THE TIME IS NIGH!!!

It’s about that time! Time to get spammed with BOOK NEWS!!!!

 
My tome, LOVE LOCKDOWN: Dating, Sex, and Marriage in America’s Prisons, comes out in a month, on July 13!
 
While we sit around waiting to see if Kanye will sue me over the title (just imagine the publicity!) I wanted to make you aware of some events, news, and ways to support not only the book but incarcerated people in general, should you feel so inclined (and you should!).
 
“Why should I read this book?” you wonder. “Shouldn’t I be watching that kooky Kathy Hilton bumble around Lake Tahoe instead?” The good news is you can do both, and here’s what the critics are saying (as a book critic myself I will caveat that you should never trust the critics…. except in the cases below!):
 
From Kirkus, a crotchety old man with his shirt tucked into his underwear:
 
“Compassionate inquiry into the hidden phenomena of prison relationships, particularly the “MWI” (Met While Incarcerated) demographic… Greenwood makes good use of interviews with prisoners, academics, and others, and the writing is observant, humorous, and even sensuous… An empathetic and well-characterized book that will add complexity to debates about mass incarceration.”
 
From Publisher’s Weekly, the cool mom who would let you eat ten snack-size bags of Fritos reserved for lunch boxes on the couch while watching Boy Meets World:
 
“Journalist Greenwood (Playing Dead) paints a colorful portrait of the world of MWIs… Enriched by the author’s curiosity and empathy, and shot through with memorable details (Jo and Benny ‘toast[ed] each other with blue Powerade from the vending machine’), this is an intriguing look at a little-known world.”
 
 
From Library Journal, a crocheted tea koozy and an abandoned crossword puzzle:

“An engaging, informative, open-minded account of family dynamics that are often overlooked.”
 
From Newsweek, the senior class treasurer who couldn’t stop bragging about his admission to Trinity College:
 
“Greenwood spent five years with five couples who met during incarceration to provide an extraordinary look at a common but unexamined phenomenon in American culture. We meet Jo, a mother set to marry a man behind bars for the attempted murder of his girlfriend, and Sherry, a transgender woman who met her partner while both were in prison, among other unforgettable characters.”
 
I hope the voices of the ensemble cast of the community theater production of BUY MY BOOK will encourage you to pre-order, either from the evil empire or the benevolent locals.
 
And once you do, might you consider giving it a bunch of stars on any platform that reduces the human condition, literature, and real-life people into star ratings?
 
Another way to support the book is to YELL IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS on social media and from your actual rooftop, to actual people, who like to read. Or who don’t, because your girl also narrated the audiobook!
 
Oh, and while you’re busy planning your shot girl summer, here are a few virtual events where I’ll be discussing the book and you can listen in from the comfort of your own home, farting into a snuggy, as god intended:
 
PowerHouse Arena July 14 at 7pm with Benjamin Lorr. If you haven’t read Ben’s book The Secret Life of Groceries what are you even doing with your life? Log off and read it immediately. It’s the best kind of nonfiction that animates a topic where you’re like, “Wow, I never would’ve thought of that!” and brings to life the most unforgettable characters. You will never think of long-haul truckers and how they pee the same way ever again.
 
Politics & Prose July 21 at 6pm with Rafia Zakaria. I am honored that the author of Against White Feminism has deigned to be in conversation with, well, a white feminist! I’m reading a galley of her book now, which is out August 17, and it is astonishing. If you blended a lawyer, a comedian, a MENSA member deposed for being smarter than everyone else, and a retired supermodel, you’d have the talent contained within Zakaria’s pinky toe.
 
But most importantly, one of the discoveries I made while researching the book is just how vital receiving mail is for people in prison. Letter writing is a simple harm reduction tool—it shows both prison staff and other inmates that you have people who are looking out for you. And that connection to the outside world is beyond meaningful for people in prison.

If you care about mass incarceration in this country, I encourage you to consider getting yourself a prison pen-pal. Black & Pink, which connects LGBTQ+ people in prison with free-world pen-pals, is a great place to start.
 
 
Feel free to drop me a line about this or anything else! I'd love to hear what you're up to. 
Sweaty hugs from Brooklyn, and thanks for reading.
 
Xo Liz