My Life in Clothes

"Despite my mother’s efforts to tame me, I resisted, holding onto my creature nature until the day she informed me I would no longer be running naked in the yard or showering with my dad. It took a few scoldings before I was transformed from colt to show-pony: a proper reflection of whichever laundered, starched, pressed, brushed, straightened, zippered, tied, and buttoned garment was placed upon me."

―From the foreword of Summer Brenner's new collection of short stories, My Life in Clothes

These stories explore the charm, tyranny, and preoccupation of clothes, on and off, bought, made, or found, fashion or function, projection or expression, body and soul turned inside out.

Summer Brenner was raised in Georgia and migrated west, first to New Mexico and eventually to northern California where she has been a long-time resident. She has published ten books of poetry, fiction, and novels for children. Her works include the critically acclaimed noir thriller from PM Press, I-5: A Novel of Crime, Transport, and Sex, which was chosen by Los Angeles Mystery Bookstore as a Top Ten Book of 2009). Gallimard's prestigious serie noire published another of Brenner's crime novels, which PM Press will release in 2011 by its English title, Nearly Nowhere. Brenner also writes fiction for youth. Her novel, Richmond Tales, Lost Secrets of the Iron Triangle, was selected for a 2010 Richmond Historic Preservation award and was the subject of a Special Proclamation by the Mayor of Richmond.