Book Review - All in the wrist

It's dangerous to describe Broken Wrist Project: Book 1 as just another edgy art book, because to do so ignores its role as a strangely alluring literary journal. The genre-defying softcover is the first print product from a loose collective of Los Angeles artists who teamed up with a coterie of Chicago writers to resurrect the lost art of illustrated short stories.

The experiment mostly works. James Hughes' "The Secret Handshake" follows a newlywed couple's uncomfortable attempts to meet the neighbors, a socially awkward cast of oddballs who have nothing better to do than attend "mandatory" condo board meetings. The mopey story is saved from abject boredom by Kevin Christy's clever drawings.

Better is "Spaceman in the Trashcan," Dave Tompkins' dead-on portrait of the foibles of a late '70s summer camp for boys. The story truly benefits from the standout illustrations by Jeff Soto, who, in paintings that riff on vintage Boys' Life landscapes, perfectly captures an adolescence of clean white underwear and ball-busting wedgies.

Equally arresting are Derek Lerner's ink creations, which kick-start the volume. Using materials ranging from insurance company cancellation letters to old check stubs, Lerner's artwork suggests the quirky chaos that exists outside standardized form letters.

Leafing through Book 1, the collective's emphasis on visual impact over editorial content is clear. Which isn't a bad thing. Broken Wrist hinges on a richly appointed cast — artists whose work leaves us longing for future fractures.

$20. Available locally at Criminal Records, 466 Moreland Ave. 404-215-9511. <a href="http://www.brokenwristproject.com" target="_blank"target"new">www.brokenwristproject.com.

Seems we can't swing a dead cat in this city without smacking KT Kilborn upside the head with it. The local spoken-word artist performs at Outwrite Bookstore to welcome T Cooper, another one of those wacky grrl writers too cool to use periods in her name. Cooper comes to town to promote her new novel, Some of the Parts (Akashic). Indigo Girl Amy Ray also performs. Free. March 19, 7:30 p.m. 991 Piedmont Ave. 404-607-0082. www.outwritebooks.com.


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Shelf Space is a weekly column on books and Atlanta's literary scene.