In April 2018, Orson's Publishing proudly published Thrift Store Coats, the striking debut collection by Brooks Rexroat. The collection transports readers to the postindustrial Midwest and explores the lives of those living on its quiet edge. Interwoven with themes of love, lineage, poverty, and survival, the characters in the stories of Thrift Store Coats grapple with the idea of identity — not only of where they fit into the world, but of how their origins impact their place in the future.
In Thrift Store Coats, he establishes himself as a voice to be heard by masterfully repairing what has been broken — with unflinching honesty, and with a stunning sense of empathy.
Shortly after publication, Brooks appeared on Chapters, a television show which profiles authors, editors, and publishers in West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. Eliot Parker, host of the show, led the discussion, and asked Brooks thoughtful questions not just about Thrift Store Coats, but about what it means to be a contemporary writer at the intersection of the Rust Belt and Appalachia, as well as the ups, downs and in-betweens of Brooks's journey with the written word.
Check out the episode below:
Thrift Store Coats, the striking collection by Brooks Rexroat, is now available at the Orson’s Publishing Bookstore.