Richard Chiem's Blog

the funk's your brother by richard chiem on Grooveshark



IT'S COOL TO FEEL A little defeated. Wake up ass crack early, find your eyes walk barefoot in the dark naked in endless tandem. Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and say, The fuck you know. Give a little love today, more than you like, again and again. And more, again and again. Something nearly wells up inside and reaches a threshold of overwhelming clarity, waves and waves of this passes through me when the cat starts pawing at the door. If I cry it's because I am on the verge of something good and ugly. I want to die in a hundred thousand painless ways to return to bed so I don't have to go to work on Monday. Feeling bled out is normal right before I meet the carpool at six a.m. on the button and it's my time again. It's my time to rage in a quiet I wish you not know.

The funk is your brother, hell is my maximum. If I could be doing anything right now instead of going to work, I would be flying over all these cars in traffic, the higher I go the more life I would feel, the louder the thunder. Because of how they suffer, I am bound to these people. I pack peanut butter and honey sandwiches and bite my pear without looking at it. Beautiful light reflects off every useless surface, the highway dips and rises.

Waiting for coffee in the break room, I leave my mouth a little open. There is the center at the center if I can tap into whatever I tap into the right way and breathe out. It's usually the same: I almost lose it. I come this close to losing it and the difference is a hair's breath. But there it is, arriving, a little calm. I fall in love with every asshole that comes near me, every single person.



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Books I've read and loved in April:

I Await the Devil's Coming by Mary MacLane
No Real Light by Joe Wenderoth
Coeur de Lion by Ariana Reines
Letters from a Seducer by Hilda Hilst
Fare Forward: Letters from David Markson, edited by Laura Sims
Partial List of People to Bleach by Gary Lutz
The Weaklings (XL) by Dennis Cooper
Who Was Changed and Who Was Dead by Barbara Comyns
Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball
India Song by Marguerite Duras
Rough Day by Ed Skoog
Karate Chop: Stories by Dorthe Nors

People w/ their copies of YPP from top to bottom: Cassandra Nguyen, Alexander Allison, Paul Dedalus, Spencer Madsen, Mira Gonzalez, Elizabeth Ellen, Daniel Handler/Lemony Snicket, Hannah Fantana, Roy Marin and Billy Valentine, Matt Nelson (Mellow Pages Library), Dan Magers, Kirsten Felicetti, Anonymous, Emma Silvers, Grant Maierhofer, Katherine Sullivan, Dave Shaw, Hannah Lee, Natalie Chin, Jeremy Bauer, Michael Seidlinger, Lauren Walsh, Heiko Julien, Jayinee Basu, Lexi Roberts, Matthew Sherling, Matthew Simmons, Anonymous, Max Pray (Powell's Books), Chris (Mellow Pages Library), Alex Lenkeit, Kellen Braddock (of APRIL), Jordan DeBor (at Mellow Pages Library), Michael Tesauro, Johnny Bryan (at Mellow Pages Library), and Cosplay Woman.





thank you so much
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3:am magazine published my short story titled ' sky up .' it is an except from a novel I am currently working on, tentatively titled WORST KEPT SECRETS.

red lightbulbs published my comic (w/ Jessamyn Bateman-Iino) titled ' new monkey .' much thanks and gratitude to Russ Woods.

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Other things:

1 // Luna Miguel profiles me and 9 other writers for Spanish Magazine Playground Articulos here .
2 // Michael Davidson reviewed my book of short stories, YOU PRIVATE PERSON, at The Open End here.
3 // Sam Moss reviewed YPP here .
4 // YPP was one of Dennis Cooper's favorite books of fiction of 2012 here .
5 // YPP was one of Chris Dankland's favorite books of fiction of 2012 here .
6 // Christopher Higgs recommends YPP on HTML GIANT here .

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People w/ their copies of YPP from top to bottom: Cassandra Nguyen, Alexander Allison, Paul Dedalus, Spencer Madsen, Mira Gonzalez, Elizabeth Ellen, Daniel Handler/Lemony Snicket, Hannah Fantana

YPP is available directly from Scrambler Books here.Amazon page is here.SPD page is here.Goodreads page is here.
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YOU PRIVATE PERSON , my first collection of short stories, published by Scrambler Books, is now available. 
Stephen Tully Dierks interviewed re my writing, my life in Seattle, my life in San Diego, and movies I liked growing up on HTML GIANT  here . 
Much thanks and eternal gratitude to my publisher, Jeremy Spencer. He is a master.
Much love and thanks to Dennis Cooper, Kate Zambreno, and Blake Butler for their wonderful blurbs, and to Mark Leidner for the perfect cover. I owe you people everything.
The book is for Frances Dinger.

YPP is available directly from Scrambler Books here . Amazon page is here .Goodreads page is here .
Soon to be available from Small Press Distribution here .
Tonight Frances and I are going to play video games all night and finish all the wine.
Thank you, everyone.
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the full length trailer for YOU PRIVATE PERSON, my first collection of short stories forthcoming from Scrambler Books (2012), is now live. Directed by Meggie Green, it also features Michael Inscoe. Much love and eternal gratitude to Meggie. She is magic.

universal error published my short story ' deserters ,' a part of a serial story called 'soap opera.' Much thanks and gratitude to Chelsea Martin.

the best alt lit short stories republished by short story ' how to survive a car accident .' Much thanks and gratitude to Guillaume Morissette and Frank Hinton.

cityarts magazine published my short story ' back pockets full of dynamite ' in their print September issue. The title is from the song 'Black Rainbow' by St. Vincent.


Alexander Allison and Artifice Magazine interviewed me re YPP and other things here .
Matthew Simmons and Hobart interviewed me re YPP and writing here .
Lillian Ruth Nickerson and CityArts Magazine interviewed me re YPP and real life here .

YOU PRIVATE PERSON is now available for preorder here . Goodreads page  here .
Small Press Distribution page here .

I'm sorry for the delay in the release date but the book should be out soon, either 15 OCT
or close. Those who have preodered will be entered in a raffle for a giveaway Frances and
I are working on together. Thank you for your support and contact me if you have any
questions. rchiem9@gmail.com

I think I am going to start writing more here. I don't reveal much online but I think I am going
to start to journal more here. The other day I realized it was October.

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the cover  for YOU PRIVATE PERSON, my first collection of short stories forthcoming from Scrambler Books (2012), is now live. Designed by Mark Leidner. Much love and eternal gratitude to Mark. He is pure genius.

Other things:
1 // Frances Dinger co-curated a literary art installation event called 'read with me' here .
2 // Frances Dinger and I helped build 'the spiral project' installation piece here . Coverage by City Arts here .
3 // a recording of my reading w/ Frances Dinger, James Ganas, and Steve Roggenbuck is now live here .
4 // HTMLGIANT posted about the teaser trailer for YPP here .
5 // Simon & Schuster tweeted about the teaser trailer for YPP here .
6 // The Weaklings Library features my e book, WHAT IF, WENDY, here .
7 // Dennis Cooper re video games here .
8 // Snow on tha Bluff by Blake Butler here .
9 // Mister Rogers Remixed | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios here .

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the teaser trailer for YOU PRIVATE PERSON, my first collection of short stories forthcoming from Scrambler Books (2012), is now live. Directed by Meggie Green. Much love and eternal gratitude to Meggie. She is magic.

 

Other things:
1 // I will be reading tomorrow (10 MAY) w/ Frances Dinger, James Ganas, and Steve Roggenbuck at Left Bank Books 7PM as a part of Steve's tour here .

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Other excerpts:
pop serial here
elimae here
universal error here

Michael Inscoe has made a short film based on one of my short story 'we are a goldmine.' The story is from my collection of stories YOU PRIVATE PERSON forthcoming from Scrambler Books later this year. Much love and gratitude to Michael. Michael Inscoe is my brother. Watch the video below.

This post is dedicated to my late uncle, Jeffrey Davis.

Other things:
1 // INTERNET POETRY published a piece by Frances Dinger + me here.
2 // I reviewed Green Girl by Kate Zambreno here.
3 // Paul Constant of The Stranger re my reading with APRIL LIT CRAWL here.
4 // Seattle Star re my reading with APRIL LIT CRAWL here.
5 // My short story 'cities' is featured on bright stupid confetti here.
6 // 'we are a goldmine' for Frances Dinger directed by Michael Inscoe below


'We Are a Gold Mine' (for Frances Dinger) by Richard Chiem from Michael Inscoe on Vimeo.

elimae published a piece by my short story ' lifer .' Much thanks and gratitude to Brandon Hobson and Cooper Renner.

pop serial published my short story ' cities .' Much thanks and gratitude to Stephen Tully Dierks.
Both pieces are excerpts from a novel I am currently working on tentatively titled 'gigantic.'
Other things:
1 // Megan Lent re her favorite alt lit couples here .2 // I AM ALT LIT reviews OH NO EVERYTHING IS WET NOW here .3 // KRAMER SUTRA by Chelsea Martin is now available here .4 // Dennis Cooper's 136 surfaces here .

universal error published my short story ' episode one: ellen page ,' the first of a serialized story 'soap opera.' Much love and gratitude to Chelsea Martin. I will be posting more episodes on universal error throughout the year.
Chelsea Martin is the author of Everything Was Fine Until Whatever and The Really Funny Thing About Apathy.
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Other things:
1 // Dennis Cooper re my e book WHAT IF, WENDY here .2 // IN THE AGE OF SPITE: THE PROLIFERATION OF 'DUMB RAGE' IN INTERNET LITERATURE by Frances Dinger here .3 // Frances and I win Alt Lit Prom King & Queen at the Alt Lit Gossip Awards here .4 // MOROCCO by Matthew Savoca and Kendra Grant Malone here .5 // PINKY PROMISE ME THIS by Ana Carrete here .6 // APRIL, Authors Publishers and Readers of Independent Literature here .7 // EL GUINCHO | Bombay music video below: