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New paperback edition; twenty artists illustrate twenty stories from the best-selling author of Hairstyles of the Damned.

"Eclectic, funny, constantly surprising--these are the things a short story collection should be allowed to be, and Joe Meno's Demons in the Spring absolutely is. Add to his rock solid prose and big heart a wonderful idea--how each story is illustrated by a modern master--then you have a rich, unforgettable stew of a book."
--Dave Eggers

"An inspired collection of twenty stories, brilliant in its command of tone and narrative perspective . . . Creativity and empathy mark the collection . . . Illustrations enhance the already vivid storytelling."
--Kirkus Reviews, *starred review*

"Spanning worlds, generations, cultures and environments, each of Meno's short stories in this stellar collection explores depression, loneliness and insanity in the world, while never quite offering a clear solution or glimmer of hope . . . Catering to all the odd men out in the world, this short story collection succeeds word to word, sentence to sentence, and cover to cover."
--Publishers Weekly, *starred review*

"Meno knows just how to press a variety of emotional buttons ranging from giddy delight to not-quite-hopeless despair. Highly recommended."
--Library Journal

The limited edition hardcover of Demons in the Spring was a finalist for the 2009 Story Prize, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2008, a Time Out Chicago Best Book of 2008, and drew starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. It is a collection of twenty short stories, with illustrations by twenty artists from the fine art, graphic art, and comic book worlds--including Todd Baxter, Kelsey Brookes, Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, Nick Butcher, Steph Davidson, Evan Hecox, Paul Hornschemeier, Cody Hudson, Caroline Hwang, kozyndan, The Little Friends of Printmaking, Geoff McFetridge, Lauren Nassef, Anders Nilsen, Archer Prewitt, Jon Resh, Jay Ryan, Souther Salazar, Rachell Sumpter, and Chris Uphues.

Within Demons in the Spring, oddly modern moments which occur in the most familiar of public places, from offices to airports to schools to zoos to emergency rooms: a young girl who refuses to go anywhere unless she's dressed as a ghost; a bank robbery in Stockholm gone terribly wrong; a teacher who's become enamored with the students in his school's Model United Nations club; a couple affected by a strange malady--a miniature city which has begun to develop in the young woman's chest, these inventive stories are hilarious, heartbreaking, and unusual. While many of them have never been previously published, others have been featured in the likes of LIT, Other Voices, Swink, TriQuarterly, and McSweeney's.

Joe Meno is the best-selling author of five novels, including the smash hits Hairstyles of the Damned, The Boy Detective Fails, How the Hula Girl Sings, and Tender As Hellfire. He was the winner of the 2003 Nelson Algren Award for short fiction and is a professor of creative writing at Columbia College Chicago.

Cody Hudson is a Chicago-based artist and graphic designer. He collaborated with Joe Meno on the concept of this book as well as the selection of artists featured here.

*Some of the author's and contributors' proceeds from the book will go directly to benefit 826 CHICAGO, a non-profit tutoring center, part of the national organization of tutoring centers with branches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, and Seattle.*