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If you are interested in booking an in-house reading or scheduling Joseph as a guest speaker and\/or on a speaking panel, please use this Contact Form.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_contact_form _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” _unique_id=”eabdb0c5-7a7a-4f5a-95bf-90207a9057d0″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”Name” field_title=”Name” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”Email” field_title=”Email Address” field_type=”email” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_contact_field][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”Message” field_title=”Message” field_type=”text” fullwidth_field=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_contact_field][\/et_pb_contact_form][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” animation_style=”fade” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Joseph’s Debut Novel:<\/p>\n
A man battling mental health challenges and homelessness seeks redemption and understanding in Bergen\u2019s novel.<\/span><\/p>\n Caleb Taylor is first introduced to the reader in italicized first-person narration, describing the joys and pain of mania: \u201cMania courses through me. It flows through me, glows through me, goes through me.\u201d Having just moved to Columbus, Ohio, Caleb finds himself in yet another new town without a place to live. Carrying only a laptop (on which he writes short stories and poetry he hopes to publish), Caleb faces the daunting task of finding shelter. His adult life has been marred by mental health challenges; he confesses, \u201carrests, homelessness, and hospitalizations diminished my desire to try to get better.\u201d He applies to the Crossroads Men\u2019s Shelter and is eventually granted a bunk. There, he meets Malik, his assigned housing navigator. The narrative then alternates between Caleb\u2019s and Malik\u2019s perspectives, providing insights into the experiences of seeking housing and the challenges of navigating the modern homeless shelter infrastructure. As the story unfolds, Bergen details the men\u2019s harrowing histories. Caleb is haunted by visions of his childhood tormentor, who later killed his own parents and frequently shows up in visions in the peaks of Caleb\u2019s mania, pushing him over the edge in dangerous ways. Malik uses his access to the shelter\u2019s database in his quest to find his long-lost father, a former addict with whom he lost contact years earlier. While Malik is the moral center of the novel, he is not just a savior figure, but a complicated, rounded character dealing with his own anxieties. Caleb is likewise a multifaceted and sympathetic character as he struggles to outpace his dangerous visions, racing thoughts, and moments of mania when everything spins out of control. The novel may be difficult for some readers with its raw depiction of trauma and abuse, and detailed descriptions of the shelter systems that sometimes support and sometimes fail those like Caleb. For readers interested in realistic fiction that seems ripped from real life, with believable characters and distinct voices, this is a rewarding novel.<\/span><\/p>\n A poignant and memorable story of resilience. – Kirkus Review (2025}<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you are interested in booking an in-house reading or scheduling Joseph as a guest speaker and\/or on a speaking panel, please use this Contact Form.Joseph’s Debut Novel: A man battling mental health challenges and homelessness seeks redemption and understanding in Bergen\u2019s novel. Caleb Taylor is first introduced to the reader in italicized first-person narration, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-80","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n