2015 WAS A GOOD YEAR AND A GOOD YEAR AIN’T A THING TO SCOFF AT

Year-end lists are always so hot/cold/sterile/bacterial and feel kind of gross in a lot of ways because it’s always clear that things get overlooked or things get omitted or things get hyped and everyone is either mad happy or mad bummed after reading them. This is not a list as much as it is a shout in the liner notes of a record that I feel like I made in 2015—a real killer of a year for me, personally—and maybe you have headphones on and you are looking at the cover art and then grab the lyric insert and start reading names you may or may not know and maybe it inspires you to seek those names out or at the very least be aware of them in the future and check out the work they have going on.

Much love and thanks to the following fuckers for making things in 2015 that really got into my heartmeats.

Wendy C. Ortiz, for making HOLLYWOOD NOTEBOOK and for being a presence that is unfuckwithable.

Publicist UK, for being real and dropping a magic bullet like “Forgive Yourself” on an unsuspecting world.

Michael J. Seidlinger, for never sleeping and never weeping and for being a friend and a guide and for allowing me to birth THIS MUST BE THE PLACE and giving it to the world and for always being there, a glowing green light that says “bring the rock.”

Jim Ruland, for being a salty rat and a mensch and for convincing my monkey ass to come to California to shout at people and for being made of love and kindness and wisdom and patience.

Joshua Mohr, for being a brother and a fighter and for giving y’all the sad beauty of ALL THIS LIFE.

D. Foy, for being a voice and a brother and for never quitting and for perseverance and honesty and kindness. Keep the beard, man. Keep the beard.

Carrie Lorig, for the glittering jewel in the night, THE PULP VS THE THRONE.

Daniel Nester, for birthing SHADER and giving everyone the finger with a smile and a wink and for eulogizing me with love and warmth.

Jennifer Pashley, for the sweat and sprawl and grit and anxiety of THE SCAMP, and for being made of love.

The Jasper Collective, for existing. Watch out, they’re coming for you.

Rachel Syme, for being a neighbor and a friend and for having ears and a heart and a wicked voice that should be heard by so many more. Give us a book, R. Give us a book.

Leesa Cross-Smith, for love and for baseball and for warmth and for kind light and for the exhalted feeling that comes over anyone who ever interacts with you.

Penina Roth, for continuing to believe and bring people the best of the best. Long live Franklin Park, long live Penina Roth.

Books I didn’t mention above that slayed the dragons in my heart:

INTERSEX, Aaron Apps

WOMEN IN PUBLIC, Elaine Kahn

MY BODY WOULD BE THE KINDEST OF STRANGERS, Fiona Helmsley

THE MOTION, Lucy K. Shaw

THE GODS ARE DEAD, Joanna C. Valente

BINARY STAR, Sarah Gerard

WHEN THE SICK RULE THE WORLD, Dodie Bellamy

CULT OF LORETTA, Kevin Maloney

WITCHITA STORIES, Troy James Weaver

DEAD HORSE, Niina Pollari

PREPARATION FOR THE NEXT LIFE, Atticus Lish

All that and this:

It has been an incredible year for me as a person and I can never thank anyone enough for the time and care and love that has been shining my way. So much love and thanks to everyone who read THIS MUST BE THE PLACE and tweeted about it or wrote about it or sent me an email about it, means the world to me. So much love and thanks to all the writers I’ve been able to read with and break bread with and exchange wisdom with.

SEAN H. DOYLE lives in Brooklyn, NY. He works hard every day to be a better person and is learning how to love himself more. His book, THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, was published by Civil Coping Mechanisms in 2015. seanhdoyle.com

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