TJ Beitelman is the author of a novel, John the Revelator, a short-story collection, Communion, and several collections of poetry: This is the Story of His Life, Americana, and In Order to Form a More Perfect Union. His nonfiction books include Write Mindfulness: A DIY Guide to Writing for the Right Reasons, Self-Helpless: A Misfit’s Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and The Unmasked Tenor: The Life and Times of a Singing Wrestler (with Sam Tenenbaum). He holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Alabama, and an MA (and a BA) in English from Virginia Tech.
A past recipient of fellowships from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, he teaches writing, media arts, and contemporary literature at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where he chairs the Creative Writing department, serves as media arts coordinator, and directs the school’s low-residency creative writing program. He is a manuscript consultant for Black Lawrence Press and works with individual writers through manuscript consultation, workshops, and educational consulting.
Beyond his teaching and writing, TJ facilitates workshops on sustainable creative practice, speaks on topics ranging from cross-genre writing to teaching philosophy, and consults with schools developing creative writing programs. For manuscript consultation, workshops, speaking engagements, or educational consulting, visit the Work With Me page on this site.
Selected Writings
- CV: Education, Painted Bride Quarterly, Issue 105, Jan. 10, 2024 (poem)
- Pathology, 3cents Magazine, Issue 5: Slipping, Sep. 1, 2024 (short story)
- Growing Things, Barely South Review, Vol. 14.1, Fall/Winter 2023 (essay)
- Five poems, Posit, Issue 31, September 2022
- Joy, Blackbird, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall 2016 (short story)
- Three poems, Posit, Issue 10, Fall 2016
- Three poems, Diagram, 13.3, 2013
- The Mother of Libraries, What She Might Think, Aug. 3, 2012 (essay)
- Ruin, Yalobusha Review, Vol. 13, 2008 (short story)
- Upon the Birth of Mike’s Daughter [etc], Harpur Palate, Vol. 5, Issue 2, January 2006 (poem)
Text + Image + Sound
- On Necessity (Podcast interviews and meditations re: why artists make what they make)
- Multimedia Narratives (Multimedia experiments in story forms and fragments)
Interviews
- Digressing with TJ Beitelman by Michael Hickins (But I Digress, Apr. 11, 2022)
- This is the story of his life: a conversation with TJ Beitelman by Alina Stefanescu (Alabama Writers Cooperative, Jan. 15, 2019)
- An interview with writer TJ Beitelman by Stephen McClurg (stephenmcclurg.com/interviews, Aug. 6, 2019)
- Man of the hour: TJ Beitelman by Javacia Bowser (See Jane Write, Sep. 17, 2014)
Reviews
- Communion – TJ Beitelman (Full Stop, Mar. 17, 2017)
- [REVIEW] Communion by TJ Beitelman (Pank, Mar. 1, 2017)
- Review: John the Revelator (Eunoia Solstice, Apr. 18, 2014)
- TJ Beitelman’s Pilgrims: A Love Story (Big Other, Apr. 9, 2011)