{"product_id":"meaningful-work-stories-9781573661911","title":"Meaningful Work: Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eWinner of FC2's Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stunning look at the labor of obsession and the industry of self-destruction\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In her lush, lyrical, and unflinching short fiction debut, JoAnna Novak examines the restless throb of desire amid the rote work of jobs and obligations, from the walk-ins of a New York banquet kitchen to the pier of Venice Beach. Fueled by jellyfish pad Thai and Necco wafers, Mountain Dew and Xiaolongbao, the characters in these stories defy boundaries and mores: In \"MEMO 19,\" a former anorectic, bored of recovery and her clerical job, invites an unparalleled act of sexual defilement and in \"Rio Grande, Wisconsin,\" a fleshly preteen fantasizes about Bill Murray on a family vacation to Wisconsin. Celebrating the grueling beauty of the shift and the ticking virtues of self-restraint, \u003ci\u003eMeaningful Work\u003c\/i\u003e is a pageant of formal experimentation, in fearless, glittering prose. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoAnna Novak\u003c\/b\u003e is author of the novel \u003ci\u003eI Must Have You\u003c\/i\u003e and two books of poetry: \u003ci\u003eNoirmania\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eAbeyance, North America\u003c\/i\u003e. Her work has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Paris Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eConjunctions\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAGNI, BOMB\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other publications. She is cofounder of the literary journal and chapbook publisher \u003ci\u003eTammy\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"F2c","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50922717872402,"sku":"9781573661911","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_5bf4bc89-8070-4f09-8625-cba661c64544.jpg?v=1738938116","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/meaningful-work-stories-9781573661911","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}