kyle minor – photographs, stories, films

author photo

how to disappear and why, a new book of essays, will be published by sarabande books on may 28, 2024.

it will be my first book since praying drunk, in 2014. it is about the ways people disappear, their reasons for disappearing, and the lives into which they disappear. In eight unconventional essays, it considers Uber driving, artistic and religious ecstasy, ghosts and grief, around-the-world yacht racing, class mobility and conformity, post-Soviet and post-Holocaust exile, narcissism, synesthesia, and the junk temples and secret doors that can derail or enrich our lives.

most of the essays are new, although one, “the uber diaries,” first appeared in new ohio review, and another incorporates a portion of an essay I wrote for the new york times book review. the essay titles, if you’re interested:

∙ how to disappear and why ∙
∙ a theory of ghosts ∙
∙ the uber diaries ∙
∙ on the desire to reject narcissism ∙
∙ the lizard, the stink, the bear, the game, the road to somewhere ∙
∙ hiding in plain sight ∙
∙ junk temples ∙
∙ the sickness and the song ∙

scott county, indiana

fire prayers at hiroshima

fireworks in missouri

objects, shadows, abstractions

the vogue

faces in indianapolis

bicycles in hiroshima

the orchestra

ghosts wearing clothes in a tunnel a mile from hell

older books in print

bio

kyle minor is the author of praying drunk, winner of the 2015 story prize spotlight award. recent stories, essays, interviews, and reviews appear online and in print in best american mystery stories, best american nonrequired reading, esquire, the atlantic, salon, iowa review, missouri review, story magazine, and the new york times book review.

selected post-praying drunk work in print

  • “a kidnapping in koulev-ville,” a short story, in the normal school, reprinted in best american mystery stories, and streamed through the new york public library subway stories series
  • “the uber diaries,” an essay, in new ohio review
  • “the secret to happiness,” a novella, in missouri review
  • “notes on harm reduction,” an essay, in make magazine chicago
  • “night at the fiestas,” a review of kirstin valdez quade’s terrific story collection, in the new york times book review
  • “soldier,” a novella co-written with james yoder, forthcoming in booth
  • “mild blue dream,” a story, forthcoming in gulf coast
  • “suspended,” a reprinted story, forthcoming in best of brevity
  • additional stories, essays, poems, and miscellany in bennington review, outlook springs, hobart, relief journal, ocean state review, saw palm, arkansas international, acm: another chicago magazine, the believer logger, and tin house online

some recent preoccupations

lynsey addario, it’s what i do: a photographer’s life of love and war.
bong joon ho, parasite.
denis johnson, angels.
ryszard kapuscinski, another day of life
konagada, vimeo video essays.
olivia laing, the lonely city
yiyun li, what has that to do with me.
peter morgan, the crown.
murch and ondaatje, the conversations
katherine anne porter, pale horse, pale rider.
dee rees, the last thing he wanted.
josh and benny safdie, daddy longlegs, goldman v silverman, good time, heaven knows what, and uncut gems.

fifty favorite jazz albums

  1. ole, john coltrane
  2. black saint and the sinner lady, charles mingus
  3. brilliant corners, thelonius monk
  4. sketches of spain, miles davis
  5. the shape of jazz to come, ornette coleman
  6. bitches brew, miles davis
  7. time for tyner, mccoy tyner
  8. song for my father, horace silver
  9. kelan philip cohran & the hypnotic brass ensemble
  10. blues and the abstract truth, oliver nelson
  11. thelonious monk, thelonious monk trio
  12. cubana be, cubana bop (compilation), dizzy gillespie
  13. gulag orkestar, beirut
  14. time out, dave brubeck quartet
  15. somethin’ else, cannonball adderley
  16. moanin’, art blakey and the jazz messengers
  17. kind of blue, miles davis
  18. out to lunch, eric dolphy
  19. pastel blues, nina simone
  20. head hunters, herbie hancock
  21. mingus mingus mingus mingus mingus, charles mingus
  22. sahara, mccoy tyner
  23. mingus ah-um, charles mingus
  24. back at the chicken shack, jimmy smith
  25. monk’s dream, thelonius monk
  26. electric bath, don ellis orchestra
  27. ascenseur pour l’echafaud, miles davis
  28. the clown, charles mingus
  29. pithecanthropus erectus, charles mingus
  30. root down, jimmy smith
  31. the sidewinder, lee morgan
  32. blue train, john coltrane
  33. a love supreme, john coltrane
  34. in pursuit of the 27th man, horace silver
  35. the real mccoy, mccoy tyner
  36. live-evil, miles davis
  37. jack johnson, miles davis
  38. unit structures, cecil taylor
  39. big band bossa nova, quincy jones
  40. oh yeah, charles mingus
  41. underground, thelonious monk
  42. money jungle, ellington mingus & roach
  43. blow-up soundtrack, herbie hancock
  44. saxophone colossus, sonny rollins
  45. illumination!, elvin jones
  46. self-titled, clifford brown and max roach
  47. study in brown, clifford brown
  48. the sermon, jimmy smith
  49. afro-cuban, kenny dorham
  50. jazz advance, cecil taylor
                                       *updated monthly