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3 min read

6.27.2025

the middle of your brain
photo: street scene: bicycle, contractor's truck: IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT, WE CAN CREATE IT
street scene: bicycle, contractor's truck: IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT, WE CAN CREATE IT

Finding the sweet spot where art and social conscience intersect is a rare talent. One of the few people I know who does it well – and I include my own mother https://kittydonohoe.com/ on that list – is Luke O’Neil. Luke is the publisher of the newsletter Welcome to Hell World, which features essayists and storytellers concerned about the human condition and this moment of perpetual crisis we all feel stuck in. He gave me a space a couple years ago when I was in desperate need of encouragement and I'll always be grateful.

Luke's own stories show up in Hell World but can be found all over the place. He rolls them out in a raw and casual prose that goes right to the middle of your brain.  At the risk of inducing writer comparison syndrome I'll say his work reminds me, sometimes, of Grace Paley. I’m sure he devoured Barthelme back in the day and I know for a fact that he and I are both devotees of the hilarious antipoet James Tate.

Anyway, Luke has a new book coming out, We Had it Coming. The announcement came as I was putting together this week’s posts on this very theme. His last book, A Creature Wanting Form was what I needed to read when I read it and I'm really looking forward to sitting down with this one. It's out in August and available for pre-order. I plan on getting a physical copy as soon as I have a table or shelf to set it on.

We Had it Coming
A haunting yet darkly humorous exploration of a world teetering on the edge of collapse. In stories that pulse with both the familiar and the uncanny, O’Neil’s characters struggle to survive in a reality rife with violence, climate catastrophe, and the crushing weight of modern life. From the threat of police brutality to the absurdity of predatory healthcare, his sharp observations of societal decay leave a lasting impact. Yet, in the midst of the turmoil, his signature wit emerges—offering moments of levity that deepen the poignancy of the human condition. Blending short stories, poetry, and micro-fiction, O’Neil’s stream-of-consciousness style and inventive sentence structures draw the reader into a mesmerizing rhythm, making this collection as thought-provoking as it is unforgettable. Fans of his previous work A Creature Wanting Form will find a continuation of his unique voice, while new readers will be captivated by his unflinching portrayal of survival in a world gone awry.
OR BooksLUKE O’NEIL
Welcome to Hell World
Welcome to Hell World
A Creature Wanting Form
A Creature Wanting Form is a bleakly funny work of fiction from a journalist widely celebrated for his wry, mordant take on life.
OR BooksLUKE O’NEIL

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JAckles