Some Words About the Words (Daily Planet email #926)

“Description of a Snuggle” first appeared in “Men’s Home Journal.” “What the Butler Ate” was initially published in Vegan Attitudes Catalog #93 due to a misunderstanding. We have made it edible this time, but welcome any confirmation. “Hey, Lookit that Wine” was originally published in Wine Spectator, to no great avail, and “Intentionally Blank” first appeared on a gravestone, not the author’s, not yet, you’d think he’d be the first to know, yes? Yes.

“All-Day Thumbsucker” previously appeared in Max Brod’s Super Annual Compendium of Fun Games and Wacky Parables, volume 62. “Then Play Yon” was first delivered as a wedding speech to Viscount Don Seconal and Dr. Nancy Lil McGill on the occasion of their first wedding. It has been lengthened for publication, edited for broadcast, dried and plaited like sweetgrass, placed in water for dispersal, then in due course subsequently lost later on afterwards and rewritten from memory and kitchen scraps with erratic improvement, then published in Practical Fishkeeping.

Themes and concepts in “Therefore Art Thou Linklater?” first appeared in LiveJournal, Avogadro’s Tri-Quarterly, and a bowl of alphabet soup in a slightly-altered version. What purports to be the ending of “Breadth of the Mild” was suggested by a coffee stain on the in-flight edition of L’Aventura pamphlet, Air Kazakhstan, 4Q 1994. The blank paper on page 128 is a literary cover version of 4’33 and is by no means a mistake, nope, it ain’t. “Elderflower Sawzall” and “Clytemnestra, Shiny Tree” first appeared in a dream — did you see it, too?

The book’s paper first appeared in an eastern white pine tree and the dog in the author’s photograph first appeared as Shutterstock 2050847408. The publisher said it would make the author seem more relatable, which just goes to show. Should’ve swapped the faces!

The book is set in Orhan Demibold, the Turkish script used by the ancient Janissaries of yore to write love letters, inter-office memos and public death warrants. Thrill to the dramatic descenders, and dig on that crazy leading! If it distracts you from the contents of the writing, then we will consider everything a success. Heck, we might anyway. Eyeballs is eyeballs and the content’s agnostic.