TCR Talks with Chris Klassen, author of An Individual

By Brian Hooper The Coachella Review first discovered Toronto native Chris Klassen when we published his short story “Thank You No Thank You” in our Summer 2023 issue. What we’ve learned is that Klassen isn’t afraid of the big questions. His first novel, An Individual, is an epic story about an anonymous man on a spiritual journey to unearth life’s universal truths. Klassen is a lifelong student of religion and uses this background to explore a number of themes in his work. An Individual is his first novel. The Coachella Review: This is a story about self-discovery. What came to…

TCR Talks with Alex Thayer, author of Happy & Sad & Everything True

By Shannon Presby Alex Thayer has been writing since she could hold a pencil, but the road to publishing her first novel took longer than expected. For one, she worked as an actor, graduating from Wheaton College and the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, which helped strengthen her deep connection with her written characters. But Thayer has also been writing middle-grade books for twelve years, with several manuscripts going on submission before she finally sold her debut novel. In, Happy & Sad & Everything True, Dee’s school year starts badly when her best friend since forever…

TCR Talks with Jennifer Lang, author of Landed: A yogi’s memoir in pieces & poses

By Jackelin Orellana Memoirist Jennifer Lang first appeared in The Coachella Review earlier this year, when we published her essay “Head, Heart, Belly” in our Summer 2024 issue. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and now living in Israel, Lang is busy these days promoting her second book, Landed: A yogi’s memoir in pieces & poses, a series of flash essays that explore the complications of finding oneself while trying to balance life and family. Lang opens a window into the most intimate parts of her life, exploring how to become a stronger person by embracing who she is…

TCR Talks with Brian Asman, author of Good Dogs

By T.J. Tranchell Every writer has a unique journey. Brian Asman’s has taken him from the world of bizarro and splatterpunk novellas to his first full-length novel, Good Dogs. Asman, who became a viral sensation for his haunted house novella, Man, Fuck This House, sees this journey as steps in a long-term plan. After half a dozen independently published novellas, the leap into a full-length novel was spurred by completing his MFA at UCR-Palm Desert’s low-residency program. Published first in 2021, Asman’s breakout novella is eye-catching not only for its title, but for his innovative use of social media to…

TCR Talks with Jennifer Brody, author of A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars

  By Samantha Alissa Martin Jennifer Brody—novelist, short-story writer, TV/film producer and writer, and writing instructor—dives into her obsession with “Dear John” letters, Ancient Chinese philosophy, and science in her latest novel, A Sacrifice of Blood and Stars. The story follows protagonist Hikari Skye (Kari) as she enlists to be part of Space Force in the midst of the Proxy Wars. The trouble is, her reputation is far from perfect, as her father’s status as a deserter seems to follow her all the way to space. To make matters worse, she is paired with her bully, Draeden Rache (Drae), through…

TCR Talks with Hazel Kight Witham, author of The Truth about Secrets

By Jesenia Chavez In her debut book, Hazel Kight Witham delves into middle school with a memoir in verse. She zeroes in on a fateful day where a young Witham reckons with her own fear and shame at her classmates discovering she has two moms.  She loves her moms, Judie and Sharon, but middle school is an unfriendly place for anyone whose family does not fit into a heteronormative paradigm. Middle school, with all the awkwardness and intensity of pre-adolescence, comes to life on the pages through beautifully crafted poems with vivid details. Through notes interspersed throughout the book, Witham…

TCR Talks with Brian Evenson, author of Good Night, Sleep Tight

By T.J. Tranchell Good news for Brian Evenson fans: even after nearly thirty books, the short story writer, novelist, translator, and teacher still has plenty to say. His latest, Good Night, Sleep Tight, marks his ninth book with Coffee House Press. The new collection delves into Evenson’s unique space between science fiction and horror, while exploring what a post-human world might look like. Many of the stories confront ideas of parenthood and how that might be present in artificial intelligences. Each explores the meaning and mystery of being human, leaving readers satisfied with having more questions than answers in a…

REVIEW: They Thought They Buried Us by NoNieqa Ramos

Reviewed by Betty Fall Punchy, provocative, and full of unshakeable pride, NoNieqa Ramos’s They Thought They Buried Us takes a unique, if messy, approach to selling a horror story to its audience while not compromising the identity of its author or protagonist. The book follows Yuiza (she/they), a young Puerto Rican filmmaker, as they struggle to keep their head above water at Our Lady of Perpetual Mercy, a highly regarded boarding school with a murky past and dangerous present. Isolated from their friends and family, gaslighted and harassed by students and faculty alike, and haunted in their dreams by the…

TCR Talks with Attica Locke, author of Guide Me Home

By J. Schuberth  Attica Locke has been busy. The award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and TV producer behind such shows as Empire, When They See Us, From Scratch, and Little Fires Everywhere is currently in a multi-year development deal with Universal Television, working on an adaptation of her Edgar-Award-winning Highway 59 trilogy, among other shows. The Coachella Review caught up with Locke to talk about her writing process; her love of TikTok; the aesthetic and political value of land; going to museums in a bathing suit; and the final book in her Highway 59 trilogy, Guide Me Home. The novel opens with…

REVIEW: My Chicano Heart by Daniel A. Olivas

Reviewed by Pallas Gutierrez  In My Chicano Heart, Daniel A. Olivas presents thirty-one short stories about love, loss, and Chicane identity. The stories range from starkly realistic to deeply magical, and at the core of each one are expertly crafted characters. These characters span a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, from twelve-year-old James falling in love for the first time in “Lucky Dog,” to Alisa recovering from optical surgery in “Diplopia,” but they are all grounded in Olivas’s rich storytelling and clearly drawn realities. Five of the stories contained in My Chicano Heart are new, and in the collection’s…