John Calvin Hughes grew up in the dusty, labyrinthine neighborhoods of west Jackson, Mississippi. He has worked as a housepainter, a hole digger, a social worker, a teacher, and an oil changer. He is the world’s okayest golfer. The University of Southern Mississippi gave him a Master’s in Creative Writing, and the University of South Florida was somehow convinced to award him a Ph.D. Both institutions are under investigation, I’m sure. His dissertation appears in book form: The Novels and Short Stories of Frederick Barthelme. The Shape of Our Luck and Cul-de-sac Agonistes are poetry chapbooks, and the cul-de-sac one is the better of them. His full-length collection of poetry is called Music from a Farther Room and has a really great cover. And he’s also published three novels: Twilight of the Lesser Gods, Killing Rush, and The Lost Gospel of Darnell Rabren. His fourth novel, The Boys, will be published in August 2023. The novels are all exceptional works, in their own ways. Take my word. I’m the guy’s biographer.