The last of the Box Cutters

You read that title right, gang: my first book, the flash-fiction chapbook Box Cutters, has nearly sold out of its print run. I received ten of them in the mail today, and sunnyoutside press has a handful more on their end, but that’s it. Enough people fell in love with that book that it’s almost gone from the world!

This is one of the things I like about chapbooks, actually: when they’re done right, each book is a work of art in its own right, the design and production of it as beautiful and distinctive an artifact as the words the books contain. And I’ve heard a lot of praise for the artifact of my book — not just the words in it (though, thank you all for loving those words!) but also the design of it: the shape and size of it, the texture of the cover, the individually stamped silver box cutter on the cover, the hand-sewn binding, the font choice, the texture and color of the pages. In fact, if you have a copy, look closely at all those tiny fibers visible in the paper — they’re meant to resemble the fine cardboard dust you get from slicing open a box with a razor blade. That’s the kind of artistry and attention to detail you only get from a small press publishing small runs of chapbooks.

And like works of art, they are limited. There are only so many in the world. Collect them, and cherish them.

If you still want a copy of Box Cutters for yourself, you can order one of the last copies from sunnyoutside. Or you can find me at AWP in Los Angeles next week — I’m bringing my whole stack with me, the final dozen, and if you find me, you can get one straight from the author.

And if you already have a copy of Box Cutters, well, thank you. So. Much. It’s a small book, but it was my first, and it was beautiful, and it will always hold a special (sharp, edgy) place in my life.