Short Story Fans! Check out Asymptote

 

 

If you’re into shorts from all categorical monickers, check out Asymptote, an online journal that deals exclusively in works that have been translated into the english language. They release new editions quarterly, which puts us on schedule to have a new one for July. Translations are from myriad languages, and cover fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, criticism and visual. Many pieces even have audio clips.

Click on ALL the audio!

I forget how I came across Asymptote in the first place, probably mindless link clicking, but yo, I dig it. You probably will too. It opens up a lot of stories with specific settings that might unlock those last few percentage points that make all the difference between good-but-slightly-flawed stories and those that find a way to open you up to a part of yourself or the world that you couldn’t quite grasp before. Or maybe they’re just good works that you’ll enjoy. Or maybe you’re a hipster who will assert that translating the story into English only bastardizes and misappropriates the true meaning and understanding that should be gathered from the piece in its original form. Whatever works, man. Just check them out.

Marina and the Diamonds Gets Us

Over the last few months I’ve really enjoyed this Marina Diamandis chick, which led to the usual cycle of pure enjoyment – second guessing myself for liking “pop” music – wondering if I’d be into her if she were of mere above average physical attractiveness – deeper evaluation of her music – acceptance that she is, in fact, worthy of my possibly pretentious musical pantheon.

Making assumptions about the inside based on the outside would be a mistake.

I cannot confirm that Marina is not the lab creation of a group of much-smarter-than-me-but-of-similar-taste people, but if that is the case, then I want the fucking blue pill. Only ten months my junior, Marina is physically best described as *pause, deep breath, sigh*. Mentally, her lyrics blow me away because they seem to be so effortlessly truthful, and they come from someone who looks like she should have had every advantage, comfort and absence of desperation. If you find yourself into the kind of stuff I have and will be posting, I think you either already do or very much will like Marina and the Diamonds.

Here is her music video for the song entitled “Fear and Loathing,” from 2012’s album Electra Heart. See what you guys think: