notes on wells tower, acclaimed story collections, and punk rock

I haven’t yet read Wells Tower‘s debut collection Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned — acclaimed by Edmund White for the New York Times, and subject of a discussion of digital distribution during the commentary for the 2009 Tournament of Books — but I was also gladdened to see him referencing his music-making days in this Bookslut interview. (As well as this New York Observer piece.) Why? Well, I’d argue that his old band made some terrific music, and — for me — that sense of recognition might well be the difference between my buying the book now or waiting a year or so until the paperback reaches stores.