Spotlight: Any Dumb Animal by A. E. Hines and The Trevor Project Fundraiser

        Coming in Fall 2021

Any Dumb Animal (Main Street Rag, 2021), the debut poetry collection by AE Hines, presents a memoir-in-verse as told by a gay man raised in the rural South who comes of age during the AIDS crisis. Flashing back and forth in time, a cast of recurring characters and circumstances are woven into a rich tale of survival and redemption, exploring one man’s life as a queer son, father, and husband, over a span of more than thirty years.

Preorder at Main Street Rag   Why preorder? Because a preorder gets you a nice discount on the book AND for every book pre-sold between June and November 2021, a group of anonymous donors will match dollar for dollar each sale and done it to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project was founded in 1998 and is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25. 

Early reviews

“This compellingly candid work speaks the language of courage, of breath-taking transcendence. Finely crafted, it is a remarkable debut collection. Take note, world: a powerful lyric poet has emerged. Take note and rejoice!” ~ Paulann Petersen, Oregon Poet Laureate Emerita

“I was amazed over and over at the bravery of these poems, never shying from the difficult moments in life, and all the while staying true to the clear-eyed, fearless vision of their author.” ~ James Crews, Editor of How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope

“With a strong gift for storytelling and an eye attuned to detail, Hines ultimately shows us the beauty and knowledge made of experience.” ~Richie Hofmann, Author of Second Empire

Day of No Clutter!

Eve has a problem with clutter. Too much stuff and too easily acquired, it confronts her in every corner and on every surface in her house. When she pledges to tackle the worst offender, her horror of a "Hell Room," she anticipates finally being able to throw away all of the unnecessary things she can't bring herself to part with: her fifth-grade report card, dried-up art supplies, an old vinyl raincoat.

But what Eve discovers isn't just old CDs and outdated clothing, but a fierce desire within herself to hold on to her identity. Our things represent our memories, our history, a million tiny reference points in our lives. If we throw our stuff in the trash, where does that leave us? And if we don't...how do we know what's really important?

Everyone has their own Hell Room, and Eve's battle with her clutter, along with her eventual self-clarity, encourages everyone to dig into their past to declutter their future.

I requested Year of No Clutter a couple of months ago from Netgalley but have waited to read it until 40 Bags In 40 Days started because it's perfect timing, right?

I am the person most likely to declutter and purge in my house. But I am also the person responsible for most of the hoarding, too. I'm the keeper of everyone's identity, the person who can't let go of the tiny baby clothes, the kindergarten journals, the t-shirts from every team anyone has been part of, the baptism gifts. My closet is never overcrowded; my kitchen is cleaned out regularly to rid it of things I'm not using. But all of those memories? Those are my kryptonite. I can't wait to read this book and see if Schaub can help me let go of some of those things. After all, Mini-me not long ago told me he didn't really care about so many of the things that I had held onto ostensibly for him. If not for him, why am I still keeping them?

Year of No Clutter is available tomorrow, March 7 at all of your usual book outlets.

Sign up to receive a daily e-newsletter with tips, advice and videos from Eve Schaub on how to start conquering clutter this spring during the Week of No Clutter, March 7-14. Sign up now! Also, you can sign up to win a $100 gift card to The Container Store. You know I'm already signed up! http://books.sourcebooks.com/year-of-no-clutter/.

Raves About Books I Loved!

On NPR this week, librarian and blogger Nancy Pearl picked her under the radar reads. Included among the books were both of Emily St. John Mandel's books--"Last Night in Montreal" and "The Singer's Gun." Mandel is currently working on her third book - it's got a lot to live up to!

Also making the list was Tatjana Soli's "The Lotus Eaters." I'm excited to see these great books getting recognition. But I am a little sad to realize that they are all still "under the radar!"

Another title from Unbridled Books that I read and enjoyed a lot was Jason Quinn Malott's "The Evolution of Shadows" which was just named on of Kansas' 2010 Notable Books, the top books published in 2009 written by Kansans or about Kansas. Malott falls in the first category--he lives in Wichita.