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Ruth Joffre
Ruth Joffre, Sinead Lykins, is an American author of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and flash-fiction best known for her debut collection Night Beast: And Other Stories . A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, she is soon to be a visiting writer at the University of Washington Bothel MFA program. Her writing has appeared in Masters Review, Kenyon Review, Electric Literature, Gulf Coast among others. She is also widely known for her interview series on Catapult, where she's interviewed Melissa Febos and Matt Bell.

Night Beast: And Other Stories
The titular story of the collection, "Night Beast" was selected by American author Kelly Link as winner of the Masters Review Fall Fiction Contest.

Night Beast: And Other Stories was received well by critics. Book Marks considered all reviews but one to be rave. Ploughshares reviewed it as being, "Like water, these stories will seep into you, filling you past the point of bursting. For that, you will be grateful." Masters Review said, "A sense of foreboding threads through these stories, and reading them is like walking through unlit woods, unsure of just what you’ll find." ZYZZYVA provided an depth review going through many stories in the collection, analyzing the emotional affect of each story, and praising the author Ruth Joffre for her ability to create it. Publishers Weekly called the book "auspicious" and "captivating". Colorado Review said, "Joffre’s debut is populated by dreamy, emotionally affecting stories that insist you move inside them. They sting and break your heart, but even so, you’re not quite ready for the waking of that final sentence." PopMatters, in an article titled, "In 'Night Beasts’, Joffre Pens Nefarious Worlds that Embrace the Lurid and Fantastical", focuses more on themes of abuse and sexuality. Elisabeth Woronzoff writes, "In whole, Night Beast focuses on the unsettling flaws in relationships that compose identities. Whereas the collection’s concept is intriguing, the execution is uneven. Joffre has a talent for making the macabre playful but ultimately Night Beast is disenchanting."

Kirkus Review gave what Book Marks called a "mixed" review--the only mixed review on the list. "Details in the stories get attention and then are abandoned, while seemingly crucial moments of motive or interiority are missing. The result is that the stories trap readers in a kind of disconcerting dream—by the time they're over, we feel a vague sense of melancholy without being quite sure why. Joffre’s ideas are vibrant, but a lack of development mutes the book’s effect."

Public reception of Night Beast: And Other Stories was generally positive, earning a 3.56 on Goodreads.