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Jailed By
My Father
(Book)

The cover of the book Jailed By My Father. It shows a boy with wearing a bucket on his head and holding a football.

The subtitle, Tales of Tough Love, Bad Haircuts, and O.J., says it all. The short stories contained herein are all true and in come cases, regrettably so. There is no theme, no plot, and no lesson. They are simply the unfortunate stories of a very fortunate boy.

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Manual Publishing (i.e., Joe3)

Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 1, 2007

Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Print length ‏ : ‎ 110 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0979617502

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0979617508

Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.6 ounces

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Reviews of Jailed By My Father

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"Jailed By My Father" is a very sweet book. I read it slowly, savoring it while on the train to work each morning. I was struck by the shear honesty with which Smith shares vignettes from his childhood and teenage years, some of which are not terribly flattering. It would have been easy to become unsympathetic had those stories not been so well balanced with as many tender moments from his past. The result is a well-rounded glimpse into his character. The writing style is accessible and I was easily transported to the Buffalo of several decades past. It was truly a joy to read. - MKG

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This book is a hysterical collection of blue-collar "morals of the stories." If you were a kid alive in the late 1960s and early 1970s in any working-class American town, chances are you had this father or heard about him from your friends. Well, J. Matthew Smith has brought him back again from his vivid memory to remind us in these days of TMI, Jerry Springer, and battles over sex education in the classroom that sometimes a simple grunt of advice, a hard day's work, or a brief visit to the local jail can do more for a child than any touchy-feely family therapy. Read it! Learn from it! Pass it on! - Chris D.

 

If you are afraid of laughing out loud, don't read this book. With all the drivel that is out there about father and son relationships it's nice to read something that tells it like it really is, flaws and all, and somehow makes us closer to our own parents. The book is outstanding and I highly recommend it. - Michael G.

Alernative
Incite
(Zine)

This image is the cover of Alternative Incite #6.

*** AI HAS CEASED PUBLICATION - ALL BACK ISSUES STILL AVAILABLE ***

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All issues are 40 pages, half-size legal

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ISSUE #6 - SUMMER 2022: After too long of a pause between issues, Alternative Incite #6 is finally out. Included among its contents are: the usual opening rant by yours truly, along with some additional thoughts on creativity from people who aren't me; commentary on thought-provoking and/or irritating articles about "resisting the smush," being happy with (or maybe without) smartphone apps, listening to your laziness (I told you lazy was the new busy), and confusing status with purpose; a unique installment of Notes from the Field featuring an account of an interesting experience in my favorite bookstore and excerpt from my (hopefully) forthcoming book in which I interview a panhandler; an interview with self-publishing veteran Catherine Groves of Christian*New Age Quarterly; more awesome photos by my talented brother J. Matthew Smith, letters, and publications received; and, finally, a concluding article (i.e., Parting Shot) about a Chinese man who left it all behind to read books in a cave. And did I mention that this is the final issue of Alternative Incite? I write about that too. 

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ISSUE #5 - WINTER 2022: Issue #5 of our well-reviewed magazine, Alternative Incite, is out now! This issue features introductory thoughts on being unruly for creative reasons, commentary on time management, whether or not you should become a librarian, and a lot more, an interview with humor writer and all around productive guy Fred Wright, reader letters, another HUGE reviews column, and a "Parting Shot" about a wizard in New Zealand who created his own "existential universe."

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ISSUE #4 - SUMMER 2021: Alternative Incite #4 features thoughts on the Memento Mori craze, an interview with zine veteran Davida Gypsy Breier, all the usual departments and commentary you’ve come to expect, letters from readers, another HUGE reviews column featuring zinedom's latest and greatest, intriguing photos, and a bonus “Parting Shot” interview with a young man who built a roller coaster in his backyard!

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ISSUE #3 - SPRING 2021: Offers more introductory ranting and raving about following the creative impulse, letters from (actual) readers, Thoughts Provoked by misuse of the word acedia and people who treat walking like it’s a job, more Notes from the Field -- including a yarn about walking around town with a large grandfather clock, an interview with graphic designer and font maker Travis Miller, a huge review section, Dear Butter Lamb (letters from fake readers), and a Parting Shot about a man who rowed a Victorian bathtub across the English Channel.

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ISSUE #2 - FALL 2020: features: Introductory remarks about how following your creative impulses can help you cope with all the bullshit, more hot takes on thought-provoking articles you (probably) haven't read, more adventures in anachronism (aka: life lived off-line), interview with stand-up comic Rob Gavin and Barbershop singer Dan Hawrylczak, a HUGE review column, and a "Parting Shot" about what can happen when a man starts a ball of twine. Specs: 40 pages, size: 7 x 8.5 (half-size legal)

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ISSUE #1 - SPRING 2020: An introductory rant about getting off your ass and doing the thing, hot takes on important articles you (probably) haven't read, an op-ed about "getting off the hamster wheel," an examination of the "new normal" (whatever that is), adventures in anachronism (aka: life lived off-line), an interview with musician Suvo Sur (who produces scores for award-winning films and podcasts), advice and insight from the Butter Lamb Reference Library, and a remembrance of and shout out to the "Doyenne of Dictionaries." Specs: 40 pages, size: 7 x 8.5 (half-size legal)
 

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REVIEWS of ALTERNATIVE INCITE

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"I found the overall voice of the zine to be intelligent and well-written without getting too ‘heavy’ or ‘dense’. The ‘Dear Butter Lamb’ section with letters from readers even made me smile with the answers using references from different dictionaries. (Have I mentioned that I think it’s cool that Joe3 collects dictionaries?)

All up, I enjoyed this zine quite a lot. Even better? This is the first of a new series. I hope it continues for many more and includes the elements Joe3 mentions wanting to include." - seagreenzines.com

 

"Joe’s writing; Joe3 writes like a mad wordsmith that has a rhythm on his mind that is compelling him to write. The words vibrate and make you, the reader, feel something." - Feral Publications

 

"This zine was started during the pandemic and in its short time already shows a lot of strength. From the opening, editor Joe3 had me. He begins his editorial by talking about death, which is seriously a favorite topic of mine. I mean, I give tours of burying grounds. But this zine isn’t just about death. There’s a wide variety of content: letters from readers, zine reviews, an interview with zinester Davida Gypsy Breier (of Xerography Debt), an article about typewriters, and another about working from home. And that’s just some of the material. All of it is written in such a way that even if you don’t have an interest in the topic, you read the essay because it’s engaging. A great collection of material that was consistent from beginning to end." – Kurt Morris/Razorcake.com

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