Arts and culture zine Steel Bananas is teaming up with Chris Eaton, novelist and frontman of the band Rock Plaza Central, for a tweeted micro-fiction project to be published in their upcoming anthology, GULCH: An Assemblage of Poetry and Prose to be released with Tightrope Books this fall.

Inspired by Deleuze and Guattari's rhizome theory and concept of the assemblage, the anthology aims to create a snapshot of the diversity of contemporary Canadian literary culture, mixing the work of burgeoning young writers with established literary figures on the theme of fragmentation. To that end, Steel Bananas has asked Chris Eaton to write one story per day of no more than 140 characters, so that he may publish them for public participation on his band’s twitter account ( HYPERLINK "http://www.twitter.com/RockPlaza" www.twitter.com/RockPlaza) from the road. Anyone who follows Chris’s Rock Plaza tweet is also asked to reply to any story with one of their own, using the rhizome model to intertwine the two stories so that they both are a part of each other. The story need not follow the original in theme. All that is asked is that replies should contain 1/3 of the words from the original text.

The next Rock Plaza Central tour begins July 4 in Milwaukee with Stephen Malkmus and ends the July 25 weekend of Hillside Festival in Guelph, Ontario and the Wicker Park Festival in Chicago. 21 stories, with as many replies as you like. Editors Karen Correia Da Silva, Sarah Beaudin and Curran Folkers will then select the best fragments for their book.

Start following the Rock Plaza Central twitter today at  HYPERLINK "http://www.twitter.com/RockPlaza" www.twitter.com/RockPlaza.

Hey, everyone. The new Rock Plaza Central CD is in stores today in Canada! Hurray!  And even if you don't live in Canada, you can order it here:

CD

http://paperbagrecords.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=75

There are also 300 silk-screened vinyl LPs right here, but that's all there will be so order soon:

VINYL

http://paperbagrecords.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=76

And if physical objects are not your thing, downloadable versions are available a bunch of places, like at zunior.com, or here: 

DOWLOAD

http://paperbagrecords.downloadcentric.net/app?page=Product&service=external&sp=SD06036E80FV5QGUHMJALJ

Tshirts are getting picked up today, and I'll supply you with a way to get them (along with copies of my novels) soon.

Tomorrow (Saturday May 23) : BANDWIDTH, CBC RADIO ONE 5:05 p.m.

Chris Eaton of Rock Plaza Central gets to talk "Good And Evil" with Alan Neal...

Bandwidth's theme for the hour is indeed Good And Evil... and what better time to ask questions to a band with tunes like "Them That Are Good And Them That Are Bad", "The World Is Good Enough" and "The Wrong Side Of Right"?

Bandwidth is heard everywhere in Ontario except Toronto from 5:05-6:00 p.m.

But if you're in Toronto, or anywhere else in the planet, you can tune in on cbc.ca/bandwidth and click on LISTEN LIVE.<>p

And seriously, get into their comments and let them know how much you think I should always co-host this show. Screw touring. I'm going back to hosting radio!