news

"Scapellato’s debut is unpredictable, witty, and self-aware while remaining heartfelt in the most unexpected ways."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"Scapellato's refreshing stories engage at every point and are capped off with perfect endings...this debut collection is bracing and delightful."
-- Publisher's Weekly

"Often amusing, thoughtful and poetic, Big Lonesome is a weird and wildly inventive collection of 25 uniquely imagined short stories focused on the mythologies of the American West and the archetypal nomadic characters who roam the vast, pockmarked, barren landscape...Affecting and utterly unique, Scapellato’s absurd reimagining of the roughed-up, Stetson-wearing cowboy who once inhabited the American West will startle and surprise those accustomed to Western fiction. Big Lonesome is an impressive debut story collection by a canny, poetically talented storyteller." -- Nicolas Litchfield, Lancashire Evening Post

"Joseph Scapellato’s collection is a lot of things: risky, honest, and romantic. "
-- Nick Sweeney, Heavy Feather Review

"Rich with refined poeticism and imagination...Original and gripping, with several exceptional entries towards the end that reveal Scapellato as a masterful storyteller...Big Lonesome [is] a noteworthy collection cumulatively, [and its best stories] highlight the promise of Scapellato’s next project." -- Jordan Blum, PopMatters

"English Department Alum Publishes Two Books."
-- Marquette University English Department Newsletter

Book Q&A with Deborah Kalb

Interview with Jacob Singer, Necessary Fiction

"Emptying In, Emptying Out," Interview with Lauren Crawford, Pulp

Book Notes: Big Lonesome Playlist, Largehearted Boy

Story 366, Michael Czyzniejewski

Salon's Author Questionnaire with John Freeman Gill, Jami Attenberg, Melissa Febos, and Lauren Grodstein, Teddy Wayne

Kirkus Reviews Interview with Richard Z. Santos

"Fictionalizing Away From a Place That You Know," Interview with Brendan Dowling, Public Libraries Online