The Center for Fiction Presents Joseph Earl Thomas on God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer with Tyriek White

Joseph Earl Thomas, acclaimed author of New York Times Notable Book Sink, joins The Center for Fiction to celebrate his debut novel God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer. His new book follows a veteran of the Iraq War who is now a doctoral student and an EMS worker in North Philly. He struggles to adjust to civilian life again, all while balancing hospital shifts, his studies, and his duties as a single father. God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer is a powerful portrait of the everyday Black experience in Philadelphia that “deftly captures the maddening mess of everything that makes life worth living” (Isle McElroy, author of People Collide).

Thomas is joined in conversation by Tyriek White, winner of The Center for Fiction 2023 First Novel Prize for We Are a Haunting. Thomas and White will discuss Thomas’s novel and the ways in which he combines humor and heartbreak in his social critique. After the conversation, Thomas will sign books.