"Simple Songs for the End of the World is a remarkable odyssey navigating the turbulent waters of dread and despair and regret while discovering that dignity and hope are resilient and the best medicine of them all."

-Michael Loyd Gray, author of The Space Between Now and Then

"After hearing that he most likely has penile cancer and is facing chemotherapy and surgery, Gus, the narrator of M.C. Schmidt’s Simple Songs for the End of the World, watches a goose “hobbled by a bum leg, moving slowly toward the gaggle who had left him behind. Watching him sent a sympathetic ache through my groin. He was too sad for me to deal with then.” This tiny, perfect scene is endemic of M.C. Schmidt’s remarkable novella about finding empathy and perspective when the world, both personal and global, appears to be falling apart. Satellite communication has ended, but on the plus side, this means it’s a “bad time to be an online troll.” M.C. Schmidt’s tender, melancholy, surprisingly funny book keeps plucking silver linings from the dark."

- Kim Magowan, author of The Last Day

"Intelligently and expertly crafted, Simple Songs for the End of the World pulls off the extraordinary feat of delicately balancing humor and pathos beneath the backdrop of harrowing uncertainty. This slim and powerful book showcases the talent of a writer who has the ability to render the everyday in extraordinary ways. You will laugh. You will cry. And you very well may never look at the sky the same way. M.C. Schmidt is a writer at the top of his game."

- Nicholas Claro, author of This Is Where You Are and Sedgwick County

"Satellites have collided, space is cluttered with killer debris, and a planetary communications blackout has hit, but those may be the least of his worries as musician Gus suddenly faces a grim cancer diagnosis while still feeling the aftereffects of his breakup with Brooke. As parallel global and personal disasters spin beyond his control, Gus draws closer to his community through music jams, laughter, and the constancy of his cursing, home-cooking mother. Simple Songs for the End of the World is a beautifully imagined book about finding grace in accepting the imperfections in ourselves and others, the connections built when we make art, and the ways humans are able to locate chinks of light in the darkest times. M.C. Schmidt has written an inspiring novella that serenades the reader with its song of hope and courage."

- Lynn Mundell, editor of Centaur, author of Let Our Bodies Be Returned to Us (University of South Carolina), and co-editor of Nothing Short Of: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story (Outpost19)

"M.C. Schmidt's writing is always vivid and original, and it's no surprise that this novella delivers on both accounts. But it's the tenderness and esteem with which he renders his characters—even through their shortcomings, even as they grope in the dark—that I found most moving here. At its core, this is a story that loves art and the people who make it with all its got; if you've ever turned to art in trying or uncertain times, you'll find yourself here."

- Hannah Harley, Founding Editor, ARTWIFE Magazine