This is a fantastic interview in X-R-A-Y with Derek Fisher by Rebecca Gransden, who I was previously unaware of. His short story collection Container is on its way to me soon, but even without knowing his work, the interview is a really great read, There are so many incredible quotes in this piece — the above is one, but also:
…fuck off Hemingway. Don’t tell me what I have to know. I don’t know what TurtlePhone is up to when he’s sitting on the can. That’s his business.
That’s in relation to the story “Progress”:
Progress by Derek Fisher
Two toys are on a quest across the Mojave Desert, for some reason. The apocalypse featuring the cast of Toy Story, voiced by Pinky and the Brain:
“Is it all a big joke? Is the point of your existence to drive the unlucky child that comes to possess you feces-eating mad? A likely mystery to the cock-eyed parents that purchased you, who would assume the child has lost their marbles for other, more organic reasons?”
I read several of his stories after that interview, and what seems consistent throughout the ones I’ve read is a kind of sinister playfulness, that even if what’s happening now seems lighthearted, something really dark is lurking in the next paragraph. “Rash” is a perfect example of that:
Rash by Derek Fisher
This story subverts expectations at every turn. The slow reveal of the true depth of the dystopia is excellent. Here’s how it starts:
Purple sky in morning. Endless promise of warming.
Purple sky at night. We all turn out the light.
I decided to do a thing. Every hour on the hour I’d tell a stranger they’re beautiful. The decision came to me while writing poems in the Greenhouse Cafe. It hasn’t gone well so far.
He links to a lot of stories on his website, and I’ve collected a few favourites below, with some of the reference points he makes in the interview at the bottom (including one extremely difficult story from Maggie Siebert, be warned).
He’s also from Toronto, so that earns him extra points.
Elevator Etiquette: A User’s Guide by Derek Fisher
This story starts strange and goes off the deep end in a hurry. It’s a memo to the residents of a high-rise about how to conduct themselves in the elevator:
If you are lucky enough to live on 13, please utter the Incantation of Ages. If you fail to utter the Incantation, and it is reported, you will be evicted from floor 13. When you utter the Incantation, any and all passengers should get on their knees and grovel, including dogs.
It only gets weirder from there.
Reasons to Stay by Derek Fisher
This is a story about a relationship over several years, told in a deliberately disjointed and jarring way, with clipped sentences and a nonlinear timeline. I’m not going to quote it because that doesn’t really capture the appeal. Just click through and read it.
Further Reading
Other writing he references in the interview:
What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us by Laura van den Berg
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich
Books of Blood by Clive Barker (specifically the story “Dread”)
So Much Heart by Drew Buxton
Jerks by Sara Lippmann (short story “The Polish Girl“, scroll down)
Bonding by Maggie Siebert (short story “Every Day for the Rest of Your Life” – warning, disturbing, details killing animals)
