šŖ©my book is out! road trip time!
instead of doing my day job today, iām writing this newsletter next to my baby budding tomatoes and iām chompin at the bit to tell you: MY BOOK IS OFFICIALLY OUT! that means itās time for a book tour!
book stuff
one or several deserts is the first book iāve ever put out into the world, the first time iāve ever seen my chosen name in print, and the first thing iāve ever made that you can buy in an actual honest-to-god store. LOSING my MIND about it. this lil freaky book is great for anyone with a body who has questions about the world and how it works. hereās how you can support me:
buy a copy for yourself & your friend! definitely buy a bunch of copies and stick them on the windshields of all the trumpers who keep double-parking in the austin state capitol parking lot so none of us can park there -_- theyāll either have an aneurism or learn something, so win/win
request one or several deserts at your library/favorite bookstore! the isbn # is 9781948687607 (also on the 11:11 press website). itās already popping up in spots like bookwoman (austin, tx), pearlās books (fayetteville, ar), powellās books (portland, or), and left bank books (st. louis, mo)!
leave me a cute lil review on goodreads, amazon, and storygraph!
follow me on all the social media thingys! iām @creekbedcarter everywhere if you want music stuff <3
iām so excited to tell yāall that next week iām doing a mini book tour up through the midwest! iāll be hitting bookstores in fayetteville, ar; minneapolis, mn; milwaukee, wi; chicago, il; st. louis, mo; and houston, tx, and probably wherever i can stop in and convince people that they should sell a book of wild, feral, queer short stories. mostly, though, i canāt wait to see all my friends up north again who have been helping me book this, like my guys mckain lakey, carolina chauffe, sean williamson, and all the buds at 11:11 press.
gotta be honest with you, publishing my first book has beenā¦ tricky, emotionally. thereās a lot wrapped up in putting something out there that youāve been building up to since you were 9 years old and your dad finally showed interest in what you were doing. if i didnāt have the incredible community of friends, supporters, and sweethearts that i do - and if i hadnāt had cats to sit on top of me and a garden to tend to every day when i couldnāt tend to my own body - i donāt know if iād have made it out alive. now that iām on the other side, iām looking forward to finding quiet and letting new projects tug at my sleeves again.
here are some sweet snaps from my book release on april 11. honestly, it was one of the better readings iāve ever been to, much less been a part of! we packed the parking lot of museum of human achievement, a former dildo factory-turned diy art space, with over 50 people. jack kaulfus, tez figueroa, orchid cugini, and coyote shook delivered really beautiful, interesting, incredible readings, and then i closed out the night by reading some of the dirtiest art porn in the book š iām so grateful to everybody for coming out and listening and reading and partying with me! and huuuuge thanks to zach and moha for having us. moha is my favorite venue in austin (theyāre the ones who let me and my friends burn a desk in their parking lot to film my npr tiny desk video a couple of years back) and it felt so good to be in this diy free-wheeling space where so much cool shit happens all the time. hearing all my friends read their queer af, trans af work also felt so special to me. shitās getting rough down here in texas, and this night felt like such a burning ember of hope, joy, and creativity that i wonāt ever forget.
music stuff
HEADS UP, HOUSTON: iām hopping on a bill with my traveling queer country pals, dani-rae clark and the let-downs, on tues 5/9 at āsuper happy fun land,ā a venue that sounds about as wild as this gig is gonna be. make sure youāre following my instagram so you donāt miss it!
june in austin is gonna be chock-full of gay-ass barn burners
if you live in the southwest/colorado/wyoming/nebraska areas, keep your eyes peeled for a lil august tour announcement ššš thatās all iāll say for now!
tip jar
in addition to your direct aid practice, go follow @primroseatx over on instagram! primrose community care is an incredible mutual aid org based in austin, tx that just put on a free self-defense workshop series for trans, gnc, drag, and nightlife performers, and that kind of work is incredibly important right now down here as our legislative session wracks up the anti-trans and anti-drag bills and scary alt-right creeps wield their guns around.
i love yāall, take care of yourselves, and i hope i see ya somewhere while iām out on the road!
xoxo, carter