Cover illustration and design by Malcolm Sutton
Anecdotes
Stories Book*hug Press, September 19, 2023 Press Coverage"While Anecdotes is certainly not encouraging subject-wise, the clarity and wit of the prose make it hard to put this book down. Mockler strips out the fluff and gets to the real heart of issues, whether they are individual or global." --Candace Fertile, The British Columbia Review "Mockler has published four books of poetry, edited an anthology of climate stories, runs a literary newsletter and publishes a website. All to say, her writing range is wide, as exemplified in this new volume. Written in four parts with pieces — short stories, flash fiction, fictional conversations — that examine sexual violence, abuse and environmental collapse." —Deborah Dundas,Toronto Star "This dark and profoundly relatable satire ... masterfully balances existentialism and humility. It is a quick, thought-provoking read divided into four distinct parts, with each section intertwining common themes that delve into the stark realities of girlhood, the consequences of a forced transition into adulthood and the perilous state of our world amidst the climate crisis. Mockler’s characters and personifications of time ponder the possibility of ‘things getting better’ – posed not merely as a question but a genuine source of encouragement." A 'deliciously dark and clever experiment' by Candace Fertile, The British Columbia Review
An Interview with Kathryn Mockler, author of Anecdotes, All Lit Up Power Q&A with Kathryn Mockler, River Street Writing Books of the Month: September Edition, Vol. 1 Brooklyn Our books Editor on the 30 (plus!) new reads we can't wait to cosy up with this fall, Toronto Star What to Read this Summer, Frieze Most Anticipated: Our 2023 Fall Fiction Preview, 49th Shelf 24 Books by Past CBC Poetry Prize Winners and Finalists Being Published in 2023, CBC Books What We’re Reading: Staff Writers’ Picks, Spring 2023, Hamilton Review of the Books Where to get anecdotes?You can order directly from Book*hug Press or consider supporting your favourite independent bookstore.
Here are some of my favourite bookstores: Another Story Bookshop (Toronto) Flying Books (Toronto) Glass Bookshop (Edmonton) Librairie Drawn & Quarterly (Montreal) Librairie Saint Henri (Montreal) Librarie l’Euguélionne (Montreal) Massey Books (Vancouver) Munro's Books (Victoria) Novel Idea Bookstore (Kingston) Type Books (Toronto) Or you can put in a request for the book at your local library! In Canada, writers get paid when books are taken out from libraries through the Public Lending Rights Program. Read my post in Send My Love to Anyone about why pre-orders are important. |
What readers are saying"Anecdotes, by Kathryn Mockler, made me think about the environment in new ways, and it has a playful, anything-goes approach to fiction that I found refreshing." Just finished @themockler's brilliant new collection of stories. Dark twisty tales which might seem cyncial on first glance but really are deeply compassionate and empowering. I love how formally inventive they are. A range of forms and lots of surprising turns. Also, they implicitly illustratrate how life isn't a series of story arcs, epiphanies and "life lessons" but rather an accumulation of experiences which sum together over the span to make our life what it is. Five out of five thumbs up. "Kathryn Mockler’s ‘Anecdotes’—about as inventive, playful and provocative a collection of short fiction as you’ll find. Published by that reliably boundary-pushing Canadian small press Book*hug." "Tonally, the works collected here range from absurdist to tragic, offering a memorable selection of one writer’s haunting, searing prose.” "The darkness is then met with the understated. Absurd and satirical, while also poignant. And I’m here for all of it!" "Anecdotes is so wry and funny. The stories are wicked little things. So hopeless in content, yet the humour is a kind of tonal hope.". "While it's clear Mockler had fun with some of the content, it's also humbling and reflective of today's laissez-faire attitude around politics and climate change, and stingingly honest about some of the dangers we face as young women in a world that is still very much a man's space." "ANECDOTES by @themockler is a great reminder that experience combined with talent and imagination is what makes a great reading experience!" 
Another Story Bookshop window. Photo by Book*hug Press.
Advanced praise"Part coming of age and part end times, Anecdotes is a bold and brilliant mixture of dark humour, understated literary experiments, and a poet's eye for the truth. Mockler’s writing isn't afraid to look at the world and see it for what it is. Her stories are so deeply immersive you’ll never want to leave. An absolute must-read if you live on this planet and even if you don’t." 
Behind the Story: Kathryn Mockler on "I Won't Clean the Tub"
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About aneCDotes
With dreamlike stories and dark humour, Anecdotes is a hybrid collection in four parts examining the pressing realities of sexual violence, abuse, and environmental collapse.
Absurdist flash fictions in “The Boy is Dead” depict characters such as a park that hates hippies, squirrels, and unhappy parents; a woman lamenting a stolen laptop the day the world ends; and birds slamming into glass buildings.
“We’re Not Here to Talk About Aliens” gathers autofictions that follow a young protagonist from childhood to early 20s, through the murky undercurrent of potential violence amidst sexual awakening; from first periods to flashers; sticker books to maxi pad art; acid trips to blackouts; creepy professors to close calls.
“This Isn’t a Conversation” shares one-liners from overheard conversations, found texts, diary entries and random thoughts: many are responses to the absurdity and pain of the current political and environmental climate.
In “The Dream House,” The Past and The Future are personified as various incarnations in relationships to one another (lovers, a parent and child, siblings, friends), all engaged in ongoing conflict.
These varied, immersive works bristle with truth in the face of unprecedented change. They are playful forms for serious times.
Absurdist flash fictions in “The Boy is Dead” depict characters such as a park that hates hippies, squirrels, and unhappy parents; a woman lamenting a stolen laptop the day the world ends; and birds slamming into glass buildings.
“We’re Not Here to Talk About Aliens” gathers autofictions that follow a young protagonist from childhood to early 20s, through the murky undercurrent of potential violence amidst sexual awakening; from first periods to flashers; sticker books to maxi pad art; acid trips to blackouts; creepy professors to close calls.
“This Isn’t a Conversation” shares one-liners from overheard conversations, found texts, diary entries and random thoughts: many are responses to the absurdity and pain of the current political and environmental climate.
In “The Dream House,” The Past and The Future are personified as various incarnations in relationships to one another (lovers, a parent and child, siblings, friends), all engaged in ongoing conflict.
These varied, immersive works bristle with truth in the face of unprecedented change. They are playful forms for serious times.
