Nonfiction in Bustle, Reading at Beaverdale Books, and JT LeRoy Madness

This weekend I watched two documentaries about JT LeRoy. When I was growing up, I didn't hear about "his" breakout as a literary star, so I learned a lot of shocking information in one weekend. Author: The JT LeRoy Story is fairly sympathetic to Laura Albert, and The Cult of JT LeRoy is very critical of her. Both documentaries are fascinating on their own, but I definitely recommend watching them together. 

In December I had new nonfiction come out in Bustle which you can read here. It's about late summer 2016.

On Sunday I am reading at Beaverdale Books. Here's the info:

IOWA WRITERS JOIN NATIONAL MOVEMENT 

TO “RE-INAUGURATE” DEMOCRACY:

Des Moines will host a Writers Resist Event on January 15, 

Part of a Nationwide Movement to Reclaim Democracy

Des Moines, Iowa, January 4 2017 — What began with an idea on social media by a writer in Florida has spread across the nation to Iowa.  Writers from Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are joining together to host local events as part of  an international Writers Resist movement being held on the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Writers across the nation and Europe will gather as part of a a “re-inauguration” of our shared commitment to the spirit of compassion, equality, free speech, and the fundamental ideals of democracy. 

The Des Moines event will be held at Beaverdale Books located at 2629 Beaver Ave. from 1-4 p.m. on January 15, 2017. Writers will read from a selection of diverse writers’ voices that speak to the ideals of Democracy, compassion, and free expression. The event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. Internationally published readers and speakers include:

Ned Balbo, Evan Burger of Iowa Citizen Action Network, Paul Brooke, Jim Coppoc, Heather Derr Smith, Marc Dickinson, Meg Johnson, Aaron Jorgensen-Briggs of the Catholic Worker House, Jennifer L. Knox, Kyle McCord, Yasmina Madden, Blueberry Morningsnow, Ebonesiah Morrow, Akwi Nji, Jane Satterfield, Brian Spears and Phoebe Wagner.

There will also be an open mic with a five-minute limit.

In Cedar Rapids, the event will be held at Coe College’s Dows Fine Arts Center from 2-4:30 p.m., and at Iowa City’s Englert Theatre from 2-4 p.m.

Poet, and founder of the Writers Resist movement, Erin Belieu, grew increasingly concerned during the recent Presidential campaign over public cynicism and how disdain for truthfulness seems to have eroded democratic ideals. When asked why her initial outreach to fellow writers the day after the election seemed to elicit such a strong response, Belieu, who also co-founded VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, said, "Writers are acutely aware when the uses of language are empty.” She continued,

“Whether you live in a red or blue state, or another country that cares deeply about the American experiment, there is no more important battle than our right to truth.”