New Voices Telling Great Stories.
Fawk U Press
A Picture Is Worth...
A Thousand Words...or Less
Support Independent Creatives In The Starving Artists Foundation By Partaking In 1,000 Words...Or Less
$20.00 To Participate In Writing A Story, Poem, Etc. Based On Our Monthly Vintage Photo And What The Image Means To You.
There's A Chance To Win Our Monthly Contest, And Also Have Your Story Be Featured In An Upcoming Compilation Book!
Submission Cut Off Is The 28th Of Each Month.
Even If You Don't Feel Like Being Creative, You Can Donate To The Starving Artists Foundation, And The Featured Creative Of the Month, On Our Go Fund Me @https://gofund.me/a5860d98
Feed Us, We're Hungry!
A few months back, I did a post about big things coming to Fawk U Press.
The first thing I can share is that we will begin featuring independent creative types, artists, photographers, writers, and creators on many different fronts each month, under the umbrella of the Starving Artists Foundation.
And there’s a way you can show them some love. Starting on January 1st, you can take part in 1,000 Words...Or Less on www.fawkupress.com.
The concept is simple; I will be posting a vintage photo, donated by Bad Madge in San Diego, both on the website and our social media, and you have 1,000 Words...Or Less to come up with a story of what the picture means to you.
There will be two each month and a contest for who comes up with the encapsulation of a picture being worth a thousand words. And the winner will receive either a prize from that month's artist when applicable, or an autographed copy of my second novel, The Best Laid Plans. But every participant will have their story featured on the aforementioned website and social medias. And a book of the stories down the road.
It only costs $20.00, and proceeds will go to benefit the featured Creative of the Month! Feel free to share this post and get word out. Even if you don't want to partake in 1,000 Words, you can still donate at: https://gofund.me/a5860d98
Feed us, we're hungry!
Creative of the Month:
Jeffrey Parish
Artifacts
Forest Haven 54425 N Circle Drive #4 Idyllwild CA 92549
-How did you become interested in becoming a creative person?
My creative journey, I believe, began with my grandmother. At a very young age, she saw in me a natural proclivity for aesthetics. I would arrange my toys and stuffed animals in ways that most adults wouldn't have done, almost as if balance and scale were my main focus. She said I was very meticulous, and she once told me “I used to get a kick out of watching you, it was so cute.” From there, she began to nurture my creative curiosity through drawing, general craft making and even cooking.
Over the years I unconsciously began to explore everything that allowed me to express my creativity, almost as though I needed to prove to myself that I could do anything. This path led me down the road to become almost obsessed with needing to do something artistic, no matter the subject.
I joke with those close to me that I had become the “Quintessential gay man.” (I would use a different word of course, but for the purpose of this assignment, we'll say gay. Dark humor, am I right?)
I studied cosmetology and hated it. So, after a year or so of working in the field, I decided that being a hair slinging therapist was not for me.
If I continued listing all of my creative endeavors, this would be denser than War and Peace…so I will just keep it short. I have studied interior design, floral arts, and visual merchandising. I decorated huge private homes for the holiday season and even became a certified Yoga instructor…the list goes on.
Opening and owning a retail business for 21 years was the perfect avenue for my love of curating and creating spaces. During this time, in 2009, I went to design school and introduced JEFFREY PARISH, my line of clothing and shoes.
A few months before COVID hit, I closed my business. 21 years is a long time in retail! When COVID hit I needed an outlet, so I took to YouTube and began the journey of teaching myself pottery. I was instantly in love.
Fast forward 5 years. I have found my new home in Idyllwild and missing my retail space. So, I took the leap of faith in a community I have fallen in love with and opened a small shop with a pottery component. A place where I can continue my love of curating along with a space to work on my art and invite people in to learn and create with clay.
-How would you describe your work?
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In addition to pottery, I also create artwork with entomology specimens, animal skulls and dried foliage. These I like to have a darker curiosity feel, using vintage images that are haunting or patterns that add a textual component. I also create jewelry that includes components of pottery that I create. For my pottery, I love the organic “perfectly imperfect” feel of hand-built works. While I like throwing on the wheel, hand-building is my favorite modality of creating my work. I like my work to look like it was created out of necessity and not want.
-What inspires you and brings you the most satisfaction in doing your creative endeavors?
Honestly, my work is inspired by the people who appreciate what I do. When someone purchases my work, it validates me to continue doing what I do. I used to base what I created on what I thought people wanted, so it was never really fulfilling. When I stopped and just created what came naturally, the inspiration flowed.
Also, in my work neutral and darker hues, inspired by the deep tones of nature, play a huge role in what I create.
@artifacts.idyllwild​
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Jeffrey Parish of Artifacts
Autographed Copies!
Can't make it to one of the book signings?
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I've got you covered!
Simply fill out the form, Send payment and your personalized book will be on its way!
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Explore Tim Parks’ Literary World
Uncover the magic behind the words – delve into the captivating stories and inspirations that define Tim Parks’ unique narrative.
About The Author
Ever since the age of five, Tim Parks knew that writing was in his blood, and began writing short stories, one of which was published when he was 12 in a children’s magazine. Fast forward to now and Parks has amassed over 300 celebrity interviews, including Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue, John Waters, Olivia Newton-John, Margaret Cho and Chelsea Handler to name a few. He relishes the fact that he has gotten to thank the people who have populated his pop culture landscape over the years.
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His 24-year freelance writing credits include being a columnist for 19 years and he currently lampoons all things Tinsel Town with his column Hollywood for The Rage Monthly. He began his writing career with The Gay & Lesbian Times in his hometown of San Diego and branched out in subsequent years. He has also contributed to reFRESH Magazine and the websites Digital Spy in the U.K. and afterelton, which is owned by MTV and Logo and more recently, Pop Trash Museum.
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Parks’ first novel, The Scheme of Things, made him an award-winning author and Lambda Literary Award nominee, a finalist for The Beverly Hills Book Awards, and he also received Honorable Mentions from The Los Angeles and San Francisco Book Awards.
Aside from being a proud father of two novels with the release of The Best Laid Plans, a follow-up to The Scheme of Things, Parks is also a cancer survivor.
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“Parks’ story is an often touching tale of a young man’s self-discovery… the author’s prose is also full of funny quips and puns…Henry, as the narrator of the story, is also likable and tender, which makes it easy for readers to root for him. An action-packed, if sometimes over-the-top, story about a young gay man’s desire to join a community that accepts him.”
– Kirkus Reviews
The Scheme of Things, a coming-of-age story with a thriller twist, poses the question: Have you ever had a secret? For young Henry Dodge, every day is an exercise in keeping his. Whether it’s his sketchbook falling into the hands of his older brother, John, or saying the wrong thing to his parents Big Ed and Kate, which may tip them off to the fact that he knows he is different. He would rather spend his afternoons with his friend Kelley, perfecting their disco moves than join in with the neighborhood boys and their sporting ways.
When Danny Woodson moves into the neighborhood and becomes his brother’s best friend, Henry’s world is turned upside down, as his attraction to him is electrifying.
In an effort to find a place to hide, Henry turns to TV, movies and music that provide him a great escape, a solace, which he can’t get from the world-at-large. Unfortunately, the nighttime soap operas of the ’80s plant the seeds of a scheme that involves running away to find Danny in Los Angeles.
But the City of Angels holds only devils in disguise, backstabbing and heartache, as Henry thinks he has found shelter in The Palace of King George and his court of supporting players.
In a tale that is equal parts comedy and heartbreak, Henry struggles to find acceptance and eventually going against the grain to find his place in the scheme of things.
The Scheme of Things was reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and placed on their Recommended Reading List.
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The Scheme of Things and The Best Laid Plans
Awards and Press
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Step behind the curtain and into the world of recognition and acclaim with The Scheme of Things and The Best Laid Plans Awards and Press. In this section, explore the accolades, honors, and media coverage that have embraced the narrative. From prestigious awards to noteworthy press features, this space chronicles the external journey of the book in the larger scheme of literary recognition and public reception.
The Rage Monthly
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You have a beautiful sense of words, dialogue and imagery. What part of the “faction” as you call it, is found within you for your first work of fiction?
I would say about 80 percent of it is based on actual things that happened to me during my coming out experience. Obviously, I got to ramp some things up for fiction, which was kind of nice. I really had to look inside myself and figure out what it all meant at that time and at that place in coming out to my family. The one thing that kind of differs in the book is that there is just one brother and I have four older brothers. I only ended up telling one of them at the age of eighteen…​
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The Best Laid Plans
Henry Dodge’s trials and tribulations continue in The BookFest Award-Winning novel The Best Laid Plans, but this time around the stakes are much higher! He struggles with the aftereffects of the Summer of 1985 and all that happened in Los Angeles with King George and his minions, including his childhood crush Danny, confessing to murder. 
He attempts to stop the storm of memories with drugs, and soon enough becomes addicted to crystal meth, which is provided by his dealer Jeff, who has a duplicitous side that Henry must also contend with. 
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Of course, his family and their creed of “nothing to see here,” comes into play. Henry discovers a secret about his father and goes-to-toe with him upon his discovery of it. His mother Kate, tired of the homemaker routine, now that her nest is soon to be empty, enters the workforce and lets Henry in on some of the family’s dirty laundry. Meanwhile, John also delivers some surprising news to the family.    
All the while, Henry still yearns for a tribe to claim as his own, and finds it in new friends Nina, Derek, and Michael. He is also on the quest for love, with one encounter unraveling the very fabric of his being with an HIV scare.
His love of pop culture reaches new heights, as he still uses the flickering glow of the television and movies, and getting lost in music and making mixtapes, to grant him much-needed solace from his complicated life. It becomes even more complex with several love interests, including a most unlikely candidate.  
Like its predecessor The Scheme of Things, this novel has a thriller aspect and the turn-on-a-dime element of drama becoming comedy, pop culture references galore, and nods to the soap operas of the 1980’s. Yet it stands alone as its own contained tale.
Every good story has a soundtrack,
hear it now!
5% of proceeds from sales of The Best Laid Plans purchased through this site will benefit
The Trevor Project.
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The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people. Every year, more than 1.8 million LGBTQ young people seriously consider suicide in the U.S. alone—and Trevor is on a mission to provide every single one of them with the support that they need as we work to end suicide among LGBTQ youth.
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For more information about The Trevor Project, log onto www.thetrevorproject.org
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