties" by Amber Sparks
"...your retirement party, the one they threw for you at the atrocious Italian restaurant. Surprise!, they all yell, which is so awkward because this isn’t a surprise party...."
ashortstorylong.substack.com
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3h
What a gift — for authors, journal editors, publishers... — to be read so thoughtfully and generously!
Something about a Short Story, Long story I hope you don't mind me repeating myself here, but I always save Short Story, Long work for when I am somewhere waiting. In pedicure chairs, or restaurants queues, or airports. I do that because they deserve - and reward - undivided attention. I enjoy reading them best in liminal spaces, because they ground me, and entertain me, and keep me company, and often fill me with the kind of joy that can only come from good storytelling. Amber Sparks' story is the best (and most recent) example - I wound up reading it in a hospital waiting room, where the reckoning with mortality and time hit a bit harder than it otherwise would have. I looked up from my phone and realized that every last person in the waiting room would have some version of that reckoning - were maybe preparing to go through that reckoning sooner than they knew - and felt the divide between us collapse. If we're lucky, we'll have something interesting to look back on - good, bad, ugly, let it be interesting, and uniquely ours.
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Reposted by Aaron Burch
sarpsozdinler.bsky.social
Sarp Sozdinler @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social · 6h
Here's the link to the story for those who're interested:

ashortstorylong.substack.com/p/the-people...
"The People Who Live Inside" by Sarp Sozdinler
"My mother called me on a Tuesday afternoon to say that my Uncle Frank had been seen climbing into the old grain silo at the edge of town again."
ashortstorylong.substack.com
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Reposted by Aaron Burch
sarpsozdinler.bsky.social
Sarp Sozdinler @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social · 6h
Glad to be finally back here, too. It was really fun to chat with @aaronburch.bsky.social about my short story, "The People Who Live Inside," which was published on Short Story, Long last week. Happy reading!
aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1d
Super excited to share this interview with @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social today, a close look at his banger story, “ The People Who Live Inside”!

"As a writer from Turkey who grew up on Hollywood and American literature, I feel irreversibly imperialized by the mythic simulation that is America..."
A Short Interview w/ Sarp Sozdinler
"Bonus material" for Sozdinler's short story, “ The People Who Live Inside,” published on 9/30.
ashortstorylong.substack.com
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 4h
wow, dina!!! ❤️
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Reposted by Aaron Burch
mikeferguson.bsky.social
neil young’s shirt on the last waltz @mikeferguson.bsky.social · 15h
how can you not be romantic about baseball
razzball.bsky.social
Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 15h
Fan wearing a "Dump Here" jersey with 61 caught Cal's HR 🔥

Immediately changes into an identical 62 jersey
Described in skeet Described in skeet
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 15h
"Sitting around waiting for an idea is the worst thing you can do. All ideas come out of the work itself." – Chuck Close, The Mysterious Metamorphosis of Chuck Close - The New York Times
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Reposted by Aaron Burch
aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1d
Super excited to share this interview with @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social today, a close look at his banger story, “ The People Who Live Inside”!

"As a writer from Turkey who grew up on Hollywood and American literature, I feel irreversibly imperialized by the mythic simulation that is America..."
A Short Interview w/ Sarp Sozdinler
"Bonus material" for Sozdinler's short story, “ The People Who Live Inside,” published on 9/30.
ashortstorylong.substack.com
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1d
Super excited to share this interview with @sarpsozdinler.bsky.social today, a close look at his banger story, “ The People Who Live Inside”!

"As a writer from Turkey who grew up on Hollywood and American literature, I feel irreversibly imperialized by the mythic simulation that is America..."
A Short Interview w/ Sarp Sozdinler
"Bonus material" for Sozdinler's short story, “ The People Who Live Inside,” published on 9/30.
ashortstorylong.substack.com
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1d
that's a good comp! for sure two guys who always just make me happy seeing them in anything they're in
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 1d
Idk that you could even make the argument that Benicio Del Toro is "underrated," and yet also he's almost certainly among the most underrated actors working?
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 2d
I'd love to have a chat with you! No time until probs end of the month at the soonest tho...
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 2d
Behind on grading but gf is impressed with how good these panels for next year’s veggie garden look, and isn’t that what really counts!
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Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3d
Matt! Dude, congrats. This is rad!!
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3d
Years and years and years and years ago, @matthewjsimmons.bsky.social spearheaded a handful of journals to tributing Amy Fusselman’s Surgery of Modern Warfare, and for one of the stories on Ho that month, I used this photo of Homestar Runner and Strongbad carved pumpkins me and the kid did together.
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Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3d
So good!! Love Russ.
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3d
I don't even wanna fix/correct them! Go forth and continue being beautifully right (while a tiny bit, humorously wrong)!
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aaronburch.bsky.social
Aaron Burch @aaronburch.bsky.social · 3d
others have said versions of this, but in the age of AI, some of my fave moments in student essays are little typos, tense mix-ups, slightly wrong word usage...
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