My good friend and videographer/photographer Joshua Ballinger of Documenting the Light had an idea to make a trailer for The Desperado Days some time back. We finally got around to finishing it. You can see it here on Youtube. Filmed around Los Angeles. Still available for purchase here at Trnsfr Books.
Launch Party for Los Angeles Press
Debuting a new short for this local press, excited to read at the North Figueroa Bookstore.
Interview with Write or Die Magazine
I was interviewed by Christine Stroud, editor of Autumn House Press, poet, and friend, for Write or Die Magazine.
Read it here.
Thank you for the opportunity, Shelby Hinte.
Praise for Desperado Days from Kelsey Trom, Professor at Tusculum University and Editor of The Tusculum Review
In addition to being invited to be a Contributing Editor for the Tusculum Review, the following is praise from Kelsey Trom:
“His stories are unblinkingly true, which doesn’t mean that they are cold. In fact, they give off heat, energy. I haven’t read another writer, living or dead, who does these four things better:
1. Captures courtship, flirtation, desire with both realism and vulnerability.
2. Conjures the stew of friend groups.
3. Accurately depicts the way race operates in American cities, families, friend groups.
4. Nails the orchestral camaraderie and class resentments of working in Food and Beverage.”
Pre-order Available Now
My second collection of short stories with Trnsfr Books is finally coming out. Official date is July 12th. Pre-order available now.
Artist in Residence
It’s my honor to be the second artist at Persimmon Creek Writers & Artists Residency in Arrow Rock, Missouri.
Re-Issue of TOTEM 1
When we first came out with Totem, we found ourselves in a situation rushing to come up with a cover. Keith had completed the interior but stepped away from the project and in haste, Eden conjured up the original cover. It was absolutely suitable but I think we both wished we’d had the time to come up with something more epic. Years later, that wish comes true. Reimagined by my friend and artist Dani Martire, it gives a much more trippy and fun representation of the comic. I’m in love with it.
The End is Nigh
WHAT A YEAR. It doesn’t get old saying it, does it? I feel like this year was like four years in one. I’ve seen police cars set on fire, participated in more protests and rallies and marches in one year than I have in my entire life, I moved back to Los Angeles from New Orleans, visited a friend from middle school that I haven’t seen in over a decade in Tulsa, experienced my longest bout of unemployment as an adult, adopted a puppy, and got the most work published in a single year of my career as a writer. Plus, I received my first nomination for the Pushcart Prize.
A story published with Alban’s Trnsfr Books. He found me through the story I published with Paper Darts. It’s funny when you start to see how it all connects. I’m very grateful. I don’t expect any more than the nomination, and quite honestly, I don’t even know anyone who goes and gets Pushcart Anthologies. Maybe I know someone and don’t know they own them. Either way, I know it’s something to be proud of and something to put on my resume.
I also got my final story published for the year with Dutch Kills Press based in NYC. It’s something Gordon Haber put together and you can purchase it as an e-book which is cool.
I feel like I got good momentum and I think hopefully the country does too. Let’s see, 2021.
NYC
Excited to be headlining a reading in New York City next week! What’s going to make this special is while the event is in New York, the three other writers joining me all similarly hail from Virginia (in some degree) and will be reading their own work. I’ve always been big on building community. We’ll be reading at a bar in Brooklyn called Branch OFC. It’s been a little while since I’ve visited New York City, that’s always fun too. Special shout out to Nate Waggoner for arranging this event. I’m going to mostly read from Grace Street Alley but I think I’ll preview a new story as well from my forthcoming collection, The Desperado Days. We’ll see.
A fresh publication and my first Writer's Retreat
Recently received my complimentary 3 copies of the latest issue of Prairie Schooner in which I had “Dogs” published. This is significant to me because number one the editor, Kwame Dawes, is a big deal right now in America. A Ghanaian poet at the University of Nebraska. So that probably leads into number two, the actual story published. This story they accepted is a hard one and it’s a gritty one and it shows some ugly sides of humanity. I wouldn’t have thought it could’ve gotten published a few years ago. But times are changing for sure. I’m grateful they accepted the story.
I was recently accepted to my first writer’s retreat which will be in June up in Maine, Norton Island to be exact. Never been to Maine, and I’m both excited and skeptical of this writer’s retreat. Being surrounded by a bunch of academic types is not particularly ideal to me, but if I’m gonna take this road, I gotta do it all the way. Here we go.
Austin
I will be reading stories from Grace Street Alley and other stories in Austin, Texas this Monday, the 7th. I used to live in Austin and Book People was my absolute favorite book store, and definitely in my top 5 in the country, so this is a huge honor for me. Really excited to see my friends. And seeing your name up on a marquee is always pretty badass…
Available for pre-order!
Grace Street Alley and other stories are available for pre-order on Makeout Creek’s site!
Grace Street Alley and other stories
The official release, October 15th, at Chop Suey Books. Visit their page here.
October...
...is looking like an exciting month. But bittersweet. But that's none of your business. I return to my college town triumphantly, Richmond, Virginia, for the release of my first book, a collection of twenty seven short stories, and also the Richmond Zine Fest, which I'll be holding down with my long time pal Brian Villalon. The book release will be at Chop Suey , a legendary book store of my lifetime. I'm even doing some readings and talking to students in some writing classes at William and Mary, a yuppie university I always talked shit about. What a time to be alive.
Tijuana Zine Fest!
Excited that next month I'm going to be a vendor in the Tijuana Zine Fest! This will be my first event like this since New Orleans and I have no idea what to expect. My Spanish is barely at level 1 but I'm hoping people will just be so enthusiastic we'll be able to get by on just good vibes. I'll be down there with both Wolf Zines, Totem 1 and 2, and a new zine as well as some special edition prints. Viva la Mexico!
Paper Darts in Minneapolis
This literary magazine based out of Minneapolis has been on my radar since I began submitting my work out to places. Eight years later, I finally get one in there. Considering the story, the content, and the times we are in, I was fairly confident it would get picked up somewhere, but that it's with the ladies of Paper Dart makes it all the sweeter. You gotta check it out yourself. I got my own copy in the mail this week and it's a really well put together magazine with lots of great content, and the art is great. In fact, ranking all my work that has been joined with an artist to which they add a piece of their own interpretation, I really like Andres Guzman's interpretation the best. Pretty dead on. Kudos to you, brother. You can order the magazine here. I need to visit that city.
More, in Los Angeles
I don't like this city, but I can't deny that it's a land of opportunity, even if it does carry a stench along with every transaction. I've printed WOLF II and the second issue of Totem and found both of them a home in this city. Particularly proud of both issues of Totem being accepted into Skylight Books' Art Shop and available for purchase. Granted, it's typically my friends buying my shit, but I know for certain the eyes of strangers graze over my work and wonder. It's a start. I have a lot more to go. And more still, coming soon.
TOTEM II
Well, we did it. Or I should say, mostly Eden did it. So grateful to know this woman. After illustrating and coloring the entire book, we got Ian Smith to do the cover, and got it printed in time for Eden to bring it to the New Orleans Comic and Zine Fest. Bummer I had to miss it this year. The book looks amazing. Hoping to have it in stores soon and in the mail to the good folks who pre-purchased. Thanks for all the support, folks.
WOLF II in L.A.
So I have WOLF II available in two of my favorite stores in Los Angeles presently. Virgil Normal in Silver Lake and Other Books in Boyle Heights. Two cool places to just hang out in general. Think I'll grab a six pack and do that actually. Meet me there.
WOLF II
Got a new zine out! I've decided to keep the Wolf thing going. Just seems right. Just seems me. I earned it. This new zine I did with long time collaborators Brian Villalon and Mauricio Pattaroyo. Mau did the cover and Brian did the comic inside and formatted it. An ode to L.A. dive bars and poets. Definitely the best part of being out in Los Angeles so far is finding all these haunts. This is the first zine I included my own little doodles/illustrations in. It was fun. Hoping to have them in some stores soon but anyone can hit me up and Venmo and I'll get to the mail as soon as possible!
