Spontaneous Generation

About the Book

Spontaneous Generation is a story about coming of age in the Sixties (which, of course, oozed into the Seventies)—an American story, both individual and collective, about love and politics, mirrors and passages. I began writing it in 1972, while it was still happening thick and fast … and didn’t get around to finishing it until 2005, when I’d reached the age at which remembering becomes easier than doing. The story concerns a girl stuck in right field, a descent into an outhouse, male hair, Free Air, flag tattoos, and what happens to things we think we’ve gotten rid of.

About the Author

The author lives in Appalachian Ohio, where it’s particularly difficult and sometimes hazardous to separate life from art. He might be a carpenter and writer, though claiming both those mantles feels cheeky, while just one seems arbitrary. In any case, he’s built roofs over his own desk and the desks, easels, kitchens and beds of family, friends, and fellow travelers. Like all carpenters, his own house is never finished. Maybe that’s why he feels so smug about getting this book done.