What I’m writing these days

Poetry

We were alone. We fell in love. What are we now?

How the henna fades is a hybrid chapbook collection of 22 pieces of love poetry, letters, and a song compiled in an intimate diary-styled story of us. A Pakistani-Malaysian influence, Costa Rican beaches and love in the heart of Texas meld into a few short months of longing and belonging.

Faces of a saffron sunrise is a full-length book of (yes, even more!) love poetry, interspersed with collected dreams that continue the story when the trail of poems dwindles. East meets west and cultures clash in this outsider’s view and misinterpretations of a little romantic slice of one Iranian Bahá’í refugee’s American experience.

Other works in progress include:

• a deconstructive memoir on the joys and tragedies of growing up super Christian
• an all-too-near-future dystopian Sci-fi novel exploring the worlds of big medicine and big science as a little scientist with an aching to blow a whistle on a scandal. Toxic positivity, short-term memory and an emergent, contagious eye disease drown a series of public deaths from a new cancer drug so complicated it’s almost alive

About the Author

Jay B. Hughes loves to write poetry intercalated with rich but simple dream narratives. He loves when

  the

        words

                  make

                            little

                                    stairsteps

A scientist, writer, musician and beach bicyclist originally from the mountains, he also writes fiction and memoir about the search for religion and spirituality, the perils and pleasures of science in society, the overwhelming mysteries of love and other such nonsense.

The Author

About the ‘About the Author’ section

This was conceived, written and edited by the author himself in the third person for purposes of sounding like another, entirely unrelated and different author altogether was interested in concisely summarizing their take on that first author, the author in question, to give a more personal touch by way of describing one’s own life through the impersonal lens of a never-existent observer.

Historical Iterations & Juvenilia  

1991

“The Grizzly Bear”

This book is about a boy and his father going on a camping trip in the Great Grizzly Mountains. They meet up with a grizzly bear. “DO THEY GET HURT????” Read my book to see how it turns out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  My name is Jay Hughes.  I Have a brother and a sister.  My birthday is on May 1^st 1982.  I am in the third grade at Pine Grove Elementary School.

1992

“The Strangest Snowy Day”

This book is about a 9 year old boy named Jimmy and his brother Steve.  Steve starts a snow war with Jimmy. Jimmy thinks he’s going to get creamed.  But it is a magical snowman to the rescue.  If you like magic, you’ll love this book.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Jay Hughes is nine years old.  He lives in Pine Grove.  Jay likes to play soccer and he plays the forward position.  He likes winter sports too.  His favorite subject is Math.  This is his second book.  Jay thinks it is fun to write books.