Book Launch Party: Not in the Mood, Essays
Hosted by
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•ᴥ•TLDR: I published a book; come celebrate.
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The “chip in” is if you’d like to defray the cost of the nonprofit rental (goes towards a good cause with the Roxie and local community).
I will have maybe 3 copies of the book for display/sale bc I hate holding inventory and maybe an author copy order form (cheaper, at cost, very slow). You’re also welcome to get it in two days on Prime.
The idea for the time and place is that we’ll be screening Wong Kar Wai’s MASTERPIECE, In the Mood for Love, right around the corner right after at the Roxie (ticket through the box office).
For those who don’t know, while I’m on the board of the Roxie, I have no editorial influence over programming but I will take and relay your compliments! —instead I get to nag the team to figure out when they’ll be screening what and try to plan a party around that :)
Lastly, I apologize in advance for any potential trashtalk. It’s the cost of writing hot takes over the course of eight years without an editor who knows or cares about the people I run into in SF. Though a writer/reader friend reminded me that while I usually keep folks anonymous, I did throw Jacques under the bus—not sorry!
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From the publisher: Not in the Mood is a genre-defying collection of essays by Henry 磊磊 Roark, blending memoir, cultural critique, spiritual reflection, and literary exploration with wit, vulnerability, and incisive clarity. Originally published as part of the interactive newsletter Asking for a Friend, these essays span seven years of introspection and conversation, now curated into four thematic parts: The Spiritual, The Social, The Literary, and The Personal.
Roark writes with a voice that is at once intimate and expansive—inviting readers into his experiences with bipolar disorder, queer identity, faith, friendship, and the everyday absurdities of modern life. Whether unpacking the Enneagram, navigating the nonprofit industrial complex, or reflecting on the poetry of R.S. Thomas and Richard Siken, Roark’s essays are rich with cultural references, philosophical inquiry, and emotional resonance.
This collection is for anyone who’s ever asked themselves a question they couldn’t find answered elsewhere. Not in the Mood doesn’t offer easy answers—but it does offer companionship, insight, and a reminder that we’re never alone in our wondering.
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