Deprived of the ingrained romantic mysticism of the opiate or the cosmopolitan chic of cocaine or the mundane tolerance of marijuana, there is no sympathy for this devil. Yet speed - crystal meth, amphetamines, Dexedrine, Benzedrine, Adderall; crank, spizz, chickenscratch, oblivious marching powder, the go-fast - is the most American of drugs: twice the productivity at half the cost, and equal opportunity for all. It feels so good and hurts so bad.

The first contemporary collection of all new literary short fiction on the drug from an array of today's most compelling and respected authors. These are no stereotypical tales of tweakers - the element of crime and the bleary-eyed, shaky zombies at dawn are here right alongside heart-wrenching narratives of everyday people, good intentions gone terribly awry, the skewed American Dream going up in flames, and even some accounts of pure joy.

Featuring brand-new stories by: James Franco, Sherman Alexie, William T. Vollmann, Megan Abbott, Jerry Stahl, Beth Lisick, Jess Walter, Scott Phillips, James Greer, Tao Lin, Joseph Mattson, Natalie Diaz, Kenji Jasper, and Rose Bunch.

CONTENTS

How to Go to Dinner With a Brother On Drugs - Natalie Diaz

War Cry - Sherman Alexie

Bad - J erry Stahl

Labiodental Fricative - Scott Phillips

Osito - Kenji Jasper

Amp is the First Word in Amphetamine - Joseph Mattson

Addiction - James Franco

Wheelbarrow Kings - Jess Walter

Tips 'n' Things by Elayne - Beth Lisick

Pissing in Perpetuity - Rose Bunch

51 Hours - Tao Lin

Everything I Want - Megan Abbott

The Speed of Things - James Greer

No Matter How Beautifully It Stings - William T. Vollmann