Casey Pycior's debut short story collection, The Spoils, is forthcoming from Switchgrass Books, an imprint of Northern Illinois University press. He is originally from Kansas, and all the stories in his book take place in and around the state. The book has received advance praise from Donald Ray Pollock, Lee Martin, Whitney Terrell, Cote Smith, and Thomas Fox Averill, among others.
 

The characters in The Spoils are drowning under the weight of masculinity, paralyzed in the grip of things left unsaid. These men are broken and breaking, struggling to reckon with the decisions they’ve made and those they have yet to face. The stories in this powerful collection explore how men perform in their jobs and personal lives, and investigate the gray area between doing what’s best for oneself and acting a part to make others happy.