Nobody's Psychic: Finding & Losing Yourself - Hardcover

by Dani Lamorte (Author)

In Nobody's Psychic, Dani Lamorte sets out to define his sense of self and the world in a discordant collection of memories both vivid and surreal. Raised in a church driven by apocalyptic paranoia and homophobic fear, Lamorte had an upbringing marked by a unique tension between wanting to remain invisible and needing to be observed. These competing desires pushed him toward performance, drag, and gardening, each a reflection of the struggle to find and maintain an image. With every encounter, whether in religion, gender roles, or the natural world--from a prophetess predicting destruction to the kaleidoscope of a drag queen's sequins--Lamorte delves into what it means to have an image inside and outside the gaze of others.

Nobody's Psychic defies easy answers, inviting readers to contemplate life's contradictions in essays that navigate the complexities of feeling unseen and sometimes nonexistent. Interlacing personal reflections with broader cultural and spiritual insights, Lamorte creates a space for change, identity, and the elusive nature of time. This is not a story with a resolution but one that challenges us to sit with the uncertainties of who we are and where we are headed.

Author Biography

Dani Lamorte is a Pittsburgh-based artist working in performance, video, and photography. His writing has appeared in Observer, the Cleveland Review of Books, the Pittsburgh City Paper, and 100 Days in Appalachia, among other publications.