Stielstra writes beautifully and kinetically. Her work possesses a rare aural quality, no doubt the result of spending so much time onstage, or even in front of a classroom…. in Everyone Remain Calm, she gleefully tests the boundaries of the short-story form. —Time Out Chicago
“In this debut collection of stories from the Joyland imprint at ECW Press, Megan Stielstra will explain the following in revealing detail: how to develop relationships with convicted felons and 1970s TV characters; how not to have a threesome with your roommate; the life and death nature of teaching creative writing; and what happens when discount birth control is advertised on Craigslist. Witty, tough, imaginative, and hot-blooded, Megan Stielstra’s fiction and first person reporting are the missing links between Raymond Carver and David Sedaris.”
Interviews about the stories in Everyone Remain Calm are up at The Nervous Breakdown, Hypertext, and Shareable; there’s an essay about the research process at Necessary Fiction; and this awesome video by KBH Media:
Everyone Remain Calm is available as an eBook from ECW Press, The Book Cellar, Word Brooklyn, Amazon, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, Google, Apple, or Sony.
Nice people have said nice things:
Here’s the thing about Megan Stielstra: she has a profound understanding of where we all go in our minds, and the unique ability to turn it into a story that sounds like your new best friend is telling it to you. You know, the kind where you’re going “Oh my god that totally happened to me” or “It’s like you see inside my head” until she gets to the part where there’s suddenly a marching band following her down the street or she’s sleeping with the Incredible Hulk or having a three-way which is the part where you go “Okay that didn’t happen to me but damn, why does it still seem like it did?” Megan Stielstra brings it to the party and rocks it.—Elizabeth Crane, We Only Know So Much
Everyone Remain Calm is a rarity: a bold, imaginative, and cunning collection of stories. Spanning a wide variety of styles, forms, and tones, the language here is unapologetically inventive and often humorous, while the sentiments are deeply heartfelt. Ms. Stielstra’s inimitable voice is a fiercely unique creation.—Joe Meno, The Great Perhaps
Megan Stielstra’s voice is so palpable, so immediate and vibrantly alive, it feels as though she’s standing right in front of you, sashaying her hips a little and maybe occasionally breaking into song, making you laugh so hard you don’t quite notice when you start to cry. A trickster constantly unpacking and upending what is meant by “fiction,” “truth” and “storytelling,” Stielstra has ultimately created a charming style wholly her own.—Gina Frangello, A Life in Men
When you read Megan Stielstra’s stories, you’ll feel like the coolest, most interesting gal in the bar just pulled a seat up next to you—lucky you. She tells tales of dangerous women, broken women, explosive women, real and magical women, all of whom you’ll have a hell of a good time getting to know as you watch them get ready to take flight.—Claire Zulkey, An Off Year
This book gave me a boner.—Samantha Irby, Bitches Gotta Eat