Writer Revew 2023: 2.2 - J. Michael Norris, His Gift of Relatability & the Revival of Louisiana Words

J. Michael Norris has been contributing to Louisiana Words since 2020 and has been the most instrumental person in the revival of Louisiana Words. A native of Baton Rouge, J. Michael brings a sense of normalcy to his progressive writing. He has the ability to make his readers engaged in his characters, regardless of their gender or sexuality. This authenticity transcends his writing. In 2022, J. Michael invigorated Louisiana Words by sharing a variety of diverse work that put him as the top writer 18 weeks out of 31 weeks. This inevitably led to him becoming the top Allstar for Louisiana Words: Allstars 2022 last Christmas!

J. Michael’s writing has many underlining themes: avoidance (“Your Very Own Robot”), duality/masks ("The Mirror Twin" & “A Visit with the Psychologist”), sexual expectations (“wassup”), love/longing (“The Last Day at Monterey Bay”), & gender roles (“A Meeting of the Presidio Library Womyn’s Book Club”). J. Michael has a true gift of creating real people in real situations. The engine behind his writing is the power of truth.

Because of J. Michael's dedication and influence to Louisiana Words, he was made host of Louisiana Words Live in late 2022. He also sits comfortably in the All-Time Top 10 with the short story, "Mirror Twins." It's likely that you will find J. Michael trending often on LouisianaWords.com throughout the year. He will be co-hosting a new Instagram Live with creator, Louis Toliver Jr, on Louisiana Words's Instagram page (louisianawords1). Let's please continue to show J. Michael support!

Comments

Louisiana Words Remembers Jorge Arturo

There’s nothing that hurts more than when we lose someone from our Louisiana Words family. But, the beauty of our writing movement is that the words of our loved ones live on with us. On June 20th, 2023, Louisiana Words Allstar, Jorge Arturo, moved on from this world leaving our hearts broken. He was a charismatic and talented human being. Jorge resided in New Orleans, LA and had been active on Louisiana Words for over a year. To honor Jorge’s life and work, we will be sharing his writing and live performances all Summer 2023. Please help keep his spirit alive by sharing his work. We know that Jorge’s words will connect with our readers and we hope to keep his spirit alive. Jorge’s first submission: “The Dog Show” debuted on February 6th, 2022 and is his most successful piece to date. In 2022, Jorge spent 10 weeks in the top with “The Dog Show,” “Weavers,” “They Say Love Kills, This Time It Really Did,” and “If Hell is Real, It Looks Like an Airport.” His last piece was “Fairy Tale

Fairy Tales Can Kiss My Ass (Jorge Arturo - New Orleans, LA)

You were so certain when you got tucked into bed every night that the fairy tale stories rocking you to sleep would be waiting around the corner; waiting to cradle you in their ancient hands and see you through to your happy ending. And it was a naïve smile that learned to settle on your lips as you watched pieces of that magical story get chiseled away, and reshaped, and often even annihilated by the road put out in front of you. So maybe the mother didn’t survive. Maybe the father was too preoccupied with his own grief to remember the teary-eyed child begging him for for safety. Maybe you didn’t grow up beautiful. Maybe you didn’t grow up strong. Maybe when you sang songs they were out of pitch, and no forest critters came soaring to your aid. But, if nothing else, the fairy tale promised romance, you assured yourself – a savior atop a white steed who braved through the tragedy and saw someone worth saving on the other side of it. And you were so desperat

The Man Under the Water (TK Craft - New Orleans, LA)

Sitting at the edge of the small motorboat, Jordan willed himself to take deep slow breaths. Every time he opened his eyes and looked out at the endless water; panic began to overcome him. Against the vastness of the ocean his small frame felt like almost nothing, this sense only made his fear grow worse. All he could do was stare out at the still surface for what felt like hours trying to gather the strength to jump into the depths. When he was fifteen, Jordan almost drowned in the ocean. He hadn’t been particularly frightened of the water till that day. In fact, he had no real emotional connection to it at all. He’d taken swimming lessons every summer so when the riptide carried him further out to sea he didn’t panic. He just reoriented himself to the shore and dove down to begin a swim towards land. That’s when he saw him glistening in the depths. Jordan was proud of himself for sitting on the edge of the boat as long as he did. He spent the

Search This Blog