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WRITER ADDRESSES MEAGER COVERAGE OF WORKERS IN TODAY’S LITERATURE, DECLARES NEW GENREWRITER AD
Added: (Sun Apr 21 2002)
Where are the workers, the regular, everyday people in today’s literature? Why are they so hard to find? A new book addresses the meager coverage of this group, a collection of stories called SON OF MASS PRODUCTION, by Ken Greenley. It heralds the beginning of a new genre called worker lit—literature that is mainly about working people, the lower income crowd, people who can’t move up, or don’t care to—people on the fringes of society, and until now, literature. The book has just been added to the Amazon.com lineup.
“We get plenty of books about upper-middle class angst, and suburban family break-ups, yuppie cocaine addicts and corporate psychopaths, but we see precious little about wage-earners, or the less well-off in general.” Greenley says, addressing the problem. “You’d think there would be, because we lead interesting lives, that are full of change, conflict and adjustment. But still. the majority of books out there are about the independently wealthy, Hollywood stars, or the upper middle class. The worker lit movement seeks to explore alternative characters, lives, thoughts and themes. Who would you rather read about—comfortable people who have it all, but still find a way to fall apart—or down to earth people who face serious obstacles through no fault of their own, and try hard anyway?”
SON OF MASS PRODUCTION AND OTHER HIGH-TECH TALES is a collection of 23 short stories about strange occupations, weird workmates, first-time childhood experiences and political satire. These are stories that confront present realities, rather than paint an artificially rosy picture for the reader. This is a book that struggles against a wave of brainwashing, that exposes the underbelly of our mass-production, mass consumption culture from a worker's point of view. In a day and age when workers seem to have been left out of fiction, there are several stories about factory workers struggling through a world more machine than human. There are several satirical pieces addressing the right-wing drift of the US in the last twenty years. Although the book explores a lot of social and political themes, it isn't afraid to wander back into childhood to capture a few poignant first-time experiences. The book presents a realistic, truthful and sometimes even painful look at life in modern America, but gives the reader a few good laughs along the way. From cover to cover, across a wide range of subjects, Son of Mass Production gives a fresh and direct look at things we all can relate to.
Harvey Pekar, cartoonist and critic, creator of American Splendor comics, Cleveland, Ohio:
“He does a good job of hitting the right tone, striking a nice balance between being irreverent and being seriously outraged.....all the stories indicate Greenley is a compassionate guy with a good sense of humor. And that’s an impressive literary accomplishment.”
Esther Vincent, Marginal Distributors, Peterborough, Canada
"a collection of stories which illustrate the issues and inequities, that the author, a man of many jobs, has been frustrated by as much, if not more-so than the rest of us. The undercurrents of hope and justice make you want to keep reading these straightforward tales of modern life."
Bernie Abrams, Hackettstown Star-Gazette, Hackettstown, New Jersey
"Social consciousness runs through this first collection of Ken Greenley’s stories like ore veins through a mountain....at moments Greenley’s prose reads like poetry, keeping some of his social pronouncements from preachiness. You can dip into his mind and come away refreshed.”
Ken Greenley is a writer who lives in Denver, Colorado. The number of places he’s lived is only exceeded by the number of jobs he’s had. Greenley is mainly interested in the themes of class division (in a supposedly classless country), the struggle to stay spiritual in the modern world, and the growth episodes that occur in childhood. He thinks art, particularly writing, should combat media brainwashing, and should examine the clash between what we’re told and what really happens. But he also tries to make his material as funny as he can, because, “I’m trying to make people think and laugh at the same time.”
To Order:
U.S.: www.amazon.com
Canada: Marginal Distribution– www.marginalbook.com
Title: Son of Mass Production and Other High-Tech Tales
Author: Ken Greenley
Publisher: Improbable Productions
303-722-2703
Genre – Contemporary fiction/Satire
128 pages
10 illustrations
ISBN: 0-9632326-0-6
15.00 Trade paperback
To see some of Ken Greenley’s other work:
iniquitypress.com
(Look under author’s name at bottom of the webpage)
Contact Information:
Improbable Productions
33 Clarkson St. #3
Denver, CO 80218
(303) 722-2703
e-mail: kvgreenley@cs.com
Where are the workers, the regular, everyday people in today’s literature? Why are they so hard to find? A new book addresses the meager coverage of this group, a collection of stories called SON OF MASS PRODUCTION, by Ken Greenley. It heralds the beginning of a new genre called worker lit—literature that is mainly about working people, the lower income crowd, people who can’t move up, or don’t care to—people on the fringes of society, and until now, literature. The book has just been added to the Amazon.com lineup.
“We get plenty of books about upper-middle class angst, and suburban family break-ups, yuppie cocaine addicts and corporate psychopaths, but we see precious little about wage-earners, or the less well-off in general.” Greenley says, addressing the problem. “You’d think there would be, because we lead interesting lives, that are full of change, conflict and adjustment. But still. the majority of books out there are about the independently wealthy, Hollywood stars, or the upper middle class. The worker lit movement seeks to explore alternative characters, lives, thoughts and themes. Who would you rather read about—comfortable people who have it all, but still find a way to fall apart—or down to earth people who face serious obstacles through no fault of their own, and try hard anyway?”
SON OF MASS PRODUCTION AND OTHER HIGH-TECH TALES is a collection of 23 short stories about strange occupations, weird workmates, first-time childhood experiences and political satire. These are stories that confront present realities, rather than paint an artificially rosy picture for the reader. This is a book that struggles against a wave of brainwashing, that exposes the underbelly of our mass-production, mass consumption culture from a worker's point of view. In a day and age when workers seem to have been left out of fiction, there are several stories about factory workers struggling through a world more machine than human. There are several satirical pieces addressing the right-wing drift of the US in the last twenty years. Although the book explores a lot of social and political themes, it isn't afraid to wander back into childhood to capture a few poignant first-time experiences. The book presents a realistic, truthful and sometimes even painful look at life in modern America, but gives the reader a few good laughs along the way. From cover to cover, across a wide range of subjects, Son of Mass Production gives a fresh and direct look at things we all can relate to.
Harvey Pekar, cartoonist and critic, creator of American Splendor comics, Cleveland, Ohio:
“He does a good job of hitting the right tone, striking a nice balance between being irreverent and being seriously outraged.....all the stories indicate Greenley is a compassionate guy with a good sense of humor. And that’s an impressive literary accomplishment.”
Esther Vincent, Marginal Distributors, Peterborough, Canada
"a collection of stories which illustrate the issues and inequities, that the author, a man of many jobs, has been frustrated by as much, if not more-so than the rest of us. The undercurrents of hope and justice make you want to keep reading these straightforward tales of modern life."
Bernie Abrams, Hackettstown Star-Gazette, Hackettstown, New Jersey
"Social consciousness runs through this first collection of Ken Greenley’s stories like ore veins through a mountain....at moments Greenley’s prose reads like poetry, keeping some of his social pronouncements from preachiness. You can dip into his mind and come away refreshed.”
Ken Greenley is a writer who lives in Denver, Colorado. The number of places he’s lived is only exceeded by the number of jobs he’s had. Greenley is mainly interested in the themes of class division (in a supposedly classless country), the struggle to stay spiritual in the modern world, and the growth episodes that occur in childhood. He thinks art, particularly writing, should combat media brainwashing, and should examine the clash between what we’re told and what really happens. But he also tries to make his material as funny as he can, because, “I’m trying to make people think and laugh at the same time.”
To Order:
U.S.: www.amazon.com
Canada: Marginal Distribution– www.marginalbook.com
Title: Son of Mass Production and Other High-Tech Tales
Author: Ken Greenley
Publisher: Improbable Productions
303-722-2703
Genre – Contemporary fiction/Satire
128 pages
10 illustrations
ISBN: 0-9632326-0-6
15.00 Trade paperback
To see some of Ken Greenley’s other work:
iniquitypress.com
(Look under author’s name at bottom of the webpage)
Contact Information:
Improbable Productions
33 Clarkson St. #3
Denver, CO 80218
(303) 722-2703
e-mail: kvgreenley@cs.com