A [TEXT MESSAGE] Conversation With Andrew Colarusso

Fandom, Academia, Loneliness, Poetry, Bookstores, Faith & 'Starship Troopers'

A [BLANK] Conversation With… is an interview series where guests engage in a three-day conversation via their preferred mode of text-based communication, with no commitments to the length or frequency of their responses.

A cousin of mine accurately described my Ditmas Park, Brooklyn neighborhood as Sesame Street. It’s diverse, colorful, has a quaint mixture of houses and apartments, and now that I have my dog, Spock, to walk around — suddenly full of characters to interact with (mainly because they’re eager to pet the dog, who very well could be a Muppet).

Months back, a Spock-induced interaction with published author, poet, and teacher

Andrew E. Colarusso

quickly led to him becoming series regular in our Sesame Street lives. Andrew owns a new bookstore called Taylor & Co. Books — which (according to the ‘about’ section of the website) is a place to “…supply your literary needs, feed your intellectual curiosities, and provide a neighborhood space where all are welcome and cared for.”

But there’s a lot more to learn about Andrew, who seems to be swimming in a pool of nostalgia since returning from the academic world of Brown University to the neighborhood he grew up in, and opening a store across the street from the very place he once attended daycare.

What prompted his return? What makes a good bookstore? How does an artist balance their creative impulses with running a business? We dive into it all in this three-day text message exchange. Enjoy!

TABLE OF CONVERSATION:

• DAY 1 (Monday 10-16-2023)

  • Fandom, Bookstores & Poetry

• Day 2 (Tuesday 10-17-2023)

  • Sickness, Publishing & Home

• Day 3 (Wednesday 10-18-2023)

  • Skinfolk vs Kinfolk, Faith & Starship Troopers

---

Note: Since Tim and Andrew live in New York, each text is timestamped in Eastern Standard Time. However, certain reactions like “iPhone haha”s and ❤️s exist out of time. We have no way of retrospectively knowing exactly when those buttons were pressed. There have been minor adjustments of the text for clarity.

DAY 1 (MONDAY 10-16-2023)

Tim Barnes:
(11:09AM) Andrew! Welcome to the interview 

Andrew Colarusso:
(11:13AM) Good morning Tim! I’ve just seen my parents off (on their way to a well deserved cruise to celebrate their 30th anniversary) and I have a cold (a parting gift from nycc 2023) (11:13AM) How are you this monday morning?

Tim:
(11:15AM) Oh nice! Do they get to vacation often? This Monday is okay. It has ominous “this is somehow gonna be a tough week” energy. Can’t explain why, lol (11:19AM) Also, how often do you go to comic conventions? --> ANDREW DIRECTLY RESPONDS TO THIS TEXT @ 11:25AM, SAYING: "This is my second time going to nycc. My sister convinced me to go with her in 2019. She’d already gone with a friend of hers and had dressed up and made a ritual of it. If she hadn’t asked me to tag along in 2019, I might never have gone. I can be pretty inert without the creative impulses and adventurous nature of ppl around."

Andrew:
(11:22AM) I feel that. A kind of subcutaneous dread. General anxiety. Co-Star sends out a weekly, end of week/beginning of week horoscope (which is very clearly and awkwardly comprised of algorithmically arranged syntax and language based on the planetary alignments) and they generally end these forecasts with a pronouncement like “you will have to do something that you don’t normally do or that you’ve never done before. Do it—even if you struggle.” [Tim gives this an iPhone "Haha"] --> TIM DIRECTLY RESPONDS TO THIS TEXT @ 11:29AM, SAYING: "Yes, that exactly"

Tim:
(11:33AM) I’ve only been to a comic convention once, in Chicago. They really are fun. Seeing a Black guy in a White Ranger costume was the true highlight for me. What do you think about the current state of nerd culture?

Andrew:
(11:36AM) Speaking of: my childhood hero Zach Taylor (aka the black power ranger, aka Walter Jones) was there! He looked good. As good as one can be doing the work a con requires (11:37AM) nerd culture is intrissting. maybe instead of nerd culture let’s say “fandom” because i think thats what cons attract. not science nerds but fans (11:39AM) fandom is and remains alien to me. it’s an impressive form of commitment to something simultaneously tangible and intangible. and that level of commitment to something like an intellectual property always feels a bit odd to me. i always feel like i’m never deep enough in those spaces. i’m casual and therefore closeted or inauthentic. (11:40AM) not to mention the expression of one’s fanaticism online, behind the avatar. it can be very ugly and toxic (11:43AM) this is also true (and maybe worse) in sports fandom. but ppl at the con, considering the nauseating reminder of our overpopulation, were generally very polite and understanding. there’s a sense that we’re in this together, here for a good time not a long time so let’s be nice and compliment each other on our creative expression and share in the joy of our appreciation of akira toriyama and speculate on what’s coming next for our favorite artists and authors and meet them and thank them and buy new things from new talent. there’s so much good will there. and that’s the beauty of it. it’s about love for creativity and the ppl who manage to inspire us (against the general dread of daily drudgery) (11:43AM) damn i actually drained my battery on that text

Tim:
(11:44AM) Hahaha, yeah that was impressive (11:45AM) I have an odd tug and pull with fandom as well. But generally — anything that gets a large group of people into one space creeps me out a little. I can only really engage with it through the lens of curiosity. I’m afraid of letting any particular emotion take over. Love, anger, etc. Guess that makes me a Jedi [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (11:46AM) Have you found a balance of it all in your personal life? You’re clearly a genuine comic book fan. In a way that I’m a little jealous of. As much as I dove into them in middle and high school I still feel like I just have a cursory view of the stories

Andrew:
(12:06PM) You def are a jedi. That’s honestly a great way to describe your vibe (12:09PM) re: fandom, it has a lot in common with medieval forms of religious zealotry. which is prob why it gives you pause. you realize after a while, it’s never enough you’ve never collected all the special editions. you’ve never dived deep enough. it gets to be bad religion. so you like what you like—and the best you can do, as a reader (and now bookseller) is be informed of what other ppl enjoy and why they appreciate it so

Tim:
(12:13PM) How long has your book store been operating now?

Andrew:
(12:32PM) we opened in march of 2023. got the ball rolling in december 2022 largely encouraged by meredith jacks and annie del hierro jost, owners of brooklyn artery. they were the previous tenants of the space and had just moved out across the street. i mentioned the idea of opening a bookshop and they liked that and helped us in so many ways (12:35PM) i moved back to NYC from providence ri where i was teaching and i was walking miles and miles to the nearest comic shops. the summer of 2022 i briefly entertained the idea of opening a comic shop in our neighborhood (like the vhs spot that used to be across the street from us) and quickly dismissed it as something i had no idea about. fast forward and i couldn’t find a teaching job or a writing fellowship. so opening a shop seemed more and more a possibility. i can’t say i have a passion for business. but it’s been a blessing to have a store in the neighborhood i grew up in. in a space where i used to get my haircut. across the street from where i went to daycare. a very sweet dream i would never have had the courage to dream for myself. 

Tim:
(12:48PM) Your story is so magical.  It sounds a bit like you’re functionally living in nostalgia — which, I’m sure has its pitfalls. I remember being at the grand opening and seeing this expression on your face of “Oh, this really just happened.” But now it feels like a staple of the neighborhood. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (12:49PM) But, think about it… Son moves back home and opens a book store. Your mom must feel like she’s living in a Hallmark movie! [Andrew gives this an iPhone "Haha"] (1:03PM) How are you balancing being writer while also selling books? I imagine you’re learning so much about what grabs people’s attention

Andrew:
(1:27PM) A huge part of the magic was meeting you, your wife Madhuri Shukla, and your pup Spock. (forgive me if that’s an overshare—for a superhero, it’s important to keep some things private. feel free to redact and protect the identity of your beloveds in case a nemesis is reading this…) 

Tim:
(1:29PM) Haha, I’ll double check with her. She sometimes doesn’t like to have her name out there. But she definitely doesn’t like the term “wife” so I’m experimenting with “spouse” or “woman king” [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"]

Andrew:
(1:29PM) three days before y’all walked by the shop in february (soon to open but nowhere near done) I was looking for someone to put some art on our walls. I had resolved to contact someone who painted the walls of a neighboring shop, but I was really dragging my feet. Then Spock, lil bebe angel, decided to inquire about a job at the store. He introduced his pops, the writer (whom I was very excited to meet, another black writer who loves comedy and sci-fi!? yes! fast friends!) and then he introduced his mama, the artist. And now you’re all so much a part of the visual and spiritual identity of the place. Madhuri’s mural is my favorite part of the space. (1:30PM) woman king is pretty dope and fitting (1:31PM) --

(1:31PM) --

[Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (1:34PM) I haven’t been writing as consistently as I’d like because of the store. In a sense, I’ve managed to balance my work as a bookseller and my work as a writer relatively well. I still write poems and essays/thinkpieces on my substack and in correspondence. Even collabing with the woman king on a kid’s book manuscript. But as one senior finance bro in the neighborhood reminds me, balance is often illusory and arguably doesn’t exist for successful people. (1:34PM) I detest his outlook on life. It’s a pernicious lie. Balance is essential to all life. That’s not a metaphor or an abstraction. It’s a fact. (1:37PM) I can’t stand a person who treats “rest” as a dirty word or synonymous with laziness. But it bothers me because I know, in some sense, he’s right. It bothers me that as two black men (of slightly different generations and backgrounds), we share the recognition that it’s about surviving. And to survive right now means making sure this business stays afloat (and scales upward). Capitalism is inherently imbalanced. And success within the system means navigating seasons of surplus and deficit with tact—prioritizing profit and return on investment to keep accruing…more funds. (1:38PM) Success as a writer means hours. Hours and hours. It’s a different form of imbalance. And unfortunately I haven’t been able to entertain that fundamental imbalance toward hours and hours of writing that I’d honestly prefer over selling books. 

Tim:
(1:48PM) I love those two characters she painted in the left and right. For some reason she’s not a big fan of them, but seeing the original versions always brings me peace. Perhaps, again, because they seem like wise emotionless Jedi  (though the one on the left nigh be a little angry about something) (1:48PM) --

Andrew:
(1:49PM) Yea those were some of my fave in her portfolio

Tim:
(1:55PM) Balance always feels brief. Like a feeling we can only hook up with. A big thing for me lately has been the embrace of having scraps of ideas all over the place so that they can come together at the right moment. I watched this doc about Toni Morrison that showed her process of writing in spurts between having a full time job and taking care of kids on her own. Jotting a line down on paper during a red light… Just scraps here and there that she’d hone when she had a spare hour or two. I’m trying to replace doom scrolling the internet with that [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (1:55PM) What were some of your big goals coming out of high school?

Andrew:
(2:01PM) I was, like most kids, a bit myopic. I just wanted to get out and be in the world. I had this vision of living in downtown manhattan, being a part of the various scenes that I’d only just discovered as a high school senior. So I managed to get into NYU (which, by numbers, was an ill-advised decision. NYU is a ponzi scheme). But it was totally worth it in hindsight. I got into the school with the intention of becoming a therapist/counselor. I was to receive a BS in Applied Psych. But like any good sophomore, I felt some angst. Is this what I want to do? I’m crazy enough to be a case study… and like many things in my life, a little bit of divine intervention got me into the Comparative Literature department when the head of the department (Cristina Vatulescu) read one of my poems in an undergrad journal at a release party and declared it her fave (after being asked by one of the editors). "That’s my poem!” I said…and so I switched over to what I loved instead of what felt practical. 

Tim:
(2:04PM) What do you think about the current state of poetry? It feels like a tricky medium in the internet age where you might find a poem cramped between a TikTok and a meme of The Joker

Andrew:
(2:41PM) lmao (2:42PM) that feels accurate. poetry really does find us. never where we expect and when we need it most. (2:43PM) we forget that until very recently, literacy has been gatekept as a privilege of the wealthy. poetry, more even than fiction or story-telling, occupies an even more remote and precious wing in the ivory tower. (2:46PM) even so, poetry finds us, lives within us, is the very impulse to create, draw on cave walls, call and respond, represent the world as we experience it and point—yes—to a common experience, a shared ground. poetry is the invention of language—and we all have a hand in it. whether it’s on tiktok or tattooed on someone’s ass or in the hallowed halls of academia or the church or whatever. in the words of Dr. Ian Malcolm… “I’m simply saying that poetry…uh…finds a way.” (2:48PM) a better question is: when’s the last time you read a poem and genuinely felt it?

Tim:
(2:50PM) One of our last neighbors was this older, real East Coast guy who was excited that I was a writer. We’d have these long conversations. One-sided really, because he was just glad to have someone to rant to (I play this role quite often) [Andrew gives this an iPhone "Haha"] (2:50PM) Anyway (2:50PM) One day, he hands me these stacks of papers of random quotes he jotted down over YEARS. Things he heard people say in passing, etc. (2:51PM) I have no clue what he expected me to do with it all. But I did take a picture of each page and gave them back (2:52PM) What’s weird is that I kind of do the same thing he does. My notes app is filled with random phrases of my own or things heard in passing. Or a combination of words someone said in conversation that stick out as interesting titles [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (2:53PM) Can’t say any of them really moved me because I rarely scan through them. I keep telling myself I will (2:55PM) I guess poems are the original Instagram stories because they feel so fleeting. They give me real “in the moment” feelings and when one hits I tell myself I’ll remember it forever, but I never really do (2:55PM) I just finished this book ‘Interior Chinatown’ and some of descriptions are so good and precise that they feel like poetry

Andrew:
(2:57PM) That’s a good one. Dark sense of humor around race like Paul Beatty and Percival Everett. (2:58PM) I think poetry, at best, gives language to what we feel but have never expressed (or have felt incapable of expressing) (2:59PM) this is also why the best encounters with poetry feel as though the poet has written the poem just for you. like they know you. and there’s the magic. there’s the antidote to loneliness. there is witness to the best and worst of yourself in another person. for me that poem is Merwin’s “Piere Vidal” which was shared with me by an old friend and poet Dong Li. (3:01PM) it’s also Audre Lorde’s “On the Uses of the Erotic” and Ruth Stones “The Talking Fish” (3:01PM) Some Biblical psalms as well have that magic. Good old King David—murderer, adulterer, conqueror, and poet. 

Tim:
(3:37PM) What does “psalm” actually mean? Can’t believe I’ve never pondered that before (3:53PM) Also, it makes total sense that you were interested in becoming a therapist because I’ve seen firsthand that the store functions as some sort of free therapy for people (myself included) [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"]

Andrew:
(4:21PM) it’s funny to think I’ve ever provided informal therapy when, in my mind, you seem genuinely put together and even keeled. i.e. if I’ve ever been a bookstore therapist for you, I had no clue. Tbh you’ve provided so much reassurance to me in dealing with my anxieties around the bookstore. Because you’re such a generous listener, I suppose ppl feel very comfortable telling you things. (4:21PM) A psalm is a song. Maybe with roots in the verb for plucking, plucking a string, plucking an idea or a melody

Tim:
(4:23PM) Okay, wow. What’s crazy is that psalm really does sound like “song” with some stank on it. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "Haha"]

Andrew:
(4:24PM) lmaoo now that you mention it…I don’t think i’ll ever read a psalm the psame way again (4:25PM) can I ask, as a writer, what was your experience like with the recent WGA strike? What prompted you to take an active role and how did you feel as it progresses? (4:25PM) progressed*

Tim:
(4:32PM) I really didn’t take as much of an active role as I would’ve liked to. The combo of having a new puppy with anxiety and the wedding to help plan made it so that I couldn’t go to as many pickets as I should have. But I did my best to post and share information as often as I could. Somehow get interviewed on BBC, etc. And it was really cool getting to help organize the Star Trek themed picket in New York. But overall the strike felt like a needed pause for the industry. It was good to see so many writers take a stand and pinpoint their value because so much of the business is centered on making you forget that. Personally, it made me explore my writing beyond the confines of a specific medium. I was worried it would have gone on until 2024 so I was relieved to see the studios finally sit down and actually negotiate. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] --> ANDREW DIRECTLY RESPONDS TO THIS TEXT @ 4:41PM, SAYING: "Yea it’s been cool to see you get back to short fiction as medium. Some of my favorite screenwriters were first short fiction writers. Like Richard Matheson." TIM: (4:34PM) Do you feel like your bookstore has spiritually replaced the old VHS store that used to be in the neighborhood. There’s something about those physical spaces dedicated to media that you can pick up and feel some sort of ownership of

Andrew:
(4:44PM) I think the sad truth is that the VHS store was ultimately replaced by Netflix, Amazon, and the adoption of digitized media. Which is sad, because it changed our browsing habits as well. Where previously we’d rely on word of mouth, maybe one or two publications, or just the recommendation of the store’s owner or clerk—we’re now very active consumers who feel our rights as consumers are also exclusively our rights as American citizens, confusing agora and polis (4:49PM) if the bookstore can provide a fraction of the magic that Magic Queen Video III provided to our family (which used to be in what is now the wonderful Mouse Ceramics Studio) it will have been because people are open again to browsing, to taking recommendation, to being open to the act of reading: as a genuinely transportive, pleasurable, and vital thing to do with one’s time (4:52PM) and I’ve seen it already. People who come in looking for something. A book to take them elsewhere. Magic. Dragons. Eroticism. Religion and faith. Race and music and culture. Books for Kids. Often I see Latino parents and grandparents who bring their kids in and allow them to pick a LEGO set (and usually pay in cash I imagine they earned through hard work) (4:53PM) like Gamestop…for so many kids in the hood, that’s a destination. A mini vacation. You step inside and you’re flooded with the distinct joy of :possibility:. if the bookstore can do that, I’ve won. We all win. (4:54PM) -- https://www.yelp.com/biz/magic-queen-video-iii-brooklyn

Tim:
(4:56PM) How has the neighborhood changed in your lifetime? And what is your favorite movie snack? You already know about my RedVines advocacy so we don’t need to go there. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "Haha"]

Andrew:
(5:05PM) I’ve spent the better part of thirty years in this neighborhood. Grew up here. So I’ve witnessed changes both external (to the city) and internal (my own, let’s say, learning and unlearning). But I’ve heard the neighborhood described as gentrification proof, from a real estate perspective. During the Clinton admin, lots of blue collar families landed in these homes that were sold for a song. Then booming economy and property values sky rocket. My mom never takes credit for her real estate savvy. She’s a bit of a savant there. (5:06PM) Anyway, because the property values are high, predatory developers can’t come in and steal up buildings, land, air rights, etc without digging deep into their wallets (5:08PM) but nothing, no place, is immune to change. I think at some point I was dismayed by a feeling that the neighborhood got whiter. I dunno if that’s true. I just started seeing lots of hipsters lazing about on albemarle and it bothered me. I think that was honestly more to do with the pandemic though. The past seven years I’ve been living in Rhode Island, so I’m a bit of a rip van winkle here. I’m a noob in again. In fact, I feel many of the anxieties I felt as a little boy when we moved to the neighborhood. It’s so strange (5:09PM) at some point, cristyles, my black barber, closed and there was no one in the neighborhood who’d cut my hair (5:10PM) now we got black barbershops again and jennifer’s salon has a lovely mexicana named Elisabeth who cuts my hair. She’s very gentle and kind. (5:11PM) I remember going from shop to shop asking if they cut black hair and having outright (if honest) declinations. Eventually I found a Bengali barber on McDonald and Church. Best. Barber. Ever. (5:12PM) Not a lick of english. Sat me down. Cut my hair passably well. And then, at no extra cost, gave me a head rub, face massage, and a chiropractic neck snap. My prostate is tingling just thinking about it 🤤 [Tim gives this an iPhone "Haha"] (5:13PM) I hope, wherever he is, he is well and blessed

Tim:
(5:16PM) Well, anyone who reads that review will be eager to use his services 

Andrew:
(5:17PM) I don’t think he’s still there alas (5:17PM) he might be. but i never knew his name (5:18PM) he was…the barber that got away 🥺 [Tim gives this an iPhone "Haha"] (5:19PM) have you heard anything about “space sickness”? (5:19PM) like, how do stomach fluids react in the gut without gravity?

Tim:
(5:19PM) Not really, but I’m looking forward to learning what you’re about to say next

Andrew:
(5:20PM) it was truly a brainfart. I have no idea.

Tim:
(5:20PM) Hahaha

Andrew:
(5:20PM) -- 

(5:21PM) I’m watching the witch from mercury (finally) and just wondering (as we all do) about the physics of a fictional endeavor

Tim:
(5:24PM) Hahaha, just the physics of the action? (5:24PM) I have a weird connection to the idea of home. I wasn’t allowed outside of the house really where I grew up so I don’t have personalities attached to the neighborhood, but I am attached to the buildings. I generally find locational pride to be an oddity because of it. But it makes sense when I think about the people. It seems like the ramifications of gentrification would be different if the people being displaced knew that they could stay together. Do you think you’re an East Coaster for life?

Andrew:
(5:27PM) I had a similar upbringing. Though I don’t think I’ve met your folks, I have a sense of them because of you. And I think you’ve met mine. Quirky and loving. But very protective when I was a boy. Maybe that’s why I’m such a homebody as an adult. But to that end, I’ve always felt pretty alien outside of the people that define for me a sense of home. (5:28PM) I’m grounded in place if that place is rooted by people and love. Otherwise, I have no affinity for place as such. These are just buildings. East coast, west coast, or Texas. What matters to me is that I have a reason to live and love. (5:29PM) What maybe is distinct about our neighborhood is that it’s always been diverse. I grew up with that. That’s my norm. So much of the rest of the country is composed of pockets of self-segregating likeness. But this neighborhood is such a beautiful confluence of people. (5:30PM) What would you say is the glue that holds together such a heterogenous population? (5:31PM)(I still feel like an outsider in the neighborhood I grew up in…but less so now. The bookstore has given me an opportunity to actually call this place home)

Tim:
(5:53PM) I’m not sure, but the city in general feels like it has a pulse. There’s so much to do just to get by, less time to think about divisions

Andrew:
(6:07PM) I’m huge on popcorn by the way. I dunno if that counts as a movie :snack: so much as a staple (6:07PM) where and what feels like home for you?

Tim:
(6:14PM) Home is laughing about something that happened at a gathering with a few people from the gathering and few hours after the gathering. That very specific feeling [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (6:23PM) Can you tell I’m a Capricorn?

Andrew:
(6:34PM) Absolutely. Your stick-to-it-ness. Quiet diligence and gracefulness. (6:34PM) There was something I wanted to ask you but after walking the dog I can’t remember 🤔

Tim:
(6:49PM) That’s the beauty of a three day interview. I’m sure it’ll come back

DAY 2 (TUESDAY 10-17-2023)

Tim:
(11:01AM) Welcome to day 2! I’m trying to get better at looking back at texts from the previous day for things I may have missed. I’m diving into Audre Lorde’s "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power” right now and it feels more like an essay than a poem. That has me thinking — are there any actual rules to poetry?

Andrew:
(12:09PM) Yes and no. Poetry comes from the Greek Poiesis,“to make”. The rules of poetry can be as minute as prosody (rhyme schemes, meter, form) or as great as natural features in a landscape (in the case of architecture). Poetry is born from some constraint—even if that constraint is nothingness itself. So the rules are only those that apply to our lived experience—the rules that seem to limit our possibility, that we create against or out of. (12:09PM) Good morning from the basement of Taylor & Co. where I am both sick and tired and paying bills and trying not to succumb to a general despair. (12:11PM) How are you feeling this morning? (12:11PM) (or afternoon)

Tim:
(12:29PM) I’m doing alright! I’m working out the final pieces of a pilot script that I’ve been tinkering with all strike. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (12:25PM) Sorry you’re not feeling well. Sort of a cold?

Andrew:
(12:28PM) A cold. 8 of 10 times inconvenient. That other 20% is almost exclusively for elementary school stay home days (which no longer apply to me)(12:28PM) is it too soon to discuss the pilot? 😬 (12:28PM) perhaps you’ll share more off the record…

Tim:
(12:29PM) Haha, yes. Off the record. But I’m excited about it. The characters finally match the plot, lol [Andrew gives this an iPhone "!!"]  (12:30PM) Has being a small business affected your politics at all? At least in terms of taxes and money?

Andrew:
(12:32PM) No. I understand how raising minimum wage can really hurt a small business. I often find myself working as much as I can to avoid to exorbitant expense of paying others. (12:33PM) I opened the store primarily because I couldn’t find steady income elsewhere. Ironically, since we opened in March, I’ve only managed to pay myself $3000. (12:35PM) But I’ve also managed to build something of value that, if we were to sell or continue growing, might help pay off the family mortgage. 

Tim:
(12:37PM) Yeah, right now it’s pure potential. You’ve done a fine job of cultivating a gathering space for artists in the community. Even in the worst case scenario, you’ve likely inspired someone in the neighborhood to open up a shop for vintage BlueRays in about 30 years. (12:38PM) You asked me yesterday what home is. But for you, what makes a great bookstore? (2:13PM) I feel like you’ve probably already answered that in some form yesterday (2:14PM) I suppose I’m just checking in to make sure you aren’t locked in that basement

Andrew:
(7:23PM) I honestly haven’t had a moment to myself until now. And I’m supposed to cook, but I’m literally sick and tired, so I think doordash. (7:25PM) Sorry this is probably not a fun interview. Def not as fun as the others. And the thought of what makes a great bookstore right now is a bit nauseating. I don’t know. There are a number of factors that make a great bookstore. Most of them cosmetic. Good lighting, inviting atmosphere, pleasant customer service, decent selection (for your target demographic). Economically, a capacity to scale upward, foster community by hosting events. Marketing and outreach. (7:25PM) All of which are my responsibility and right now I feel broken and tired -_-

Tim:
(7:37PM) Well, I don’t want to hinder your rest today with more questions. Hope you’ll feel a little better tomorrow! — and that this interview isn’t contributing to the bad vibes

Andrew:
(7:39PM) Sry I didn’t mean to imply you’re a bother or a hinderance. I’m just whining. I’ve been looking forward to replying all day. It’s just hilarious to me that I have not had one free moment to type out a response 😂 and that is the tragicomedy of my life rn

Tim:
(7:41PM) I hope that means a series of eccentric billionaires walked in today to purchase all of the books

Andrew:
(7:42PM) Alas no. Just down to earth kindhearted people with a lot to talk about. A handful of thoughtful bookbuyers. One wary dog. 

Tim:
(7:44PM) I’ve told you before how much sitcom potential your entire life has right now. I always feel like Kramer barging in. As stressful as some of the ins and outs of it are now, I’m sure you’ll look back on it with more fondness.(7:46PM) Tell me about your published work. Where would be a good place to dive in? (You can save answering this for tomorrow if you’re too busy drinking soup)

Andrew:
(8:08PM) At my most charitable, I realize that’s the case. That I’ll look back on it with some fondness, maybe even pride. CERTAINLY gratitude. But right now I feel like I’m dying and run over by a bus which is now dragging along a cobble stone street at Keanu speed (8:08PM) that’s probably the fever talking (8:09PM) so funny how hindsight colors our perception of pain and difficulty. I had a chat with my mother about her thirties and she had a vague sense of it as an easy time. I reminded her she had just given birth to me, was a single mother, my father had called child services on her, she was working as a corrections officers, etc, etc… (8:09PM) and she was like “oh yea…” :sad/pensive face: (8:11PM) I say all that to say it’s important to really remember our experiences for the good and bad, not necessarily in HD, but with just enough fidelity to stay true. (8:14PM) My writing is really strange. Even to me. In part because many of my published books were manuscripts I’d written a decade or more ago. My most recent poetry collection Hívado, published last year by Flood Editions, was originally written in 2012. (8:17PM) I’m proud of my writing, but it hasn’t brought me much acclaim because it is often abstruse, by design. The language itself, its shape on the page, is doing work. It would be like listening to your favorite orchestral piece, while simultaneously hearing every player’s inner thoughts. So my writing often veers from signal into noise—especially if one is expecting a traditional plotted narrative or formal poem. (8:19PM) But I think the two or three pieces that best represent me right now are a short story “Irony of Negro Plcemn” and two poems “Titan” and “Le funambule” —three instances where I felt I nailed it. (8:19PM) Irony of Negro Plcemn was even picked up for publication by the Atlantic, but they killed it weeks before pub (8:22PM) -- 

Titan

Tim:
(8:22PM) Ah, yes. I remember you telling me about that Atlantic situation there are so many false victories in the arts 

Andrew:
(8:24PM) (I made the post open to everyone)

Tim:
(8:25PM) That has to be strange sensation — publishing work that was written a decade ago. How difficult is it for you to look at your past work? Seems to connect with what you were saying about looking at the past with honesty

Andrew:
(8:28PM) I still dig it. But in hindsight, I’m acutely aware of how inaccessible it can feel to many readers. Not that it’s excessively smart. Rather uncharitably opaque. If I died tomorrow (due to bookstore related injuries) I will not yet have written something that feels really emblematic of who I am…

Except perhaps this little chapbook that was published by Northwestern University Press. “Creance; or, Comest Thou Cosmic Nazarite”

The language in that chapbook holds a lovely ratio of signal to noise that I feel comfortable sharing with most readers.

Tim:
(8:40PM) Reading “Titan” certainly feels like having your consciousness ripped apart by gravity (8:43PM) One of the most important things I’ve learned is that there’s rhythm in everything. I remember a teacher describing the rhythm of a painting. And now whenever I’m watching, reading, or listening to something I’m always trying to suss out how much of the rhythm was intentional [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"]

Andrew:
(8:47PM) what about the arrhythmic? 

Tim:
(8:49PM) You mean, like, math rock? [Andrew gives this an iPhone "?"] (8:50PM) It’s a music genre that can sound chaotic until you tune your ears to it

Andrew:
(8:50PM) ooooo! (8:51PM) i’m so literal…i thought you were talking about plymouth rocks cousin or the sequel to schoolhouse rock… [Tim gives this an iPhone "Haha"] (8:52PM) nah i mean arrhythmic like atrial fibrillation (8:53PM) or like the ritual dance of legba is voudun. stunted. one leg longer than the other. (8:53PM) in*

Tim:
(8:57PM) I don’t know what to say about it but you’ve certainly taken me down an internet rabbit hole looking up the definitions

Andrew:
(8:59PM) achievement unlocked*

Tim:
(9:01PM) You seem to have accurately described your writing style. How difficult was your journey to being able to write things that make you say “yeah, that was my voice”?

Andrew:
(9:06PM) ooo that’s a fun question among poets. many would query the function of “voice” in that statement and consider that the idea of a poets singular voice (modernism) was exploded into the multiple (post-modern) and finally into the branded (contemporary) which is a return to the singular voice (think of Rupi Kaur). (9:08PM) I think i’m a bit of a cliched post-modernist. My voice is multiple, polyphonic. But I think there are moments in my writing where I see reflected back at me an accurate, maybe even inscrutable, depiction of my inner landscape. Titan is one of those poems. That struggle against forces greater than I have capacity to fathom and a persistent feeling of failure. Yes. And beautifully so. (9:11PM) Generally, I feel my work as an artist (as distinct from a poet) is to make a good and functional thing. So if I’m asked to write a sonnet or a love poem or a revenge story, I can and will to the best of my ability. The poet on the other hand is not a technician per se—just a person pushed to such dissatisfaction or ecstasy, that they are compelled to make and remake a new thing. Something for which there are no already written instructions (that we know of). 

DAY 3 (Wednesday 10-18-2023)

Tim:
(10:59AM) Day 3! I just got my novavax shot so I might be as sick as you today. Are you feeling any better? I want to talk about your experience with teaching if you’re comfortable with it. Did it give you any insight into what young people are grappling with these days?

Andrew:
(11:31AM) I’m still feeling sick. Fortunately I’ve got folks covering at the store, so I’m staying my ass home today and trying not to internalize anymore stress or pathogens. (11:33AM) I hope you’re not too beat up by the vaccine. I was so eager to get the vaccine when it was first made available. I got in line at CVS every morning for 7 days to get on the waitlist for a vaccine. Then I got it! I was elated. But I also had myocarditis and a persistent arrhythmia (11:35AM) I think I should’ve waited. In my seventh and last year of teaching at Brown, they required I take the booster or lose my job. Despite my doctor’s note about the adverse effect on my heart. I did get the booster (after my protest failed) and they fired me at the end of the semester anyway. (11:36AM) If I understood anything about young people (in tandem with my own experience at Brown and in Rhode Island) is that they’re grappling with, among so many other anxiety-inducing global issues, a pandemic of loneliness. (11:38AM) I taught this course called “Why Don’t We Fall In Love” after the Amerie song of the same name. The course was poised at the intersections of discourse on love, eros, and its representation in film, literature, and art (with a focus on lit) (11:40AM) In my third and final time teaching the course, instead of having my students do writing exclusive assignments and exercises, I required they go on a variety of platonic dates over the course of the semester. i.e. “watch the assigned film with a friend”, “write a letter to someone you secretly admire,” and other such prompts. The goal was for them to get out, be in the world, meet new people, take this as an excuse to try out that old conjunctive thing of bumping into someone. (11:42AM) Of course, in the middle of the semester, March 2020, the pandemic shut things down. The painful irony of it. Perhaps I’m still grappling with the metaphysics of trying to teach a course to combat loneliness, only to be so forcefully pulled apart again. This is some of what motivates a poem like Titan.

Tim: 
(11:54AM) I had a stray thought today about how loneliness could lead to an increase of people joining the military. Also, yeah the vaccine instantly has me in and out of napping. I know from previous conversations that you’re still recovering from the blow of being fired. Being fired from any job is tough. Being fired from a university must feel like Zeus tossing off of the mountain. (11:56AM) I think a lot of people our age are dealing with old standards fading. It’s impossible to afford the lifestyles our parents could. And the meaning of work is evolving rapidly [Andrew gives this an iPhone "!!"] (11:58AM) Do you struggle at all with the concept of work? What are the lines between who you are and what you do that emerge or blur when you start a small business?

Andrew:
(11:59AM) I was only supposed to teach there for a year. It became seven. Toward the end, the people that had asked me to teach there had retired or passed away, and the new hires (brought on primarily as a result of protests for more diversity) were skinfolk, but not kinfolk. (12:00PM) Labor and work are essential parts of our lives. Work, among other more practical functions, gives us some semblance of purpose or usefulness or creative engagement. (12:01PM) I think we all struggle with work when the work feels devoid of any meaningful challenge or significance, when it feels like something we’re bad at or unsure of—an uncertain relationship to the labor one is performing breeds one very painful question “why am I doing this?” (12:03PM) Never have I had as much agency over my work as I do now. I’m responsible for literally every aspect of this bookstore and that feels overwhelming for me, an introvert who needs quiet time and space to recharge and wonder, to tinker and query. (12:05PM) I’ve gone from 70k, health insurance and retirement fund (which did not come easy at Brown…I had to fight for that) to now earning a total of $3000 since March and medicaid. (12:06PM) I live with my parents and sister. Who are wonderful and truly my favorite people in the world. But this transition has been an odd one at my age and I’m trying everyday to make it feel right (or accept it for what it is) (12:09PM) maybe this begs the question: why not get a job in teaching again or… (12:11PM) when I crash landed back where I grew up in Brooklyn, I wanted time to figure things out. I gave myself six months. I was also trying to relax. My heart was still jumpy/arrhythmic from the booster and I wanted to avoid stressors. So I took care of myself, got back to writing on Substack, biked regularly and exercised. Walked with my mom and talked with my dad and planned with my sis.(12:14PM) I looked for teaching positions, but the process of getting recommendations (from colleagues who’d unanimously voted for me to leave the department) and jumping through all the hoops of the interview process only to be rejected again did not seem appealing. I couldn’t find teaching jobs. I couldn’t find writing gigs or fellowships because, I had to acknowledge, my writing has no market value. (12:16PM) I did find a job as an usher at Kings Theatre. I loved it. It was the first time in well over a decade that I was not the token black. I was just one more person of color among other west indian, latine, asian, and african american people. It was healing. And I could occupy my space as an NPC. (12:17PM) --

On Life as an N.P.C.

(12:19PM) But the job paid next to nothing and toward the end of the year, my six months of reconfiguring were nearing their end. 

I should explain, I do a lot of things on faith, on prayer. And one night I prayed to the Lord, please give me some direction! This was November/December. (12:21PM) That night my mom sent me a link to a charter school hiring. It wasn’t what I wanted, but we go in faith. 

Fast forward: the interview actually went really well, but I never heard from them. It seemed that the door to teaching had closed. The door to writing had closed. But the women of Brooklyn Artery had just moved out of their space, across the street, and here was a literal open door. An opportunity to do something meaningful. (12:21PM) A greenlight from God.

Tim:
(12:38PM) Luckily, your work checks the box of having meaning. I’ve had a bizarre few years that I’m still unpacking. I had three tv writing gigs in a row, some safety money in the bank, and really needed a break. I thought it’d be short, but after the last show didn’t get picked up for a second season —  it’s been well over a year + and writers strike. And in the process of that, I’ve kept a pretty even head. Mostly by forcing some daily structure and becoming my own boss in a sense. And as great as being your own boss is, I must admit: so much of what has pushed me over the years has been the feeling of having an axe to grind with a superior. And when that person is suddenly you, you have to grapple with yourself in an interesting way. Suddenly I understand why a god would create a universe out of boredom, and in the process create their own enemy. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (12:38PM) How is faith guiding you in the current moment? 

Andrew:
(12:43PM) That’s so beautifully written (12:45PM) Faith is a kind of ordinary devotion. It’s what gives me the courage to go anyway (or sometimes not!). It’s trusting that, yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. (psalm 23) (12:48PM) Faith is knowing that “memory is what we all become” [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"]

Tim:
(12:54PM) One thing my parents have undoubtedly imprinted on me is a general sense of faith that things will work out. It’s a sensation that can make you feel rich even when you’re poor. [Andrew gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (12:54PM) What got you into writing and literature?

Andrew:
(12:56PM) I also had difficulty parsing the semantic difference between the verbs for writing and drawing (12:58PM) it seemed to me forms of the same thing. My birth father, richard colarusso, had an early dos computer connected to a printer. he’d let me print things and it was a power and magic I got hooked on. add to that my step-father’s penchant for dramatic story-telling and imagination. These were things my little introverted heart fell in love with. Crafting small and precious things to adore. Poems. Words. Papercraft. Drawings. (12:59PM) Eventually I grew to love the sentence as a unit of measure and poetry. And what a string of beautiful sentences together could produce… (12:59PM) did you ever have an agent?

Tim:
(1:03PM) I have a manager but go back and forth about adding on an agent. Part of it is that I got my manager without necessarily seeking one. I have no idea what it’s like to look for an agent. Maybe send an email with big text that says “hey! I’m interesting!” [Andrew gives this an iPhone "HaHa"] (1:03PM) What was your relationship with your birth father like?

Andrew:
(1:07PM) -- 

(1:08PM) I saw him every other weekend. He was dutiful. Demanded precision. Perhaps from being raised catholic or having a father who was in the military, served during WWII (1:09PM) --

(1:09PM) Grandpa: John Colarusso (1:10PM) So I’d see my dad every other weekend. He’d come to pick me up and we’d head on out to Staten Island. Some mornings I cried hysterically. I always had terrible separation anxiety going back and forth between my parents. (1:12PM) Around the time I got into college he’d moved down to North Carolina. That has created some distance, but there’s still a warmth and affection, pride and gratitude. One of my fondest memories and proudest inheritances is of the traditional italian american gravy. He’d learned to cook it from his grandmother. Every Sunday, around 5 am, he’d begin browning the meat and making the sauce that would later in the day accompany the pasta and antipasta. The scent of it filled the whole house and I loved it. So I learned to make it too

Tim:
(1:24PM) Not sure if there was a first photo but this is how it came in for some reason (1:24PM) --

(1:24PM) But I see the photo of your grandpa (1:24PM) That looks like a pose you make often

Andrew:
(1:25PM) 🤷🏽‍♂️

Tim:
(1:30PM) There’s something funny about old pictures of parents and grandparents from before their children or grandchildren existed. They get added layers of meaning and intrigue over time. But in the moment were probably just a picture. Though, maybe that’s more of a modern thing since it’s so easy to capture moments now (1:31PM) Are you Catholic? 

Andrew:
(1:31PM) protestant, primarily coming from a black baptist tradition (that labeled itself non-denominational)

Tim:
(1:32PM) Ah yes I grew up in a nondenominational church as well (1:34PM) Religious schisms are fascinating. And going back to comic con — something we do with all art that we love. Some people refuse to acknowledge the prequels in their understanding of Star Wars, etc.  

Andrew:
(1:38PM) right? Martin Luther thought…ah this institution (Roman Catholicism) has gotten in the way of what I believe this should look and feel like. So let me write and major protest! (1:39PM) write a* major

Tim:
(1:44PM) What was it like growing up in New York where there are so many cultures, perspectives, and religions swirling around you? (1:45PM) What are the things that test your faith, and the things that bring you back to it?

Andrew:
(1:45PM) Truly beautiful. To grow up in this context where genuine diversity is the norm. I was a bit spoiled. Being at Brown was culture shock. It was quickly evident that WASP was the mode…and I had become to suspicious outsider, the criminal, the affirmative action, token hire (1:49PM) In every test of faith is also its ultimate affirmation. Right now, it’s this feeling of being in deep and uncharted waters. I’m not at all in my element. So I’m learning. I’m got to swim or I’ll sink. Today I’m a bit tired. And with the sickness it makes it hard to summon the energy. People asking me all kinds of questions, demanding all kinds of time and attention, emails upon emails and bills upon bills. sigh (1:49PM) but we hear evidence of God in a “still small voice” (1:50PM) it comes after the storm, the earthquake, the fire (1:50PM) a whisper. as if to say you’re still here. it’s not over yet. and even better awaits. 

Tim:
(1:52PM) Do you relate to religion as doctrine, or something that you converse with?

Andrew:
(1:54PM) it’s both. religion as doctrine, as a form of conservatism, seeks to preserve what works, offers some moral and legal foundation for what is just among people before a judging God. that’s part of it. and we do a disservice when we pretend that’s not part of it — or worse, that it’s not necessary. It is helpful for us to have some standard. (1:55PM) But its equally harmful to adhere dogmatically to doctrine when it denies another person their agency, when you deny yourself an opportunity to love genuinely—this was and remains the radical Gospel of Christ. Love thy neighbor. Judge not lest ye be judged. (1:57PM) these competing energies, of conservatism and liberalism, must always be negotiated so that we don’t lose our semblance of standards, nor do we deny ourselves a capacity to adapt and allow for newness. everyday. consider and reconsider what works and what doesn’t and pause before declaring any kind of assertive truth. odds are you don’t know. give it up to God.

Tim:
(2:03PM) In most cases, I find it easier to understand God when I replace the name with Universe. Were there any frictions in your family when in came to conflicting interpretations of faith?

Andrew:
(2:06PM) That’s a pet peeve of mine. A lot of folks in our generation like to use Universe (myself included) because it’s inoffensive and seemingly agnostic. I just makes me eye-roll a bit. But there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. In most observant Jewish traditions, the name of God is unknowable, never meant to be pronounced, so there are a number of alternative titles and names to approach the unknowable thing itself (2:08PM) Our family is relatively moderate/liberal, but in all things we defer to fundamental tenets of the faith. Love others. Do right by people even if you disagree or dislike. So we chat about different political topics in light of faith and current events. We all have slightly different perspectives and I enjoy those moments where we arrive at what feels right and natural to us and accept that we are in different places, different perspectives (2:08PM) always referring back to the fundamental—that all are deserving of love and kindness (2:09PM) -- [note: click image for link]

Tim:
(2:15PM) I suppose if you believe God created the universe, it’s pretty weird to name him after it. I also think it’s kind of funny that he needs angels. When you consider the most common images of angels compared to angels as described in the text, it’s amazing the lengths to which our interpretations can go [Andrew gives this an iPhone "!!"] (2:15PM) I mean, imagine ‘Touched By An Angel’ with biblically accurate angels (2:15PM) Very different show [Andrew gives this an iPhone "HaHa"]

Andrew:
(2:16PM) that’s the kind of uncanny metaphysical horror i crave [Tim gives this an iPhone "HaHa"]

Tim:
(2:19PM) I appreciate religion for providing symbols and names for abstract ideas. I think the doctrine of it all is where it can get weird. You’ve introduced so many concepts and rules, and whenever there’s a crack or contradiction in it you point to “God works in mysterious ways.” I like the questions more than the answers, but there’s a certain religiosity in the act of searching itself (2:19PM) Okay, how to we bring this interview back to the physical plane? (2:27PM) I don’t think you ever told me your favorite movie snack!

Andrew:
(2:55PM) Popcorn with nutritional yeast is a favorite. I also love the Nitehawk popcorn. That hint of citric salt does it for me. Otherwise, I enjoy most gummies and candies. I really love raisinettes. I love strawberry lace. [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"]

Tim:
(3:28) I want to pivot back to your university experience for moment. Did teaching make you  more appreciative for the teachers in your life? What’s it like being in that side of things — working for an institution that so many people’s dreams and hopes are attached to? (3:30PM) For some reason, I never knew the actual functionality of college. I always saw it as a status symbol. And with everything I’ve done so far, I’m amazed by how rare it is that anyone asks to see a college degree

Andrew:
(3:37PM) There’s a lot there. But I’ll start by saying that teaching at the university level didn’t foster any greater appreciation for the teachers in my life. If anything, I learned just how horribly ego-driven and superficial and toxic academia is. (3:38PM) The teachers that had made an impact on my life, i already knew, were blessings to me and others. their patience. their clever capacity to put a spoonful of sugar in the medicine. all of that made them very special to me. I was also an occasionally difficult student. Teaching at Brown was perhaps karma for my difficulty. 

Tim:
(3:39PM) Hahaha, did you have many difficult students?

Andrew:
(3:40PM) I had a handful. Most of my students were graceful and intelligent young souls looking for the best way forward. (3:42PM) I’m grateful to all of my students. They were always the best part of the job. Even when they were difficult. It’s my colleagues that terrified me. Their callousness and nepotism. Their passive aggressive violence and performativity. (3:43PM) Universities, like any profitable corporation, put a lot of money into marketing themselves. They promise a future — which is difficult to resist if all it means is access to its hallowed halls and resources. Americans want to know their children are assured a future within the upper echelons of the american dream. (3:44PM) Learning is essential. Networking is essential. The degree itself is not. It is, as you point out, just a piece of a paper. My degrees have not really been a factor in my hiring (or perhaps have contributed to my rejections tbh) (3:45PM) But the network and resources a university provides can be very helpful.

Tim:
(3:45PM) Just like the military

Andrew:
(3:46PM) I thought about joining the military when I sensed Brown was going to discard me (3:46PM) I’d mentioned this to [REDACTED], a brilliant Palestinian author, and she was so disappointed in me that she never spoke to me again. 

Tim:
(3:48PM) It feels like a deal with the devil in many ways (3:50PM) I just rewatched Starship Troopers the other day. It’s amazing that movie even exists. I forgot how pointed it is in highlighting propaganda tactics, but there are also really senseless moments where characters explain why they joined — for the money, the education, the healthcare, etc (3:50PM) Sincere* (3:50PM) Not senseless 

Andrew:
(3:51PM) it’s such a brilliant film adaptation. in so many ways it exceeds the novel in brilliance (3:51PM) I think Rico is actually filipino in the book. But there’s a reason they case Casper Van Dien (3:52PM) cast* (3:52PM) his old boy aryan looks 

---

Starship Troopers (1997)

---

Tim:
(3:53PM) I’ll have to read it. I’m juuust starting to get into Robert Heinlein (3:53PM) The scene where he gets whipped by a black man—shoulda been the whole trailer right there

Andrew:
(3:54PM) lol (3:55PM) at every turn the director is trying to get us to sympathize with the fascists—and after a while, you really do feel that humanity’s victory is our victory against the hordes. 

Tim:
(3:58PM) But the acting is so over the top that I think it winks at us as adults. However, as a kid, I was just having fun with the characters — which is much more frightening in hindsight (3:58PM) Also, the movie is the first time I saw boobs in a theater (3:58PM) Big moment (3:58PM) For cinema, and for me

Andrew:
(3:58PM) I was deadass just thinking about that [Tim gives this an iPhone "HaHa"] (3:59PM) I don’t know if it was my first time. But I have a very clear image of her breasts in my head

Tim:
(4:01PM) Yeah, and I was more enamored by the nudity than the fact that these were co-ed soldiers showering together and not being overtly sexual about it

Andrew:
(4:03PM) it’s funny how the film went over so many ppl’s heads because they received it on one level (pulp sci-fi) and missed it on that other level (satire) (4:04PM) i still love that movie. so much fun. great coming of age story (4:10PM) and exemplary of why we still find institutions of power and domination so alluring (4:10PM) emblematic*

Tim:
(4:29PM) Do you have any projections of the future the arts and technology? Are you particularly fearful of A.I.?

Andrew:
(4:44PM) I can’t imagine the future of arts and tech. Sadly I don’t much care to. I suspect, whatever it will be, it already is, and looks a lot like the past (in a strange, glancing way). I should be afraid of AI, but I don’t feel it high among the things that give me anxiety. Maybe I’m already too burnt out too care. But I know I should be. (4:45PM) I stopped teaching just before ChapGPT started being used widely and I sometimes wonder how I’d be forced to deal with a student who thought themselves cute enough to BS their way through a poetry workshop using AI generated poems. (4:45PM) It feels like a lot of contrivance

Tim:
(5:33PM) I identify with your earlier description of being an introvert who requires time to think and process. Are you comfortable with solitude?

Andrew:
(5:35PM) Yesh (5:36PM) In fact i just finished cooking a big pot of pasta e fagioli for me and my sis and it came out perfectly. haven’t made it in a while so i was worried I forgot. but very good! i miss this kind of quietude. shame it only comes when i’m too sick to work

Tim:
(6:19PM) I hope you enjoy the pasta and get more nice relaxation. I feel a nap coming so this may be the end of the interview… or not! But thanks for joining the ride. Hope it was (mostly) fun!

Andrew:
(6:24PM) This was really an honor. I realize I’m texting as I pass by your crib. Took our pup for a walk. he’s getting better around strangers and other dogs. less wary, more curious. (6:24PM) i also stopped to check on the shop. It’s still there 😌 (6:25PM) now i think i must drive my sister to her brasilian jiu jitsu lesson (6:25PM) thanks again for spending time with me tim. you have been such a blessing to me and my fam 🙏🏽 [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"]

END OF INTERVIEW

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