My name is Alexander Shalom Joseph. It's said in the Talmud that there are three ways to live a just life: study, prayer and acts of loving kindness–I think of my writing and work as a teacher as a mix of all three. My novella The last of the light, is forthcoming from Orison Books. My debut book of poetry Our Mother, The Mountain was published by middle creek press in spring of 2022. My debut book of short stories, American Wasteland, was published by Owl Canyon Press in August of 2021. I have an MFA in Creative writing and an MA in English Education. I work as a carpenter and live in a cabin in Colorado.