 It was my absolute pleasure to be welcomed by Debutiful last week and to share an excerpt from and discuss my newly released memoir, "I'm Never Fine."
Debutiful is a website and podcast where readers can discover debut authors. It has been named a Best Book Podcast by Book Riot, Town and Country, and Los Angeles Review of Books. Click HERE to listen!
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 Happy (very belated) Valentine’s Day, friends!
In celebration of a holiday I find to be inordinately cringe, the latest issue of Dollar Store Magazine has published “A Recipe for Disaster,” my well-meaning roast of the self-destructive tendencies we cannot seem to quit in our quest for love. It can be found on page 52 of Issue 6, entitled "Love, but Make it Cringe." Check it out HERE and have a gas!
Friends, I don’t know what to say.
When I started writing this I had no idea where it would lead. I had no idea magazines would pick up and publish pieces along the way. I had no idea those publications would fuel the push toward the manuscript. I had no idea a publisher would take interest in this story from a writer few had heard of, that they’d manage to be touched by it and offer to put in the necessary time and resources to develop it into a book. I had no idea, in my work to get it out there, I’d wind up connecting with writers I’d never even dreamed I’d meet and - on top of that - that they’d be generous with their time and thought and actually want to affix their name to the work in some way. I had no idea how hard the work would be, how necessary it would be, and how much I would learn and grow from all of it. But, here we are. It is publication day for I’m Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss, and, considering all it took to get there, I also acknowledge that the journey for this book really begins today. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who has taken part in this trek and to those still posted out ahead. Here we go.
Good Morning, readers.
It's so very appropriate that this piece - a piece that shares the name of the man who looms so large in my forthcoming memoir - should find its home in the very same month that that book is slated to be released. But, some occurrences defy logic and explanation. To that end, my poem "Joseph" is out now in both digital and print publication with Dear Reader and Alien Buddha Zine, respectively. Please check them out. And, don't forget to pay attention to the little things.   "You look ridiculous if you dance. You look ridiculous if you don’t dance. So you might as well dance." - Gertrude Stein Some days, ya gotta dance. The Chicks said that once. Well, they sang it. (Sung it? I never know).
And, friends, in this case, I am so glad I danced my way into a frenzy of foolish confidence a few months ago wherein I submitted my book for consideration at LAMBDA LITERARY. Because, just yesterday, I learned that the good folx at LL - America's leading LGBTQ literary organization - named my book, I'm Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss, among their list of the Most Anticipated February 2023 Releases. Shocked would be an understatement. Humbled, as well. Excited, too. I am, quite literally, all the adjectives. My sincerest thanks to everyone at LAMBDA LITERARY for their kindness and for this distinction. I'll just be over here, lying on the floor.  Friends and readers!
I wrote a poem about apples…but also maybe about poison, God, Michaelangelo, Milton, and the Jonestown massacre. But, mostly, apples. This particular piece is featured in my forthcoming memoir and it’s out now in Issue #4 of possibly THE most appropriate magazine, considering the subject matter: Messy Misfits Club. Check it out HERE!   Holy handbags, Batman! I couldn't be more thrilled to announce that my forthcoming memoir, "I'm Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss" has been named among Buzzfeed's 24 Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2023!
"Unflinchingly honest," writes David Vogel. "Thought-provoking and well-crafted, this memoir signals the debut of a bold new voice in creative nonfiction." It is an absolutely humbling experience to be listed among such talented company. My sincerest thanks to Buzzfeed and Vogel, a champion for indie authors fighting to bring their books into the light. Click HERE to preorder "I'm Never Fine."  This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kellie Scott-Reed of Roi Fainéant Press for their web series "A Word..."
We got to chat about everything from my forthcoming Vine Leave's Press memoir, the writing process, my beef with clichés, Christmas decorations, and, of course, my obsession with David Sedaris. Check it out HERE and enjoy!  For years, I’ve lived on a spectrum of harmony/disharmony with my body.
There've been great, big chunks of time where I avoided mirrors. I covered myself up. I piled jokes on top of a problem I wanted to bury, because I couldn’t find a way to talk about it. This poem is an excavation. “The Deeper Areas" is out now in the anthology issue of Snowflake Magazine.  Just in time for the holidays, my book I'm Never Fine: Scenes and Spasms on Loss is officially available for pre-order!
You can find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold. I highly recommend Bookshop.org as they support local independent booksellers. Reserve yours today! Amazon Barnes and Noble Bookshop.org |
AuthorAll posts are authored by Joe unless otherwise noted. |
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