Extreme States: The Evolution of American Transgressive Fiction 1960-2000

My first monograph has been published by Routledge / Taylor & Francis in 2019. Preview and order via the publisher’s… Read more Extreme States: The Evolution of American Transgressive Fiction 1960-2000

Finishing an Academic Monograph: What I Wish I’d Known

After years of preparation The Book is almost done. I’m tying up loose ends, doing the mundane and boring little… Read more Finishing an Academic Monograph: What I Wish I’d Known

Usually “disturbing” is a term reserved to describe horror (in which case it is a compliment) or texts about horrific… Read more The Most Disturbing Book I’ve Ever Read? Riding the Black Cockatoo by John Danalis

Although I’ve always been an avid amateur fiction writer and visual artist, my creative practice has suffered in recent years.… Read more “It Only Takes Ten Minutes a Day, I Promise”: How I Brought Creativity Back Into My Life

British Association for American Studies Annual Conference, University of Sussex 25-27 April 2019 In celebration of the fiftieth birthday of… Read more CfP: Queerness and American Horror Fiction

If it doesn’t sound like a book that would go straight for the jugular, it’s because it doesn’t. Al Alvarez’s… Read more Al Alvarez’s Pondlife: A Review

Having just returned from my holiday – or more precisely, a trip to the place where I was born –… Read more Beyond the Red Light District: Five Alternative Explorations of The Netherlands

“I’ve got a very important question for you,” Paul Janeway said three songs into the gig. “It will determine the… Read more “Are You Ready for a Trumpet Solo?” An Evening with St Paul and the Broken Bones

After my ambivalent response to The Vorrh I was not looking forward to the other two science fiction novels on… Read more The Many Faces of Science Fiction: A Review of Vurt and Pirate Cinema

I had been eyeing the book for months. Despite being published back in 2015 it stubbornly refused to leave the… Read more I’m Not Smart Enough to Understand this Book: A Review of Brian Catling’s The Vorrh