Joshua Mohr (born July 8, 1976) is an American author. His first novel, Some Things That Meant the World to Me was published by Two Dollar Radio in June, 2009. His second novel, Termite Parade, was published by Two Dollar Radio in 2010. His third novel, Damascus, will be published by Two Dollar Radio in 2011. Visit his website for news, readings and more: www.joshuamohr.net.
Contents |
Joshua Mohr moved to the Bay Area (from Phoenix, AZ) in 1988, and currently lives in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA. He attended San Francisco State University for his undergraduate studies, where he received two Bachelor of Arts degrees: the first in history, the second in creative writing. He then went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at the University of San Francisco, where he graduated in 2005.
Joshua Mohr teaches creative writing at The Writing Salon in San Francisco and at the University of San Francisco.
Following a 30-year-old man named Rhonda suffering from depersonalization, Some Things That Meant the World to Me is a gritty and beautiful work that is creative and hypnotic, and should stand as an introduction of an original new voice to American literature.
When Rhonda was a child – abandoned and ignored by his mother; abused and misguided by his mother’s boyfriend – he imagined the rooms of his home drifting apart from one another like separating continents. Years later, after an embarrassing episode as an adult, Rhonda’s inner-child appears, leading him to a trapdoor in a most unlikely place that will force him to finally confront his troubled past.
In the spirit of Cruddy by Lynda Barry and Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson, Joshua Mohr has created a remarkable and unforgettable character in this charmingly poetic and maturely crafted first novel.
Some Things That Meant the World to Me:
Publishers Weekly Review (*Starred) of "Some Things That Meant the World to Me":
"Mohr's first novel is biting and heartbreaking, a piercing look at the indelible scars a violent past has left on a young man named Rhonda. The disturbing narrative engine - Rhonda's renaming and reimagining of the world around him to fit into his damaged logic - keeps the story creepily moving as it touches on homebrew prison wine and Rhonda's friendship with his childhood self, little-Rhonda. Mohr uses punchy, tightly wound prose to pull readers into a nightmarish landscape, but he never loses the heart of his story; it's as touching as it is shocking."
Termite Parade is the follow-up to Joshua Mohr's San Francisco Chronicle bestselling first novel - and one of O, The Oprah Magazine's '10 Terrific Reads of 2009' - Some Things That Meant the World to Me.
Termite Parade tells the story of Mired, the self-described "bastard daughter of a menage a trois between Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Sylvia Plath, and Eeyore." Mired catalogs her "museum of emotional failures," the latest entry to which is her boyfriend Derek, an auto mechanic (whose body may or may not be infested with termites), who loses his cool carrying her up the stairs to their apartment.
As Derek's termites wreak havoc on his nervous system, Mired pieces together the puzzle, each character revealing aspects of their savage natures, culminating in a climax of pure animal chaos. Along the way, there's a moustached softball team of misanthropes, Mired's Mt. Rushmore of Male Failures, and armed robberies videotaped for vicarious thrills.
Termite Parade
New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) of "Termite Parade":
"[A] wry and unnerving story of bad love gone rotten... [Mohr] has a generous understanding of his characters, whom he describes with an intelligence and sensitivity that pulls you in." Read the full review here.
Joshua Mohr has previously published many short stories in literary journals, such as Other Voices, the Cimarron Review, Gulf Coast, Pleiades, among others.
His short story Dressing the Dead was featured as a component of the New Short Fiction Series' emerging American writers show and was performed live in Beverly Hills. In addition, a chapter from his forthcoming novel was one of the winners of Salt Hill's short-short contest in 2006.
External links:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/05/DDF81809J8.DTL&type=books
http://www.cbsd.com/inventory.aspx?id=1655997
http://www.amazon.com/Some-Things-That-Meant-World/dp/0982015119/ref=cm_rna_own_wish_img
http://www.curlyredstories.com/curlyredstories/Interviews/Entries/2009/2/1_Joshua_Mohr.html