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Everyday Life, Extraordinary Stories: Crafting Characters with Distinctive Voices

12:30 PM - 1:15 PM

Saturday, November 16

Capitol Extension Room: E2.010 (1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701)

The protagonists in Tomas Moniz's and Joseph Earl Thomas' tender, complex novels are scrambled, searching. In All Friends Are Necessary, Chino loses his family and must turn to a ragtag team of friends and lovers to render a new life. Joseph of God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer attempts to find his footing after returning from a deployment in the Iraq War, working in a hospital, and trying to adjust to his new life. At the crux of Thomas' novel is an exploration of sociopolitical struggles and an examination of everyday Black life, in a voice singular to Thomas; at the heart of Moniz's, an illumination of desire and community, queer and platonic love with gorgeous prose and tone. In this session, Moniz and Thomas will discuss the formation of their characters and how the every day produces remarkable connections.