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Jan 26 2012
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performance calendar, performances, poetry, publication news

This Is For Fighting, This Is For Fun

Ronald Stowers was nice enough to record my poem during the slam I was in this past Tuesday. You can watch “The Genealogy of Irvine Welsh” below.

I’ve been working on my longest project yet and I don’t really have a deadline for it, taking it 500 or so words at a time. The current word count for it is about 15,540. Unlike some of the fiction I’ve written, I’m not mining anything from my life and surrounding it with out there concepts. I’ll be glad when I get the first draft done and start combing through it.

The project I’m currently working on spun out of a flash piece called From Jesus Christ, Boy Detective: Everything Must Be Slashed and WordPlaySound was nice enough to pick up the audio version (while red lightblubs picked up the text version). You can listen to it here and then I recommend listening to the rest of this podcast.

My boss over at PANK, Roxane Gay, wrote this incredible article about running her micropress Tiny Hardcore. Read it. You’ll learn a thing or fifteen.

I won’t even talk about the bullshit shut out of Drive. I enjoyed the book tremendously and am actually not mad how the movie revised the story to a degree. The movie is gorgeous and one of the few movies I have bought on the day it comes out on DVD. (There Will Be Blood is the other).

Next week starts a deluge of shows. Here they are, linked for your pleasure.

January 31 - 15 Views of Orlando Release Party

February 10 – Culture & Cocktails

February 11 – Our Hearts Are Power Ballads (Workshop on writing love poems)

February 14 – There Will Be Words #10

(All but the February 10th show is free)

Finally, you’ve got until January 30 to vote for the best of the first year of There Will Be Words. You can vote here.

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Jan 20 2011
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organizing, publication news

Blowing Out Some Birthday Candles

Burrow Press was nice enough to let me write a guest post about the tenth anniversary of the Broken Speech Poetry Slam here.  Last night at Speakeasy when plugging the slam and its tenth anniversary show, the response was less than enthusiastic and my response back was essentially, “Seriously, fuck you guys. What have you done for ten years? Nothing.” I was half joking, half serious when I said it. It reminded me of the overall apathy that still permeates throughout Orlando about things other than local music. The fight goes on.

I’m going to cut back on my schedule of James Decatur posts to once a week since I’ve got more story ideas for We Will Celebrate Our Failures and I need that energy to get them out there.

First AWP conference in a little under two weeks. Starting to really get myself in fighting shape for the two off-site readings I’m in. I plan on two different sets of work and getting them on video, along with others at the readings. I must study the onsite events to see which ones I want to go to and which ones I can go sight seeing in lieu of going to. I am also cooking up some fun things to do for PANK (the new site design is beautiful) while I’m there involving interviews. The world will know what’s up my sleeve soon.

My latest contribution to For Every Year is up here.  If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out my free e-chap My Hands Are As Thick As Dreams. They are some of the fine examples of the types of love poems I can write for you if you take me up on my offer.

Things I have read and enjoyed lately: Amelia Gray’s AM/PM & The Museum of the Weird, the poems I’ve received from my contributor wishlist for Ampersand Review vol 7.

Things I can’t wait to read: Gregory Sherl’s chapbook from Dark Sky, PANK 5.

Things I enjoy listening to lately: Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast

Things I don’t do enough of: sleep

And here’s something that hasn’t found a home yet to commemorate the repeal of Healthcare Reform by the House.

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Nov 15 2010
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performances, publication news, videos

This Is What A Muppet Taking Manhattan Looks Like

I performed at the Indigest 1207 Reading Series earlier with some fine authors in a really cool venue.  Here’s the set list.  You can watch the entire set here since Vimeo and WordPress are not down with each other.

  1. Primer
  2. Travelogue
  3. Hunt & Gather
  4. Another Poem About China
  5. The Ghost Staring At Your Is Your Ex-Wife’s New Girlfriend
  6. Fair And Balanced
  7. My Ruins/Poem – Jim Carroll

A bonus was meeting and hanging out with Sean H. Doyle.  Sean is the author of “Ladies First“, one of my all time favorite stories PANK published.  It’s always great to meet awesome writers who are also awesome people.  Thank you to InDigest Magazine for having me.

“I Stole Jim Carroll’s Robitussin And All I Got Was This” is up over at Small Doggies Magazine.  When you have a moment, you should go check it out.

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Oct 02 2010
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performance calendar, performances

Lit Porn

Bask in this amazingness.  Careful not to ruin your computer, skeetapotomus.

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Sep 15 2010
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performances, publication news

Singing Space Operas

I made a bold proclamation on HTMLGiant in July that I would write a story about Roman vampire gladiators in space having mid-life crises.  This isn’t the first time I’ve said I would write something in public (like this).  PANK, in their deranged wisdom, picked it up.  Not only do you get to read a vampire story that is better than Twilight, you get to hear me read said story to you.  Enjoy “For Those Who Are About To Die, We Salute You: A Cautionary Tale“.

Also, if you purchase The Serial Rapist Sitting Behind You is a Robot, you can get Dodging Traffic for just $9!.  Read about how the deal works here.

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Sep 07 2010
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self assessment, Writing

The Serial Rapist Standing Behind You Is A Reviewer

Reviews are starting to come out for The Serial Rapist Sitting Behind You Is A Robot and they are…good.  Really good.  So far.

Mel Bosworth reviewed it over on Outsider Writers. Here’s an excerpt:

The short fictions that comprise this chapbook hit hard. Very hard. J. Bradley pulls you in with a disarming voice and proceeds to pepper your mind with sharp, cutting images that’ll make your jaw drop. There is no pussy-footing, no romance, simply one man’s searing portrayal of sex, excess, and relationships gone awry. In tight bursts, Bradley effectively represents the twisted layers of our souls with bravado.

(Note to Mel: I’ll be in Boston this August for the 2011 National Poetry Slam.  You, me, two-three other folks should get together and do a reading that lights some fucking shit on fire, something that’ll make the Boston Tea Party look like Lebron James’s The Decision.)

I was nervous when I heard PANK was also reviewing TSRSBYIAR because of the review it published for Dodging Traffic (note: though I work as their Interview Editor, they are anti-nepotism, as you can see in their review of DT) until I read the review that came out today.  An excerpt:

I don’t want to read these stories, but I have to read them. J. Bradley – that silver-tongued cad – makes me. You can stop reading, he whispers, but then you’ll never know. So I read, because I have to know. And it’s worth it. Bloody hell, it’s worth it.

This year has been one of transition, personally and artistically.  I’m also not used to seeing such nice things said about my work (because having people to go fuck myself is a fantastic motivator to say “no, you can go fuck yourself” and then back it up).  I am very glad that people like the chapbook and I hope people continue to like it.

What does this mean for me?  I’ve written more fiction this year and I am going to continue writing more fiction.  I will make one more run for a slam team here in Orlando using my newer work to see how that pans out but for the most part, I’ll probably be done really actively competing on a national level after that.  I will always love performing, always love running the slam in Orlando (10 years in January – it has outlasted three relationships and a marriage), always love partying at Nationals (until I go to AWP next year), always love yelling at poets for their poor choices.

I owe a tremendous thank you to Matt DeBenedictis for creating Safety Third Enterprises and making this chapbook the champagne bottle that launched it.  I will name a child after him, probably the girl child.

Now go get some robot rape here before we’re all out of it and your cavities remain unchapped.

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Jul 27 2010
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self assessment

Pulse Check

Since the divorce and up until twenty minutes ago, I wrote nothing but fiction.  Some of it will come out later this year.

The hours at work grow longer.  I feel beat, like Tina Turner.  I will be in Indianapolis for three weeks starting August 16 on business, not getting bizay.  This is a good time for hotel living.

Safety Third Enterprises is gearing up for the launch of The Serial Rapist Sitting Behind You Is A Robot. PANK, being the rolldogs they are, shouted it out here.

Next week is the National Poetry Slam in St. Paul.  I will only miss it a little.  It will not miss me at all.

My love life: none.  Writing is my new wife and she still doesn’t do the dishes, me.

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