Hitotoki: (n.) a single moment; one’s moment; a point in time.
Hitotoki.org is is a new literary site collecting stories of personal, singular experiences in cities worldwide. Think of it as the Harvard version of Craigslist or something, with a vastly higher design standard. The site started as a place for people to share stories from their encounters around Tokyo, and these stories are stunningly well written. Take, for example, this short tale about a young girl on the train. The sadness portrayed in just a few paragraphs was enough to make even my bitter, New-Yorkified heart warm up a bit…“No one waved back.”
And it seems that my cold NY heart won’t be the only one thawing out soon. Hitotoki has set its sights on the Big Apple for its next set of literary tales. They’re currently hosting a call for entries for stories about encounters in New York. The deadline is August 31st for a September site launch. From their site: “We’re looking for short narratives describing pivotal moments of elation, confusion, absurdity, love or grief — or anything in between — inseparably tied to a specific place in New York City.” Submit your entries or subscribe to their NY feed here.
–Danny Nathan
Being able to fit a book in your back pocket is a dream for urban dwellers. The problem is that that book is probably either a cheesy guidebook or a moleskin. The Cupboard is taking the pocket-size book market very seriously, by inviting an author to write a collection of very short stories that fit in very thin books. We were ecstatic to see they invited Jesse Ball to complete their first edition. We first discovered Jesse Ball in the Paris Review years ago, after which he received much deserved acclaim for his books March Book and Vera & Linus. The stories are one or two pages, which is perfect when you have five minutes to kill. And the literature is good enough for multiple reads.
