‘Never let a fool kiss you’ is a piece of writing that is, firstly, a dedication to my favourite Frank O’Hara poem ‘For Grace, After A Party’ from the 1950s. Secondly, it’s an experiment with meta-text that exploits literary forms and devices such as the footnote, the screenplay and the first-person narrative. With gratitude to the Pure Fiction group and editors – Rose Aiello, Ellen Yeon Kim, Erika Landstrom, Luzie Meyer, Mark von Schlegell – for the freedom to produce such an unusual, cross-genre text. It’s published in Sybil’s Mouths (2023) by Sternberg Press, and begins the chapter titled ‘Idio-matic Writing’. Available for purchase here.
Sybil’s Mouths (2023) features Rosa Aiello, Gerry Bibby, Coleman Collins, Ayanna Dozier, Annie Ernaux, Amelia Groom, Michèle Graf & Selina Grüter, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Ellen Yeon Kim, Bitsy Knox, Dan Kwon, Erika Landström, Enad Marouf, Katrin Mayer, Aislinn McNamara, Kamila & Jasmina Metwaly, Luzie Meyer, Vera Palme, Theresa Patzschke, Georgia Sagri, Mahsa Saloor, Elif Saydam, Mark von Schlegell, Simon Speiser, Elaine Tam, C.S. Tolan, Mikhail Wassmer, Anna Zacharoff. [ISBN 978-3-956796-44-9]