Bourbon & Cigarettes
Gary W. Allison on his journey as a writer
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Gary W. Allison is a Detroit based writer who seems to have a knack for adventurous pursuits allowing him the right to brag about a long resume. Keeping it honest, keeping it real, his story could easily rival the coolest Hollywood character you may or may not have encountered thus far.
He has published two books: There Is a Season & The Final Round, both available for purchase on Amazon. He has also tried his hand as a journalist and he is a screenwriter by nature. Additionally, Gary W. Allison has work experience on a shrimp boat and he has served honorably in the navy for four years. He is a cop trainee, college dropout, corporate America dude, rock ‘n roll roadie, world traveler & more importantly he is a family man, a loving husband and father to his two kids. |
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Allison loves Detroit with its good natured, hard working people who don’t shy away from all the challenges life has handed them these days. Get acquainted with works by Gary W. Allison, support and follow him, by purchasing his books and taking note of what he has to say. If you’re looking for an author whose writing is characterized by a wide range of emotions reserved only for those lucky enough to take a punch and still rise up, then Gary W. Allison should be at the top of your list.
Dear Gary, do you schedule readings of your work?
I don't like to read in public and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the video of my reading from The Final Round. Something happens to me when I begin to read aloud, as if a family of Keebler Elves moved into my mouth and started baking cookies. And they're not even good cookies! I also don't the like the idea of setting a pace audibly for potential readers. Let those lazy bastards figure it our for themselves!
All that being said, if asked, I would do a public reading. Hell, I did that damn video for you. So, as you can see, I'm not above humiliating myself.
Do you collaborate with other writers in the Detroit area?
Once upon a time, maybe. Now, however, I don't collaborate. This is going to make me sound like an asshole, but I don't care what other writers are currently writing. I'll read finished pieces, but if you want to drone on about current projects, find a bartender. Of course, I'm talking about prose only here. Screenwriting is different. I'll talk projects 'til Hollywood stops making comic book movies. Screenwriting is fast paced and it truly is a collaborative form of writing. But books... I'll let you know when I'm finished and I expect you to have the same courtesy.
Who supports the writers' community in Detroit?
The Kresge Foundation. Otherwise, you're on your own. Nobody gives a shit about writers unless they're drunks, stab their wives, or blow their brains out. Nobody appreciates the discipline needed to sit down every day and make shit up... and that's the easy part! First you have to come up with an idea. Then you have to research. And when you're finished making all that shit up, you have to rewrite it. People have this vision of a pajama wearing loaf, drinking a Bloody Mary, pounding out words on a keyboard like it's some grocery list, but not everyone is Ian Fleming. My apologies to Mr. Fleming. It took discipline to write a grocery list, too, junk food or not.
Anyway, Kresge is the only supporter I know of in town.
Dear Gary, do you schedule readings of your work?
I don't like to read in public and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the video of my reading from The Final Round. Something happens to me when I begin to read aloud, as if a family of Keebler Elves moved into my mouth and started baking cookies. And they're not even good cookies! I also don't the like the idea of setting a pace audibly for potential readers. Let those lazy bastards figure it our for themselves!
All that being said, if asked, I would do a public reading. Hell, I did that damn video for you. So, as you can see, I'm not above humiliating myself.
Do you collaborate with other writers in the Detroit area?
Once upon a time, maybe. Now, however, I don't collaborate. This is going to make me sound like an asshole, but I don't care what other writers are currently writing. I'll read finished pieces, but if you want to drone on about current projects, find a bartender. Of course, I'm talking about prose only here. Screenwriting is different. I'll talk projects 'til Hollywood stops making comic book movies. Screenwriting is fast paced and it truly is a collaborative form of writing. But books... I'll let you know when I'm finished and I expect you to have the same courtesy.
Who supports the writers' community in Detroit?
The Kresge Foundation. Otherwise, you're on your own. Nobody gives a shit about writers unless they're drunks, stab their wives, or blow their brains out. Nobody appreciates the discipline needed to sit down every day and make shit up... and that's the easy part! First you have to come up with an idea. Then you have to research. And when you're finished making all that shit up, you have to rewrite it. People have this vision of a pajama wearing loaf, drinking a Bloody Mary, pounding out words on a keyboard like it's some grocery list, but not everyone is Ian Fleming. My apologies to Mr. Fleming. It took discipline to write a grocery list, too, junk food or not.
Anyway, Kresge is the only supporter I know of in town.
How can we rally up more support for writers and the larger artist community in Detroit?
That's a good question. I'm not an activist or an organizer. I'm a writer, so I'm not sure if I have a good answer. I suppose the easiest way someone could support a writer is to support bookstores. However, the only true way to support any artist is to buy their work. Everything else is a stripper on a pole, nothing but a tease. Celebrating local writers and artists can help, too. Hell, I'm just throwing things out there. Maybe if the press got off their lazy, national AP headline asses and stopped telling us what Kanye West did or Honey what's-her-face did and started highlighting local artists, maybe, just maybe we could actually build a community here that we can celebrate and appreciate. From that grows support and the arts thrive. But what do I know? I'm just a writer.
Do you listen to music while writing?
I do listen to music. There's a rhythm to writing and music helps. I listen to everything and sometimes, it depends on what I'm writing. While writing The Final Round, I listened to Al Jolson and other jazz greats from that time period. When I wrote There is a Season, I listened to the Foo Fighters, cranked to eleven. There's a lot of anger in that book, mixed with a lot of sorrow and the Foo Fighters bring that out for some reason. However, I've been hopping around different genres lately while working on my new book, but they all have something in common - every artist is from Michigan.
Do you enjoy attending other art events?
I like galleries. Painting and painters fascinate me. I like that I can say anything to an artist. I enjoy studying a painting, examining the brushstrokes, putting a story it. I enjoy poetry readings. If a poet can make me laugh then I'm a fan for life. If a poet wants me to snap my fingers and say "I dig", then I'd rather eat a baby fart. Is that too frank?
What is the best time to visit Detroit for its art scene and artistic activities?
Right now. Kresge has its Art X Detroit festival going on this time of year. They feature everything that has to do with art. Detroit also has music festivals every summer. They're a big deal and they draw millions of people. Of course, the Detroit Institute of Arts always has special exhibits, workshops, and special engagements throughout the year. But summertime is when it's all happening around Metro Detroit.
How can you describe your work to people who have never read it?
First, I'll tell you a lie. It's better than sex.
Now the truth. My work is that feeling you have after sex. It's satisfying, maybe even leaves you a little sad, but still hopeful. Love it or hate it, as long as you walk away from it feeling something. So far, my work has been an exploration of man's vulnerability and how one overcomes tragedy. If that doesn't wake something up within you, then I suggest taking a break from cable news stations and just appreciate life for a moment. Maybe you can even rediscover that relationship you've been neglecting for too long. Don't look now, but she's think of leaving you.
Reading work by contemporary writers is much better than....
...reading Harriet Beecher Stowe. Seriously, have you ever tried to read Uncle Tom's Cabin? I'd rather have my corneas scrapped off with a bum's fingernail. No wonder Lincoln blamed her for starting the war. Give me Hemingway, DeMille, Bukowski or King any day. Even though those bastards have bored me to death, too, at times. However, even a bad book is a good book if you know what you're looking for.
