Denis Sheehan is the editor of Askew Reviews, and author of “A Nobody's Nothings.” He lives just outside of Boston with his daughter. He writes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.





"A Nobody's Nothings" is both fiction and nonfiction; a sort of memoir/poetry/short story anthology of personal work. Where did you get the idea for such a broad book, or better yet, what motivated you to put it together?

I think the book was basically born from years of publishing Askew Reviews, which is also a mish-mash of junk: music/movie/book reviews, flash fiction, short stories, and a bunch of other stuff. A Nobody’s Nothings collects all sorts of stuff I’ve written over the years from short stories to one liners to even one very artistic cartoon. I didn’t have enough of any one thing to publish a book of short stories or a book of poetry, so I smashed all the stuff together in one easy book. I figured people who might be interested in the book would be, for the most part, Askew Reviews readers and use to the variety of words. So I had all this stuff, and I wrote more, and the book was born. My next book, though, will be made up of only short stories. It’ll be a lot more focused.


You've led a relatively exciting life. You've worked at a Chinese restaurant, as a dry-waller, and on wall street. At the risk of stereotyping construction workers, why would a dry-waller ever pick up a pen?

“Exciting” is the wrong adjective to use when discussing my life. Happy is a better fit. Sounds lame, but it’s true. I honestly believe I’m the happiest person on the planet. I was a plasterer, not a dry-waller. Calling a plasterer a dry-waller is like calling a Kiwi an Aussie. Tip of the cap to Quentin Tarantino for that one. I’ve always been into writing and while I was in construction, I toyed with the idea of publishing a newsletter geared towards the self-employed construction workers. The newsletter was going to include stories about the field, interviews with professionals who could help workers with taxes, funding retirement, and other issues facing the self-employed. It’s amazing how different things are for the self-employed opposed to those who work for a corporation. However, I never followed through with the newsletter and abruptly quit my life as a plasterer because I was burned out and had enough. I then jumped into the world of finance, which sucked because it was so damn boring, for about five years. State Street Bank, I was the liaison between stock traders and mutual fund managers, was next for me, but after two days I never went back because I needed a shave and the job failed to motivate me to do so. I was then handed a gift-wrapped opportunity to get into the computer crap field and over ten years later I’m still doing it and loving it. It wasn’t until I started the computer stuff that I actually started putting my ideas down on paper, which led to Askew Reviews and the very short run The Longsberry Letters. The letters book is a collection of letters I wrote to companies, celebrities, and politicians and the responses I received. The letters were fun and landed me on The Oprah Winfrey Show, had the cops at my house, and one part was even read by Howard Stern on his radio show. I am hoping to republish The Longsberry Letters, soon.


When did you find time to write A Nobody's Nothings. Where do you find time to work on Askew Reviews. Are there things you must sacrifice in life?

I am a night person and ninety-five percent of my writing happens between 10PM and 4AM. Being a single dad with shared custody of my daughter, I do have free nights when time is a nonissue and on the nights I have the kid, the work starts after she’s snoozing away, but ends early so I can be an untired father the next day. The only sacrificing going on due to my writing was, and continues to be, made by the women in my life. Aside from running, writing is maybe the most selfish act happening. You sit there and write. It’s not like you can enjoy a movie with your woman while writing a story. So many times I’ve told people to stay away so I could write or ask them to come over only after I am done writing for the night. Like putting them on call, or something. Making this selfishness worse on my end is I love going out to my favorite local pub alone, watch the goings on for several hours, and then returning home to write about what I witnessed while still feeling the booze. These unedited “Track Wreckards” are posted on boneprint.com for anyone who cares. While most of my writing happens at night, when I build, or layout, the zine I try to do it during the day. Jesus, I think I just made myself sound like an asshole.


How does your work play into your writing?

My current job doesn’t play at all into my writing. I work for a huge computer applications company and work out of my house. I rarely interact with people for work reasons, which offers nothing to write about in any way. Besides, who the hell wants to read about me helping someone who can’t figure out how to run an online training course? You know, it’s kind of funny you asking this question because in Askew Reviews 13, I wrote a piece about my work life and detailed some of the funnier things I’ve seen or been a part of while working.


What is Bone Print Press?

Bone Print Press is my publishing house, or more like my publishing shack. Fuck it, it’s my kitchen table. To date, I’ve published 13 issues of Askew Reviews and A Nobody’s Nothings, but more is coming and in the future, if I ever get a bit more professional about it, I hope to publish someone else’s work. Now that I think of it, I suppose I can also count the five Track Wreckards I put out under the Bone Print banner.

Publishing your own stuff is funny because everyone reacts it to a different way. There are those who think the DIY thing is great and applauded my decision to do it on my own. However, a lot of people think unless someone else publishes your words, it must mean the work isn’t good. You have to love word snobs. Others think it’s simply vain. I always intended to publish Askew Reviews on my own because I did not want someone dictating to me what to write, review, and then editing my content. When I finished the draft of A Nobody’s Nothings, I did send the manuscript to a few places and the two slight bites of interest I received turned me off because they wanted last content edit and the money I would have made was pretty weak, not that I expected to make much, and not worth having someone edit my content. Though, I really could’ve used someone to catch my typos and stupid mistakes. Instead of continuing to look for someone to publish it, I did some homework, got some pain in the ass layout software, and had at it. Yeah, I made some mistakes and I learned a lot that’ll definitely help me with future books. Also, the feeling of seeing the UPS guy drop off a wall of boxes on my driveway was amazing, and got even better when I tore open one box and held the finished book in my hand. Here was a book I wrote, laid out, built, and now the finished product was in my hand. However, as proud and excited as I was with A Nobody’s Nothings, I think it’s more impressive to be able to do it again and do it better the second time around.

I’ll tell you, I know a lot of people who spend more time submitting their writing to various media than actually writing. If they put that energy into maybe getting their work out there on their own, they’d be happier and perhaps feel even more fulfilled.


What is Askew Reviews?

Askew Reviews is a zine I started about eleven or twelve years ago. It’s a print zine and of course we have a web presence at askewreviews.com and the myspace thing. Issues of Askew are crammed with various reviews, stories, flash fiction, and anything else I find entertaining at the time. In the past I’ve included interviews, food recipes, and beer reviews. For the first time, in issue 13, we included an advice column by an older swinger type of guy called The Rakish Cad. The zine is normally 48 pages, but it is absolutely loaded with text. I run very few pictures. The print version is published sporadically, but I try to update the website on a fairly regular basis. Askew has a pretty damn good following and has reached all ends of the planet. It’s friggin amazing how many people say to me “You’re the Askew Reviews guy?” or “I love that thing.” It’s a rush and flattering to meet someone for the first time and have them say they know of or like the zine. It’s also damn cool to walk into a bar and see someone reading an issue of Askew they picked up near the front door. I remember when I first got the idea to publish Askew Reviews and was all excited to put it my all time favorite bar, The Rathskellar, The Rat for short, in Kenmore Square in Boston. That bar was it for local punk music and was my home away from home for too short a time because it closed its doors right before the first issue was published and I wasn’t able to achieve the dream or, even worse, drink there anymore. That place had a shelf dedicated to free great zines, newsletters, and fliers and I so wanted Askew Reviews to find a home there. The entire block has since been razed and perhaps one of the ugliest and cheapest looking hotels was built in its place. A bar inside the hotel offers a drink called The Rat to honor the old joint, but it’s made with Coke and some Italian liquor I’ve never heard of and doubt many drink. If the hotel bar had balls, their version of The Rat would be a Bud and shot of whiskey. God I miss that place.


When and how did you come up with the idea for Bone Print Press and Askew Reviews?

Both came to me around the same time, but I think Askew came first. I had been writing CD reviews for Jersey Beat, a legendary zine published out of New Jersey by the wonderful Jim Testa, and decided to jump into the column side of things. I wrote one and Jim published it, but he also edited out a few sentences and for whatever reason I decided right then and there I did not want anyone ever editing the content of something I had written. So, I started Askew Reviews and now I edit other peoples’ stuff. How wrong is that? Really though, I owe a lot to Jim Testa.

I can’t remember exactly when I came up with Bone Print Publications, which I later changed to Bone Print Press, but I do recall where I was: sitting on the downstairs bar at The Middle East in Central Square, Cambridge, MA watching The Big Bad Bollocks and The Dwarfs tear it up. The Big Bad Bollocks, a great band out of New Hampshire, were on stage and, though I do not remember why, said to my friend, “It was like a bone print was left in the sand,” and as the night progressed I had Bone Print Publications in my back pocket. I even came up with the logo in my head, but I have yet to proceed with it as I have no idea how to do graphic art stuff. God, I remember falling in love with The Big Bad Bollocks’ music that night and if you can track it down, check out John Allen’s, the singer for the Bollocks, book, It Takes a Village Idiot. It’s an amazing read. A few years after the show, I was introduced to John Allen by Alli Wong, who was a stunning woman and worked for the now defunct Monlyth Records. Alli told John how I had written a great review for the band’s CD and John grabbed my hand and kissed it. It was really funny and kind of gross at the same time.

The night I came up with Bone Print is seared into my head because The Dwarfs’ guitarist nearly killed me with a Bud bottle he threw, while buck naked, like a fastball into the crowd that screamed by my head.


Who else is involved and what made them the right fit for this creative venture?

I started Askew Reviews on my own and for the first few issues did all of the writing. These days I have a handful of great contributors who lend their writing talents to the zine. The longest Askewee is Mighty Ben Hunter who writes columns and reviews books and music. Ben was, and still is in some ways, the singer and guitarist for Boston’s The Medveds and we met after he sent in some 7 inches for review. I loved the music and later interviewed Ben for Askew Reviews. We became good friends after the interview and some good natured ribbing over the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians bashing heads during the 96 or 97 playoffs. Ben is from Cleveland, a huge Tribe fan, and I got all over him due to the Indians’ catcher, and pussy, Einar Diaz acting like a tough guy during one of the games. Of course, the Sox won the series and Ben as been writing for Askew ever since. Brian Mosher, a local Boston writer, has been contributing for years, as has Michigan native and grindhouse/foreign b-movie expert Doug Waltz. For issue 13, a few new faces appeared: Brian McCaffrey, who sings for Bad Lieutenants and runs Teenage Heart Records offered a great short story for 13 and has another coming in Askew Reviews 14. Tim Gager, a well known Boston poet/writer, gave some flash fiction and Hugh Fox, who is a powerhouse in the small and indie press scene also adds to the mix. Hugh, who is now in his 70’s, wrote the first critical study on Charles Bukowski and has a wealth of information and stories in his head. Steve Barker, a writer out of Seattle, gave two great pieces for 13 and I hope he has something for 14. There are a lot more and I could go on forever.

There’s also the feeling of loss when contributors stop contributing for whatever reason. One of my favorite reviewers was a girl, Bryanna, from Canada who started contributing when she was 18 and I could see in her writing the way she grew as a writer and a person over the years even though I never met her face to face. She ended up working her way through school and is now a nurse working with neuro and spinal trauma victims, heavy stuff, but no longer reviews for Askew. Sometimes it’s like losing a good friend even though I never meet most of the people who write for the zine. It’s great that people grow, move one, and achieve goals, but who says I can’t miss them when they do? Good lord, did I just show a glimmer of sensitivity?


What is A Nobody's Nothings?

A Nobody’s Nothings is my first true book. It is a collection of stuff, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve written over the years. It’s a bit all over the road with stories, poetry, and junk but in the end I think it’s an entertaining book and that’s all I really car about. Sure, it has its typos and flaws and is perhaps too sexually graphic in areas and maybe too gross in others, but it’s real life and is something we’ve all been through in one way or another. I wanted the book to come across to the reader as if I was sitting there telling a story. It’s written how I talk. I know there’s a ton of stuff in it that’ll have English grammar teachers throwing up in their mouths, but how annoying is it when someone talks to you and constantly pauses to do a mind hunt for the absolute perfect word? Just spit it out already, and I did in the form of A Nobody’s Nothings.


How have you marketed A Nobody's Nothings? How have you marketed Askew Reviews?

I’m at the point where Askew Reviews markets itself and other than sending out a few copies to other zines for review, I do not do anything special marketing wise. Askew has a reader base that keeps it going. I sell about seventy-five percent of the press run to subscribers and the rest are put out for free at bars, record stores, and anyplace else where the business owner won’t simply throw them away. For A Nobody’s Nothings, I piggybacked on Askew Reviews. The only ad I took out for the book was in Askew Reviews 13. I did, however, send out a bunch of books for review to various magazines, zines, and newspapers. The reviews have been mostly positive with one leaning more to the negative, but the reviewer still had some great things to say about the book. On the other hand, the reviewer couldn’t even get my name correct.


Askew Reviews accepts flash fiction under 250 words. Is there anything specific you look for in stories you receive? What would you tell writers who submit to you?

I do not tell writers anything concerning what to submit. I would never tell anyone what to write or how to write it. What I like most is stuff that is gritty, stuff that may be a bit uncomfortable to read and though you might like it, you’re not too sure you want to recommend it to others because of the content. I also really like stuff that is based on some form of reality or experience. The piece may be out of this world fiction and totally unbelievable, but still has hints at real world stuff. For reasons unknown, I love work related stories. I love reading about people’s work experiences regardless of what their job may be or entail. I’m flying off on a tangent here, but I remember about ten years ago talking with two old timers at a wake about their jobs back in the day. One guy built railroad tracks using a sledgehammer to slam the spikes in the ground for 30 years and the other was an usher at a Boston theater because he was always too drunk to do anything else. Both guys had fascinating stories that were so different but insanely common and interesting. I almost felt bad because I was having way too much fun at the wake. There’s a guy in Washington DC named Ben, I can’t remember his last name, who publishes an amazing little Xerox zine called Manager that details his life as a grocery store supervisor and punker. Definitely look him up and check it out. Crap, I hope he’s still doing it.


If you could plug either your magazine or your book (or both), what would you tell potential readers? Why should they buy your work?

Tough question because I never plug either or try to sell anyone on either, as well. I tend to just give people a copy of the zine or book and let them take it from there. To pimp Askew, I would tell someone to read it if they wanted to discover something they may otherwise never discover, like a movie, band, or book. One reader once told me how she read about her now favorite frozen pizza in Askew Reviews. How cool is that? Frozen pizza? Of all the crap covered in that issue, she picked out the frozen pizza line, bought it, and loved it.

As far as A Nobody’s Nothings, I often tell people they’ll either hate it or love it. There’s really no in between and it will leave a mark whether it’s a skid mark or a hicky on your neck. One reader told me A Nobody’s Nothings is like, “…being hugged by someone who just punched you in the face.” Maybe I should just steal his words for future use.


What got you interested in reviewing movies and music? A lot of the movies in Askew Reviews are not Hollywood blockbusters, but movies that would fly well below most radars.

Growing up, my best friend’s father owned a record store and I was constantly coming across great music that was not being covered by anyone. As I grew older, my mom and step father owned a video store, where I worked throughout high school, and a friend of mine was a video salesman who received promo copies of just about every single movie released on video. Like the music, I had access to tons of great flicks that were also not being covered by anyone. I should mention this was back in the day when the Internet was still in its infancy. It was there, but nothing like it is now. I’m taking about print press coverage for the most part. I was tired of having the same huge budget Hollywood movies crammed down my throat by every form of media when I knew I was already going to see them. That’s when Askew Reviews’ main content came into play. The name of the zine, Askew Reviews, hits on what we review; reviews of material that’s considered askew. Also, being a fan of punk music, I felt obligated to help pass along punk rock, especially the great punk scene we had, and continue to have, happening in New England. Now-a-days, there are tons of zines and websites, mostly websites, that cover what Askew Reviews covers, but I think our reviews are more entertaining than others because we tend to inject anecdotal substance into our thoughts. You’ll never read in one of our reviews, “This CD is like your first kiss…” Give me a break. Admittedly, the zine has grown and while reviews still rule that lay of the land, there are a lot more short stories and flash happening than in the past.

The beauty of running Askew Reviews is receiving stuff in the mail that turn out to be amazing and relaying it to our readers. I have CDs, movies, and books that I find magnificent and chances are without Askew Reviews, I may never have ever come across them. One perfect example is the book Blind, by K. Rodriguez. I never would’ve read this book unless she sent it to Askew Reviews, but thankfully… and the reactions I get from bands, filmmakers, and authors concerning our reviews are also priceless. One b-movie writer/director got 100% pissed off at me because I dare not review his shitty flick, but instead write a blurb, which he was lucky I did that much. Best selling author Michael Patrick MacDonald, so I’m name dropping, emailed me thanking me for reviewing his book “Easter Rising.” He did not have to do that as I am sure he has a huge machine, who would certainly ignore me, behind him to perform such tasks. We actually went back and forth for a while and he even suggested some good workshops he attended to better his own writing. I know Mighty Ben Hunter has struck up some conversation with the authors of books he’s reviewed. It’s fucking cool is the point I’m trying to get across.


A lot of authors over the last couple of centuries have been drinkers, and many drinking authors and authors who don't drink will say different things on the subject. (Hemingway seemed to have to drink to write, and Stephen King spent much of his career in a foggy haze, but now he's sober and it doesn't seem to affect him.) In your experience, does the alcohol make any difference in your writing? Does it provide an extra level of creativity or does it just make for clouded thoughts and poor grammar?

Is that true about Stephen King? I did not know that. Other than reading a handful of his books and seeing him at Red Sox games, I know nothing about the guy. You know, the books I’ve read of his I’ve enjoyed but the endings always piss me off. Seriously, how much better would’ve The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon been if when the little girl, who was lost, collapsed into the hunter who rescued her causing his rifle to accidentally fire and instantly killing her? Now that’s an ending! Shit, what were we talking about? Ah, booze. As far as I’m concerned, alcohol doesn’t help me on the creative side. Hell, I wrote the first story in my book, “Track,” in my head while running round and round my area track stone cold sober. That being said, I am kind of a twitchy mother fucker, though not as annoying as Tom Arnold during his Rosanne and coke days, and have a hard time sitting still and an even harder time focusing. While sitting, my leg is constantly bouncing up and down or my fingers are always busy playing with whatever fidget toy I can find. Booze slows me down and allows me to sit square on my arse and type the thoughts in this squishy brain of mine. A friend of mine suggested I try smoking some weed before writing, but my past few experiences with pot are not good ones as the stuff puts me in a bad and bitchy mood.

I know a woman who is a great writer and when she writes, she dresses as if she’s going to an office job and sits at a desk in a room with the door closed. She’ll write for a few hours, take a fifteen minute break, then write some more. Come noon time, she’s off for an hour lunch and back at 1 to write. She treats it like a job and never drinks and writes because the few times she did, the results were disastrous causing her to unnecessarily question her talent. On the flipside, I know a guy who couldn’t write three words unless he had five or six Jack and Gingers in him. It’s like the writing part of his brain is constipated and booze is the laxative. As soon as the buzz hits, the words flow from his fingers like, well, you get the picture.

As far as clouded thoughts and poor grammar, that’s why God, or evolution, created editors. The most painful lesson I learned by not hiring an editor for A Nobody’s Nothings was not hiring an editor for A Nobody’s Nothings. It is amazing how the mind reads what it wants to read and not what it is actually reading! I swear, I read and reread my stuff twenty times before submitting the final copy to the printer, but the second I looked at the finished book, I instantly picked out typo after typo. I really do not find typos a big deal, but I laid out a few that actually reddened my face. Hey, you live and you learn. Besides, the typos add to the charm of the book, right?


Can you tell a little about the creative company you keep? Do you seek out friends who write or create music or movies?

I’m at the age where I do not seek out friends for any reason. I’m not exactly outgoing, and it’s not out of snobbery but rather a deep seeded shyness that’s hindered me since childhood. I have my circle of friends who I love and if someone new should come along, then it just happens on its own. When I go out to drink, it’s to drink. Not to try and get laid. Not to strike up conversation with someone next to me. It’s to drink and it’s to think. Of course, should a hottie start with me, I certainly wouldn’t be rude to her.

My tight friends are certainly creative, but not so much in the writing sense of things. They’re all band related. Of my friends, three are great guitarists, two are amazing singers, one plays bass like a madman, and another is one of the best drummers I’ve ever heard, and I’m not just saying this because they’re my friends. I loved their music before I even knew them. Whenever we get together, the guitars always come out with singing and group vocals ensuing where needed. The one friend I have who could be an amazing writer, doesn’t write. This guy is smart, funny, and can tell a story like nobody’s business. He has the ideas and talent, but lacks the motivation. He’s one of those ultra social types and sitting alone writing wouldn’t work for him. He’d need a group of people in the room with him, but then he’d get nothing done because he’d be socializing.


A Nobody's Nothings is very humorous in places. Does comedy come naturally to you, or is it something you have to work extra hard for?

I think comedy comes naturally to me, but there are those who’ll savagely disagree. Since I tend to keep to myself in almost all situations, I am an observer and I seem to always spy the funny things that happen around me. I also sometimes lack the filter most people posses when it comes to speaking and doing stuff, which luckily usually ends up with funny results. I am also able to laugh at myself, so stuff that would typically embarrass people I find amusing. I have no problem doing something absolutely ridiculous in a crowded store to try and get a chuckle out of my daughter. I think life is too short to focus on the negative side of things and I embrace all things silly, no matter how retarded they may be. I always try to find the positive or humorous aspect, but I do love writing about the darker or grittier side of things. Then again, I was once told by a shrink I was forced to see that I compartmentalize things in my life. So maybe I’m just sticking all the negatives away in my brain and will one day explode like the stereotypical Irish American male Denis Leary discusses in his No Cure for Cancer stand-up. God, another 1000 year old reference.

My cousin, John Turco, is a stand-up comic who does pretty well and maybe 7 years ago I wrote some material for him. Material he never used. A few months ago, I came across that comedic material and I completely understand why he did not use it. Holy crap, it was bad.


Reading A Nobody's Nothings, I got a sense that you are very in touch with the moral decay of two of your characters. An author named Henry Cahill, and a whore named Penny High. Is this closeness something you've perfected as a skill, or is it something that comes natural to you without any thought or action beyond your initial draft?

Henry Cahill and Penny High are born from a combination of my own personal experiences and from what I’ve seen happen to others around me, both close and afar. It’s definitely not a perfected skill, but more of a natural thing, unfortunately. In “Track,” I wanted to show how self destructive behavior could jeopardize someone who really wanted to try and better himself, even if it was only a brisk walk around a track. The temptations swirl around us and it’s so easy to succumb to them. Penny High is a different beast all together. She tends to be the catalyst for some form of change, whether it be negative or positive. In “Track,” Penny was the crazy woman looking for booze and sex, but in “Time,” she was the conduit for what I imagined occurred in a Hyde Park, MA bar that truly happened between my cousin and my uncle. Though the story is fiction, the interaction between Bernie and his son was constructed from what my cousin told me about the encounter. Since I wasn’t there, I took what I was told and built the story around it and added the issue of passing time and its affect on all of us.

“Track” is the first time I used Henry and Penny and I really had no intention of ever using the names again, but the more I wrote the easier I found it to tell the more difficult stories through them. Maybe I just felt comfortable using them since I already knew them, if that makes sense.

In “Squeeze,” which is a true story, I substituted the real girl’s name with Penny because I did not want to reveal who the real Penny was due to the sexual nature of the story. Though, she did tell me she was disappointed I did not use her real name.

In my next book, the first story is about Henry and Penny, but they’re unlike how they are in A Nobody’s Nothings and they do not make an appearance after that one story even though three of the stories intersect. I also think that story will be the end of Henry and Penny.


Can you tell us what your future works will be like? Working on any more books?

Askew Reviews 14 will be out soon, or maybe it will be out by the time this interview is published. I am trying like hell to have my next book, “Dives,” out by the end of summer 2009. Don’t hold me to that title, but the book will be available. Dives will be several short stories with no graphic sex, no gross out stuff, and maybe only a handful of swears. In other words, it will be greatly different than A Nobody’s Nothings. I already spoke of maybe republishing The Longsberry Letters, and I have an idea for a new literature zine that will have a theme, but I am not going to divulge that info right now because it’s still brewing in the noggin. After I get Dives out of the way, I plan on writing a novel and if that goes well, I have an idea for a trilogy of books. I have most of the trilogy outlined and think it will be damn good, if I can sit still long enough to get it done. Oh, I also have a short story in an upcoming issue of The Chiron Review, which everyone should read regardless of my inclusion.




You know, it just occurred to me we both have names that when an “e” is added to the end, the name turns into a female name. We’re “almost chick name” brothers.