Podcasts about punch me up

Brian Broome, author of the debut memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods, discusses growing up in rural Ohio, how he was discovered by a literary agent at a storytelling event, how he navigates writing about family, how he approaches structure and revision, and the story in his memoir that made Laura cringe the hardest (that's a compliment). Broome also answers questions from Page Count listeners surrounding challenges faced by working-class writers and the recent Goodreads review bombing controversy.   Brian Broome is the author of Punch Me Up to the Gods (Mariner Books, 2021), which won the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, Publisher Triangle's Randy Shilts Award for Nonfiction, and the 2022 Lambda Literary Award in Gay Memoir/Biography. He is K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Broome has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University's Martin Luther King Writing Awards. He also won a VANN Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation for journalism in 2019. Broome lives in Pittsburgh.   Page Count is produced by Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library and hosted by Laura Maylene Walter. For full show notes and a transcript of this episode, visit the episode page. To get in touch, email ohiocenterforthebook@cpl.org (put “podcast” in the subject line) or follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Y'all know how much we love documentaries. Today we're discussing the hilarious, profound, and deeply moving “Introducing Brian Broome” with producer and director Chris Ivey.The film is based on Brian Broome (duh!), Pittsburgh-based award-winning author of the memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods. It is a series of intimate conversations with other Black Pittsburgh creatives, including:Deesha Philyaw, award-winning author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Y'all remember Deesha when we interviewed her about her book, now being made into a series for HBO Max!)Damon Young, columnist and author of What Doesn't Kill You Makes You BlackerVanessa German, citizen artist and creator of the photo series The BlacksInterspersed among the conversations are a few fabulous dramatic/comedic reenactments. You will love them! Awesome quote: “There is no thing in the world that is more important than you living the life that you want to live.” —Brian BroomeWhile the film is ostensibly about Brian, we also get a peek at this defining moment in time as some of these creative geniuses are getting ready to leave Pittsburgh—once ranked a top “livable” city in the United States, but not for Black people. Chris Ivey—who is known for bringing a keen and unflinching eye to urban issues, such as gentrification in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh and the Grenfell Tower fire in London—also uses this film to shine a spotlight on a city that has never supported its Black artists.While we do share spoilers in this episode, feel free to listen even before you watch the film. You'll be falling all over yourself to watch if you haven't yet!You can rent the film on Amazon or Vimeo.https://www.introducingbrianbroome.com

Join Da Bruhs Bookshelf as we have an intimate conservation with Brian Broome as he opens up about the book and shares his emotions leading up to writing this memoir and how he is now healing from his past trauma. Also, Brian opens up about his journey to accepting himself and building confidence after the people in his childhood blocked it from ever forming.

Join the bruhs bookshelf as we continue our discussion on Brian Broome's "Punch Me Up to The Gods". With our special guest Derric Heck.

Join us as we continue to unpack Brian Broome's "Punch me up to the Gods" life as being black and queer.

Da bruhs unpack the memoir of Brain Broome's life of a gay black male in an America where acceptance did not stretch beyond traditional gender identities. Our Special Guest on this episode Derric Ivan Heck.

“The most important thing is the reader. I tell my students, Look, if you're writing about yourself, it's great that you want to get your feelings out. You want to maybe, you know, have some catharsis. You want to get the earliest things out. But, if you bore the reader, you're done. You know, and it's important to consider the fact that you're telling a story…this is not a therapy session, you know, you're telling a story. And hopefully that story enlightens, or maybe makes the reader think.” Brian Broome's acclaimed memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods is a stunning story of love and loss, secrets and shame, sorrow and joy. He joins us on the show for a wise and often very funny conversation about spelling bees and ballet, addiction and recovery, how his memoir is in conversation with Gwendolyn Brooks and bell hooks and James Baldwin, what his students have taught him and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and Becky.   Featured Books (Episode): Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity by bell hooks   Featured Books (TBR Topoff) How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones Unprotected by Billy Porter   Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).   A full transcript of this episode is available here.

On this episode of Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Brian Broome, author of the award winning memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods. Brian is a poet and screenwriter. He has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University's Martin Luther King Writing Awards. He also won a VANN Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation for journalism in 2019. He is currently a columnist for The Washington Post. Over the course of the conversation, Brian opens up about growing up a young Black gay boy in Ohio, being addicted to drugs and alcohol, and how saying yes to getting clean led him to saying yes to writing. Support the show

Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome A poetic and raw coming-of-age memoir about Blackness, masculinity, and addiction “Punch Me Up to the Gods obliterates what we thought were the limitations of not just the American memoir, but the possibilities of the American paragraph. I'm not sure a book has ever […] The post Chris Voss Podcast – Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome appeared first on Chris Voss Official Website.

BAPC × Brian Broome Akili & Reggie talk to Kirkus Prize Award Winning Brian Broome about his awesome memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods. Join The Fellowship—BAPC's Patreon Community https://www.patreon.com/booksarepopculture Follow BAPC on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/booksarepopculture Shop BAPC's Bookshop: https://www.bookshop.org/shop/booksarepopculture

BRIAN BROOME's debut memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods, is New York Times Editor's Pick and the winner of the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Poets and Writers, Medium, and more. We're talking structure, fires, and what to tell your mother when you write about how much you hate her. We'll start with a clip of Brian answering a question during his performance at City of Asylum back in August of 2021 and then Karla and I will chat a little bit about family and writing. After that, we'll listen to Brian Broome's full reading from that same performance. We'll transition to an interview I just did with Brian, some conversation from us, and finally we'll get to we're reading and some thoughts for the road.

BRIAN BROOME's debut memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods, is an NYT Editor's Pick and the winner of the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Poets and Writers, Medium, and more. Brian was a K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and an instructor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh.He has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University's Martin Luther King Writing Awards. He also won a VANN Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation for journalism in 2019. His film, Garbage, won the Audience Choice Award at the Cortada Short Film Festival and was a semi-finalist in the Portland Short Fest.He is a 2022 Writer in Residence at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California.Brian, welcome In My Chair!

Join me and award winning writer Brian Broome (IG=@bbromb, FB=brian.broome.5) as we wax and wane about getting older, avoiding people for our mental health (and the inevitable post-social exhaustion when we can't), and overcoming trauma. Brian's book “Punch Me Up to The Gods” is available digitally, in print, and audio on multiple platforms. If you can't get your hands on a copy, you're lying. In this debut memoir Brian navigates growing up Black and gay in a world that is hostile to both. Visit brianbroome.com for more details. - For full episodes and extras visit whatisblackpodcast.com. Feel free to share and rate us 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, it helps us feed the algorithm gods. The What Is Black? Mixcast is brought to you in part by the Pittsburgh Office of Public Art. For more info visit opapgh.org.

Broome's memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods, the winner of the 2021 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction, is a deeply felt account of growing up Black and gay in the 1980s. The writer, who joins Shelf Life to chat about Mary Karr's The Liar's Club and Ottessa Moshfegh's My Year of Rest and Relaxation, is also recipient of the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University's Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Awards, and is the K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in The Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh.  He  has said, “For a long time, I thought stories functioned mostly as an escape from the quotidian responsibilities and minutiae of life. But I don't know that I believe stories are a way to escape anymore. I'm starting to believe that they are an essential part of life itself—a necessary element that keeps us moving forward.” 

Enkeshi El-Amin talks in-depth with Pittsburgh-based Brian Broome, the author of Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir. His book recounts his experiences—in all their cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking glory—revealing a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in.

Brian Broome is a poet, screenwriter, and instructor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University's Martin Luther King's Writing Awards.In this episode, Eric and Brian discuss his book, Punch Me Up to the Gods: A MemoirBut wait – there's more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It's that simple and we'll give you good stuff as a thank you!In This Interview, Brian Broom and I Discuss his Journey to Healing, Recovery, and …His book, Punch Me Up to the Gods: A MemoirHow he was raised in an environment where men are taught to be tough and masculine.Understanding that parents are doing the best they can and having grace with themHow he learned more about his father after his death when writing his bookHis journey to getting sober and healing from childhood woundsWhat sobriety looks like for him nowRecognizing his defense mechanismsLearning to not be ashamed of taking medication for anxiety and depressionHow he started writing in rehab lead to becoming a therapeutic tool for himBeing ruled by shame and how all-consuming it was The ideas of masculinity that remain from his upbringingHis thoughts about masculinity not being a useful concept, but rather being human is what's importantExternal support is important, but only you can save yourselfBrian Broome Links:Brian's WebsiteFacebookInstagramNovo Nordisk – Explore the science behind weight loss and partner with your healthcare provider for a healthy approach to your weight management.If you enjoyed this conversation with Brian Broome, you might also enjoy these other episodes:Masks of Masculinity with Lewis HowesLeading in Life with Michael Brody WaiteSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hi there, Article Clubbers! This month, we're reading, annotating, and discussing “The Key,” by Brian Broome.Mr. Broome is one of my favorite writers. We last spoke more than two years ago, after he published “79,” one of the best pieces in Highlighter history. It was an honor to interview him again. He's the first returning guest to the podcast!I hope you'll listen to the interview. It's a good one – because Mr. Broome is thoughtful and doesn't hold back. We talk about sexuality, racism, “good white people,” Bertrand's ridiculousness, sports and locker rooms, the gaze of Black boys, inner hatred and inner acceptance, coming out, and how white supremacy limits possible constructions of masculinity.Most of all, I want to appreciate Mr. Broome for generously sharing his time and thoughtfulness with us. Also, I highly recommend Punch Me Up to the Gods. I'll be raffling off a copy this Sunday, so good luck!After listening to the interview, please share your thoughts in the comments. What resonated with you?Article Club is a thoughtful reading community and an experiment in community reading. Every month, we read, annotate, and discuss one great article, and the author participates, too! If you're interested, sign up and check us out. Article Club is part of The Highlighter, a weekly newsletter featuring the best articles on race, education, and culture. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit articleclub.substack.com/subscribe

Brian Broome delves into questions of masculinity in Punch Me Up to the Gods.

Brian Broome's dad used to threaten to hit him so hard he'd go to heaven — “punch him up to the gods” — if he didn't conform to the ideal of Black masculinity. Broome joins to discuss his memoir, “Punch Me Up to the Gods, and rising above that threat, finding himself, and finding recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff & Will kick off the show talking about what they've been watching, with a mix of classic toys, incredible comedies, documentaries, 1970s variety specials, and musicals Next it's a look at books they're looking forward to this month, including titles from Annabeth Albert, Lauren Blakely, Jocelynn Drake, Charlie Novak, Mia Monroe, Lane Hayes, Geoffrey Knight, Jackie North, RJ Scott and TJ Klune. The show wraps up with reviews. Jeff looks at "One Last Stop" by Casey McQuiston, "Heart Ripper" by K.A. Merikan, and "Punch Me Up to the Gods" by Brian Broome. Will discusses "Meet Cute Diary" by Emery Lee, "May the Best Man Win" by ZR Ellor, and "Sunset Springs" by Kacen Callender. Complete shownotes for episode 320 along with a transcript of the show are at BigGayFictionPodcast.com. Big Gay Fiction Podcast is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find many more outstanding podcasts at frolic.media/podcasts!

Kiese Laymon — memoirist, essayist, novelist — is one of the most extraordinary and exciting writers working today. Best known for his acclaimed memoir Heavy, he recently bought back the rights to his first two books, the essay collection How to Slowly Kill Yourselves and Others in America and the picaresque coming-of-age novel, Long Division, so he could revise them and send them back into the world as they're meant to be. He joins us on the show to talk about language and memory, rewriting and rereading. Featured Books: Long Division, How to Slowly Kill Yourselves and Others in America and Heavy by Kiese Laymon, Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deeshaw Philyaw, Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara, and Corregidora by Gayl Jones, Sing, Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward and There There by Tommy Orange. Produced/Hosted by Miwa Messer and engineered by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays.

This week on the podcast I'm talking about Brian Broome's 2021 memoir "Punch Me Up to the Gods." I also did a written review of the book here: https://www.litromagazine.com/reviews/book-review-punch-me-up-to-the-gods/ Next week I said I was going to read a piece of fiction but actually it's going to be "Beyond a Boundary" by C.L.R. James.

Punch Me Up to the Gods is a poetic and raw coming-of-age memoir about Blackness, masculinity, and addiction. In the conversation we talk about seedy bars and public sex as well as rehab, representation and towards the end I tell a story about the first and possibly only time in my life where I clutched my pearls. We also get into a literary pilgrimage Brian went on and much more! Punch Me Up to the Gods introduces a powerful new talent in Brian Broome, whose early years growing up in Ohio as a dark-skinned Black boy harboring crushes on other boys propel forward this gorgeous, aching, and unforgettable debut. Brian's recounting of his experiences—in all their cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking glory—reveal a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in. Indiscriminate sex and escalating drug use help to soothe his hurt, young psyche, usually to uproarious and devastating effect. A no-nonsense mother and broken father play crucial roles in our misfit's origin story. But it is Brian's voice in the retelling that shows the true depth of vulnerability for young Black boys that is often quietly near to bursting at the seams. “Punch Me Up to the Gods obliterates what we thought were the limitations of not just the American memoir, but the possibilities of the American paragraph. I'm not sure a book has ever had me sobbing, punching the air, dying of laughter, and needing to write as much as Brian Broome's staggering debut. This sh*t is special.” —Kiese Laymon, New York Times bestselling author of Heavy “Punch Me Up to the Gods is some of the finest writing I have ever encountered and one of the most electrifying, powerful, simply spectacular memoirs I—or you—have ever read. And you will read it; you must read it. It contains everything we all crave so deeply: truth, soul, brilliance, grace. It is a masterpiece of a memoir and Brian Broome should win the Pulitzer Prize for writing it. I am in absolute awe and you will be, too.” —Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' PICK • A TODAY SUMMER READING LIST PICK • AN ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY BEST DEBUT OF SUMMER PICK • A PEOPLE BEST BOOK OF SUMMER PICK --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/wake-island/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wake-island/support

Brian Broome is a poet and screenwriter. His memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir is out now.

Finishing up our 3-part series on Cedric J. Robinson's "Black Marxism." Next week (or in two weeks, or sooner...) we will be talking about "Punch Me Up to the Gods" by Brian Broome.

Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome A poetic and raw coming-of-age memoir about Blackness, masculinity, and addiction “Punch Me Up to the Gods obliterates what we thought were the limitations of not just the American memoir, but the possibilities of the American paragraph. I'm not sure a book has ever had me sobbing, punching the air, dying of laughter, and needing to write as much as Brian Broome's staggering debut. This sh*t is special.” —Kiese Laymon, New York Times bestselling author of Heavy “Punch Me Up to the Gods is some of the finest writing I have ever encountered and one of the most electrifying, powerful, simply spectacular memoirs I—or you—have ever read. And you will read it; you must read it. It contains everything we all crave so deeply: truth, soul, brilliance, grace. It is a masterpiece of a memoir and Brian Broome should win the Pulitzer Prize for writing it. I am in absolute awe and you will be, too.” —Augusten Burroughs, New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors Punch Me Up to the Gods introduces a powerful new talent in Brian Broome, whose early years growing up in Ohio as a dark-skinned Black boy harboring crushes on other boys propel forward this gorgeous, aching, and unforgettable debut. Brian's recounting of his experiences—in all their cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking glory—reveal a perpetual outsider awkwardly squirming to find his way in. Indiscriminate sex and escalating drug use help to soothe his hurt, young psyche, usually to uproarious and devastating effect. A no-nonsense mother and broken father play crucial roles in our misfit's origin story. But it is Brian's voice in the retelling that shows the true depth of vulnerability for young Black boys that is often quietly near to bursting at the seams. Cleverly framed around Gwendolyn Brooks's poem “We Real Cool,” the iconic and loving ode to Black boyhood, Punch Me Up to the Gods is at once playful, poignant, and wholly original. Broome's writing brims with swagger and sensitivity, bringing an exquisite and fresh voice to ongoing cultural conversations about Blackness in America.

The Adult and Teen Summer Reading Club is here at the Port Moody Public Library! We share the first room we're going to visit to uncover our clue and the first book we're going to read. You can learn more about our reading club at portmoodylibrary.ca/src. Books mentioned in this episode: The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernandez and translated by Natasha Wimmer, Winter Pasture by Li Juan and translated by Jack Hargreaves, Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome, Facing the Sun by Janice Lynn Mather, and Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keepitfictional/message

In his new memoir, “Punch Me Up to the Gods,” writer Brian Broome describes growing up gay and Black in small town Ohio. Broome learned to hide his sexuality in a family, and a community, where masculinity was everything. His memoir traces his journey surviving an abusive father, poverty, racism, violence and addiction to finally embrace his sexuality and value as a man. Brian Broome joins Forum to discuss his new memoir which he has described as, “a kind of love letter to Black boys,” to tell them that you don’t have to be this thing that the world keeps telling you that you are.

Award-winning writer, poet, and screenwriter Brian Broome shares why it's better not to be cool, what it's like in rehab, and what it's like growing up among family and friends when you don't fit in. Brian's new memoir is Punch Me Up to the Gods.

From the earliest age, Brian Broome was taught that a man was, basically, everything he wasn’t. The model of masculinity handed down to him, from his father to local kids, community, and even the local barbershop made him feel like his very existence was an affront. So, he started hiding, then began to play different roles in the name of belonging. Eventually, the weight of it all led to years doing nearly everything he could to destroy himself, sinking into addiction, until his body, heart and mind just couldn’t take it anymore. Returning to writing, which he’d loved as a kid, Brian began to pour out stories. At first, for no one but him. It was his form of exorcism, of coping, and sense-making. But when he began sharing those stories and poems in the form of spoken word, everything began to change. Now, an award-winning writer, poet, and screenwriter, and K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh, and Moth storyteller, he shares his journey in the powerful new memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods (https://amzn.to/3fFbMwG). We dive deep into it all, including a hard, yet revealing and important look at how cultural norms about masculinity, sexuality and race shape our lives.You can find Brian at:Website : https://www.brianbroome.com/Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/bbromb/If you LOVED this episode:You’ll also love the conversations we had with Casey Gerald about his upbringing and how he navigated the world around similar topics : https://tinyurl.com/GLPCaseyCheck out our offerings & partners: Warby Parker: Warby Parker eyewear and contacts elevate style at a low cost. Try Warby Parker’s free Home Try-On program: Order 5 pairs of glasses to try at home for free for 5 days – there’s no obligation to buy! Ships free and includes a pre-paid return shipping label. Try 5 pairs of glasses at home for free at warbyparker.com/goodlife.ShipStation: Shipping software is designed to save you time and money on eCommerce order fulfillment. Ship more in less time. Just use my offer code, GLP, to get a 60-day free trial. That’s 2 months FREE of no-hassle, stress-free shipping. Just go to ShipStation.com, click on the microphone at the top of the page, and type in GLP.Peloton: Access high-energy workouts, instantly. Discover Peloton: streaming fitness classes to you live and on-demand. Get started on your Peloton journey. Go to onepeloton.com to learn more.

On this final day of the 2021 PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, our Jared Jackson sits down with Brian Broome to discuss his debut memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods. Plus, we take a look back at the 2021 festival. Learn more at pen.org/festival. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/penamerica/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/penamerica/support

Brian Broome (@bbromb) is the author of the memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). In this episode we talk about: Shame Black masculinity Writing Memoir And Writing on the Bus Patreon: patreon.com/cnfpod Social Media: @CNFPod  

In the debut memoir,

Brian Broome is a poet and screenwriter, and K. Leroy Irvis Fellow and instructor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been a finalist in The Moth storytelling competition and won the grand prize in Carnegie Mellon University's Martin Luther King Writing Awards. His debut memoir, “Punch Me Up to the Gods” is available today. It begins in his early years - growing up in Ohio as a dark-skinned Black boy harboring crushes on other boys. The book is framed around Gwendolyn Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool” and is earning rave reviews.

Today we are talking with memoir author, Brian Broome. You can reach Brian on his website at www.brianbroome.com. His book comes out May 18th, 2021. It's an excellent read that I would highly recommend. It is very raw but it's so good. It does take a lot of effort to produce these episodes. Your support would mean the world to me. How about Buy Me A Coffee, I would greatly appreciate it. I can use all the caffeine I can get. LOL. And THANK YOU. If you have any questions about this or any other episode, please contact me by email at livingalifethroughbooks@gmail.com. Join Libro.FM and use code LLTBPODCAST to get 2 audiobooks for the price of one. Please note that you need to add the code to get the deal. I realized that the link doesn't automatically add the code to it. Sorry about that, but hope you enjoy LibroFM. If you enjoyed this episode or any of my previous episodes, please write me a review on Apple Podcasts. I thank you for it. My website is being worked on. I'm getting help. YAY. So, watch out for that. Please follow me on a new app called Swell. I'm @bookishpodcast. You can interact with me there also. On TikTok, I'm @drshahnazahmed. I'm so new to TikTok, I'll be fumbling with it for months to come. haha. Oh Clubhouse, look me up by name: Shahnaz Ahmed --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/livingalifethroughbooks/message

Brian Broome discusses his memoir, Punch Me Up to the Gods, which details his rough upbringing in a small town in Ohio in the 1980s. As a child, he contended with homophobia, racism, colorism and poverty. He struggled to fit in and faced abuse from his father and so-called friends. We discuss why he granted his parents grace, the unusual roommate who sparked his writing and his obsession with writing on buses.