M. Joseph Murphy's Blog, page 3
March 20, 2023
IS THE ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE SUPPRESSING REPORTS OF ANTIBLACK RACISM? EMAIL THREAD
@josephmurphy427 ♬ original sound - M Joseph Murphy (he/him)
While trying to report allegations of harassment against a manager, I uncovered a pattern with troubling optics. I'll say no more for now. You see the emails yourself and decide.
Fired for Speaking Out - My Experience With Anti Black Racism Working for the Province of Ontario
@josephmurphy427 Why I spoke out and how the government is suppressing reports. Quick summary of accusations. #blm #racism #fordnation #opseu #ontario #canada #fyp ♬ SUMMARY OF ALLEGATIONS - IS THE NTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE SUPPRESSING REPORTS OF ANTI BLACK RACISM?
The last few years have been traumatic. I joined the Ontario Public Service (OPS) in 2015. I left a ten-year career teaching college courses in Business and Accounting because I wanted something more stable. Something I could retire from.
Until recently, I was a partner in a small publishing firm, Ellysian Press. (NOTE: the remaining partners of Ellysian Press have no additional information on this topic. Please respect their privacy.) It was a passion but I could not support myself and my (then) husband. I needed a day job. Despite what the movies would have you believe, there's not a ton of money in publishing. Especially the smaller presses.
The OPS was appealing for me because it offered a unionized environment and, since it was a government agency, I was not concerned about racism or homophobia. I believed working for the government was the safest place to be.
In my case, I was wrong.
LINKS:
OPS Launched 3rd Party Review of Inclusive Workplace Policies and Programs
Local manager saw me as an "angry black man", a talented and smart young man with a tendency to lash out viciously when provoked. Prior to the OPS, I worked for Everest College where, among other things, I was chosen by leadership to facilitate courses for other instructors on Emotional Intelligence. I was awarded the Parthenon Award for the 2012-2013 school year, an award given to the instructor who had the most impact on his students.
How did one group of people believe I was a superstar while another believed I was a ticking time bomb? One word: expectations. In communication studies, there is an understanding that other elements (e.g., body language, location, internal bias, etc.) can create barriers to accurate communication.
ALIEN BRAIN FOG
In my upcoming documentary, Alien Brain Fog, I will be exploring how the experience of workplace racism, a new experience for me, affected my sense of identity. Heavily influenced by the work of Dr. Julia Shaw's (Dr. Julia Shaw's official website) seminal book The Memory Illusion, Alien Brain fog will be a lighthearted look at the gaslighting, fake news, and biochemistry affect memory and self-identity. After my experiences, I will also explore how systemic racism and the opinion of others affects an individuals sense of who they truly are as a person.I've dealt with Long Covid since January 2021. For more than a year and a half I had severe memory problems. I forgot key elements of my past which made me wonder: why was I still attached to those memories in the first place. And how were those memories affecting who I believed I was. Coupled with the racist tropes in the work place, the constant gaslighting, and the efforts to suppress the harassment, it was enough for a experience Ego Death.
It was time for me to rediscover who I was. And who gets to define what I am.
ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE WEAPONIZED THE POLICE - CHANGE IN STRATEGYI had hoped to have Alien Brain Fog ready for by September. Actions taken by the employer after they terminated me, however, has convinced me doing so could put my life and freedom in jeopardy.
I know. Dramatic. But here me out.
In December, I attended a allegations meeting. The invite to the meeting was sent to an email address I hadn't used in 5 years. Neither had the union forwarded a copy to my correct email. At the sight of one of my harassers, I had an emotional moment. The meeting was ended. A follow up meeting was scheduled for 20 minutes later. I was emotionally unprepared to attend it and asked if the union could go without me or reschedule. Instead no follow up meeting was held and a summary decision was made to fire me. Then the police were sent to my house with management telling my union representative they were concerned I was a violent risk threat. A terrorist. The message to police, however, was a simple wellness check. Because I could not attend a meeting.
The latest attack, however, has shown me I need to change strategies. I sent an emotional plea to leadership (see email here) pleading with them to stop the machinery and look at what they were doing. I appealed to their humanity and asked what their family and friends would think of their behaviour. In response, they sent the following letter:
The implication is clear. They are implying I am a pedophile stalking teenage girls on the internet and sharing inappropriate videos. This ridiculous and libelous.
I have decided to recut and rework my documentary to make it more lighthearted and humorous. This will take longer but it is clear the OPS current strategy is heading to a dark place. So I'll take the high road.
VIDEO PROOF OF GASLIGHTING
@josephmurphy427 Hidden video of Ontario government officials exposes efforts to suppress reports of anti black racism. #fyp #blm #ontariocanada #fordnation #racism #politicstiktok #hiddencamera #cbcnews #race #gotcha ♬ original sound - M Joseph Murphy (he/him)
Leadership was made aware multiple times I was preparing a documentary to expose what the optics of their current practices.
Link to emails: EMAIL TREAD WHOSE OPTICS SUGGEST REPORTS NOT BEING SUPPRESSED
I expected a court injunction in May 2022. They were aware I was a partner in a media company and a published author. They had every expectation that I could make the information public.
I expected a manager to tell me not to release the information. Instead, they told me to go ahead. Many times.
Of course no one would believe they would do that. It's crazy.
But I have the video to prove it.
I recorded a zoom meeting during which I brought my concerns to leadership. There was never an intention to share these videos. I simply needed verification because my brain no longer functioned the way it used to. And, to be clear OPS Leadership has been aware of their existence for nearly a year.
I am beyond grateful I recorded that meeting. Otherwise, I firmly believe no one would believe me. I'm not sure I would have believed it myself. Without that video, I would always wonder if I had misinterpreted events. I would always have wondered if I was the problem after all.
And that made me mad. Because all I could think about was how often they had done this?
They knew I was a writer, a partner in a publishing company, a former college instructor, a union steward, one of the founders of Windsor's first gay pride (1992). They knew I recorded meetings to help with my brain fog and they STILL tried to trick me?
What are they doing to other people?
I realized that my moral and civil obligation was to speak up. So I did.
Join our mailing list for updates on Alien Brain Fog. Trailer being edited as we write.
July 6, 2017
Should You Design Your Own Book Cover
On the latest edition of Open Book, I lead a discussion on whether or not independent authors should design their own book covers.
It comes down to three basic questions.
HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE WITH GRAPHIC DESIGN?If the answer is you've never done anything artistic or related to graphic design in your life, then NO, you should not design your own cover. You can learn. It is never too late to start. However, the cover for your own book is not the place to start.
HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH PHOTOSHOP?There are other programs out there, some of them free. However, in my experience there is no substitute to Photoshop. Unless you are extremely talented, you are not going to get a professional cover with most other programs.
HOW PREPARED ARE YOU TO SPEND THE 10,000 HOURS IT TAKE TO BECOME A PRO?As a child, my goal was to become a comic book artist. I spent 3 hours a day drawing and kept that up until my mid twenties. My mother was painter and I took several classes with her. I've used the slimmed down version of Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, for about 5 years.
Even with that background, I still had to spend 3-4 hours a day for over six months before I felt competent doing cover art.
BONUS: YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE NOT EXPERTSNever ask your friends and family if they like your cover. They are all going to say they do, even if they don't. Unless they are graphic designers, their opinion is not valid.
BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:
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July 3, 2017
How Music Impacts the Writing Process
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June 30, 2017
When to Turn a Book Into a Series And When You Shouldn't
If you are considering turning your book into a series, here are a few questions you should ask yourself.
DOES YOUR GENRE SUPPORT A SERIES?Some genres (e.g. fantasy) almost require a series. In the video above, we tried to think of a fantasy novel that was not part of a series. Although I'm sure they exist, we couldn't think of one. Similarly, mystery and science fiction also support serial writing. However, be cautious about writing romance series, especially if you're dealing with one main couple. The audience is only going to last so long with the "will they, won't they" question before they get bored.
DOES YOUR STORY SUPPORT A SERIES?Is the story you want to tell big enough and complex enough to span several books. One of the fastest ways to lose your audience is trying to spread out a very small story across far too many pages. The panel discuss the TV series How I Met Your Mother. The consensus was that series should have ended years earlier. It was only kept alive because everyone was making money. While this is tempting, it diminishes the entire work. Remember, works of art, like people, are defined just as much by their endings as their beginnings.
HAVE YOU DELIVERED ON ALL YOUR PROMISES?The panel discussed a noobie mistake: ending your book on an incomplete cliffhanger. Cliffhangers, in general CAN work, but, if done improperly, can insult your reader and ensure they never read another one of your books. When you start the book, you make a series of promises to your reader. You are promising that certain plot points and certain character arches will be fully contained in that one book. You need to deliver on that promise. Remember, this may be the only one of your books the reader ever reads.
It's easy to determine what points you are promising to deal with in this book. Each book in a series should have a specific theme or a "beat". Think of the Guardians of the Galaxy Two. It was about fatherhood and redemption. If it had ended with Yondu floating in space instead of showing his funeral, it would have weakened the entire movie. The funeral was the sign that Yondu had finally redeemed himself. It also allowed Peter Quill an chance to see how Yondu had been a real father to him.
Endings are hard, but you owe it to your reader to wrap things up.
BE CAUTIONS WHEN WRITING ALL THE BOOKS AT ONCEAs a staff member of Ellysian Press, I recently edited a trilogy that had been written all at once. All three books were completely written before the editing process began. This does offer benefits. It speeds up the process with which books can be released. This increased momentum may improve your sales.
One problem with it, however, is it is very easy for the writer to miss giving specific cues to the reader. As a rule, you should never assume the reader remembers every detail from the previous book. As a writer, it is usually very clear in your mind. However, you may leave necessary reminders off the page.
Also, over time, each time you go through the editing process, you will become a better writer. Readers fully expect that book three in a series will be stronger than book one. If you try to speed up the process, you are risking your growth.
BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:
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June 28, 2017
Tips for Writing Query Letters
Maer Wilson and Jen Ryan, the publishers of Ellysian Press discuss how to write a query letter to attract the attention of a publisher. They are joined by staff members and writers of Ellysian Press to discuss the dos and don'ts of submissions.
BOOKS BY M JOSEPH MURPHY:
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June 26, 2017
Book Review - As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka
S.A. Larsen leads the group in a discussion and review of the YA thriller As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka.
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June 22, 2017
How to Care for Book Addicts
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June 19, 2017
Suicide Squad and the Dangers of Authors Selling Movie Rights
This week on OPEN BOOK the EP TV team discusses the literary lessons for writers found in the screen adaptation of Suicide Squad and the implications for selling movie rights
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March 2, 2016
Review - Upon this Rock by Travis Luedke
Upon This Rock by Travis Luedke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Luedke does it again. He takes the already well-established mythos of his Nightlife books and ups the stakes significantly. Luedke still delivers the sexiness while bringing the reader on a high fantasy adventure. Because shares elements scene in his Nightlife Series, Upon this Rock also helps increae the depth of his earlier works.
Also from a purely technical point of view, Luedke has shown ways to improve the experience of reading ebooks by adding in hyperlinks from key words to a glossary at the back of the book, rather than providing long sections of dialogue to establish the world the characters live in. This keeps teh pacing of the book lightning fast. Once you start, you won't want to put it down.
Upon this Rock is perfectly executed, a true joy to read offers characters you will immediately invested in. If you've read my blog, you know I'm a little obsessed with his work.
Note: I was given an ARC of 'Upon this Rock' from Travis Luedke, in exchange for an honest review.
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