About Flannery Row:

Flannery Row is a comic about love, literature, and the looming dread associated with picking an unwise career path. It follows the life of Richard Kasinski– a recent grad with no funds, job prospects, or muscle tone– as he navigates a scuttled economy, plays guitar, and wastes extensive amounts of time with his friends. It takes place in a slightly fictionalized version of Niagara Falls, Ontario.

About the Characters:

Richard Kasinksi

 You just read about him in the plot summary. Richard did his MA at the University of New Brunswick, and now finds himself in the unenviable position of trying to land a job with no practical experience and an English degree. Well-meaning, awkward, and flummoxed by the real world, Richard doesn’t know what he wants out of life except that what he currently has isn’t it.

Albert Helmich

Richard’s maternal grandfather. A German by birth and temperament, Albert fled the Stasi after World War 2 and came to Canada under the naive assumption that things would be easy here. They weren’t and he’s still bitter about it. Cantankerous, acid-tongued and a masterful violin player, Albert longs for a life of glamour and intrigue. He plots frequent escapes from his room at Sunnyvale Retirement Community, even though he could easily just use the sign-out sheet like everybody else.

Jenn Hill

Richard’s room-mate. Originally from Alberta, Jenn met Richard at the University of New Brunswick, where they both received Master’s degrees in English literature. Unlike Richard, Jenn has transferable skills and managed to land a job at the Niagara Falls Public Library. She moved to Ontario after finishing her degree for reasons she won’t fully get into. Smart, strong, and full of snark, Jenn is the kind of person you’d be happy to call on for help, be it in study hall or a street fight.

David Royce

 Richard’s childhood friend, David grew from an indolent boy obsessed with video games and fart jokes into an indolent man obsessed with video games, fart jokes and beer. Terminally unemployed, David is nevertheless dating Richard’s friend Rebecca, whom Richard met during undergrad.

About the Author:

Justin Joschko is a freelance writer currently living in Ottawa, Ontario. He went to school for Creative Writing, which seemed like a good idea at the time, and has work published or forthcoming in Grain magazine, echolocation, and Here Be Monsters speculative fiction anthology. He does his best to update Flannery Row each and every Monday, struggles with his artwork, and is frankly astounded that you’re actually reading this.