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1 month ago | 
kirkusreviews.com | Kristen Arnett |Alison Espach |Eric Selland
A funny and tender novel about life’s best and worst punchlines. A lesbian clown walks into a bar and tries to figure out her life. In Arnett’s new novel, Cherry Hendricks, a 28-year-old part-time aquarium-store worker, wants nothing more than to be a full-time clown.
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1 month ago | 
startribune.com | Maren Longbella |Kristen Arnett
Fiction: Kristen Arnett’s protagonist is passionate about her goal. No matter what anyone thinks. Kristen Arnett (Maria Rada/Riverhead)If I told you “Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One” is about a clown, would that keep you from reading the book, not to mention this review? If the answer is in the affirmative, you wouldn’t be alone. A lot of people hate clowns. I hate clowns. I mean, come on. Sad clowns? What’s the point? Now, what if I told you a magician graces these pages, too …?
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
lithub.com | Kristen Arnett
Welcome back, friends! It’s been a while, but now we’re back to our old tricks. That’s right! It’s time for another charming installment of Am I the Literary Asshole?, the advice column that’s fresh into the New Year and spouting resolutions, but will we manage to keep them? ONLY TIME WILL TELL. Article continues after advertisementWe’ve got a slew of new questions in the queue, but I’m still keeping up with all the others that came in before the break.
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Jan 7, 2025 | 
autostraddle.com | Kristen Arnett
My third novel, Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One, is about a lesbian birthday party clown. If Florida is always the butt of the joke, then so is this protagonist. And if there is one thing I know about a clown, it’s that they desperately need an audience. Months ahead of publication, my publisher offered to set up some book store visits around the state. We’d travel to six different locations, all within driving distance from my home in Orlando.
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Dec 19, 2024 | 
lithub.com | Kristen Arnett
Hello, dearest friends! Welcome back to another incredible installment of Am I the Literary Asshole?, the advice column that thinks you should pour yourself a glass of something strong to prepare, because winter is most definitely coming. I’m your host, Kristen Arnett, and it’s officially Sagittarius season. That’s right, the season of impulsive decisions, wild partying, and unwise spending habits.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
hazlitt.net | Max Ufberg |Allison LaSorda |Kristen Arnett |Rachel Gerry
The old shopkeeper’s bell above the door clinked and Bill turned to see two men, one of them carrying a moderately sized cardboard box dotted with crudely carved perforations, walk into the tavern. “A car that lacks four-wheel drive has no business out here,” said the man holding the box. “A drink to wait it out doesn’t sound like the worst deal in the world,” said his companion. The first man grunted in response.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
lithub.com | Kristen Arnett
Hello again, my beautiful friends! Welcome back to another charming edition of Am I the Literary Asshole?, the advice column that not only holds space for defying gravity, but also holds space for your questions. I still haven’t seen Wicked, but I’ve seen all the memes. I contain multitudes!Article continues after advertisementIf you didn’t catch us this past week, it’s not too late to listen to me and Jonny Diamond discuss one of your questions ON THE AIR, on The Lit Hub Podcast.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
kristenarnett.substack.com | Kristen Arnett
Hi, friends!Welcome to our very first lesson. I’m deeply honored that so many of you are trying this out with me. I hope that every week you feel encouraged to keep putting yourself out there. One of the best gifts we can give ourselves is the opportunity to grow and change, so I’m glad you’re willing to give this a shot! And hey, it’s okay if we mess up or don’t get right the first time. Failure is a natural part of the process.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
lithub.com | Kristen Arnett
Hello and welcome back to another thrilling installment of Am I the Literary Asshole?, the advice column that wants you to consider anonymously sending me your hot takes in lieu of simply tweeting them out and causing a five-alarm literary fire. I’m your host, Kristen Arnett, and I’m happy to be here with you all today. It’s nice to have a moment of levity in the midst of a cacophony of horrors, isn’t it? Thanks for letting me share this goofy, drunken space with you.
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Nov 11, 2024 | 
autostraddle.com | Kristen Arnett
I have explained what I know over and over, in every way I can, but I have never been able to make clear the degree of my fear, the extent to which I feel myself denied: not only that I am queer in a world that hates queers, but that I was born poor into a world that despises the poor. The need to make my world believable to people who have never experienced it is part of why I write fiction.
