Swift Kicks

Swift Kicks. David Gianatasio. Eugene: So New Media, 2006. $7.00. 0-9778151-0-2

Assembling online and print shorts from McSweeney's, Opium, Uber, etc.; this collection delivers exactly what the title promises: a quick trip into the land of funny with a chapbook sized collection.

Some of these pieces are lists or riffs or funny takes on commonplace things like a juror's handbook, or what Jesus would really do; the kind of thing you see at places like McSweeney's. These are often humorous, but it's in the flash pieces that Gianatasio shines, creating funny and odd scenarios.

Some of them are also surprisingly striking. "Of a Feather," for example, manages to disturb lastingly in the equivalent of a page by introducing chaos into the lives of a couple trying to enjoy the sunset.

Or "Use Your Indoor Voice," the opening short, which would be near perfect if Gianatasio chopped the last four paragraphs off.

It's a good read and I'm glad to see some of these pieces, which I've enjoyed online, collected in print.

-CL Bledsoe


	Swift Kicks Swift Kicks. David Gianatasio. Eugene: So New Media, 2006. $7.00. 0-9778151-0-2 Assembling online and print shorts from McSweeney's, Opium, Uber, etc.; this collection delivers exactly what the title promises: a quick trip into the land of funny with a chapbook sized collection. Some of these pieces are lists or riffs or funny takes on commonplace things like a juror's handbook, or what Jesus would really do; the kind of thing you see at places like McSweeney's. These are often humorous, but it's in the flash pieces that Gianatasio shines, creating funny and odd scenarios. Some of them are also surprisingly striking. "Of a Feather," for example, manages to disturb lastingly in the equivalent of a page by introducing chaos into the lives of a couple trying to enjoy the sunset. Or "Use Your Indoor Voice," the opening short, which would be near perfect if Gianatasio chopped the last four paragraphs off. It's a good read and I'm glad to see some of these pieces, which I've enjoyed online, collected in print. -CL Bledsoe