Laughing Bear Newsletter reviews Richard Grayson's THE GREATEST SHORT STORY THAT ABSOLUTELY EVER WAS

Laughing Bear Newsletter #23 (Fall 1990) reviews Richard Grayson's The Greatest Short Story That Absolutely Ever Was.

THE GREATEST SHORT STORY THAT ABSOLUTELY EVER WAS

By Richard Grayson

(price unknown; Lowlands Press, 6109 Magazine, New Orleans, LA 70118; 64-page chapbook)

Richard Grayson's short stories have been a delight for the past 15 years or so. They add spice to innumerable magazines, and here, in his sixth book, they're gathered in an irresistable collection.

Laughing Bear Newsletter reviews Richard Grayson's NARCISSISM AND ME

Laughing Bear Newsletter #29 (August 1990) reviews Richard Grayson's Narcissism and Me:


Narcissism and Me
by Richard Grayson
($5.00 + $1.00 p&h;
Mule & Mule, Publishers,
350 West 85th Street,
New York, NY 10024-3822)

Grayson's humor is best presented straight-forward and deadpan. This book's coated white cover and bold black type are clean, sharp, and demand attention.

Richard's work deserves a well-designed showcase. His experimental fiction combines humor with tragic touches to create real stories instead of jokes, and he's willing to take chances rather than go for an easy laugh. At the heart of his work, he can create sympathetic characters. Humor without strong characterization falls flat. Richard's short fictions are full of real people who stumble into the surreal and surreal people who happen to be real.