I would like to gratefully acknowledge my brother, Donnie, and my belated father Joe Calvin, for being the backbone(s) of this project. I honor C.D. Wright, who pushed me to write this narrative, and whose fierceness and honesty is felt just as strongly after her passing, as in her life. She is missed and beloved.
I would also like to thank all those dedicated persons at McSweeney’s for trusting and believing in this book, especially my editor Rita Bullwinkel whose brilliance and energy is incomparable. Thanks also to my agent, Allison Devereux, for her enthusiasm and savvy.
Finally, great thanks and love to Renee Gladman, Danielle Vogel, Jen Bervin, and Joanna Ruocco for their constant and continued support. To Micaela Morrisette, Andrew Bourne, and Darren Angle for their wisdom in times of loss, and to Thangam Ravindranathan and Timothy Bewes for their incomparable wit and atmospheric philosophic mentorship. And finally deep thanks to John Cayley who makes everything in the world better and more jaunty.