| * | title | Author/Pub/year | Description & Links |
|---|
| | | |
 |
Robocop and P-Funk:
White Futures and Visceral Presents
essay |
Matthew J. Wolf-Meyer
University of Minnesota Press
2019 |
Contrasting white and black creative futures against the backdrop of Detroit Excerpt from the book of essays Theory for the World to Come: Speculative Fiction and Apocalyptic Anthropology
Part of the Forerunners: Ideas First series, a handful of equally ponderous titles are available for free, like I know what you are, but what am I?: On Pee-Wee Herman, just look for the OA (Open Access) symbol |
 |
The Life Cycle of Software Objects
short story |
Ted Chiang
Subterranean Press
2010 |
A short story I think back on often about the love we impose on virtual pets and avatars. If you haven't read Ted Chiang yet, he will renew your faith in science fiction. Originally published as a novella, now found in Exhalation, a collection of short stories |
 |
ODB FBI FILE
archive |
Federal Bureau of Investigations |
I just love the idea of FBI agents having to follow this man around and document it, including an explanation of what "beef" is.
If that ain't your thing, fans of ODB might enjoy What it Look Like by Mac Arthur Grant recipient Terrence Howard |
 |
Dismantling the Master(s) Clock(work Universe)
essay |
Rasheedah Phillips
Afrofutrist Affair
2016 |
Rasheedah, one of the most thoughtful and important voices in the field of Afrofuturism, is one part of the duo behind Black Quantum Futurism and creative director for Afrofuturist Affair
Excerpt from Space-Time Collapse: From the Congo to the Carolinas, a collection of essays from multiple authors |
 |
Rufus
short story |
Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Knopf
2019 |
From the writer of Bojack Horseman, a story for dog lovers
Originally found in the short story collection, Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory |
 |
How to Draw Fat and Skin Folds
reference, full book |
Michel Lauricella
rockynook
20199 |
useful art references for those who like to draw bigger bodies From the MORPHO Anatomy for Artists series |
 |
Obfuscation: A User's Guide to Privacy and Protest
non-fiction, full book |
Finn Brunton &
Helen Nissenbaum
MITPress
2016 |
Noncompliance and Software. Tbh, haven't read this one yet but i thought it was worth sharing. |
 |
Love's Savage Fury
comic strip |
Mark Newgarden
Raw Books/
Fantagraphics
1986 |
A short 4 page comic that smeared itself on my soul the first time I read it. For public transit riders, young and old.
Originally published in RAW#8, now available in We All Die Alone, a book of Newgarden's collected works. |
 |
Of Dogs and Walls
short story |
Yuko Tsushima
Penguin Classics
2014 |
A beautiful, shockingly economical story about generational trauma
One of two short stories found in a small book with the same title in the Penguin Modern series |
 |
Abstraction
manga one shot |
Shintaro Kago
2010 |
A psychedelic take on the very structure of manga that feels like a 4am fever dream from lunatic savant of gore, Shintaro Kago. |
 |
Dim Mak: Death Point Striking
instructional |
Erle Montaigue
1993 |
Like many of the books in the Troublemaker's Nook, I haven't actually read this one but felt it was the kind of subversive shit that ought to be in a library of pirated ebooks. Check it out! You might have kill someone someday and it's always best to be prepared. |
 |
The Anarchist Cookbook
instructional |
William Powell |
A radical classic. It's reputation should proceed it, but u can learn more about this historic tome here |
 |
Practical Guide to LSD Manufacture
zine |
Uncle Fester
Fastering Publications
2006 |
For educational and entertainment purposes only. |
 |
Easy Pickings
+ Secrets of Lockpickinginstructional |
Charles Edward Remington III
+ Steve Hampton
1993/1987 |
These two are mostly one and the same, with Easy Pickings being the shorter of the two and the other having more images. As the opening text of Secret of Lockpicking states:
(don't let the date fool you. This is good stuff) |
 |
Bachelor Nation: Coping with the tv reality version of reality
essay |
M. H. Miller
BAFFLER
2020 |
I love this high brow low brow shit. The title says it all. Originally published in Issue 49 of The BAFFLER (Jan-Feb 2020). You get one article on the site to read for free, I'd recommend this one: Fox News Theory of Art |
 |
I infest Therefore I am: Aliens and Philosophy
essays |
Various
Wiley-Blackwell
2017 |
You ever think about how the Aliens films portrays the working class? or how the xenomorph social structure is the ultimate vision of matriarchy? |
 |
The Adopted Chinese Daughters Rebellion
short story |
Zsuzi Gartner
Pintail
2012 |
From the writer of Bojack Horseman, a story for dog lovers
Excerpt from the short story collection, Better Living through Plastic Exxplosives |
 |
MUD&SLUDGE
art book |
Q. Hayashida
Shogakukan
2020 |
Concept art book for the inimitable manga, Dorohedoro. Tons of textures, collages and full color pages from the hereto un-photographed, never publicly seen, Q. Hayashida, alleged to be female. |
 |
The Cyber Spellbook: Magick in the Virtual World
instructional(?) |
Sirona Knight
& Patricia Telesco
New Page Books
2002 |
A witchy take on casting spells in cyberspace from the nascent days of the world wide web |
 |
The Peacewolf Divorce
exposé? self-report? |
Peacewolf
Twitter
2019 |
Dang. Just dang. |
 |
Jerry's Crab Shack Review
short story |
Gwen E. Kirby
Penguin
2019 |
Using yelp as therapy
Excerpt from the short story collection, Shit Cassandra Saw |
 |
A Crackup at the Race Riots
novel |
Harmony Korine
Doubleday
1998 |
Experimental novel from indie darling of the late 90s |
 |
Tropic of Cancer
semifiction |
Henry Miller
Obelisk Press
1934 |
My favorite book. |
 |
The Extreme Self Age of You
zine |
Douglas Coupland
& Hans Ulrich Obrist
Knopf
2019 |
Fun project from an unlikely duo who are both great authors in their own right. |
|
The Hole
short story |
Hiroko Oyamada
New Horizons
2020 |
Funky visceral short story from the current queen of funky Japanese shorts. |
 |
Plankton: Wonders of the Drifting World
non-fiction |
Christian Sardet
University of Chicago
2015 |
Breathtaking full color photos of the miniature geometric alien world that sustains the circle of life. The books companion site, planktonchronicles.org has tons of videos and a wholesome place to kill time. |
 |
Post Memes: Seizing the Memes of Production
essays |
Alifie Brown (ed)
Punctum Books
2019 |
A collection of leftist musings on what it means to meme, with titles like Socialist Imaginaries and Queer Futures: Memes as Sites of Collective Imagining. |
 |
Sad by Design: On Platform Nihilism
non-fiction |
Geert Lovink
Pluto Press
2019 |
When looking up the publisher I found a review that began thusly- "After all the clicking, browsing, swiping and liking, all we are left with is the flat and empty aftermath of time lost to the app.". |
 |
CSS Secrets: Better Solutions
to everyday web design problems
instructional |
Lea Verou
O'Reilly Media
2015 |
For the real ones. Despite being from 2015, offers tons of great work-arounds for shapes, containers, backgrounds and more. Also half of yall making your sites look like they're from 2009 anyway so in that sense it's from the future. ;) |
 |
The Retrofuturism of Cuteness
essays |
Jen Boyle
& Wan-Chuan Kao (eds)
Punctum Books
2017 |
A have a soft spot for high level academic analysis applied to low tier things. It's how you wind up with chapter names like Katie Sokoler, Your Construction Paper Tears Can't Hide Your Yayoi Kusama-Neurotic Underbelly. |
 |
Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno:
Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook
fashion |
Patrick Macias
Chronicle
2007 |
A relic from the height of gothic lolitas, harajuku girls and biker girl gangs. Hit reload if the images don't show up the first time around. |
 |
Kimo-kawaii Catharsis
essay |
Theodore Brown
Japan Forum
2018 |
Full title: Kimo-kawaii Catharsis: millennials, depression and the empty healing of Sanrio's Gudetama. A standout essay from a research binge I went on in September 2024. Would fit in well with the writings contained in Retrofuturiam of Cuteness. |
 |
If the Universe is Teeming with Aliens,
Then WHERE IS EVERYBODY?
75 Solutions to the Fermi Paradox
science |
Dr. Stephen Webb
Springer
2002 |
I checked this out of my local library eons ago and it has always stuck with me. This version is the second edition, updated with even more solutions to trigger your existential ennui. |