Chapter Break with Andrew Patrie

BIO: Andrew Patrie teaches English language, literature, and creative writing in West Central Wisconsin where he lives with his family. He has self-published two previous collections of poems: Nights, Grace (2006) and Half-Life (2016). His work has appeared most recently in Barstow and Grand, Sky Island Journal, Twig, and on Wisconsin Public Radio. He is a contributor to Volume One magazine and the underground Polish heavy metal ‘zine Burning Abyss. Clumsy Love is his first nonfiction book.SYNOPSIS:Clumsy Love tells the story of one father’s evolving, imperfect, and deeply genuine efforts to raise his transgender child. As Simone transitions and enters adolescence, her father grapples with increasingly complex questions: How can he fully support her without being consumed by worry for her safety? What should be done with family photos that capture a version of Simone that no longer exists? And how can he mourn the son he thought he had while wholeheartedly embracing the daughter he now loves?As Simone grows into the person she’s always known herself to be, her father embarks on a parallel journey―learning, day by day, what it truly means to love the unexpected child who changed his world.