Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World: Portraits and Revelations

These are stories to cherish, as brilliant and charming as the writer himself.–Olivia Laing
The sensibility of a magician, a trickster’s dark humor, and a formidable musical and literary erudition.–The New York Times
Joseph Keckler’s signatures are his magnificent three-plus-octave operatic voice and the mesmerizing stories he tells. Combining original pieces with material from his acclaimed performances, Keckler confirms his storytelling mastery, revealing still more of himself on the page.

In these tales, one can’t easily draw a line between reality, embellishment, and fantasy. Odd jobs and odder employers: what is it like to work for a blind man who runs an art gallery? Or for an aging club kid who administers a university classics department? These outre characters make an artful spectacle of daily life. Some strive to be center stage and others struggle to be seen, but all soldier on in the margins. In this world, you may board a familiar bus or train and find yourself in some shady netherworld, or skipping past midnight on New Year’s Eve. There is sex with ghosts. And the incessant GPS voice that mocks the last moments of a longtime love.

A celebration of the ridiculous and a tour through stations of longing, this diverse collection will thrill devotees and new fans alike.