Paul Rousseau

Four zombie figures by vats of toxic waste. One is crawling from the barrel with a gas mask on. They wear white hazmat garb that is caked with blood.

A rabbit/humanoid figure with bloody ears holding a hammer in each hand. Wearing white coveralls spattered with blood.

Two clown figures—one in a pink dress and one in blue. Perhaps bridesmaids? Faces are discolored, rotten, insidious contortion of smiles.

Little girl zombie with weirdly adult demonic face. White coat and hat. Walking her zombie coyote like a dog by a blood spattered and timeworn fence.

Neighbor’s haunted trail is pretty good

Going on tour next week! Come say hi please don’t make me read to myself and that one guy who’s actually got earbuds in

Illustrated ceiling of the Saint Paul union depot "find me at rain taxi's twin cities book fest" in large blue and purple font. "nov. 8 Union depot" in yellow font along the bottom

Happy to announce I’m an exhibitor at Rain Taxi’s 25th annual Twin Cities Book Festival. I’ll be slinging copies of my memoir, Friendly Fire. The participating author list is also bonkers good. November 8th at the Saint Paul Union Depot (a location featured in my book!). Give it a gander

Incredible writing material, as always! These trips rule

Choo choo

Here’s what’s pulling us this weekend

A small portal to hell

The skytop back of the Cedar Rapids train car operated by the friends of the 261 to Arlington, MN. Curved, segmented windows, red carpet with floral design. Green upholstery. Cocktail tables. All very 1948.

The skytop back of the Cedar Rapids train car operated by the friends of the 261 to Arlington, MN. Curved, segmented windows. With me throwing up a peace sign. Wearing a white dress shirt

Tough to beat this train car

A beer, my book, and a name tag that says “hello my name is friendly fire”

Love visiting book clubs that read friendly fire!!

Cheers!

Friendly Fire turns 1 today! Grateful for every unexpected happening and all the book’s lovely readers.

psst: if you’d like email notice about our next submission period (very soon), please join our NEW mailing list! sign-up link is under the “Future” tab on our website!

If you haven’t read the pieces in this issue, you’re seriously missing out. Also, selfishly, read my piece!!

Issue Fifty-Four is here! Explore new poetry, prose, and art at the link in our bio. 🌺

The ritual of the fall had started, as if the proximity of death activated reserves of extraordinary energy in these trees that, instead of continuing to support life, allowed them to celebrate dying. From the Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk

Hell of a way to close a paragraph!

Me with a 61 custom shop reissue SG on a couch in black and white with my tuxedo cat Mira on the cushion ledge above my head. We both have plain verging on melancholic expressions.

Tuxedo jam

Paul Rousseau Visit the post for more.

Teenage cringe and angst?

Team Vampire VS. Team Werewolf?

Tarot card readings and monumental blizzards?

Slow dancing and guitar strumming?

Both kissing and distinctly not-kissing?

READ ME: theadroitjournal.org/issue-fifty-...

In case you missed it, ya dingus!

The adroit journal WE STILL DON'T KISS BY PAUL ROUSSEAU In the hall after homeroom Kate says we should hang out sometime and I like some bubbly elfish quality about her like her face looks like a masquerade mask of an owl but a very cute owl that must blow through a tube of liquid eyeliner almost every other day of the week and one of her canine teeth comes to a fine point like she has a single fang aka half werewolf or half vampire whatever team she's on all I know is the way her blond hair swoops across her eyes each like a diorama of an enchanted woodland enshrined in glass is as magical as any fairy tale l've seen. I tell Kate my mom can make eggplant parmesan well she can make a lot of things but if you were to come over tomorrow after school that is technically something she could make and Kate thinks that sounds great.

NEW NEW nonfiction check it

Paul Rousseau Visit the post for more.

"... for some reason I feel this grants me false permission to be ugly with her and my perceived ugliness adds its own barrier between Kate and I because I feel she is so beautiful and good ..."

@paulwrites7.bsky.social in @adroitjournal.bsky.social theadroitjournal.org/issue-fifty-...

Thanks for sitting down with this one, Pat!!

I adore writing in that mode. Agree it works overtime here given the whole teenage/high school thing. Thanks for the look, dude!

The adroit journal WE STILL DON'T KISS BY PAUL ROUSSEAU In the hall after homeroom Kate says we should hang out sometime and I like some bubbly elfish quality about her like her face looks like a masquerade mask of an owl but a very cute owl that must blow through a tube of liquid eyeliner almost every other day of the week and one of her canine teeth comes to a fine point like she has a single fang aka half werewolf or half vampire whatever team she's on all I know is the way her blond hair swoops across her eyes each like a diorama of an enchanted woodland enshrined in glass is as magical as any fairy tale l've seen. I tell Kate my mom can make eggplant parmesan well she can make a lot of things but if you were to come over tomorrow after school that is technically something she could make and Kate thinks that sounds great.

NEW NEW nonfiction check it

🔥🔥🔥

This is so good.

Thank you thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it. And thanks so much for reading!

NEW CNF in the mighty @adroitjournal.bsky.social. This one means a whole lot. Hope you dig it!

Massive thanks to the editors for including me. Super stoked to see “We Still Don’t Kiss” finding readers other than my cats.

theadroitjournal.org/issue-fifty-...

Homepage of the adroit journal literary magazine. Diane Seuss poem She got quiet. The firmament by By Diane Seuss The Firmament By Miklos Mattyasovszky. And my essay “we still don’t kiss.” Each with an author photo

Front page of the Adroit Journal rn!!

NEW CNF in the mighty @adroitjournal.bsky.social. This one means a whole lot. Hope you dig it!

Massive thanks to the editors for including me. Super stoked to see “We Still Don’t Kiss” finding readers other than my cats.

theadroitjournal.org/issue-fifty-...

New creative nonfiction tomorrow in Adroit Journal issue 54. About the most awkward moment of my teens. Hope it finds some readers while I hide away in my basement with a lead blanket trying to ward off the fallout of cringe.