Alex Jennings
Download MP3In this episode of The Truth In This Art, the guest is Alex Jennings!
Who is Alex Jennings: Author, poet, and former standup comedian who lived in New Orleans for nearly 20 years—now working on his second novel from Chicago. You might remember Alex from my New Orleans series where we discussed his book, The Ballad of Perilous Graves, here.
In our conversation, Jennings talks through his new book Dead End Boys—set in an alternate New Orleans where communicating with the dead is the main industry. He connects the project to comedy and digs into how moving from Louisiana to Chicago reshaped his rhythm. As he puts it, the book is "a chance to say something about blackness, about the pandemic and about the creep of fascism."
He recalls discovering Henry Dumas and heading back to New Orleans for the Tolodano Comedy Festival. We get into living in one place longer than anywhere else, balancing graduate degrees with novel writing, and how that shift shaped his voice.
Be sure to follow Alex Jennings to keep up with his work and future projects.
Photo courtesy of subject
Who is Alex Jennings: Author, poet, and former standup comedian who lived in New Orleans for nearly 20 years—now working on his second novel from Chicago. You might remember Alex from my New Orleans series where we discussed his book, The Ballad of Perilous Graves, here.
In our conversation, Jennings talks through his new book Dead End Boys—set in an alternate New Orleans where communicating with the dead is the main industry. He connects the project to comedy and digs into how moving from Louisiana to Chicago reshaped his rhythm. As he puts it, the book is "a chance to say something about blackness, about the pandemic and about the creep of fascism."
He recalls discovering Henry Dumas and heading back to New Orleans for the Tolodano Comedy Festival. We get into living in one place longer than anywhere else, balancing graduate degrees with novel writing, and how that shift shaped his voice.
Be sure to follow Alex Jennings to keep up with his work and future projects.
Photo courtesy of subject
The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).
Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:
- Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
- Edited by Daniel Alexis
- Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor
Photos:
- Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
- Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.
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Creators and Guests
Host
Rob Lee
The Truth In This Art is an interview series featuring artists, entrepreneurs and tastemakers in & around Baltimore.
Guest
ALEX JENNINGS
Writer/editor, author of THE BALLAD OF PERILOUS GRAVES. (Redhook, 2022.) First-ever Imagination Unbound Fellow at Under the Volcano, 2022. (he/him)
