Word

This book bridges the gap between traditional composition textbooks and beloved writing guides like Bird by Bird and Writing Down the Bones.

Professor Bellipanni's goal was simple: make writing less stuffy and more integrated into students' everyday lives—the way creative writers naturally approach their craft. The assignments reflect this philosophy: students walk campus to gather details for descriptive essays, debate the definition of "writing" itself, and experiment with backward narratives.

Perfect for:

  • Writing instructors seeking fresh, practical assignments
  • Students wanting to improve their writing skills
  • Writers looking for an informed yet accessible take on the craft

Instead of treating writing as something separate and academic, this book helps you weave it into your normal life—making the process more natural, engaging, and effective.

Metafiction
Experimental fiction explores truths about human experience that traditional realism can't reach. Among these experimental forms, metafiction stands out for fundamentally altering the reading experience.

Here's the challenge: metafiction deliberately blocks the usual ways you'd interpret a story. You can't rely on familiar reading habits—you have to shift your focus and expectations to find where the meaning lives. Success isn't about reading harder; it's about reading differently.

What you'll find in this book:

  • Original metafictional stories that put theory into practice
  • Brief explanations of each story's purpose and intention
  • A guide to locating meaning in unexpected places

Think of it as learning a new way to read—one that opens doors that realistic fiction keeps closed. Your approach determines whether the story reveals itself, and this book shows you how to make that shift.

Slippery Devils

Award-winning writer Jason Bellipanni's first comprehensive short story collection brings together fifteen years of acclaimed work. Many of these stories have appeared in literary journals, university texts, and international anthologies—including his widely-used literature text 50 Stories: How to Read and Write Experimental Fiction. Now, for the first time, they're collected in a single volume for general readers.

Bellipanni crafts utterly original stories with a distinctive voice and masterful command of language. Each piece balances intellectual depth with emotional resonance, creating narratives that are both thought-provoking and deeply felt.

What critics say:

Patrick McCabe (Booker-nominated author): Calls the work "courageous and fastidious...a writer well worth watching."

Dean Bakopoulos: Praises Bellipanni as "a dazzling writer...wholly original" whose "formidable and impressive" concepts are "woven into thematically rich but accessible narratives."

Lewis Robinson: Notes how the stories "gather momentum through accumulation of ingenious detail" and are "driven by ideas and informed by experience."

These stories will stay with you long after you finish the final page.

Fifty Stories

This collection explores four types of experimental fiction—Science Fiction, Surrealism, Absurdism, and Metafiction—each pushing beyond the boundaries of traditional storytelling to reveal deeper truths about human experience.

 

Experimental fiction challenges readers to approach stories differently. Instead of following familiar narrative patterns, you'll need to shift your expectations and look for meaning in unexpected places. The payoff? Access to parts of human experience that conventional realism can't quite reach.

 

Each story in this collection includes brief notes explaining the author's purpose and intention, helping you navigate these unconventional narratives. Think of it as a guided tour through the outer limits of fiction, where the rules change but the discoveries are worth the journey.