*For my more personal essays click HERE
*For book editing and writing advice click HERE
*Buy my punk rock coming-of-age novel HERE
*Download my memoir about living in NYC during Covid HERE (free!)
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Welcome to Michael Mohr’s Sincere American Writing! I’m a short story writer, essayist and author. I’ve taught at writing conferences around the country, have been a developmental book editor since 2013, worked for a literary agent for a while, and have published dozens of short stories in literary magazines, and one book so far (The Crew), with plenty more to come.
I started writing this newsletter in August 2022 out of a sense of frustration with the literary establishment, which seemed to be veering further and further into the extremes of identitarian politics, and away from that gorgeous, elusive thing we once called literature. True Art has always been transgressive, and has picked no political side. A true writer is interested in only one thing: Subjective truth; nuance; human complexity; asking the deep questions; searching for that elusive idea called meaning. For the last decade I’ve seen that mission slide into obscurity.
Substack allows writers to find their own audience and not have to pander to biased ideology.
Some of my writing is free; some has locked (for paid only) comments; some posts are only for paid subscribers. I think Substack is bringing back a sort of 19th century-style subscriber approach which brings to mind Dostoevsky, Dickens and Twain. If you value art and good writing, please consider supporting me with a paid subscription. It’s only $35/year, less than $3/month. I work hard at my craft. I create compelling essays and stories. I write very personal, vulnerable pieces, as well as book reviews, short stories, segments from novels, political pieces, and much more.
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Michael Mohr
I leave you with my favorite Stephen King quote from “On Writing”: “If you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”
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My editing website is www.michaelmohrwriter.com.
