Memoir by Alumnus, Adjunct Professor Anthony Moll Delivers Important Truths
September 19, 2018
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Out of Step: A Memoir, a new collection of essays by UB alumnus and adjunct professor Anthony Moll, M.F.A. '14, is out now, and critical acclaim for this queer coming-of-age story, set toward the end of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" years, is coming through loud and clear.
After the events of 9/11, Moll enlisted in the U.S. Army. Like many young, working class people, Moll's decision to join up came with the promise of escaping home, as well as the honor of defending the country from the existential threat of an ever-shrinking world. Out of Step follows Moll through an institution that binds secrecy and masculinity, and fights to obfuscate individual and national identity.
In 2017, Moll won an award for best non-fiction collection, for what would become Out of Step. The award was given by The Journal, a literary journal from the Ohio State University. This recognition came with $1,500 and publication by the university's press, Mad Creek Books. Additionally, Moll notes that a portion of the book was developed while he was attending UB's M.F.A. program, under the mentorship of Prof. Marion Winik.
Praise for Out of Step is consistent:
"Moll's evocation of his army life is deadly serious yet always insightful as he questions himself and, finally, tells the truth he discovers," says Booklist.
"Filled with raw emotion, wry humor, and unselfconscious reflection, the story conveys Moll's unwavering sense of self in a refreshing, inspiring way," says Foreword Reviews. "The peace he's made with himself, in spite of and even because of his unconventional choice to enlist, is a compelling invitation to all, no matter their sexual identity. Out of Step is a personal story whose impact is far reaching and life affirming."
"Out of Step is a memoir-in-essays of place and poverty and sexuality and the search for self against the backdrop of military life during the final years of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.' Moll's searing clarity, ear for language, and extraordinary range of storytelling methods imbue this essay collection with the musicality of a symphony and the intimacy of a treasured mix-tape," says Pushcart-Prize winning author Michael Kardos. "This is a stunning and important book."
"Out of Step is a page turner—a roller coaster that readers will never forget," says D. Watkins, New York Times best-selling author and lecturer in UB's Klein Family School of Communications Design. "Moll has a gift for crafting brilliant sentences and has created the type of contemporary memoir that reminds me of why I can't live without writing. I highly recommend."
In the past, Moll's creative work has appeared in Gertrude Journal, Assaracus, jubilat, Little Patuxent Review and more.This semester he is teaching the Creating the Journal graduate course here at UB.
Learn more about Anthony Moll.
Listen to his recent interview on WYPR.
Moll will appear at the upcoming Baltimore Book Festival on Sept. 28.