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…
By Kevin Morales Samuel Sattin has been playing tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons since he was an adolescent. The game and others like it have slowly expanded into the mainstream since the 1970s. The connection of communities has grown thanks to the proliferation of the internet and the game finding its way into the homes of anyone…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
By Daniel J. Collins Multi-hyphenate author Nicholas Belardes writes what he knows—the ecological landscape of Central California, the study of climate change and crisis, birds, the Chicano experience—and then blends and turbocharges it with the unknown, crafting energetic and complex works that combine the best elements of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. A graduate of UC Riverside Palm Desert’s Low…