Brian Costello

A collection of stories, reviews, poems, and essays related to visual media and other art forms.

ACM has released its 50th issue, an issue dedicated to our hometown of Chicago. To be perfectly honest, we never thought we’d make it to a 50th issue. ACM has never been known for fundraising skills, financial acumen, or an airtight organizational structure. Mostly we’ve just been known for being independent since 1977 and for publishing young and exciting writers as frequently as we can manage it on a shoestring budget. We like it that way. So when we realized that we were in fact still around and viable and putting out our 49th issue, it struck us that the best way to celebrate that nice, round number was to set about celebrating our roots and publishing a Chicago issue.*

An anthology of works published in THE2NDHAND, a Chicago broadsheet and online magazine for new writing.

<p>The Music Issue: Writers share their true stories about music whether through direct experience or the thoughts a song provokes.</p><p> Stories on: Loud music's comfort of an autistic child and its effect on the rest of the family, a Greek who relates better to Latinas and hip hop, the Beastie Boys and long distance running as adolescent rebellion from Catholocism seven years late, a Bryan Adams song coming on in a bar in Slovenia, starting your first band, meeting the Village People on a plane, fourth grade girls listening to Kelly Clarkson and the awkward memories of being back in grade school they inspire, two borthers growing up and growing apart to Weird Al, coming to fully understand the song &quot;Do you Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans&quot; in the wake of Hurrican Katrina, and Phil Collins as the backdrop music to prom.<br /></p>

Shaquille Callahan&rsquo;s only release from cutting squid in the local fish joint is dancing, fighting, drumming and chugging cough syrup with The Enchanters, the premier Protomersh band of Sprawlburg Springs. Led by volatile sweetheart/singer Renee, The Enchanters whip up a scene the likes of which the stately community has never witnessed. As the media encroaches and the city&rsquo;s leaders take up arms, the band struggles to contain its batshit-crazy energy without imploding.

This is the first chapter, published on its own as part of the Featherproof &ldquo;Light Reading Series&rdquo;