Reading & Conversation: Michael Simms "The Hummingbird War" (w/ Ed Simon)

We are ecstatic to celebrate beloved local author, editor, publisher, and overall generous literary citizen and friend of White Whale, Michael Simms, and the publication of The Hummingbird War, the satirical sequel to Bicycles of the Gods. Michael will be joined in conversation by the prolific local author and editor in chief of The Pittsburgh Review of Books, Ed Simon.

The Hummingbird War follows events of Bicycles of the Gods, in which Jesus returns to earth with two celestial pals with a mandate to destroy the earth. In that volume, Jesse (Jesus) and his two friends Xavi (Shiva), and Mikey (as in the Archangel) decide not to destroy the world quite yet. But the battle continues in The Hummingbird War.

​ Praise for Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy

"A devilishly conceived satire that mashes the soft-centered potato of religion with the ham-fisted yam of politics into a steaming mush of mock-turtle soup which might have easily been concocted by Nathaniel West had he heeded his doctor’s advice and cooked a bit more with hallucinogenic mushrooms."—Ariana Mohajeri Petersen, The Minderbinder Review of Books

"Simms has created a wild, syncretic ride refashioning old stories in a contemporary light. Will Jesse succeed? Will the world end? Spoilers: As the poet George Herbert wrote, “But Love and Grace took Glory by the hand / and built a braver palace than before.”—Kristopher Collins, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"Michael Simms’s great American novel offers lessons and not just escapism. It substantiates the dream that all people are created equal, whatever the color or creed, that hope is not only eternal but also that the Second Coming can offset any Apocalypse—if we are willing to pay a price that is worthy of our freedom and an integrally righteous way of living our lives."—Wally Swist, Your Impossible Voice

ED SIMON is Lecturer in English at Carnegie Mellon University where he focuses on the Public Humanities and he edits The Pittsburgh Review of Books. A widely published author, his work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and The Washington Post, among dozens of others. He is the author of over a dozen books, including Pandemonium: A Visual History of Pittsburgh, An Alternative History of Pittsburgh, and Devil’s Contract: The History of the Faustian Bargain, named one of the “Best Books of 2024” by The New Yorker.

MICHAEL SIMMS is a poet, novelist and publisher. He is the Founding Editor Emeritus of Autumn House Press and the Founding Editor of Vox Populi Sphere, a daily gazette of poetry, politics and nature, which has an international readership. He is the author of five full-length collections of poetry including, most recently, Jubal Rising published by Ragged Sky Press. His novels include a YA fantasy series, The Talon Trilogy. The Hummingbird War, released this month, is the second of his Divine Comedies, a series of apocalyptic satires. Simms has received many grants, awards and honors, including being recognized by the Pennsylvania legislature for his service to the arts.

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