Howdy, readers! I have a ton of updates for y’all, as always.
I am proud to report that Welcome to Midland won Honorable Mention for the Philosophical Society of Texas annual book awards. The book also made the Poetry From the Subversives list from indie bookshop AvantPop Bookstore. I feel so seen!
Speaking of indie bookstores, I had the honor of participating in events for a couple of my favorites. The incomparable Pantego Books invited me to their poetry night for National Poetry Month in April. I did two events for Deep Vellum, also in April. I moderated a discussion with the brilliant writer Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton during her book tour. I also read from my book for the Deep Vellum 10th anniversary celebration at Klyde Warren park in Dallas. So grateful these shops exist!
Also in April, I had the pleasure of visiting Midland/Odessa, thanks to Pride Center West Texas and UT-Permian Basin. I taught a workshop at the university and gave a reading at a local cafe in Midland. I always say I wrote Welcome to Midland for queer folks with hometowns like mine. It was so heartening to meet the brilliant queer community in that very place—they were quite literally beyond my wildest dreams.
In May, I hosted a very special Inner Moonlight—our 5th anniversary! The event kicked off the Writer’s Garret Dallas is Lit! Festival. You can read about it in this Dallas Observer article, which includes a pretty amazing photo of me doing what I do at The Wild Detectives. I featured a stellar line-up of poets from our 2nd anniversary forward. You can hear the incredible performances by tuning into the podcast! Catch up on all the episodes and catch us live at The Wild Detectives the second Wednesday of every month.
In June, new lit mag Does It Have Pockets? featured an interview and some poems from the book. I am ever so grateful for the support!
The final piece of good news for now is that I got a new job! I am a full time English instructor at Texas Wesleyan University. I am stoked and honored to serve this gorgeous campus!
Cheers to moving on, making the most of community, buying local, and giving a damn. You can bet I’ll be back before too long with more excellent news. Y’all be good out there.