Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Tweedy.
Hi Evan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins in Seattle, Washington, where I was born. At around two or three years old, we moved to Spokane, Washington, where I started elementary school. I moved again to Boise, Idaho, where I did the rest of my elementary school years and played wallball on a building that has since been torn. I spent a couple of years in Dallas for Middle school; then I moved to San Antonio for high school, where I graduated from O’Connor High School, where I got my first real taste of my writing talents.
I had many great teachers throughout school, but I was very fortunate to have many English teachers, even starting from Middle School, who recognized my writing talents. My freshman-year English teacher recommended that I submit an assignment I had written to the literary magazine, which was accepted. When I went to the release party and got to read my piece out loud to a very warm reception, some of the older kids from the creative writing class who made the magazine came up to me and said that I should try and join the class. They also asked me to please submit the following year, which I did, and I also ended up inevitably joining the class my junior year. In my senior year, I was voted to be the magazine’s editor-in-chief, which I took in stride. With my classmates’ help, we created an excellent collection of art and literature.
I would go on to go to Northwest Vista for community college, where I would also be accepted into their literary magazine known as the Lantana Review. Once I transferred to UTSA, I was accepted into their literary magazine, The Sagebrush Review. During my senior year at UTSA, I interned at UTSA’s writing center until I graduated in December of 2022 with my bachelor’s in English.
When it comes to the type of artist I am, sometimes it varies. I love writing poetry, so the first thing I have published is my collection of poems called Metamorphosis in Red. It is largely a collection about how it feels to be crippled by anxiety and inhibition, as well as the peaks and valleys of an unsustainable romantic relationship. This collection can be found on Amazon.com as I self-published it through their website.
I also write short stories frequently. I wrote quite a few good ones in high school, but I have also written a couple that I am proud of, and someday, I would like to get them all edited down and put together into a short story collection. Eventually, I will likely write a novel if I feel up to it, but I have been reading many novels recently. I am starting to recognize what writing an excellent novel can entail. So, who knows if I will ever get around to that, but it is certainly in the sights. I’ve got lofty ambitions when it comes to writing because it would be awesome to get to write anything: movies, video games, music, a TV show, you name it.
I am also a musician. I mostly sing, but I play guitar as well. My roommate Maya and I have been making music together for a while, and if we ever get it together, we’ll get some proper recordings done. That’s my story as it stands, but if you’re interested in seeing a more in-depth look into who I am, check out Metamorphosis in Red on Amazon! Additional things I love: cooking, playing video games even if they’re bad, listening to music (also even if it’s terrible), my dog Daisy, my girlfriend Emily, and my family up in Seattle, whom I miss a whole lot and can’t wait to see again.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not exactly; one of the biggest struggles I faced early on was how I was thrust into adulthood right at 19. My parents moved to Seattle for my dad’s job as an advertising creative director (which is why we moved around so much), and they left our Helotes house to my friends and me. While there was undoubtedly a lot of fun to be had along the way, being in the leadership position and figuring everything out was tough, especially considering the house seems to find a way to fall apart right when other things in life are also going poorly. Many people have been in and out of the house since then with varying degrees of success, but things have been harmonious for a long time so that things can work out with the right amount of planning and teamwork.
Economically, my dad has been making pretty decent money for a while now at all these different companies he’s worked for, so he can help me a lot when I need it. However, he is only upper middle class and only has so much to give, so of course, I still pay rent to him, as does everyone else in the house, which means I still have to make money somehow. I worked at Arby’s for four years and Target for two, where I learned exactly how much the general public despises service workers for no reason. Right now, I am an assistant manager at a smoke shop called Mary Jane’s CBD Dispensary, and the customers there have been a lot nicer and restored my faith in humanity ever so slightly.
I also struggle with clinical anxiety; I have to do a lot to prevent myself from having panic attacks like I used to in my very early 20s. It is a lot more under control now, but as the poetry in my book showcases, dealing with this condition is certainly no walk in the park for anybody. Anxiety is probably the thing that brings the most stress and negativity in my life. However, honestly, I still feel pretty fortunate that generalized anxiety disorder is the worst thing I have to deal with, considering how much other people have to deal with daily. I’m also very fortunate to have so many tools to deal with it now that not everybody has the same access to, like a therapist and anti-anxiety medication.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
While I have many talents in general, writing has always been my strongest suit. Language has always fascinated me, and what sets me apart from others, at least at my skill level, is attention to detail, seemingly brought on by this intense fascination. This skill would make me a good editor, as I can quickly read through things and notice slight errors or find ways I may have written it differently if it were my work. While a big setpiece or dramatic circumstance can make a piece enjoyable, how one gets there has always been far more fascinating to me. Whether it be clever misdirection or purposeful pacing, developing those skill sets is one of the most exciting and challenging things writers can do for their work.
I am incredibly proud of my ability to write things that make people write in their skin. It’s always been a talent of mine to push people’s buttons in ways that make them feel disconcerted but in a way where they also want to laugh about it. This part of my style is inspired by my favorite author, Chuck Palahniuk, and how he horrifies his audiences with the visceral nature of his descriptions. While I don’t always want to gross the audience out, I am good at finding ways to elicit these uncomfortable emotions interestingly.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I post pictures of food I make on my Instagram if you want to see any of the delicious stuff I make, and I also post notices when we have the open mic nights we host at our house. If you’re interested in any of that, follow me on Instagram at softbeardsoftboy, and I would tell you to follow me on Twitter. Still, Elon Musk just permabanned me because I said I hope that Mark Zuckerberg kills him in that fight they were supposed to have, so I guess you follow me on Threads, too, if you use that? If any of my food interests you, feel free to hit me up to hire me to cook for you because I’ve always wanted to try doing that, too. If that sweetens the deal for anybody, I’m getting much better at grilling.
Pricing:
- 8.99 for digital copy
- 15.00 for physical copy
Contact Info:
- Website: https://evantweedy1.wixsite.com/website
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/softbeardsoftboy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-tweedy-38a397234/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBktMJOW55xX3NyuBldHXBQ
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSTWNHCX/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=2BWE8EH94Y5X7&keywords=evan+tweedy&qid=1674497533&sprefix=%2Caps%2C355&sr=8-2
