Some Personal News...

A LOT of personal news, actually.

Hey y’all —

I thought I’d take a moment to give an update on what I’ve been working on and what the next month will look like for me. Okay, here we go!

• In August, I launched a new podcast with my dear friends Sam Sanders and Zach Stafford. VIBE CHECK is a weekly conversation about what’s going on in news and the culture, and—most importantly—how it all feels. Give it a listen and let me know what you think!

  

• On September 13, my new book ALIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD comes out. I’ve been giving y’all sneak peeks at the poem via this newsletter for the last few months and I’m overjoyed, giddy and gracious that very very soon, you’ll be able to hold these poems in your hands. You can pre-order your copy here.

  • In a starred (!!!) review, Publishers Weekly had this to say about the collection: “The potent latest from Jones (Prelude to Bruise) excoriates an American present that refuses to learn from its past or correct for a possibly disastrous future. A kaleidoscope of grief and anger mixes with the poet’s wit, giving these timely poems a striking directness […] Balancing elegy with gallows humor, this penetrating collection shows Jones at his poetic best.” You can read the full review here.

• I’ll be doing events for ALIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD throughout the fall, but to get us started… here’s what I’ll be up to in September:

  • Friday, September 9 —Westport, CT: “Saeed Jones and Isaac Fitzgerald Live” at StoryFest. Info here.

  • Sunday, September 11 — Chicago, IL: Chicago Humanities Festival. Info here.

  • Tuesday, September 13 — Columbus, OH: “Reading and conversation with artist Cameron Granger” presented by Two Dollar Radio and Prologue Bookshop. Info here.

  • Friday, September 16 — Columbus, OH: “Reading and conversation with poet Maggie Smith” at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Info here.

  • Thursday, September 22 — Brooklyn, NY: “Reading and conversation with poet Adam Falkner” at Greenlight Bookstore. Info here.

WHEW! What a time to be alive, eh? More updates soon.