"Intelligent, spooky, original, and fall-down funny, The Head runs in dark layers from page one." - Jason Emde, author of Little Bit Die

A surreal and penetrating tale of academia, work life, and surviving trauma.

On the morning of her thirtieth birthday, Dr. Trish Russo, a math professor at Cascadia University, discovers a disembodied but living infant head on her dresser. Attached to nothing, somehow it still manages to wail and produce tears. Unsure what else to do, she takes it with her to work, if only to keep her neighbours from complaining about the head's terrible cries.

At the university, her colleagues are mortified, not of the head itself, but that Trish has brought it into the office with her. She is soon put on leave and hopes that visiting her parents might provide some solace and advice on what she should do with the head. But no matter where she turns, Trish finds no help and is instead vilified for not knowing what to do with this impossible thing that has happened to her.

The Head is a bizarre journey through trauma, bad relationships, and toxic workplace culture.

Robyn Braun's profile page

Robyn Braun is a professor at the University of Alberta. Her science writing has appeared in Today's Parent, Scientific American, New Scientist, and Discover. She also published poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction which have appeared in Ink in Thirds, samfzftyfour, Coin Operated Press Zines, Wrongdoing Magazine, and Flight of the Dragonfly among others. Her essay, "The Stutter of Emmett's Stutter" won subTerrain's 2021 Lush Triumphant prize for CNF . The Head is her first novella.

"Intelligent, spooky, original, and fall-down funny, The Head runs in dark layers from page one." - Jason Emde, author of Little Bit Die
"Robyn Braun's The Head pulses with the abject horror of those worrying parts of your being you can't put your finger on but just can't seem to throw away." - K.I. Press, author of Exquisite Monsters, Types of Canadian Women, Spine, and Pale Red Footprints
"A stunning achievement: compelling, disturbing, and thought-provoking, the sort of book that stays with you long after you finish it." - Michelle Barker, author of My Long List of Impossible Things, and The House of 1000 Eyes
"Astonishing and smart. The Head will leave you thinking long after the last word." - Robin van Eck, author of Rough
"Propulsive and darkly comedic, The Head, takes a good honest look at what it means to carry childhood trauma into adulthood. A whirlwind read that will make you laugh, cry, grit your teeth, and ultimately, feel at peace. Highly recommend!" - Shelly Kawaja, author of The Raw Light of Morning