Howdy, all you literary hipsters:

I've posted the next couple selections from my memoir-in-progress over at the Rumpus.

Here's Valentine's Day.

Here's Veronica's Teeth.

May these grease your holidays with the requisite mix of filth/charm.

Howdy, all:

I'm just starting to write a series of essays on my alcoholic adventures.  The first one posted this week over at the Weeklings.  I hope you dig it. 


Would you read a book filled with these little bullets of memoir?  Thing is, it wouldn't just be war stories.  That gets boring after a bit.  It would be war stories leading to a bottom leading to getting clean leading to... what... happiness?

Can you imagine happiness?

Anyway, here's the essay.  Thanks to Antonia Crane for asking me to write this.

I hope you can absolutely imagine happiness,
Josh

San Francisco Magazine just released their issue on local authors, and they asked some of us to grace the cover. 

I'm "showcasing" my typical head-scratching posture, in which I reread a sentence and think: now who snuck into my novel and wrote such a crappy line?

I'm working on my next book, some sort of weird literary mystery: in it, a woman gets a sentence repeating in her head in a language she doesn't speak, and the line happens to be about a murder.  She and a friend set off on an adventure to try and save the target.

I read from the book last week in North Beach.   This chapter is narrated by a guy with a closed head injury.  I hope you dig it!

Sam Lipsyte Interview

Greetings, Literati:

How are you?  I'm fresh off book tour and wanted to say thanks for everyone who came out to one of the readings.  It was cool to connect with so many people.  Thanks for all the FIGHT SONG love!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Sam Lipsyte live at Tosca last month and wanted to post the podcast.  He's super smart and super cool and you should buy all his books!

I'm going underground to finish up this next novel.  I'll see you when it's done.  Be reckless on the page and write the book that only you can write!

Cheers,
Josh

PS: If that link is being surly, here's the podcast on Litquake's site.

FIGHT SONG tour & other literary shenanigans

There will be more coming, but this is the first round of readings.  I hope to see you at one of these events! 

2/7: Amnesia Bar, Mission District.  Book party for “Fight Song” and Susan Steinberg’s “Spectacle,” hosted by the Rumpus’s Isaac Fitzgerald.

2/9: East Bay on the Brain, Berkeley. 

2/16: Writers with Drinks, Mission District, Makeout Room.

2/21: Official Fight Song Release Party presented by City Lights, with performances by Bucky Sinister, Daphne Gottlieb, Tony Dushane, and Jon Longhi.  

2/25: Diesel Books, Berkeley, with Sam Sattin.

2/26: San Francisco Public Library, main branch: I’ll be interviewing Patrick DeWitt, author of “The Sisters Brothers” and “Ablutions” for On The Same Page.

3/2: Bernal Yoga Series, San Francisco.

3/5: Cantab Lounge, Boston, with Jillian Lauren, Gina Frangello, James Greer, Tyler McMahon, Ben Tanzer, among others.

3/10: KGB Bar, NYC, sponsored by Vol. 1 Brooklyn.  Also performing Teddy Wayne, Kathleen Alcott, and Matt Dojny.

3/11: Franklin Park Reading Series, Brooklyn. 

3/12: City Lights, San Francisco: I’ll be interviewing Sam Lipsyte about his new story collection “The Fun Parts” for a Litquake Epicenter event.

3/14: Copperfields, Petaluma.

3/21: Powells, Portland: also reading, Pat DeWitt and Jim Frost.

3/22: Writers’ Dojo, Portland: I’m teaching a one-day seminar.  Info here.

3/25: Elliott Bay, Seattle: After the reading, I’ll be in conversation with Mia Lipman. 

4/9: Books Inc, Mountain View.

4/11: Why there are words, Sausalito

4/18: Book Passage, Corte Madera.  I’ll be interviewing Pam Houston, author of “Contents May Have Shifted.”

4/20-21: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.

4/27: Saturday Night Special, Berkeley.

5/10: Gallery Books, Mendocino. 

See you soon,
Josh

PS: There's a new excerpt of FIGHT SONG posted at The Nervous Breakdown.

Scout'sHonor! - featured in FIGHT SONG

Thanks to Kevin Clarke, who played the doctor. Isaac Fitzgerald and Leota Mohr were the happy couple. And big thanks to Jack Winton for putting this whole thing together!

Book trailer for FIGHT SONG.

PS: Thanks to The Millions for listing FIGHT SONG as one of its most anticipated titles of 2013.

Hipster Lit Flowchart

This not only made me laugh, but hopefully it turns you on to some books you've never read before.  There are a lot of great titles here! I'm so stoked they included a book of mine. This is as big as I can get it, so if you can't see it, check it out on Flavorwire or Huffington Post.

Enjoy,
Josh

Pen and Ink

Howdy all:

Wendy McNaughton and Isaac Fitzgerald have a new project called Pen and Ink, where artists talk about the inspiration behind one of their tattoos.  Here's mine. 
Thanks, Wendy and Isaac!

Ciao,
Josh

PS: Isaac also has a tumblr called "Drinking with Tim Riggins."  It's even more awesome than it sounds.

The Ultra Violence

City Lights invited me to read from "Clockwork Orange" to commemorate Banned Books Week. I hope you dig the excerpt, my droogs:

I also chatted with the SF Chronicle about Banned Books Week.  Read all about it here.

Viva la literature,
Josh

Get More Lit

Howdy, literati:

How are you?  I hope you’re all scribbling lots of pretty prose.  I’m doing some events in the next few weeks.  I hope to see you at one these:

10/13: San Francisco, Panel, The Art of the Novel, 4pm 

10/13:  San Francisco, Reading with Pam Houston, Michelle Richmond, and Susan Steinberg, 7:15pm

10/14: Santa Cruz, Felix Kulpa Gallery, Reading with Gina Frangello, Rob Roberge, Leota Mohr,and Stacy Bierlein, 3 pm.

11/10: Hollywood, Reading at the Rattling Wall Release Party at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 8pm

And if none of these dates work, you'll just have to come over to my apartment and we'll whisper sweet nothings in each other's ears.

My new novel "Fight Song" comes out February 12, 2013.  I'm so stoked to share this story with everyone.  I'll post a tour schedule soon.

Write like crazy,

Josh 

PS: If you'd like to read an excerpt from Fight Song, it's posted here at Canteen Mag.