James Joseph Brown

The doors open at 6 p.m. for a viewing of eight original, gallery-wrapped photographs. At 7, Brown will offer a showing of travel videos of his trip to Vilnius, Lithuania. The auctioning of the photographs will follow at 8. The catered event is free, with donations accepted, and a selection of books on Lithuania will also be donated to the library.

In town to visit family and friends, Brown took time out recently to talk about his life experiences to date; his efforts to land a literary agent and traditional publishing deal for his first completed novel, “Pyramid of the Sun;” his trip to Lithuania this summer to do research for his second novel, which he is currently writing; and the love and optimistic outlook he holds for his hometown and the North Quabbin region.

Tuesday’s photo exhibit is not the first in the area for Brown, a 1988 graduate of Athol High School. In September 2000 he had an exhibition at Haley’s Antiques, at 488 South Main St. In July of the same year, a selection of photos was on display in the gallery at Vilnius University where he was a student. “I guess you could say that makes me international,” he said lightheartedly.

Although proud of his photographic achievements, Brown has over the last 10 years focused primarily on the world of words. “I’m more of a writer,” he said. “Writing is my first occupation, my number one love, my obsession.”

A reading of a selection from the manuscript for “Pyramid of the Sun” offered evidence of Brown’s unique narrative writing style, which borders on the poetic and conjures haunting and thought provoking detailed images and emotions with just a few words and well-crafted sentences.

The novel tells the tale of four distant cousins who trek across the globe after visiting a palm-reading fortune teller in Teotihuacán, Mexico, who tells each one to travel to different countries “to fix their mixed up lives,” explained Brown. The locations visited by the characters — ones in which the author has actually lived and is now living — are: Seville, Spain; Moscow, Russia; Seoul, South Korea; and Las Vegas, Nev., his current city of residence.

“They get thrown into situations over their heads,” Brown said, of his characters. “They’re sort of lost souls, but there’s hope at the end.”

Brown’s own experiences in the locales used for the book, and others, read like a novel themselves. On his website (www.jamesjosephbrown.com), he talks briefly about drinking and dancing until dawn in Seville, where was scouted to work at a nightclub at 20; working for the Peace Corps at 27 while living in Moscow and teaching at the college and university levels; moving to Seoul at 31 where he taught English for almost a year until a pop star-turned-nightclub owner he fell for got caught up in a drug sting; and finally landing in Las Vegas at 33, to, in his words, “reinvent myself as a casino dealer by night and a novelist by day.”

Although a work of fiction, it is those real life experiences that, in part, inspire the story and characters in “Pyramid of the Sun,” admits Brown, who added he has had a desire to write since his childhood. And he’s tirelessly pursued his dream of becoming a published author since then, as is illustrated by his educational background.

Aside from Vilnius University, he has attended the Universidad de Sevilla; the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and the University of California, Berkley Extension; and is currently enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts creative writing program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he is a member of the class of 2011. He holds bachelor degrees in history and Spanish, and certificates in the translation of Spanish and English and the teaching of English as a second language.

Brown describes the story in “Pyramid of the Sun” as being “dark and edgy” and its narrative structure as being far removed from that of traditional fiction. The chapters are separated by the insertion of original poems that are based on Aztec creation myths, and laid out in lines that form the shape of a pyramid. In addition, the narrative is not linear, but approaches the plot from all angles — past, present and future — all at the same time, and comes back around on itself at the end.

The latter is meant to represent a belief in Mayan cosmology that time is circular and never-ending, explained Brown, who wanted to play with that idea.

“It’s experimental; I know I’m a risk,” said Brown, with regard to trying to garner the interest of a literary agent.

“But I know I’m a risk worth taking; I believe in myself one hundred percent,” he added, with a sure-footed confidence, which is evidenced further by his refusal to be discouraged in his pursuit. He’s been rejected — personally, politely and professionally — by 12 agents, and has recently queried his thirteenth.

“The no’s have been very encouraging,” said Brown. “They’ve offered good feedback.”

Offering a final thought on his first novel, Brown said, “I’m thinking way outside the box on this. I’m either completely off my rocker, or onto something very big. It’s up to time and the reading audience to decide.”

Brown’s second novel, with a working title of “Lost Tribes of Selonia,” is inspired by his Lithuanian roots (on his mother’s side) and is allegorical of the relationship between the United States and Lithuania, both before and after the Soviet occupation.

The story, said Brown, follows the lives of a family whose members are separated by that occupation, with some making it to the U.S. and the rest being forced to stay in Lithuania after the borders are closed. Fifty years later, following the occupation, the family members reunite in an attempt to rebuild their relationships.

His recent trip to Lithuania to do research for the novel was funded, in part, by a fellowship from UNLV and the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV. According to its website, BMI “is an international literary center dedicated to promoting discourse on today’s most pressing issues…and provides an environment where creative writers and scholars can fight against entrenched perspectives, whatever their political or cultural source.”

In order to afford himself the time needed to focus fully on his writing career, Brown worked at the Hard Rock Hotel as a casino dealer for five years and saved the majority of his money while living simply. “You might say I created my own fellowship in that sense,” he said.

Despite his wanderlust and a strong desire to leave Athol at a young age, Brown says now that there really is no place like home. The son of Irene (Truchinskas) Brown and the late Maurice Brown, he says he holds an appreciation, 20 years in the making, for the small-town way of life and Athol’s historic downtown area and natural surroundings. However, he qualified that by readily admitting it might be hard for those who have never left to hold the that same appreciation.

“Athol is a town with amazing potential,” he said. “We just need some hope and inspiration to break the cycle of defeatism, and people here have to stop being afraid of trying something new.”

As an example, Brown said, in his opinion, the ongoing push to focus primarily on bringing businesses and jobs to town is a failed one. He said he believes Athol will experience true revitalization only when that focus is shifted to enhancing education and the arts, and improving the well being of students and families. In addition, he said an appreciation for what the town has to offer and a positive outlook on what it can become also needs to be promoted.

“The town seems to have lost its heart and soul, but it can get it back by changing hearts and minds one at a time,” Brown said. “I’m a total optimist. I believe this town will get better.”

He believes in that sentiment so much so that eventually he would like to return here and settle down. He said he has been house hunting during his current stay. However, his urge to travel hasn’t yet been completely satisfied. He will be accompanying one of his brother Mark’s daughters to Lithuania in a few weeks when she travels there to attend school.

Brown, who has no children of his own, said his books are his kids, and he has worked hard over the years to put himself in a position where he can give his writing his complete attention. “I’ll be a full-time student/writer until I either get a book deal or the money runs out and I re-join the rest of the world,” he said.

To find out more about Brown, his writings and his travels, log onto the previously listed website. He can also be found on the Web at www.facebook.com/jamesjosephbrown, and his videos can be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/followJJB.

Press release for an event in the Neon Lit reading series, held at the Contemporary Arts Center in Las Vegas,  in which I was featured.

http://lvartsandculture.blogspot.com/2010/04/poetry-contemporary-arts-center-on.html