[Letters From the Labyrinth] Official Brian Keene Newsletter

Hello. My name is Brian Keene and this is the sixth issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly email newsletter. It is my plan that eventually this newsletter and my podcast will replace all of my social media interaction. I may speed that process up just to get away from the giant pit of suck that is Facebook.

The signed, collectors edition of my latest non-fiction collection, UNSAFE SPACES, went on sale this week. As of today it is 2/3 of the way sold out, and has begun shipping to customers. It makes a fine present this forthcoming holiday season. Only 100 copies were produced. They are $95 each. You can get one here. And if you're still not convinced, here's the publisher's official verbiage:

UNSAFE SPACES — Brian Keene’s brand-new non-fiction collection, in which nothing is sacred… or safe. Be it loving tributes to authors J.F. Gonzalez and Tom Piccirilli (and a heartfelt account of how their deaths impacted him), ruminations on middle-age, a rueful look at how publishing and writing have changed, sarcastic barbs at pop culture’s obsession with superhero movies, a hard look at both sides of the social justice war, or thoughtful examinations of the works of writers like Jack Ketchum and Mary SanGiovanni, Brian Keene once again offers an honest, no-holds-barred critique our lives, our culture, and our world, and proves that we are all inhabiting … UNSAFE SPACES.

100 signed, numbered copies. $95 CLICK HERE TO ORDER

Now, I know there are a bunch of non-collectors saying "$95 for a book?!?!" Let me assure you that, just like my previous non-fiction collection, TRIGGER WARNINGS, a cheaper edition of UNSAFE SPACES will be released at a later date.

When TRIGGER WARNINGS was published, a lot of people made assumptions about my politics. With the publication of UNSAFE SPACES, the same thing is happening again. I don't know how anyone who listens to my podcast or has read me for the last twenty years could be confused by my politics, but just so you know:

I am neither a Republican or a Democrat. I used to be registered as a Libertarian, but I'm not even that anymore. Bizarro author G. Arthur Brown calls me "politically non-binary" and I think that's a wonderful description. I loathe extremists on both the Left and the Right. I loathe racism, sexism, misogyny, misandry, homophobia, and stupidity. Most of all, I loathe intolerance. I loathe intolerance against Blacks, Whites, Women, Men, Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Democrats, Republicans, Heterosexuals, Homosexuals, Trans, Millennials, Senior Citizens, and any other individual group. I think the people in charge -- the people who give Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow the talking points which their listeners then parrot because they are unwilling to think for themselves -- have done an insidiously masterful job of getting us to self-identify with one particular group or subset of our culture, and to view all other groups and subsets as "THE PROBLEM".

I believe it's okay to kneel in protest during the National Anthem. I believe the Constitution is still a valid document. I believe there is a systemic, decades-long problem with how law enforcement treats young black men. I believe that blaming middle-aged white men as the source of all your problems is as stupid and intolerant as blaming any other individual group, class or demographic. I believe that no religion gives you a licence to be intolerant against others because of whom they worship, whom they don't worship, or whom they have sex with. I believe in the Second Amendment and all other Amendments. I do not believe I need a 30-round magazine to keep my home safe or go deer hunting with. I think the NRA is a pack of fucking idiots. I think people who can name all of the Kardashians but not their own state senator are also a pack of fucking idiots. I believe we need national health care in this country. I do not believe Obamacare is the way to go in regards to that. I believe that the Bush administration violated the Constitution with the Patriot Act and similar laws and behavior, and I believe the Obama administration expanded on those violations, and I believe individuals from BOTH administrations and BOTH parties should be brought up on charges for it. I believe gay people should have the same rights and liberties as anyone else, including who they marry and where they go to the bathroom. I believe globalism is a blight. I believe marijuana should be legalized. I believe our prison system needs a massive overhaul.

I do not believe there is a place for people like me at the table anymore. I believe that folks like myself -- folks who walk in the middle of the road and try to see both sides -- are being driven over by intolerant fuckheads from both sides of the political aisle. I believe that no matter who I vote for this November, we are fucked, so I am abstaining from voting this time around. I believe there will be some idiot, an idiot who has never served his or her country, who, after reading this, will tell me -- someone who *has* served his country -- that I am being unpatriotic in not voting. I believe I will tell that person to go fuck themselves.

(I'll be curious to see how many unsubscribe from this newsletter after that).

That's a picture from a Barnes and Noble bookstore at the Oviedo Mall in Oviedo, FL. There are several things I like about this picture. First of all, they are stocking titles from Deadite Press and Sinister Grin Press. If you buy your books exclusively online or via Kindle then you probably don't understand how rare this actually is. As a rule, B&N don't carry books from Deadite, Sinister Grin, or other horror small presses. But more and more, I'm starting to see that change. I'm starting to see individual B&N managers buck the system and order the books themselves for their individual stores. This is a very good sign.

The other thing I like about this picture is that there are more Jonathan Janz books than there are of mine. The new generation of horror writers are so good and so varied and so diverse, and it really is impossible to pick just one -- but if you put a gn to my head and made me pick my top five of the "new kids" then Janz would certainly be number one on that list. I love, love, love seeing his backlist on that shelf.

This is me with living comic book legends Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, taken last weekend at Baltimore Comic Convention. These guys are heroes to me -- huge sources of inspiration. I read them both as a teen, and while I've been lucky enough to count Keith as a friend and collaborator for many years now, I'd never met J.M. in person until last weekend. His run on Marvel Comics's THE DEFENDERS and GHOST RIDER back in the Eighties had a huge influence on me as a writer. I challenge anyone who hasn't read "The Six-Fingered Hand" saga from THE DEFENDERS to not see how it shaped and impacted my own overall Labyrinth mythos, particularly the Thirteen.

Currently Reading: Nothing because I'm too busy writing.
Currently Listening: CALIFORNIA CHROME by Xander Harris
Currently Watching: MR. ROBOT Season 2

Electronica, dance, and rock musician Xander Harris should be no stranger to fans of my novel URBAN GOTHIC, as his album of the same name was inspired by the book. His latest release, CALIFORNIA CHROME is where Nine Inch Nails, disco, and John Carpenter meet. If you're into Skinny Puppy, Goblin, Throbbing Gristle, etc. then you'll love this. Available for download, on vinyl, and compact disc. Click here to purchase. It will be in heavy rotation here at Casa Keene this week..

If you're still here after the political essay above, thanks for not unsubscribing. As always, please note, the best way to reach me is still Twitter, rather than replying to this email. My inbox currently has 872 unread messages.