Pocket Finger is a collaborative chapbook and is part of the This PDF Chapbook series published by Publishing Genius. This PDF Chapbook series is 'innovative literature that is yours for free and also you can buy it.'
Pocket Finger was written/illustrated/created over the course of this year. Last January, my sister drew a picture (the picture in section 1) and then I wrote section 1 and then she drew another picture and I wrote another section and so on. We each added to the story and it sort of came out of that process. We did not plan this story out and think how we could illustrate it. Each drawing or text added a new thing to the story. Originally we had planned not to revise, to just go with it as it came out, but we could not stop ourselves from going back into the story and twisting things. After the first draft, which we completed in August, we added a few things over the fall: a new drawing and a new text.
Pocket Finger was designed by Adam Robinson, the Publishing Genius. He made it look really good and for that Christy and I are thankful. Adam Robinson is a design god. Adam Robinson gave us really good ideas for how to improve Pocket Finger. Adam Robinson, thank you.
Support Publishing Genius. Preorder Shane Jones' novel Light Boxes. But only do that after you've read Pocket Finger.
UPDATE - Adam interviewed Christy and me and it is now posted over at the Publishing Genius website. Have a read if you want.
'PRESS':
Blake Butler at HTMLGIANT says:
POCKET FINGER represents a new level of ‘wow, fuck’ from Adam Robinson, the Publishing Genius. Insane and beautiful enfolded images from the clearly new and intricately spare imagery of Christy Call, meshed with bro-for-life Ryan’s knack to meld the everyday of fathers, fishing, and tradition with some tonally-wicked phrasing.
Christopher Higgs says:
For those of you who like Hollywood pitchline comparisons, think Peter Markus meets Brian Evenson meets post-apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy.
Aaron Burch says:
I'm not even sure what exactly to say about it other than the presentation, between art and text is beautiful and the writing kicked my ass and reminded me of everything that I love about the little of Ryan's work that I've read.
Mike Scalise says:
For those not familiar with Call’s fiction–and since this is his first web-based offering in that regard, you might not be–you’re in for something weird and beautiful. His prose operates with a kind of shadowy, elliptical gravity. Sad, but not sadness. Funny, but not jokey. Brutal, but not grizzly. The best way I can think to describe the work is that it feels like, for about nine or so pages anyway, the moment you realize the most promising possibilities of what became your life’s biggest mistakes. If that makes any sense.
So, so good -- I needed to read something great today, and this was exactly the right sort of thing. Christy's illustrations are great as well, really complementing the disconnected mood of the story...The important thing isn't how you read Pocket Finger, but that you do read it, right now. It's a beautiful little book, a great read, and the ending is surprising enough that I immediately read it again.
Kevin Wilson says:
The first two pages alone are simply incredible and it just gets better.
Dave Madden says:
I think what makes Ryan's book work so well is that he's (or his narrator's) directing all his best sentences, all his close watching and description, at this father and not at himself, and so what results is this close relationship between the observer and the otherwise distant observed, which the goings-on of the narrative then work to develop.
Josh Maday says:
I first saw some of the image/texts on Ryan's blog awhile ago and was blown away by how well the two complemented each other. I love the last drawing where the person is in pieces in the tool shed. Excellent work Ryan and Christy, and Adam Robinson, the Publishing Genius.
The editors of Barrelhouse say:
The story is very much in the same vein as Ryan’s contribution to Barrelhouse five, which is to say that it’s beautifully written, surprising, sad, creepy, maybe-post-apocalyptic (or, at the very least, post something very heavy and bad), and affecting.