Julian (J. L.) Long, established Rochester novelist and the host of the monthly Rochester Writers Night literary salon, has just released his debut poetry chapbook, FIREWORKS ARE JUST PRETTY BOMBS (& OTHER POEMS).

From the volatile mix of longing and loathing explored in the title poem to the bold defiance in poems such as “Burn Down Everything You Love” and “I’ll Give You Something to Be Afraid Of,” and from the quiet, broken prayer of “Merciful” to the heartfelt ode to community found in “Little Brother,” this poetry collection explores the full gamut of human emotion and experience.

The official chapbook launch and live reading by the author is scheduled for the March Rochester Writers Night event on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024. The reading will be held in the Rose Room at the Rochester Public Library, located at 65 S. Main Street in downtown Rochester, and will begin at 6 p.m. An open mic will follow.

The chapbook is available through Lulu Books (www.lulu.com/spotlight/jllong) as an ebook and from Gumroad as a paperback (jllongwrites.gumroad.com).

For more information about FIREWORKS ARE JUST PRETTY BOMBS (& OTHER POEMS), please visit www.JLLONGWRITES.com or contact jllongwrites@gmail.com.

About the Author
J. L. Long lives in Rochester, New Hampshire with three adults, three teenagers, and three cats. He has the hugest possible writer-crush on Shirley Jackson, and his fictional boyfriend is Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot.