“Part Kafka-esque dystopia, part Lord of the Flies, part modern allegory, James R. Gapinski’s novella Edge of the Known Bus Line takes us on a one-way trip to the end of civilization and the beginning of what it means to be human.”

–Melissa Reddish, author of Girl & Flame

“This is a bus we’ve all been on, and this is a town we all carry around with us. The only question is: will James R. Gapinski let us out where we want, or where we deserve?”

–Stephen Graham Jones, author of Mongrels

“The apocalyptic nightmare that James R. Gapinski conjures is unsettling from the start . . . We are led through this strange world by a freelance butcher who becomes an unlikely hero in a rotting state where dead ravens litter the landscape and starvation is endemic. This horrifying, bleak tale is also blackly comic. Swallow it whole.”

–Laura Ellen Joyce, author of The Luminol Reels

“Disturbingly hilarious and weirdly affecting, Gapinski’s novella is a stunning fable about what it means to live in late capitalism, an answer to our great predicament: how, indeed, do we ‘carve something dead into something that matters’? Hallucinatory, savage, but ultimately hopeful, Edge of the Known Bus Line is a bloody bible for our times.”

–Maryse Meijer, author of Heartbreaker

Edge of the Known Bus Line

Etchings Press, University of Indianapolis

ISBN 978-0-9988976-0-8

134 pages

Published May, 2018

Purchase Here

In Edge of the Known Bus Line, a woman’s daily commute takes an abrupt turn when she’s dropped off in a grotesque shantytown. The townsfolk live in huts and tents scavenged from broken trinkets. They eat dead rats and human flesh. They’ve developed cult-like religions about miracle bus routes that will someday set them free. The narrator searches for a way out of this surreal hellscape while dredging up a few nightmares of her own.

Edge of the Known Bus Line

2018 Book Tour

Stops in five different cities. Local and visiting authors join James R. Gapinski to celebrate Edge of the Known Bus Line. Readings, conversations, and book signings. Find out more about each event below.

August 29th, 2018 @ 6:30pm
“Two Hour Transport”

Cafe Racer
5828 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105

At this sci-fi and fantasy reading series, the event begins with an open mic sign-up. After the open readings conclude, James R. Gapinski shares his work as the featured reader.

More on the venue here: http://caferacerseattle.com

More on the reading series here: https://twohourtransport.wordpress.com

Find this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/254529598519700/

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August 30th, 2018 @ 7:00pm

Author reading, conversation, and book signing

Boswell Book Company

2559 N. Downer Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53211

Wisconsin native James R. Gapinski returns to his home state for a reading at Boswell book Company in the heart of Milwaukee. He’ll be sharing an excerpt from his new novella, Edge of the Known Bus Line. A short author conversation and book signing will follow.

More on the venue here: https://www.boswellbooks.com

Find this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/2095734467315361

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August 31st, 2018 @ 6:30pm

James R. Gapinski in conversation with Maryse Meijer

City Lit Books

2523 N. Kedzie Blvd., Chicago, IL 60647

Join James R. Gapinski and Maryse Meijer for a conversation about writing, serial killers, public transit, and whatever else comes up. James will be reading a short excerpt from Edge of the Known Bus Line, and a book signing with James and Maryse will follow the conversation.

More on the venue here: https://www.citylitbooks.com

Find this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/235466613772431/

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September 1st, 2018 @ 7:00pm

Reading and book signing

Eat My Words Bookstore

214 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN, 55413

James R. Gapinski celebrates the release of his new novella, Edge of the Known Bus Line, at Eat My Words Bookstore. At this event, local and visiting writers will also share their work, with readings from Maya Beck, Madeline Reding, Kathryn Savage, and Erin Sharkey.

More on the venue here: http://www.eatmywordsbooks.com/

Find this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/310384182866216/

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September 6th, 2018 @ 7:00pm

James R. Gapinski author reading

Another Read Through

3932 N Mississippi Ave, Portland, OR 97227

James R. Gapinski wraps up his reading tour with his hometown of Portland, Oregon. Join us at Another Read Through on Mississippi Avenue for a reading, Q&A, and book signing.

More on the venue here: https://www.anotherreadthrough.com/

Find this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/271003267062884/

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