I imagine Criminal Class Press as the Night Owl bus in Sam Allingham’s story, “Midnight Rider:”
“Everything is visible from the window of the Night Owl, in the northeast, near the terminus, the view extends in an endless series of empty lots, gone to seed with bargain-bin car dealerships and abandoned flavoring factories. The river seeps through the nude, rotting buildings (p94).”
All things failing, destroyed, or set for destruction fall into the editorial scope of Criminal Class Press. The above story, as printed in Criminal Class Review Vol. 3 No. 1 exemplifies this mission by creating a character of the midnight landscape. But you’ll notice that despite the hurried, unfiltered implications of a bar brawl, gutter soaked story, the passage above is skillfully crafted and hauntingly alluring. Kevin Whiteley, editor of the review, wants it this way. He wants a “gritty story with a sharp edge that he can ‘see’.” Even among the drunk and downtrodden, there’s room for precision.
This evident passion and determination to do things right, honestly, surprised me. The name Criminal Class Press, coupled with an invite for stories “so unbelievably crass and vindictive that no one else could bear to publish them” implies a certain level of immaturity. I base this on my history with dick-wagging stories, often set in bars, among criminals, where “intense” means shock-value and craft takes a backseat to the superficial and grotesque. But CCP is different. They are serious about creating a respected genre of the “scumbag’s voice.”
First, I received not just a review issue of their journal, but an entire press-kit. This is not to say that all publishers should send us full press-kits, but with my preconceived notions (above) already coloring my perception, the very professional, very informative collection of CCP materials demanded I approach with fair optimism. I opened the package with a smile.
Second, Whiteley’s interview at What to Wear During an Orange Alert (included in the press kit) presents a man truly living his material. He doesn’t simply produce the CCR image, he is a product of the CCR image. This is important when cultivating a reputation for “scumbag” literature. Traditionally, writing down-and-out fiction is a bit of a pissing contest, a proving ground for authors to out been-there-done-that each other. There is almost an understood biographical aspect to these dirty tales, even though, as readers, we know that Scott Palmer probably didn’t initiate a high speed cop chase in October 2000 (“Jail”), that M. L. Harrold probably wasn’t told to swallow semen because it was a “present” (“All Good Girls Get Presents”), or that Brian Murphy probably was never naked and handcuffed to a metal bench in the Custom’s holding area at Houston International Airport (“Fred the Fed”). But the intimacy and confidence of the language, paired with the unflinching presentation of taboo subjects invites such a blurred line between author and stories. And including pieces by Stephen Elliott and Jim Goad, both noted memoirists, doesn’t discourage that melding of personalities.
Third, CCR lets the content speak for their claims, opting for a fairly traditional layout and design. The Review doesn’t attempt to mask poor content with radical visuals. And likewise, it doesn’t package faulty material with slick presentation. In fact, aside from the courier typeface and the six interior illustrations, CCR is deceptively straightforward.
As a bonus, CCR seems open to new writers. Previously unpublished writers account for two of the nineteen contributions, one of which easily ranks among the top five pieces of the issue. Rik Villanueva’s “The Ties that Bind,” while perhaps too derivative of early Chuck Palahniuk work, still stands as a brilliant example of what Criminal Class Press is all about. When this guy publishes a novel, I’ll be one of the first in line to buy.
The respect Criminal Class Press has for the scumbag form is refreshing. Check out an issue or two. Buy a t-shirt. Submit your own “emotionally impaired, hard hearted, and vengeful-minded.”
From the Criminal Class Press site:
It is foreseen that CCP will be stereo-typed as a “pirate’s” publication or a “home for slackers’stories”. Ney, for this journal does not promote stupidity or facilitate forms of the feeble-minded. The stories solicited and submitted will possess class, wit, and swarth. It depicts the dramatic, downtrodden, and delusional details of the Criminal Class Elite. The quality of stories offered are the experiences of individuals that become unforgettable songs of the scene.
Visit:
Press homepage: Criminal Class Press
Purchase:
Direct from the press
Your baby is cute!
I love these niche publications, like the Sideshow Fables magazine that you and Nik are in. If you like the publication once, you’re pretty much going to be a fan for life.