Tiny Cities Made of Ashes (Electric Literature's Recommended Reading)

"Sam has said that his stories are his attempt to cover songs he loves, and surely the stories in his debut collection, The Great American Songbook, are linked inextricably to music, to song, to chord changes, and voiced heartache. The nine stories in the collection take the Talking Heads literally. They follow Rodgers and Hart as they negotiate parallel realities and their relationship with each other. They employ humor and formal invention to build and crescendo, to speak melodically, jazzily, out of human experience." - Callie Collins

About the Author: Sam Allingham grew up in rural New Jersey and Philadelphia. After graduating from Oberlin College, he worked for many years as a music teacher for adults and small(ish) children, before receiving an MFA from Temple University in 2013. His work has appeared in One Story, American Short Fiction, and N+1, among other publications. He lives in West Philadelphia and teaches at Temple University. The Great American Songbook is his first book.

About the Guest Editor: Founded in 2012, A Strange Object is a women-run, fiction-focused press in Austin, Texas. The press champions debuts, daring writing, and good design across all platforms. Its titles are distributed by Small Press Distribution.

About the Publisher: Recommended Reading is the weekly fiction magazine of Electric Literature, publishing here every Wednesday morning. In addition to featuring our own recommendations of original, previously unpublished fiction, we invite established authors, indie presses, and literary magazines to recommend great work from their pages, past and present. Follow Recommended Reading on Medium and never miss the latest issue, or become a member for full access to the archives. For other links from Electric Literature, follow us, or sign up for our eNewsletter.