{"product_id":"new-jersey-me-9781942600534","title":"New Jersey Me","description":"Set amidst the backdrop of the troubled town of Blackwater, New Jersey, a Bruce Lee- and Bruce Springsteen-devoted young hero journeys toward adulthood in this devastating yet intelligent debut novel from poet and musician Rich Ferguson. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Jersey Me\u003c\/i\u003e explores an ensemble cast of unique characters, including Blackwater's hometown nuclear power plant; a beauty named Baby; Baby's hell-bent-for-prison boyfriend, Terry; a Mary Kay mom high on Vicodin and Bloody Marys; and an old, old tree with a taste for blood. The son of the local police chief, Mark dreams of escaping the small town's conflicting and oppressive codes of manhood. In the meantime, though, Mark lives a boy's life, Blackwater-style: netting fish that have been killed by sudden coldwater emissions from the nuclear plant; kidnapping a chimp from the local circus; selling dirty socks to a local eccentric who may hold the key to Mark's escape; dating a one-legged girl; and observing the increasingly mysterious behavior of his best friend, Jimmy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRich Ferguson\u003c\/b\u003e has performed across the country and has shared the stage with Patti Smith, Wanda Coleman, Exene Cervenka, T. C. Boyle, Loudon Wainwright, Bob Holman, and many other esteemed poets and musicians. He has performed on \u003ci\u003eThe Tonight Show, \u003c\/i\u003e at the REDCAT Theater in Disney Hall, the New York City International Fringe Festival, the Bowery Poetry Club, the South by Southwest Music Festival, the Santa Cruz Poetry Festival, the DocMiami International Film Festival, the Topanga Film Festival, and Stephen Elliott's \u003ci\u003eThe Rumpus\u003c\/i\u003e. He is also a featured performer in the film, \u003ci\u003eWhat About Me?\u003c\/i\u003e (the sequel to the double Grammy-nominated film \u003ci\u003eOne Giant Leap\u003c\/i\u003e), featuring Michael Stipe, Michael Franti, k.d. lang, Krishna Das, and others. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFerguson has been published in the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times, \u003c\/i\u003e has been anthologized by Uphook Press (\u003ci\u003egape-seed\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eSmith Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e (The Moment), TNB Books (The Beautiful Anthology), spotlighted on PBS (Egg: The Art Show), and was a winner in \u003ci\u003eOpium Magazine's\u003c\/i\u003e Literary Death Match, LA. He is a Pushcart-nominated poet, and also a regular contributor and poetry editor to the online literary journal, \u003ci\u003eThe Nervous Breakdown.\u003c\/i\u003e He lives in Los Angeles.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Rare Bird Books, a Barnacle Book","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50365928276242,"sku":"9781942600534","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cf33c96d-fa01-41f3-8c8c-e8b9d0070103.jpg?v=1728467540","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/new-jersey-me-9781942600534","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}