announcing

hit repeat until i hate music:
the march xness anthology

coming from split/lip press march 2026

Love March Xness? Us too! So much so that the Official Selection Committee compiled 40 of y/our favorite essays into a book forthcoming in March 2026. Along with an introduction by Megan Campbell and Ander Monson, it will include the following forty essays:

  • Erin Belieu on “Satisfaction”

  • Matt Bell on “My Own Prison”

  • Steph Brown on “Rapper’s Delight”

  • Mark Butler and Laura Lorson on “Rock & Roll Dreams Come True”

  • Cameron Carr on “Whip It”

  • Brooke Champagne on “One”

  • Dan Chaon on “Natural One”

  • James Charlesworth on “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life”

  • Steven Church on “Dream Warriors”

  • Danielle Cadena Deulen and J. Max Stinson on “Cities in Dust”

  • Danielle Evans on “Seether”

  • Melissa Faliveno on “Exterminating Angel”

  • T. Fleischmann on “Morning Train”

  • Elisa Gabbert on “Another Day in Paradise”

  • Joshua Geist on “TiK ToK”

  • Danielle Geller on “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)”

  • Ryan Grandick on “Rock You to Hell”

  • Camellia-Berry Grass on “10,000 Lovers (in One)”

  • Jennifer Gravley on “18 and Life”

  • Dave Griffith on “It Takes Two”

  • Raquel Gutiérrez on “Blind”

  • W. Todd Kaneko on “Crazy Nights”

  • Erin Keane on “Atlantic City”

  • Porochista Khakpour on “Possum Kingdom”

  • Drew Krewer on “Song For the Lonely”

  • Lela Scott MacNeil on The Mountain Goats

  • Kristine Langley Mahler on “Only Happy When it Rains”

  • Karyna McGlynn on “Mr. Vain”

  • John Melillo on “Bound for the Floor”

  • Ander Monson on “Lucretia My Reflection”

  • Katie Moulton on “Hot in Herre”

  • Laura CJ Owen on “Achy Breaky Heart”

  • Elena Passarello on “Muskrat Love”

  • Kathleen Rooney on “Seasons in the Sun”

  • Amy Rossi on How Grunge Didn’t Kill Glam

  • Jim Ruland on “Marilyn My Bitterness”

  • Justin St. Germain on “I Think We’re Alone Now”

  • Martin Seay on “My Ding-a-Ling”

  • Sejal Shah on “1 Thing”

  • Aaron Smith on “Torn”

The book comes out in March 2026, just in time for the March Sadness 2026 tournament.

We’ll have a pre-order link up as soon as there is one!