On "Of Wires" by J. A. Tyler (219 words) ****

This is a short doozy of a tale. Tyler takes the old fairy tale of Rapunzel and adds in a robot of sorts. But really, it's a story about a relationship got dormant and one man's (or robot's) attempt to restore it. Perhaps the fact that I've recently gone through--or still am going through--such an experience is why I found this story such an effective metaphor for the process of grieving a relationship that ends in silence. Read the story, along with two other shorts, here at Red Fez.

On "He Did and He Didn’t" by J. A. Tyler (1063 words) ***

The work of J. A. Tyler, the editor of Mudlucious, that I've read has always been extremely well written and very lyrical. This piece is no exception to that. What stands out here, though, is the way he's able to turn that language to his advantage in telling the story of one man's obsession. Even as he feels himself falling apart in the face of his responsibilities, he also finds himself falling apart in the face of another human being. I've had a few times where women managed to do this to my head--one's feelings about it are, well, complex and contradictory, and that comes through in Tyler's piece. Read the story here at MFA/MFYou (an interesting journal devoted to comparing MFA writing and experiences to non-MFA writing and experiences).

On "& (sixty-nine)" by J. A. Tyler (223 words) ****

Here's a story I love almost completely because of the language, the way the words rustle across my lips as I read. It's short. It's more a poem than a story. But what a wonderful, beautiful little piece, all about writing a story. This story. Read it here at Keyhole Magazine.