The Ghoulish Times | 06.11.25
Hello and welcome to the latest issue of The Ghoulish Times. My name is Max Booth and this is my free spooky newsletter. I am currently on my 15th listen of Aesop Rock’s Black Hole Superette while typing this email up. I mean 15th time total. Not just while writing this email. I am not insane. I’m tables (that’s an anagram for “I’m stable”). I am running a load of laundry. This time regular clothes, not a bed or a pile of blankets soaked with dog piss. I am kicking a ball over and over across the living room for my dog, who pushes it back to me under the laptop and yips and yaps until I kick it again. The ball glows in the dark. It is an illuminated green orb that fuels our dreams as we sleep. I am multi-tasking. I am thriving. I am breathing air and sending it back out. I don’t need it forever, only a little bit. I am transmitting thoughts to a secret village that exists on a planet far, far away. I am telling them to hug their loved ones and take care of their neighbors. I am telling them that property is imaginary and borders are fiction. I am telling them to never invent police. I am telling them about the beauty in art. They’ve left me on READ but that’s okay. I know they all have stuff to do. I know they have deadlines to meet.
Now here are some things I have to tell you.
If you’re a local ghoul, our bookshop will be CLOSED tomorrow (Thursday, June 12th) and we will reopen Friday from 11-5pm. In the meantime, feel free to shop on our webstore.
OH SHIT WATCH OUT IT’S A NEW PODCAST
On the latest episode of GHOULISH, I am joined by Michigan legend Joel Potrykus to discuss his new film, VULCANIZADORA! We also discuss FACES (and TRACES) OF DEATH, the awful beauty of Godsmack's "Voodoo", and finding pornography in the woods.
Listen HERE or anywhere else you listen to podcasts.
The Shirley Jackson Awards recently announced their nominations for projects released in 2024, and Ghoulish Books is fortunate enough to have our book BURY YOUR GAYS: AN ANTHOLOGY OF TRAGIC QUEER HORROR on the list.
Our editor, Sofia Ajram, did such an incredible job putting this book together, and all of the authors involved gave us their absolute best work. I’m thrilled to see this anthology getting some recognition.
It was also nominated for a Bram Stoker Award! which I think will be decided…this weekend at Stokercon? is that right? oh shit, fingers crossed! I won’t personally be attending, but Sofia will be! Their novella COUP DE GRACE was also nominated! Check out his schedule below and say hi for me:
But wait! I’m not done talking about the Shirley Jackson Awards. Did you think I was actually finished? Oh my god. How embarrassing for you.
Nadia Bulkin’s novella Red Skies in the Morning was also nominated. This was published by Dim Shores last year as a limited run, which sold out immediately, and has not been available since then. Why is that relevant here? Well, for one thing, Nadia Bulkin is easily one of the best short-story writers alive. We should always be celebrating her! But also! also! We (Ghoulish freakin’ Books) are publishing her new collection, Issues with Authority, later this year—and this collection just so happens to include her Shirley Jackson-nominated novella. Soooo…if you haven’t already pre-ordered it, surely (shirley!) you’ve been convinced now.
Did we mention all paperback pre-orders from our webstore come with a signed author sticker? PRE-ORDER.
but wait! but wait! I’m STILL not done talking about the Shirley Jackson Awards, because do you know what ELSE was nominated? The wonderful Cursed Morsels anthology WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST LEAVE? edited by Julia Rios and Nadia Bulkin (yes, we’re not done talking about Nadia either!). I mention it here because this anthology happens to include one of my own short stories, titled “AITA for setting my dad’s trailer on fire?” I think it’s pretty good! Buy it HERE.
okay NOW I’m done talking about these awards. FOR NOW.
Also I don’t know if I’ve actually listened to that Aesop Rock album 15 times. I haven’t been keeping count. It IS excellent, though. Highly recommended.
My washing machine just clicked. It’s time to fill our dryer with my wet, sopping fabrics.
Anyway, as always, abolish ICE and defund the fascist police.
Goodbye.
—max