Independent publisher Rescue Press has recently released titles by two Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni: Vinnie Wilhelm’s IN THE ABSENCE OF PREDATORS and Melissa Dickey’s THE LILY WILL.

Shot through with dark humor, desolate landscapes, and seemingly impossible plot turns, Vinnie Wilhelm’s IN THE ABSENCE OF PREDATORS is a striking collection that haunts long after the stories have reached their outlandish conclusions. Here we discover the most captivating of human forms: dreamers, liars, thieves, murderers, and lovers. Marco Kaye of The Collagist writes that, “the characters play detectives of a sort, searching for parallels between nature and their own mental landscapes.” Wilhelm achieves this balance through sharp wit and biting humor, creating some “of the funniest stories [you’ll] ever read.”

Oblique, intelligent, and sad, Melissa Dickey’s collection of poems, THE LILY WILL, introduces readers to a voice beautifully sustained through compressed lyrics and long, meticulous sequences. The geography of this book is one of thistles and ice, love flashed with fear, and frail bodies seeking safety in heavy weather. THE LILY WILL flourishes by using, “minimalist language,” as Virginia Konchan from the Barn Owl Review points out, “whose spiritual heft and dark humor recalls the fascicles of [Emily] Dickinson.”  

Rescue Press’ catalog also includes books by Iowa alums Marc Rahe, Shane McCrae, Madeline McDonnell, and Zach Savich, and this spring they will publish Blueberry Morningsnow’s first collection of poetry, WHALE IN THE WOODS.  For more information on Rescue Press, its authors, or to order books, visit: www.rescue-press.org.

Vinnie Wilhelm will read at Prairie Lights on Wednesday, April 18th, at 7:00 pm.

Vinnie Wilhelm reviewed at The Collagist: http://www.dzancbooks.org/the-collagist/2012/2/8/in-the-absence-of-predators-by-vinnie.html


Melissa Dickey reviewed at Barn Owl Review:  http://www.barnowlreview.com/reviews/dickey.html