OVER THE TOUR RECAP DUDE

So, so, so I went on that rad three-stop tour with bookmates Christopher Newgent and Brian Oliu, along with the incredible (read: HOW DID WE GET HIM TO COME WITH US) Matt Bell. A bunch of people and entities and webfaces have posted stuff about this wacky trip, so I'm gonna pull together a bunch of that goodness and add some yapping of my own. Okay, cool:

Our days went like (Wednesday big drive to Tuscaloosa and reading), (Thursday day off in Tuscaloosa; Peter Markus/Jenny Boully reading; DJ Oliu dance party!), (Friday drive to Atlanta; incredible Vouched ATL reading with Amy McDaniel, J Bradley, and Melysa Martinez), (Saturday drive to Nashville; chill coffee shop reading), and (Sunday 16 hours on the road; drop Bell off in Ann Arbor, back to Indy/Elwood). I ended up being in a car for like 2000 miles in five days. IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT.



Christopher Newgent continues to lift up my literary coolness, steady my shaky idiothead, and be a better friend than most I've ever had. He continues to write super affecting sad stories and short snappy poems. He continues to yell out windows with me and throw his hands in the air with me. He began disc golf with me. He continues to drive me cool places. He is a solid fucking writer, more importantly, dude.


Matt Bell is one of the reasons I do this silly writing thing. He was the first "small press" writer I ever read/knew/met. He gave me my first chance to help with a press/magazine, with The Collagist. Because of geography/busyness, this is the first time we've got to hang out for an extended period of time. He's is one of the most thoughtful men I know, and by far, one of my favorite readers. Cataclysm Baby is bound to be a classic on my fiction shelf (and should be on yours too!). What an honor to get to pal around with him for five days.



Brian Oliu is a legit human being, that versatile creature. He holds it down as a DJ, writes some moving lyric essays, can yap-yap (good yapping) on and on about video games, sports, music, books, etc. etc. etc., and as Matt Bell said, "I still don't know what the Crimson Tide mascot looks like, but it should look like Brian Oliu, because he Roll Tides harder than anyone." This is the second time Oliu has hosted me as a reader and as a friend in Tuscaloosa and absolutely those are some of my favorite readings/nights in recent memories. KEEPS IT REAL is what I'm saying.

All three readings were spectacular in their own way. Tuscaloosa being overwhelming with that amazing MFA program's people coming out and talking and buying books and being nice. Atlanta being incredible, seeing the amazing Laura Straub of Vouched Books ATL do here thing, meeting some rad people (Michael Straub! Melysa Martinez! Amy McDaniel! Jamie Iredell! Kory Calico! ETC!), falling in love with that scene/city. Nashville chilling us out before our big Sunday drive, getting to poemyell in a coffee shop, eating the most expensive personal pan pizza of my life.

Basically what I'm saying is, I'm rejuvenated. Basically what I'm saying is, I'm going to keep doing this. Basically what I'm saying is, my brain and body are still mush from all the fun and words and booze. Basically what I'm saying is, HOW LUCKY I AM TO GET TO DRIVE AROUND AND READ WITH THESE THREE AMAZING GUYS. Basically what I'm saying is, I needed this and it happened. Basically what I'm saying, every person who came to a reading is amazing. Basically what I'm saying is, thank you so much for helping put me back together.

Here's a bunch of stuff from around the web and such that I liked a lot and wanna archive here and maybe you will like it too:

Laura Straub's recap of the Atlanta Reading

Jesse Bradley's recordings of each reader at the Atlanta Reading

Here is my video from that reading


Patrick Trotti did a nice little recap on the Tiny Hardcore blog

My Favorite Pictures from the Over The Top Tour Twitter






My Favorite posts from the Over The Top Tour Twitter

• Matt spends as much time on the phone w/ his wife as his loving Facebook posts would suggest.
• "It's just my spirit animal: enormously cocked dragons."- Matt
• "Let's go to a strip club tonight! We'll put the loose back in Tuscaloosa!"- Me
• Rest area? No thanks! We don't rest; we ROLL TIDE.
• "15yr old girls love sleeping."- Brian
• I WAMT SNUGGLES - Christopher
• Sex Tips By Strunk & White: if you double space after the period during cyber sex, it makes you look old.- Matt

Christopher Newgent's FB recap

1874.3 miles, and I don't have enough space to say all I could possibly say about last week's Over the Top Tour, but a quick spattering of highlights are that Matt Bell gets Seth Rogan voice after a few bourbons, Brian Oliu can keep a dance floor going for hours without the party dropping, playing disc golf in tank tops with Tyler Gobble could easily be a new favorite hobby, Laura Straub is as fantastic a reading series host as you might expect and will climb fences she's too scared to climb if you tell her to imagine a zombie situation, her husband Michael still has one of the best laughs ever, Amy McDaniel is the consummate party host, Michael Martone's to-read shelf has to be full to collapsing and I'm so happy to have my book on that shelf, it's always great to carve out time to laugh with Blake Butler and Jamie Iredell, and the Nashville crew of Todd Dills, John Minichillo, and Chet Weise is ultimately forgiving of 4 dudes crashing into their town and slobbering tired in their coffeeshops, still willing to support our books, to buy us wine and keep a tired conversation moving. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the 3 dudes who made the trip with me, and the hundreds of people who made it what it was. I could never tag you all here.

Brian Oliu FB Post

Happy Easter from a Nashville Airport Hotel! We are singing "Hungry Eyes". 5:30am flight back to Alabama. Gonna miss these dudes. Such a great few days & some really awesome readings.

Matt Bell's FB recap

A short selection of the things I learned this past week: That being a vegetarian in the south is about three times the commitment it is in the north. That the people of Tuscaloosa are great hosts and perhaps better dancers. That Laura Straub is among the best reading series hosts I've seen. That Tyler Gobble is the best part of a tank top. That Christopher Newgent is the only person I have never seen lose at arm wrestling (three bout minimum). That I still don't know what the Crimson Tide mascot looks like, but it should look like Brian Oliu, because he Roll Tides harder than anyone. That when Amy McDaniel invites you into her home she makes a mean vegetarian chili and a meaner chocolate chip cookie. That Jesse Bradley will kindly record your reading and have it posted to the internet before you can finish breakfast the next day. That fewer people will come to a reading in Nashville, but that all of them will come drinking afterward, winning their city some kind of percentage-based prize. That being on a Greyhound and then a car and then a car and then a car and then a car is well worth it, if its with these people, or brings you to them and many more. I'm very glad to be home and awaiting Jessica's return from her own travels, but also very grateful to everyone who made this past week so much fun.

THE FULLNESS OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GONNA HAPPEN WHEN WE GO OVER THE TOP

My chapbook, Goodness is a Fine Thing to Chase, is in an anthology of sorts called The Fullness of Everything, accompanied by a rad short story chapbook by Christopher Newgent and an awesome collection of lyric essays by Brian Oliu. It is out now(ish) from Tiny Hardcore Press.

To celebrate, we are heading out together on a mini-tour next week, along with Matt Bell, whose newest book, Cataclysm Baby, is out now(ish) from MudLuscious Press. We will be hitting Tuscaloosa, Atlanta, and Nashville. GUESS WHAT IM STOKED.

Christopher and I will also be lugging the Vouched Books table along with us, equaling more books which equals more fun, duh!

Also, we want to arm wrestle. I'll also regular wrestle or maybe even fight you if that is what you want. I'm a people pleaser.



Here is more info on each of those dates:

April 4th - Tuscaloosa, AL
Green Bar, 2209 4th Street
w/ Marsha McSpadden & Ashley McWaters
7pm

April 6th - Atlanta, GA
Goat Farm, 1200 Foster Street
w/ J. Bradley & Melysa Martinez
8pm

April 7th - Nashville, TN
Portland Brew East, 1921 Eastland Avenue
w/ Todd Dills
6pm

If you're in the area for any of these readings, I really hope you can make it out. We can laugh and talk about words and probably be pals (at least for a night! Maybe longer!). We will have copies of our book for sale.

If you can't make it to a reading and would like to help out, buy a book, share the Facebook events/flyer, or just say what's up on the web. WE ARE REALLY APPRECIATIVE PEOPLE SO THANX.

In the next week, I'll be blogging here about the two other chapbooks in the collection, my own contribution, and Matt Bell's writing, as well as a mass interview where I've been letting anyone who wants to ask me a question on FB/Twitter do just that and I'll answer them (Also, leave a question in the comments, if you want; it can be about the book, my writing, my life, nothing at all!). Other possible posts include videos of me reading poems from the book in awkward places, picture updates, and other weirdo proof of living.

I LIKE YOU A LOT.

I've been telling you for years to get stoked...

We are proud to announce the release of our first issue of Stoked Journal. The issue features new work from Amber Sparks, Brian Oliu, Daniel Bailey, J.A. Tyler, Mike Young, Ryan Ridge, and Sarah Carson, as well as reprinting of stories by Roxane Gay (originally published in Gargoyle 56) and Matt Bell (originally in Drexel Online Journal). Big thanks to all these authors for making this first issue such an excellent and enjoyable one. Please check it out and spread the word; we are sure you'll be just as stoked as we are.

READ THE FIRST ISSUE HERE

The only titles I can come up with are lame plays on "How They Were Found" so this is the title.

Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend:

Hey Matt B,

This is our realm, on the web, blogs, email, etc. This is where our friendship started and the place it sizzles and stuff. I remember how cool it was the way we “met,” me emailing you about your books and you being all HELL YEAH DUDE I’M COMING TO MUNCIE FOR IN PRINT. Okay, I might have added my own spin to your words, sorry.
But Yeah. I’m so thankful for the opportunities you’ve given me, with the Collagist, but indirectly with my own writing and other things, like Vouched.

More importantly though, you’ve been just a cool dude. I know you are busy writing a sweet novel and editing a killer journal and being a good husband, and it means a lot when you do things like go out to breakfast with me or write me 12 paragraph emails. You show me that dedication to writing doesn’t have to be a removal from a dedication to being a good human being.

My good friend Layne wrote a sweet blog post about the “artistic temperament.” I immediately thought of you, both wondering your reaction and seeing you as an example of an artist who defies such typing. I’m thinking WOOOOO, the contemporary writer needs to be hard-working and friendly, like Matt.

With the way communication is today, I think it takes both effort and good people skills to do meaningful stuff. By this I mean, emailing is pretty easy, but a few sentence response is way different than several paragraphs. Talking to you about your process and your dedication really gets me stoked about doing my own word hustle. Basically what I’m saying is that for someone who writes stories that can give people nightmares, you are a super nice dude, and thanks.

Yeah, you are my favorite internet friend, as per the rules of this letter writing challenge, but I am glad our relationship can go beyond that. Thanks for all you do for me.

KEEP IT REAL
Tyler

ANOTHER VIDEO BLOG POST WOOOO

THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE BEST READING EVER

Five Dolphins Flippin' Out

1. That is Jumex. It is empty. The box promises it is 100% Nectar, but I'm not sure what all that entails. I know it is empty. I know it was delicious.

2. I just finished reading "Mantodea" from How They Were Found , Matt Bell's fabulous debut story collection. I don't remember ever reading this piece before, but man it is a hard hitter, there's some swallowing of nails, coins, etc., some bathroom sex, and a whole lot of obsession. Matt's stories do a nice job of building, taking odd/crazy/horrifying things and piling them atop each other. Once he lets the steam out at the end, I kind of feel dead, but like a good dead or something. I'll definitely write some kind of big response to this book once I get to it. I'm not sure why you wouldn't own this book, but here is a good place to get it if you don't.

3. I DONT WANNA BEG BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SUBMIT TO THE BROKEN PLATE.

4. Wednesday October 27th Blazers vs. Clippers on ESPN. That's the start of my NBA season right there. I haven't been this stoked for a Clippers game since....uh-oh.

5. Next semester, I'm doing an independent study poetry class with Todd, compiling "an undergraduate thesis/chapbook manuscript." For the class, I'll be studying/reading lots of first books and chapbooks, primarily ones that have won contests/awards, and working on my own manuscript. Probably an extra-ambitious project and super hopeful, but hey, I need another class and how fun does that sound: SUPER FUN. I'm looking for suggestions on books to read/study. THANKS.

What I'm Reading Right Now

The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams Volume I 1909-1939: Williams was the first poet I ever liked (The Red Wheelbarrow, duh), and this is the first time I've ever dug deep into his work. The first section I read Spring and All (and home to The Red Wheelbarrow) beat my brain to mush, so I had to sit this collection down for a bit. Now, I am back in it, reading the earliest two sections today. Reading in a collected works, it is interesting to see the shift in style, focus, aesthetic, etc. Also reminds me how I hope no one ever reads my earlier poems (please burn your copy of the 2009 Broken Plate now).

The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, edited by Ben Marcus: Suggested by Matt Bell, this book has been on my "currently reading" page in Goodreads for over a month now. Every once in a while, I'll pick it up and read a story, just to flex my solid fiction brain. "Two Brothers" by Brian Evenson is my favorite so far. I already have this marked for at least one of my fiction friends for her next birthday.

Poetic Meter and Poetic Form by Paul Fussell: This is another book that is taking me a while to get through/to. I think I'm okay with that, as this is reference-material, dense stuff. I was never really taught formal things about poetry, so this is a beating of meter, form, tough words, Shakespeare, words ending -ic.

Poetry and The Age by Randall Jarrell: I'm super stoked to have started this book. I read the first essay "The Obscurity of the Poet" reenforced that desire to listen to Jarrell. This essay expresses some killer insight on poetry and the poet's relation to the rest of the world, ideas I don't even think I've wrapped my head around completely yet. I still slept pretty well last night.

In July, my good friend Elysia is having a piece published by Elimae, and I've read it, and man, it is coooool.

The NBA Draft Preview issue of ESPN the Magazine was sucky. The World Cup Preview issue of ESPN the Magazine was killer, and I wasn't even that stoked for the World Cup, though my thoughts are shifting a bit.

What are you reading that you're really stoked about?

Matt Bell's Wolf Parts

I say WOLF, but of course there are various kinds of wolves.

When I found out Bell was releasing a minibook retelling the story of Little Red Riding Hood, I knew this story would not be one for my mother's 1st grade class. Rather, Wolf Parts is a collection of fragmented flash fictions that took me to sights I wish I wouldn't have seen, but at the same time, feel like a different man for seeing. Stories, I believe, should do something to me. These flashes frighten me, enliven me, rage me, touch me with their haunting metaphors and visual descriptions.

The image I can't get out of my head is Red laying naked on the skinned fur of the Wolf, after her dad has killed him to prove a lesson about protecting his daughter. When Bell writes, When she howled, it was with her mouth against his unhearing ear, her lips close to his stretched and taxidermied jaws, full of the teeth she had just once felt so lovingly against her skin. , I was at once disturbed and also moved by Bell's ability to capture such haunting moments with his pitch perfect language.

My mind is full, I said, in a previous post, from processing images like these: predatory, daring, truthful. In these stories, the predator changes: the Wolf of course, but also the grandmother as the wolf, the woodsman as a killer, Red and other girls as wolf-slayers. We are all wolves, it seems, or we have the chance to be.

I can't quite say enough about this collection as a whole. Each story shouts with a such ferocity and diversity that I will have trouble sleeping tonight, not from being afraid of the Wolf, but rather from being afraid of language and all its power.