Blog — Alex Jennings

...And Beyond...!

Right away, my dreams felt different. I’ve always been a vivid dreamer, conjuring bizarre landscapes and mysterious figures, but in Tepoztlan, the dreams were stranger and even more vivid than usual. I dreamed of kicking around New York City with the disgraced comedian Louis CK as he filmed some sort of hybrid reality/scripted television show. Every time he approached a woman, my stomach clenched, and I worried he’d say or do something terrible. Eventually, we went to an awards show—it wasn’t clear which one, but it was Very Important. Possibly the Grammies? I was seated beside the New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne, and I was fascinated to finally see him in real life. The other younger rappers made fun of his looks and bearings, and in response, he pulled out his cell phone and rapped several bars into a voice memo. He emailed the file to a producer friend who put it to a beat and released it. It went platinum before the ceremony finished, and I thanked him for his greatness—and for being saner than Kanye, at least.

Alex JenningsAFebruary 27, 2022travel, Afrofuturism, mexico, tepoztlan, writing residency, fiction, Tepoztlan, UTV2022 Comment

GETTING CLOSER: A cover and a soundtrack for THE BALLAD OF PERILOUS GRAVES

Some brief thoughts on the cover launch for my novel, The Ballad of Perilous Graves (Red Hook, June, 2022)

Alex JenningsAOctober 7, 2021books, publishing, novel, afrofatasy, urban fantasy, summer reading, music, soundtrack, fiction Comments

THIS GLOWING (2)

Most anyone who knows me knows that my life and career are undergoing a massive shift. Meeting Meg where/when/how I did reflects the nature and intensity of that change, how it’s ramped up over the past few years. We waited almost exactly for years to spend time this way. She’s dear to me.

Alex JenningsAJune 2, 2021Las Vegas, Writing Downtown, writing residency, Area 15, Omega Mart, Meow Wolf, MegComment

THIS GLOWING (Pt. 1)

Alex JenningsAMay 28, 2021travel, writing, writing residency, Writer's Block Book Shop, Las Vegas, Writing DowntownComment

In An Interstellar Burst...

This week, Redhook, the sibling imprint to Orbit Books announced my novel, The Ballad of Perilous Graves for winter of 2022. I’ve been working toward publishing this novel for the better part of ten years now. It’s part of a three-book deal with the second and third titles TBD. Those other books might be related to Ballad, but then again, they might not.

RoundupAlex JenningsANovember 27, 2020writing, Pandemic, Birthday, The Ballad of Perilous Graves, Life Comment

Schroedinger's Thief

Alex JenningsAOctober 12, 2020music, art, cultural appropriation, the other Comments

Become Something Else

Alex JenningsAJune 12, 2020Current Events, Lisa Leander, George Floyd, Protest, Violence, COVID-19Comment

The Candyman Can

“The perceived transgression that created him was against white sexual purity,” I said, “so in order for the character to work, Candyman has to be sexually magnetic. I love Tony Todd, and I hope he shows up somehow, but he’s done his time playing the monster.” It would seem that the filmmakers agree with me: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II with his chiseled features and electric charisma is the perfect choice for the lead.

Alex JenningsAMay 14, 2020cinema, trailer, horrorComment

I Hope

Alex JenningsAMay 7, 2020Coronavirus, Writing, Editing, Rm 220, Antenna.works, Strange Horizons, Amediting, AmwritingComment

Return of On Teachers

Alex JenningsAApril 7, 2020teachers, teaching, education, community college Comments

Son of On Teachers

Alex JenningsAMarch 28, 2020teachers, teaching, Clarion West, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Conjure Music Comments

On Teachers

Alex JenningsAMarch 18, 2020teaching, SF, fiction, Tunis, Clarion West, Samuel R DelanyComment

Fault Lines

I’ve got a friend who never believes that any crisis in the wider world will make its way to us. A few weeks ago, we talked about the Coronavirus, and he assured me that it would have no impact on our lives. This friend isn’t some rich white Republican.

Alex JenningsAMarch 14, 2020COVID-19, Coronavirus, 9/11, Family, Current Events, Social Distancing Comment

HEYYYYYYYY!

“The perceived transgression that created him was against white sexual purity,” I said, “so in order for the character to work, Candyman has to be sexually magnetic. I love Tony Todd, and I hope he shows up somehow, but he’s done his time playing the monster.”