A Terrifying Brush with Optimism: New and Selected Stories [Paperback]

A collection of new and selected works from Lambda Literary Award and Asian-American Literary Award winner Brian Leung.

In a cultural moment where folks are stripped of the their dignity or shed it willingly, the figures in this book wonder at the utility of maintaining their own. There's a touch of Hamlet's question in there along with some I Ching. Can monkeys pray? Are we better off living in the real world or a speculative one?

Through an essay, a novella, and short and flash fiction pieces,A Terrifying Brush with Optimismis at once leaping, thoughtful, diverse, comic, and brooding.USBrian Leung,author ofAll I Should Not Tell, Ivy vs. Dogg: With a Cast of Thousands!, World Famous Love Acts, Lost Men,andTake Me Home,is a past recipient of theLambda Literary Outstanding Mid-Career Prize.Other honors include the Asian-American Literary Award, Willa Award, and the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction. Brian’s fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry have appeared widely in outlets likeGulf Coast, Story, The Barcelona Review, Crab Orchard Review, Indiana Review,and elsewhere. He is a professor at Purdue University.

Past Praise for Brian Leung’sWorld Famous Love Acts: 

“Each story asks a pointedly difficult question: What happens when we let our most coveted relationships deteriorate under the stress of plain ol’ everyday living? Leung reveals a plethora of fascinating answers with beautiful, concise prose and unwavering empathy.”

—Entertainment Weekly  

“In his first book, a collection of remarkable short stories, Leung depicts a dispersion of townsfolk. . . .Each character’s intimate tale hints at traversing spaces—physical, emotional, or cultural—and yet many are connected to the simple, almost mystical town of Blue Falls.”

—Out Mló: