J. Marcus Weekley

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Biography

J. Marcus Weekley (b. 1975) was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee and grew up in Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi. He is the author of eight books, ranging from haiku to photographs to short stories.

Weekley attended the University of Georgia, the University of Maryland, The University of Southern Mississippi (where he received a B.A. and a M.A., both in English), and Texas Tech University (where he received a Ph.D. in English). Talking Stranger, his dissertation, a collection of prose poems¹, focuses on defining and offering various types of prose poem. Weekley classifies the prose poem as a genre between poetry and prose and claims that the term "proem" expresses the dual nature of the genre better than either "prose poem" or "flash fiction" does. The proems deal with Christianity, homosexuality, loneliness, and everyday living by combining slang with extended metaphors and references to popular culture.

Weekley's published books focus on many of the same issues as his dissertation, though their styles vary according to book. Frequently, however, Weekley adopts numerous styles such as post-modern realism, magical realism, and the stand-up comedian's stance within the same book, to address issues ranging from divorce and theft to spiritual barrenness and faith. Weekley approaches the subjects he photographs with the same perspectives, focusing on his own as well as other imagined characters' lives.

Weekley cites such artistic influences as Harry Cary, James Wright (poet), Fairfield Porter, Octavio Paz, Anne Murray, Pat Tillman, Ritchie Cunningham, Gustave Caillebotte, Christopher Columbus, Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Gabriel García Márquez, Don King, Kermit the Frog, Gregg Araki, Tracy McGrady, Vietnam veteran poets (including Marion Berry), Kamikazi Ararat, Frank from Blue Velvet, Bags of Cement, and Mark McGrath among others.

Bibliography

the one who looked into the mirror and..., 2007
something about, 2007
a tree isn't a tree, 2007
dawn breaks, 2007 Introduction by Standford M. Forrester
One Hour, 2007
Look Out Below and Other Tales, 2007 Introduction by Stephen Graham Jones
from four years, 2007 Introduction by Dr. Sarah V. Bell
Two Portraits, 2007

photographs accompany Gail Folkins's creative non-fiction essays, Texas Dance Halls: a Two-Step Circuit [1]

References

¹ http://etd.lib.ttu.edu/theses/available/etd-04172006-003703/unrestricted/Weekley_J.Marcus.pdf

http://www.othervoicespoetry.org/vol20/weekley/index.html

Other Publications

3 A.M. Magazine[2]
Agenda[3]
bottle rockets[4]
The Clackamas Literary Review[5]
Double Room[6]
Ghoti[7]
The Iowa Review[8]
Poetry International[9]
Quick Fiction[10]
Relief[11]
Thieves Jargon[12]
Versal[13]
Wandering Army[14]