One conversation stands out in my mind from this time, in particular. The three of us were discussing sex, which none of us, some more then others, would have for several years to come and which sexual act we would never perform. . .ever. COJO said he would never do anal on a chick and to quote "Dude that's where they shit from!" (This was, of course, the early 90's, and everybody used "dude" then). Guess which one of us had the distinct honor first. . .yup, it was COJO! This has nothing do with his ability as an artist or in general, being a great guy (triple alliteration impressive), but it is one of those fun stories I wanted to relate on a public format. COJO is the living embodiment of the American Dream where working towards your goals will bring success, happiness, and an abundance of celebrity whores wanting to sleep with you to launch their career. He has worked hard for it and deserves every ounce of respect he receives. I, on the other hand, represent the other form of the American Dream. Have a friend make it big, and then ride their coat tails to fortune."

MORE ABOUT ME:

I, unlike my friend here, have yet to reach that pinnacle of fame which entitles me to V.I.P. treatment at bars, and the ability to hand out business cards that say "INK P.H.D. journalism, poetry, and prose". But if I was handing out these cards, they would be an off bone white with raised Book Antiqua typeset. I stumbled into this font after an angel, in the form of a talking monkey, at the Bronx Zoo appeared to me and said I was chosen to destroy literature as it now exists and to fill this now existent void with something that will revolutionize the world of literature and pornographic magazines. Oh, wait, sorry, that's not what happened. That was just what my psychologist calls "delusions of grander and mass psychosis." The real origins of my writing are a lot less entertaining and much more depressing. As a young child, who was a bit socially retarded, I often amused myself with creating stories. As it turned out, I was good at it and had fun with it. Luckily my high school and early college years left me physically unattractive, which gave me time to explore other forms of writing and chose the only path that skinny people with glasses can hope to get laid by. Yes, professional writing.

I am currently tracking down this rather lofty and expensive college career path, which has taken me from New Jersey, to Colorado, and now England. I now find myself an ex patriot, in the great tradition of so many American writers who left America for Europe and the rest of the world. The reason they left America, as I can testify to first hand, is that Europe appreciates writers. While in the United States, my career choices end up with questions of my sexual orientation, and a social ranking under a dung herder. I am currently studying at the number one university for creative writing in Europe. It turns out UEA is the Iowa Writers Workshop over the pond.

My freelance journalistic work has appeared in The Aquarian, About.com, and New Writing Types. I've had poetry in a few journals and won a couple of awards. Now, here comes the shameless self promotion. I send out a bi weekly (usually) update covering my life and the random almost unbelievable events that surround it. It is a hodgepodge of factors that I deem interesting and show my experiences as a writer and human. You can sign up for it by sending an email with the subject line "update" to januschaos@hotmail.com.

I'm also working on a blog site, though who isn't today. It will serve as a back log for all my updates, as well as a type of writing experiment. Here, all my writings can be found in their various forms, so you, the rather voyeuristic reader, can see my struggles attempting to get things right and published, as well as those pieces that just aren't going to see anything but the bottom of a fire pit. It will have a commentary feature, like on DVDs, but different at the same time. It will explain why I made the changes and the origins of the various writings posted. This is a way to make writing a very public and open forum. It goes beyond just the writer and the poem, but will also involve the audience in all aspects of the work from creation to completion. If it succeeds, the result will be the eradication of academia which seemed to have taken over the art of writing. In a sense, the writer will be a story teller talking to the tribe, not a mystical figure hidden on book jackets wrapped in mystery. In short, it is an attempt to make writing available to everybody by breaking down all the secrets it holds. The readers will discover them as I do.

Finally, last, but not least, it will have links to other writers' sites, a chat room, and eventually, it will form a community of writers that can nurture and support each other. In fact, it would be similar to the Lower East Side Poetry Projects in the 60's and 70's, only electronic.

Well, catch you all on the flip side.

INK

UPDATES I'VE APPEARED OR BEEN MENTIONED IN:

NEW YEARS DAY- - -SUBWAY FASHION SHOW- - -POST SUBWAY BARCRAWL- - -BIG TONY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY- - -BALL SPLITTING FUN PART ONE- - -BALL SPLITTING FUN PART TWO- - -BALL SPLITTING FUN PART THREE- - -SOPRANOS PARTY- - -FAREWELL TO INK