In which we talk about art that stands out.

The arts section was jam-packed this week, as we continued our weeks-long stretch of covering vaguely creepy things that live in the great, generative space between high and low culture (previously: David Cronenberg's cannabilism-meets-philosophy debut novel, Consumed; William Gibson's latest; and severed heads at First Thursday). This week, Robert Ham interviewed John Skipp, who filled us in on the origins and identifying characteristics of the literary subgenre known as bizarro fiction. The titles listed here, alone, are, I think, breathing new life into arts journalism as we speak:

Bizarro fiction, the Gonzo literary movement which has thrived on the small press and e-book markets, aims to scratch as many genre itches as possible at once: the emerging subgenre is a fucked-up and funny amalgam of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, romance, and erotica. And their titles read like delicious clickbait: Trashland a Go-Go, Ass Goblins of Auschwitz, and Rampaging Fuckers of Everything on the Crazy Shitting Planet of the Vomit Atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Suzette Smith talked to smooshed-face Internet hero and Parks and Rec writer Megan Amram about her latest foray into what her mom calls "this weird, sexual, anti-comedy comedy that's 'in' right now," Science... For Her! My favorite question Suzette asked is this one, about the infamous astronaut Lisa Nowak, here affectionately referred to as "Diaper Lady":

As I was reading Science... for Her! I wondered if it was written from the perspective of Diaper Lady. [Editor's note: Lisa Nowak is the former NASA astronaut who became famous in 2007 after allegedly stalking her ex-boyfriend's new partner while wearing adult diapers.]

We're all thinking about Diaper Lady.

We're all thinking about Diaper Lady. Maybe we should just stop there. But there's more! Elsewhere, I reviewed Portland's latest iteration of True West at Profile Theatre, and though I worried it would be the dude play to end all dude plays (and thus that I would probably fall asleep, if what happens every time I try to watch The Wire is any indication), I was pleasantly surprised by director Adriana Baer's focus on identity more than anything else.

And A.L. Adams confirmed that there are, in fact, ways to stand out from the crowd at First Thursday, especially if you can "make everyone wonder if you're kidding."

Are you still thinking about Diaper Lady? My work here is done.