THE WOODPILE: Centaur Love

We figure you're probably getting a bit tired of all of this kindling talk in the online world, when you can't see any of it here. That's part of the whole kindling shtick though - "real words on real paper" - and we've already had a few purists ridicule us for offering an electronic subscription. 

But as readers ourselves, we also thought it'd be helpful to show  samples of published kindling pieces online, along with a bit of commentary from the editors and the writer. We want to know what you think too, so leave a comment at the bottom if you have something interesting to say. 

The point: we're going to start posting a single piece of published kindling here - in "THE WOODPILE" - every few weeks. 

Here's the first one: Centaur Love by Brian Moll (bio) from Issue 1 (October 2011).

It was the first piece written for kindling, so it seemed like a fitting inaugural feature for THE WOODPILE. Of course Brian is also one of the editors (the other one is writing this) so it was an easy choice. She's a little biased. 

Let me clear up one rumor right now: penis references are NOT a prerequisite to publication in kindling. Do they help? Sometimes. We do like funny, and penises are some of the funniest organs out there. (NOTE: we do not advocate bestiality)


So, what do we like about an off-beat freakshow like Centaur Love? For me, it's all about the voice: it's honest, it's conversational, and it has personality. 


I asked Brian for some insight into the piece, but he was being all opaque and artistic about it - that is to say, he gave me nothing. Scratch that, he said it was autobiographical.