Writing Alumnus Tyler Parker ’16 has published his debut novel A Little Blood and Dancing (Penguin Random House, 2023). This work of fiction, which blends the linguistic punch of Elmore Leonard, the living landscapes of Cormac McCarthy, and the comic soul of Charles Portis, delves into themes of family, identity, and the strength of human connection.
Set in a small town in Oklahoma burdened by its past, A Little Blood and Dancing tells the story of a broken family's journey toward reconciling their history and the present complexities of their lives. “It’s a tale as old as time: doomed romance, bloody revenge, fast food, and the voice of God,” reads the introduction. The main character is Sylvia Table, one dead uncle away from an inheritance that should set him and his lover on an easy life. But uncles don’t always die on schedule, maternal clocks keep ticking with increasing urgency, and doing crimes beats working for a living.
The novel has already drawn positive reviews from critics and readers. “Broke my heart and hurt my stomach. And I laughed the whole time. Can’t stop thinking about it,” said E.R. Fightmaster, author of Grey’s Anatomy and Shrill. “The hardest task in literature is writing a truly funny book that makes you feel something, not just from the characters and what they do and say, but also from the sentences and how they feel new and full of energy,” said Jay Caspian Kang, author of The Loneliest Americans and staff writer at The New Yorker. “Only the most ambitious writers even try to do this and it’s remarkable and even edifying to see a writer like Tyler Parker do it all with such style.”
A Little Blood and Dancing is available for purchase here.
Tyler Parker holds an MFA in fiction from Columbia University, where in 2016 he was the recipient of the Felipe P. De Alba Fellowship for Writers. He is a staff writer for The Ringer and, in a previous life, studied improv comedy at both iO and Second City in Chicago. Born and raised in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, Parker now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.
