My 2022

Was going to say this was the fastest of all the years, but, really, man, the last two or three have been like stepping on a slip-n-slide, then just trying to keep my balance somewhat, splashing into other countries (Dubai, France, Spain. was in a Iceland for a bit, I guess. missed Germany, but Italy’s soon), juggling a new comic book (Earthdivers, which just keeps on selling all its copies out) and my first audio-only novel (The Babysitter Lives, with the amazing Isabella Star LeBlanc to read it). Plenty of stories, too. Couple-three of the0longer ones online were “The Clown Brigade” and “The Backbone of the World” and “Men, Women, and Chainsaws.” Also had a couple stories read by LeVar Burton: “To Jump is to Fall” and “I Was a Teenage Space Jockey.” Had stories in a lot of anthologies: Dark Stars, Human Monsters, Howl, Other Terrors, Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, Second Chances, Screams from the Dark, The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Shattered & Splintered, Eyes of the Demon, maybe a couple more I lost track of. Had individual stories run at Lightspeed (“Bad Code“, “Broken Record“), Uncanny (“Flowerkicker“), Conjunctions (“The Nature of the Beast“), Air/Light (“The Joneses“). Wrote forwards for a McMurtry book, for a Conan book, and contributed a piece to a Barry Lopez book—all forthcoming. Was on a lot of cool podcasts/sites (couple of recents: The Kingcast, Tor.com (the rest: click here). Started a “Slasher Nation with Stephen Graham Jones” column in Fangoria. Had COVID twice. Hit NYCC again. Telluride Horror Show again. What was the Denver Comic Con again. Scares that Care for the first time. Probably a few more, lost in the swirl. Bought a lot of new boots, but no new trucks. Ate a whole school of salmon, I’d bet, but plenty of halibut and flounder and tilapia, too. Lost zero knives, for once, and broke no phones. Sold I Was a Teenage Slasher to Saga:

Placed a story in a place I never thought to be (out in 23, I think?). Wrote a long story for Unioverse (link’s an interview about it). Got busy enough I had to quit doing the low-res MFA thing at UCR-PD—I miss everybody there so much already. Was on a cane for two or three months with a bad ankle, but am walking better now, mostly. Was in the top .05% of Bob Seger listeners on Spotify. Got an IBIS Ripmo AF mountain bike in bright orange, which I rode and rode and rode, and will ride and ride and ride next year as well, and as many years as it (and me) can hold together. Hung out with a lot of snakes on the trail, though none of them sent me Christmas cards. Lucked into a Bram Stoker Award and a Shirley Jackson Award and a Locus Award, all for Chainsaw. Finally got a carryon bag and a shoulder bag that I think I can go the distance with. Drove eighteen hours from Houston to Boulder during this recent cold snap, which I don’t recommend. Now have a massage chair that’s been a game-changer for someone as constantly beat-up as I seem to be / as aging as I definitely am. Had one kid graduate college and another start it. Lots of adventures and laughs with my wife. Big highlight: going to the Museé de l’Homme in Paris with her [pic below]. Still haven’t figured out how not to be carsick in the back of taxis and Ubers (unless they’re SUVs). Took the year off from teaching at CU, but then got asked to be the James Welch Distinguished Native American Visiting Writer for University of Montana for the spring—to which I’m off shortly (CalArts visiting gig coming up as well). Selected the many-many airplane seats for all the flights of the upcoming Don’t Fear the Reaper tour. Wrote the follow-up to Reaper (the third Chainsaw book), which I can’t say the title of yet. And? Had a lot of good times in bookland, both reading in whatever chair I could claim and hanging out with writers and readers all over the world. Hope 2023’s just as good a time. See y’all there. Stay golden,

Stephen