Sean Murphy is the founder of the non-profit 1455 Literary Arts and directs the Center for Story at Shenandoah University. His work has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered and in USA Today, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Village Voice, Writer's Digest, Salon, and elsewhere. He is the author of four poetry collections—The Blackened Blues (2021), Rhapsodies in Blue (2023), Kinds of Blue (2024), and Red, White, and Blues (2026). The short fiction collection This Kind of Man published in 2024, and his memoir, Please Talk About Me When I'm Gone, won Memoir Magazine’s 2022 Memoir Prize. He has been nominated four times for the Pushcart Prize and twice for Best of the Net. Murphy also hosts the podcast and Substack Some Things Considered, where he interviews best-selling authors, acclaimed critics, and celebrated musicians. For more writing—including essays, interviews, poetry, and cultural commentary—visit seanmurphy.net or follow him on Twitter/X @bullmurph. Email: sean [at] 1455litarts.org
Website: https://www.seanmurphy.net/
by Sean Murphy John Williams’s Stoner is having a moment. Or, it’s always been having a moment, but right now, in 2026, only more so. With the recent awareness that it was the monthly pick for the (amazing, awesome) Anthony Jeselnik’s Book Club, it seemed time to dive in. You can usually tell you’re dealing…