MATH FOR THE SELF-CRIPPLING

ISBN: 978-1-938900-42-6
Publication date: Spring 2022
66 pages, 5.3” x 7”
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SYNOPSIS

Math for the Self-Crippling is an interlinked flash fiction collection beginning in 1990s San Antonio through to the present day. Told in first, second, and third person, the stories explore Chicana imagination, the tie between religiosity and mysticism, the loss of belongings and family, marital strife, mental health, and dream travel. Equal parts dark and humorous, Math for the Self Crippling shows how it is to be burglarized and bullied yet still rise up to own the day.

EXCERPT

A ring of adults holding hands, burning candles, chanting. A series of levitations visible through the window—Tía Veronica claims she and Mama witnessed a séance from their cousin’s backyard.

Inside the living room, their frumpy aunts, half-drunk uncles, parents, and strangers summoned spirits with one synchronized hum. First, an envelope floated off the table, then the gingham tablecloth spun off in a gust. Finally, the table bobbed as if riding a cosmic wave.

Fried chicken and white biscuits Tía Veronica and Mama agree is what they ate for dinner that night. Thighs and a twilight game of jacks or hide-and-seek, depending on whom you believe.

The levitations, Mama refutes. When asked to explain them, she shrugs. Her tightened shoulders suggest a mental ruse, a hologram of boredom.

PRAISE

The stories of Math for the Self-Crippling crackle with originality and wit. I found each of these short short stories delectable — the perfect balance of sweetness and danger. From coming of age tales set in Texas to the vagaries of adult relationships, you will fall in love with this voice and these characters, and remember them long after you’ve finished reading.

—Zinzi Clemmons
2020 Gold Line Press Fiction Chapbook Contest Judge

Author of WHAT WE LOSE

AUTHOR

Ursula Villarreal-Moura was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Her stories, essays, interviews, and reviews have appeared in various publications including Tin House, Catapult, Prairie Schooner, Story, Midnight Breakfast, Gulf Coast, and Bennington Review. Her writing has been nominated for Best of the Net, the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and one of her stories was listed as distinguished in Best American Short Stories 2015.

DESIGNER

Book design by Sandra Rosales.