About, Above, Around
50 Prepositions
Published on 25. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
160 pages
978-1-68003-440-0 (ISBN)
Description
Winner of The 2024 George Garrett Fiction Prize, selected by Kaveh Akbar
"We ought to say a feeling of and, a feeling of if, a feeling of but, and a feeling of by," William James writes. In About, Above, Around, fifty prepositions reveal the subtle syntax of our inner lives, offering a new yet ancient vocabulary for charting how feeling moves within and between and around us. Kaveh Akbar, selecting the collection for the George Garrett Prize, says: "About, Above, Around is thrillingly ambitious and deliciously readable, a remarkable vortex of place and mind and spirit illuminating how our lives are shaped, and how we're held within them. Mayer has given us one of the most dexterous, impressive books I've read in ages."
"We ought to say a feeling of and, a feeling of if, a feeling of but, and a feeling of by," William James writes. In About, Above, Around, fifty prepositions reveal the subtle syntax of our inner lives, offering a new yet ancient vocabulary for charting how feeling moves within and between and around us. Kaveh Akbar, selecting the collection for the George Garrett Prize, says: "About, Above, Around is thrillingly ambitious and deliciously readable, a remarkable vortex of place and mind and spirit illuminating how our lives are shaped, and how we're held within them. Mayer has given us one of the most dexterous, impressive books I've read in ages."
Reviews / Votes
"About, Above, Around is thrillingly ambitious and deliciously readable, a remarkable vortex of place and mind and spirit illuminating how our lives are shaped, and how we're held within them. Mayer has given us one of the most dexterous, impressive books I've read in ages." - Kaveh Akbar, contest judge and author of MartyrMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Huntsville
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 178 mm
Width: 228 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
358 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68003-440-0 (9781680034400)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Mark Mayer's first book, Aerialists: Stories (Bloomsbury 2019) was shortlisted for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. His stories have been published in American Short Fiction, The Kenyon Review, Guernica, River Styx, The Iowa Review, and elsewhere. He is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in the University of Memphis MFA program.