Marie Calloway’s First Novel Off To Turbulent Start, Printer Refuses To Print “Due To Content”

Sterling Pierce, a printing company of writer/editor Giancarlo DiTrapano’s publishing press Tyrant Books, has refused to print review copies of Marie Calloway’s first novel, what purpose did i serve in your life “due to content.” The assumption here is that Calloway’s manuscript is too sexually graphic for the printer.

Marie Calloway first gained attention when her story “ADRIEN BRODY” was published at Tao Lin’s publishing venture Muumuu House (disclosure, I’ve been published there/ everyone in this post has been published on TC). The story describes, in detail, a sexual encounter with a well-known NYC editor, and was almost entirely met with derision and shaming by NY media — blogging’s upper tiers (incl. writers from Village Voice, Gawker) had a few-weeks-long degradation ceremony for her when they first caught wind of the story. Calloway’s also been divisive by making public nude photos of herself, including one that allegedly shows the main character from “ADRIEN BRODY”‘s come on her face.

It doesn’t come as much of a surprise then that Calloway’s first ‘big’ public appearance since the Muumuu House story has been as controversial. One can assume her novel is in the same revealing, detailed style as the story that got her so much attention. The book’s already caught the eye of a few literary prodigies, including Sheila Heti, who provided a blurb for the book.

Despite the rough start, DiTrapano told us that what purpose did i serve in your life is still scheduled to be published on June 11 of this year.