On "Icewater" by William Walsh (3483 words) ***

Here's a sort of old-fashioned story. Nicely wrought prose with well-wrought characters. Walsh uses names that play on words the way that Thomas Pyncheon or Joseph Heller do. In his portrayal, Dirty Tungsten and her mother, Vida, come across like the love-struck daughter and concerned matriarch that they are. Moper Fax, the object of that love, is an oddity (sort of vegetarian, intent on making sure his future wife can make ice water properly)--but a lovable one. You can read more about them here at Wheelhouse.

On “Punch-Drunk Love” by William Walsh (867 words) ****

Titular is a really interesting journal in that it asks writers to take another’s title (from a book, movie, or TV show) and write something brand new with the same title. The results are always fun, though the concept, while leading to some interesting pieces, haven’t really spoken to me as short stories. (And in trying to do one myself, I can see why. I don’t start off with titles--that’s the last thing I assign--so switching it up is difficult and, for me, has yet to bear any fruit with which I’m satisfied.) This piece here, however, by William Walsh is one of the most successful of the items up at Titular that I’ve seen. Essentially a dialogue between two brothers, according to Walsh, one a hermit and one vagrant, it manages to get inside the head of these people and create something heartfelt, sincere, and singular. (In fact, I think one could read the story as that of a single man--the brothers have some commonality.) Each line is a piece of poetry. Each line is could be the start of its own story. These are interesting men, though not necessarily men I’d want to know. Read the story here at Titular.