Joe Koch writes literary horror and surrealist trash.
They transitioned into writing fiction in 2015 after several years of garden blogging and a lifetime of making visual art. Joe has worked in galleries, healthcare, and reproductive rights, and holds an MA in Contemplative Psychotherapy.
Joe’s books include The Wingspan of Severed Hands, Convulsive, Invaginies, The Shipwreck of the Cerberus, and The Couvade, which was a Shirley Jackson Award finalist in 2019. His short fiction appears in publications such as Vastarien, Southwest Review, PseudoPod, Children of the New Flesh, The Book of Queer Saints, and many others. Joe also co-edited the art horror anthology Stories of the Eye. Their work has been translated into Spanish and Italian.
Formerly published as Joanna Koch in some venues prior to 2021. He/they. Follow here for updates and find Joe online with username horrorsong.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoy my writing, please follow. I only post when I have new work to share and news of upcoming releases or events.
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Pre-order INVAGINIES coming June 2024
Invaginies is an invasion, it is a perception that is bodily and transcendent creating holes, paths, or pockets of alternate truth—and not always voluntary—enlightenment.
The Wingspan of Severed Hands
Time is the winning predator, and every moment spirals deeper into the heart of the beast.
“I’m awestruck by Joanna Koch’s nonstop spellbinding, almost paralyzingly inventive and yet propulsive, ultra-focused prose. The Wingspan of Severed Hands is a truly amazing find.” — DENNIS COOPER (THE MARBLED SWARM, THE SLUTS)
“Koch’s latest novella is what might have happened if Robert W. Chambers had been a surrealist with a penchant for body horror. A strange trip to Carcosa offered in thickly evocative language, The Wingspan of Severed Hands is a highly original hallucination.” — BRIAN EVENSON (SONG FOR THE UNRAVELING OF THE WORLD, A COLLAPSE OF HORSES)
Read an excerpt of The Wingspan of Severed Hands at Fright Girl Summer-The Wingspan of Severed Hands
Buy The Wingspan of Severed Hands paperback from Weirdpunk Books or outside the U.S. from Amazon
Buy The Wingspan of Severed Hands e-book from Godless
Convulsive
New museums birth atrocity in every flex
“Joe Koch is a phenomenal talent who writes with poetic fury. Heart-rending and fearsome, Convulsive joins a handful of collections that show off the range and importance of contemporary horror.” — LAIRD BARRON (SWIFT TO CHASE)
“The stories of Convulsive dazzle and stun the reader with brutal beauty and surreal intensity. This collection’s deftly subversive themes and stylistic complexity dare you to witness its unique and transgressive radiance.” — TIFFANY MORRIS (HAVOC IN SILENCE)
“Convulsive is packed with stories that are as bloody as they are poetic. This is at once a celebration of horror, an exploration of humanity, and an explosion of beautiful language. Koch will sear their name inside your heart.” GABINO IGLESIAS —(COYOTE SONGS)
The Shipwreck of the Cerberus
200 limited edition, signed, cursed chapbooks – Sold out!
Concerning the brazen head of Captain Jim Standard and the thief who absconds with him into the afterlife. Body horror, surrealism, absurd humor, necrophilia, and existential despair. Available from the author in this limited, signed edition of 200.
The Couvade
2019 Shirley Jackson Award finalist for best novelette
“It’s a love story; it’s horror. It’s about abuse and legacy. We’re drawn into the headspace of the past and a morphing reality that feels like a dream both horrifying and beautiful. My head was swimming in emotion by the end. I wish I could pick apart every detail, but the more said, the more spoiled in such a short tale. Follow the strange men to the basement yourself and see what Joanna Koch has created.” — HAILEY PIPER (THE WORM AND HIS KINGS, BENNY ROSE:THE CANNIBAL KING)
Online Podcast Fiction – Listen for Free
Oakmoss and Ambergris on Three-Lobed Burning Eye Magazine Podcast, Issue 35, narration performed by Rain Corbyn.
(Also translated into Spanish in print in the anthology MUNDO WEIRD: ANTOLOGÍA DE NUEVA FICCIÓN EXTRAÑA from Holobionte Ediciones.)
Reviewed by Maria Haskins: “This is an emotionally and erotically charged story of love and desire, greed and lust and transformation. It’s science fiction with a carnal, hungry vibe and I adore every bit of it.”
Offerings on PseudoPod Episode 837, narration performed by Christiana Ellis, reprinted from “Doorbells At Dusk” and “Convulsive”
I Married A Dead Man on Tales To Terrify Episode 595, narration performed by Colin Duncan, reprinted from “What One Wouldn’t Do: An Anthology On The Lengths One Might Go To”
Thank you for visiting. If you’re interested in my writing, please follow. I only post when I have new work to share and news of upcoming releases or events. Consider supporting me by picking up a copy of CONVULSIVE or THE WINGSPAN OF SEVERED HANDS for yourself, a friend, or an evil nemesis. I strongly encourage you to support your local library and consider asking them to order a book so anyone can read for free.
Horrorsong 