Welcome to the Feast of Laughter

Feast of Laughter is a celebration of the writing of R. A. Lafferty, the Oklahoma Leprechaun, the epitome of sui-generis, the spinner of tall tales, the creator of a modern literary mythos couched in Western, Irish, Native American, Catholic science Fiction. 
"Other writers are influences. Lafferty is a revelation."
                                                          - Noah Wareness

The Feasts

Submit to Feast of Laughter

Submit your works to:
We are looking for 
  • Original reviews and essays about Lafferty's writing
  • Interviews about Lafferty
  • Original stories, poems, and artwork inspired by R. A. Lafferty
  • Reprinted essays, stories, etc. Note: Feast of Laughter is scrupulous about Copyright. We must have explicit permission from the copyright holder to reprint anything.
Deadlines:
  • Feast of Laughter #6: October, 2021
    • Expression of interest: by July 31, 2021
    • Final content: by August 31, 2021

Feast of Laughter, Volume #5 - at long last!


The Feast continues! Volume 5 features one of the last stories R.A. Lafferty ever wrote, “The Hand of the Potter: An Idyll,” completed in 1984 and published here for the first time! It also includes reprint of the important Lafferty essay “Riddle Writers of the Isthmus” and the review he wrote for Virginia Kidd of _Astérix et Cléopâtre_ There is an abundance of new content, essays and appreciations, including a section on “How I Discovered Lafferty.” We have new essays from science fiction giants Michael Swanwick and Howard Waldrop and reprints from the legends Gene Wolfe, Michael Bishop. Also included is a long out of print interview with Lafferty by Paul Walker.

Download the free PDF
A note on the PDF text:

Because of copyright restrictions, the following pieces are only available in the print copy of the book:
  • “Introduction for Episodes of the Argo” by Gene Wolfe,
  • “The Programmed Utopia of R. A. Lafferty’s Past Master” by William H. Hardesty III
  • “The Hand of the Potter: An Idyll” by R.A. Lafferty
  • “Astérix et Cléopâtre” by R.A. Lafferty
  • “Riddle Writers of the Isthmus” by R.A. Lafferty
This is a good thing. The Ktistec Press is very strict about respecting the copyrights of the contributors to Feast of Laughter. This means we will never use your contribution in a manner not in accordance with your wishes. In other words, you can trust us to use your work fairly and correctly, so please contribute!

Buy it on Amazon
    • US: https://www.amazon.com/Feast-Laughter-Appreciation-Lafferty/dp/0998536458
    Feast of Laughter, Volume 5
    Table of Contents

    • Dedication
    • Table of Contents
    • A Memory of Two Great Men by Michael Swanwick
    • Harlan Ellison (1934-2018) by Gregorio Montejo
    • Remembering Gene Wolfe By Glenn McDorman
    • “Goof Gloriously”  Introduction by Kevin Cheek
    I Think I Will Dismember the World with my Hands  - New Essays
    • Some Notes on Culture and History in R.A. Lafferty’s “Selenium Ghosts of the Eighteen Seventies”  by John Ellison
    • Cookies and Eyes Character and Plot Development Through Repeated Memes by Kevin Cheek
    • “There Will Be Vengeance! It Has Been Told.”  -  Apocalyptic Anger after “Ride a Tin Can” by Marc Aramini
    • Two by Darrell Middleton:
    • Quantum Cats? by Darrell Middleton
    • Sixty-One Years by Darrell Middleton
    • A Look Back On 100 or So Weekend Readings by Harold Bakker
    • “Well, What Was the Missing Element?”: Two “Worlds Without” by R.A. Lafferty  by Donald G. Keller
    Helical Passion and Saintly Sexpot - How I Discovered Lafferty: Short Essays
    • On Literary Addiction and Something More: First Encounters with Lafferty and Why His Work Means So Much to Us by Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
    • Lafferty Reading by John Ellison 
    • Encountering Lafferty by Gord Wilson 
    • My Introduction to Ray Lafferty: A Memoir by Henry C. Luthin 
    • Bill Reynolds Encounters Lafferty by Bill Reynolds 
    • How I Discovered Lafferty by Ron Ginzler 
    • My Introduction to Lafferty (Thanks, Mom) by James Annon 
    • My First Encounter with Lafferty by Clark Allen Dissmeyer 
    • How I Discovered Lafferty by Kevin Cheek 
    • How I Discovered Lafferty, or Thank you, Ross Pavlac, 1951-1997, RIP. by John Owen 
    • Because “Tulsa:” How I Discovered Lafferty by Anthony Ryan Rhodes 
    • Cliff Climbing; Or How I First Encountered R.A. Lafferty by Gregorio Montejo 
    • Among the Tallest Tales by Rich Persaud 
    • How I Got Here by Andrew Ferguson 
    • R. A.  by Howard Waldrop 
    Of Elegant Dogs and Returned Men (or) Either Awful Dead or Awful Old  -  Reprinted Essays
    • Introduction for Episodes of the Argo by Gene Wolfe (print only)
    • He Saw Another Mountain by Laurence M. Janifer 
    • Introduction to Ringing Changes by Robert Whitaker Sirignano 
    • The Programmed Utopia of R. A. Lafferty’s Past Master by William H. Hardesty III (print only)
    • An Appreciation of R. A. Lafferty by Henry C. Luthin 
    You Talk Like a Friendly Oracle,  So Be One To Me  -  Conversations With and About Lafferty
    • An Interview with R. A. Lafferty by Paul Walker 
    • Demiurges, Gnosticism, and Carnivalesque Violence: “Snuffles” by R.A. Lafferty - Live from LaffCon 3 by Glenn McDorman, Brandon Budda, and Gregorio Montejo 
    If They Can Kill You, I Can Kill You Worse  - Reviews
    • Not to Mention Camels by R. A. Lafferty by Michael Bishop 
    • The Flame Is Green by R. A. Lafferty  by John J. Reilly 
    • Green Tree, At Last by Paul Feeny 
    • A Commentary by Heywood Reynolds on Fourth Mansions by R.A. Lafferty 
    Revenge of Strength Unused  -  Works Inspired by Lafferty
    • Five Corners, Oklahoma by Ron Ginzler 
    • AND THEIR TONGUES WALK THROUGH THE EARTH by J. M. Shiloh 
    • The Crow’s Word by Stephen Case 
    • In A Green Dress, Surrounded By Exploding Clowns by Robert T. Jeschonek 
    • Worm Reason. Fish Reason. by J Simon 
    • Two Lafferty Covers  by Youchan Ito 
    Liar on The Mountain  -  Lafferty’s Own Voice (print edition only)
    • The Hand of the Potter: An Idyll  by R.A. Lafferty 
    • Astérix et Cléopâtre by R.A. Lafferty 
    • Riddle Writers of the Isthmus by R.A. Lafferty 
    And All Tall Monsters Stand
    • List of Contributors
    • The Ktistec Press

    Feast of Laughter, Volume #4 

    The Feast continues! Volume 4 features the first all-new Lafferty story to be published in 14 years, "The Rod and the Ring," as well as a reprint of the very important Lafferty speech "The Day After the World Ended." There is an abundance of new content, essays and appreciations, as well as reprints from science fiction giants, including Gene Wolfe, Robert Silverberg, Gardner Dozois, and Howard Waldrop.

    Note: Because of copyright restrictions, "Scribbling Giant: An Introduction to R. A. Lafferty and East of Laughter" by Gene Wolfe and "Varieties of Apocalypse in Science Fiction" by Andrew M. Greeley are only available in the print copy of the book. This is a good thing. The authors hold the copyright on these essays and are in agreements with their various publishers that we do not want to interfere with. These arrangements allow us to publish material that would otherwise remain unavailable.

    The Ktistec press is very strict about respecting the copyrights of the contributors to Feast of Laughter. This means we will never use your contribution in a manner not in accordance with your wishes. In other words, you can trust us to use your work fairly and correctly, so please contribute!
    Buy it on Amazon
      Feast of Laughter, Volume 4
      Table of Contents

      At the Twenty-Fifth Hour – Introduction 
      • Introduction - It Must Not End
      The Shape of Things to Come – New Essays
      • Graced Narratives: Themes of Gift and Will in R.A. Lafferty by John Ellison
      • Lafferty and Milford by Andrew Ferguson
      • “There Are Three Ways to Open a Secret Door”: R.A. Lafferty’s Bricolage Aesthetic  by Gregorio Montejo
      On Thunder Mountain – Lightning Essays
      • R. A. Lafferty and the Praise of Power by Jonathan Braschler
      • An Incidence of Coincidence by Russell M. Burden
      • What is The Cranky Old Man From Tulsa Cranky About? by Andrew Childress
      • Baby Talk by Martin Heavisides
      • Ouch, My Foot! by Kevin Cheek
      • Forked Lightning: Two Micro-essays by Bill Rogers
      • Twitterview with Michael Swanwick by Stephen R. Case
      On Happy Astrobe – Reports from LaffCon 1
      • Report from LaffCon1 by John Owen
      • R. A. Lafferty and the New Wave  by Michael Swanwick
      • LaffCon Memory by Alan Reid
      My Grave, and I in It – Reprinted Essays
      • New Dimensions: R.A. Lafferty Introductions  by Robert Silverberg
      • Scribbling Giant: An Introduction to R. A. Lafferty and East of Laughter by Gene Wolfe
      • Introduction to “The Configuration of the North Shore” by Gardner Dozois
      • Arrive At Easterwine: Some Arrant Roadmapping by Sheryl Smith
      • Varieties of Apocalypse in Science Fiction by Andrew M. Greeley
      • Hooking the World on Lafferty By Kevin Cheek
      • Remembering Ray  Lafferty by Joseph L. Green
      • HUMAN by Dan Knight
      King-Maker – Reviews 
      • R. A. Lafferty—Aurelia (1982) by David Langford
      • Does Anyone Else Have Something Further to Add? by Stephen R. Case
      At the Naked Sailor – Interviews with Lafferty
      • Cranky Old Man From Tulsa An Interview With R.A. Lafferty  by Darrell Schweitzer
      • Maybe They Needed Killing & The Importance Of Happiness An Interview with R. A. Lafferty by Robert Whitaker Sirignano
      The Deformity of Things to Come – Works Inspired by Lafferty
      • Little Crocodile Who Wanted to Fly by Yakov Varganov
      • Three Mountain Works by Bill Rogers
      • The Carrion King by Logan Giannini
      • Eccentrexity by J Simon
      • I See Through All of Me, I See For Parsecs by Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
      • Driving East by Stephen R. Case
      • Beginning or End of the Universe by Martin Heavisides
      • A Little Song, A Little Dance, A Little Apocalypse Down Your Pants by Robert T. Jeschonek
      • Mary Margaret Road-Grader by Howard Waldrop
      Nine Day King – The Master’s Own Work
      • Brief Thoughts on “The Rod and the Ring”  by Lawrence Person
      • Thoughts about Lafferty’s “The Rod and the Ring” by Darrell Schweitzer
      • The Rod and the Ring by R. A. Lafferty
      • The Day After The World Ended by R. A. Lafferty

      Feast of Laughter, Volume #3

      At long last, Feast of Laughter Volume #3 is here!

      Feast of Laughter 3 - Fall 2015

      This issue has the best content and production yet, including an interview with Harlan Ellison, correspondence between Lafferty and Alan Dean Foster, and two Lafferty pieces:
      • "Tell it Funny Og" an essay on the power of storytelling
      • "Configuration of the North Shore" 
      Download the free PDF

      Buy it on Amazon


      Table of Contents

      • Introduction
      • Introduction to the Boomer Flats Gazette by Dan Knight
      World Abounding - New Essays 
      • Ray by Rick Norwood
      • One Cannot Give Too Many Instances by John Ellison
      • Eudaimonism in R.A. Lafferty’s Aurelia by Gregorio Montejo
      • Outside the Cathedral by Kevin Cheek
      • Copyright, Copyleft, Copyfuture by Rich Persaud
      • Lafferty and His Monsters - Part 1: The Early Works by Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
      • The Annals and Ace; or, The Textual History of an Historical Text by Andrew Ferguson
      All But the Words - Translating Lafferty
      • From Russia with Laff: A Very Brief Report on R.A. Lafferty’s Russian Translations by Niyaz N. Abdullin
      Bright Coins in a Never-Ending Stream - Reprinted Essays 
      • R. A. Lafferty: Effective Arcanum  by Don Webb
      • A Sound of Lafferty  by Roman Orszanski
      • R. A. Lafferty: The Function of Archetype in the Western Mystical Tradition by Dena C. Bain Taylor
      • Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne by Paul Kincaid
      • R.A. Lafferty, Sir Thomas More, and the Problems of Utopia by Robert Bee
      • Introduction to R.A. Lafferty’s The Fall of Rome by Darrell Schweitzer
      • Introduction to The Devil Is Dead by Charles Platt
      In Deepest Pen and Ink - Laffertian Illustration 
      • Hound Dog’s Ear illustrations by Lissanne Lake
      Through Other Eyes - Reviews 
      • The Man Who Made Models - Review by Stephen Case
      • Past Master by R. A. Lafferty by MPorcius
      • Utopia by Thomas  More by MPorcius
      • R.A. Lafferty — Apocalypses (1977) by Gene McHugh
      Club Mentiros - Works inspired by Lafferty 
      • Three Poems by Bill Rogers
        • DOMOVOI
        • THE GREEN MORNING
        • MARTINMAS WEEK
      • The Lost Children of Boo-Hay World 
      • by Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
      • Who Was That?  by Martin Heavisides
      • People are Strange by Christopher Blake
      • Justice by Dan Knight
      • An Afterword to “Justice” by Gregorio Montejo
      • Bone Girl by J Simon
      • Barstone by Stephen R. Case
      Correspondence with the Cranky Old Man from Tulsa 
      • Letter from Alan Dean Foster to R. A. Lafferty
      • R. A. Lafferty’s Reply to Alan Dean Foster
      • Letter from Alan Dean Foster Nominating Lafferty for the Arrell Gibson Life Achievement Award
      Guesting Time - Interview 
      • An Interview with Harlan Ellison by Andrew Mass
      The Man With the Aura - Lafferty's own words! 
      • Don’t Just Read Lafferty, Be Lafferty! A Lafferty Mask Template by Anthony Ryan Rhodes
      • Tell It Funny, Og by R. A. Lafferty
      • Configuration Of The North Shore by R. A. Lafferty
      All the People - Those who contributed 
        • List of Contributors


        Laff Mask

        Don't just read Lafferty, be Lafferty:

        Issue #3 - a Call for Action

        The time is upon us to start assembling Feast of Laughter Issue 3.

        We already have some amazing stories, essays, artwork, interviews, and reviews lined up. We need YOUR contribution. We need your original stories, your original essays, your original artwork, your original reviews, and your old and ancient and oft reprinted versions of the above. And if you've seen something online about Lafferty that you think ought to be reprinted, by all means suggest it. Try to reach out and get permission from the author to reprint it. The only real guideline is this: Share your love of Lafferty!

        Deadlines:

        • Expression of Interest: Saturday, September 19, 2015 
        • Content complete: Sunday, October 11, 2015
        • Publication: Saturday, November 7, 2015 (Lafferty's 101st birthday!)

        Contact:

        Email editor@feastoflaughter.org with all your ideas, submissions, stories, artwork, and daydreams of things you'd love to say about R. A. Lafferty, and even requests. 

        Share and be published! Join the growing phenomenon that is Feast of Laughter!


        Issue #2

        Feast of Laughter Issue #2 is here!
        Feast of Laughter 2 - Spring 2015
        This issue has more of everything that made Feast of Laughter Issue #1 great. 

        Download the free PDF

        Inventions Bright and New: Original Essays

        Working With Ray: My Experiences with R.A. Lafferty by Greg Ketter
        Ray’s Recycling Rewards Program by John Owen
        Valery’s Really Eyes and the Parade of Creatures by Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
        “This Was More Than a Spectacle, More Than an Illusion, It was a Communicating Instrument”: R. A. Lafferty and Hans Urs von Balthasar on the Relational Form of Being by Gregorio Montejo
        Through a Glass Darkly by Craig May
        Exploring Themes From Catholic Theology in Two Short Stories by R. A. Lafferty by John Ellison
        Late Light by Rich Persaud
        Lafferty’s Monkey by Clinton Reid Claussen
        Lafferty: An Appreciation by Patrick May
        Question: Why? Excuse: Because Monsters by Rich Persaud

        All the People: International Fandom

        Seven-Story Dream on Terschelling by Peter Sijbenga
        The Lafferty Centennial In Japan by Kenji Matsuzaki
        Continued on Next Book by 7 Japanese Laffertians
        Russia Discovers R. A. Lafferty by Sergei Sobolev and Yakov Varganov

        Those Who Know Everything: Interviews

        An Interview with Nat! by Kevin Cheek

        Oh, Whatta Ya Do When The Well Runs Dry: Reprinted Essays

        Despair and the Duck Lady by Michael Swanwick
        R. A. Lafferty—the secret sci-fi genius more than ready for a comeback by David Barnett
        Twice Beheaded: R. A. Lafferty’s Thomas More by Anne Lake Prescott
        Excerpt from a Thesis by John Ellison
        A Richness of Endings by Dan Knight
        Introduction to More than Melchisedech by Robert Whitaker Sirignano
        On Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas by Andrew Ferguson

        You’re On The Right Track, Kid: Reviews

        R. A. Lafferty Spins a Yarn by Keith Purtell
        Strange Doings - a review by Stephen R. Case
        Oklahoma Gothic by Martin Heavisides
        Arrive at Easterwine—a brief review by Kevin Cheek
        Task Force Fifty-Eight and a Half by Heywood Reynolds
        Iron Tears - a review by Darrell Schweitzer
        Iron Tears - a review by Don Webb

        The Emperor’s Shoestrings: Works Inspired by R. A. Lafferty

        Land of the Great Horses by Peter Sijbenga
        The Honking Worm and the Gorilla Cheetah by Bill Rogers
        - Honking Worm artwork here
        The Waltz Macabre by Logan Giannini
        Fourteenth Chambers by Noah Wareness
        A Fisherman’s Tune by Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
        What I Wrote for Andronicus by Stephen R. Case
        Willow Beeman by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley

        Primary Education: Lafferties

        An Interview with R. A. Lafferty by Tom Jackson
        Sodom and Gomorrah, Texas by R. A. Lafferty


        Issue #1

        What great people are saying about Feast of Laughter Issue #1:

        "I hit the first link and bought the book." -Neil Gaiman

        "The latest, and in many ways the most important, of the Lafferty centennial tributes". -Andrew Ferguson


        In celebration of  Ray's 100th birthday, November 7, 2014, we (the Ktistec Press) have published the First Edition of Feast of Laughter!  

        Feast of Laughter, Issue 1

        The Magazine 
        Download the full magazine: