Antonio (AJ) Hopson

Credits / 

Antonio J. Hopson is a poet, fiction writer and father of two boys who believes that there are only two reasons to write poetry.  Reason one is to console the innocent and reason two is to corrupt them.

Antonio was born and raised in South Seattle and now lives in Shoreline, Washington State.  He attended the University of Washington and studied Environmental Science, going on to teach biology after graduation. 

He has always had a love of writing and for poetry in particular.  His works of poetry, speculative fiction, flash fiction and essays have appeared in numerous publications and he has received Farmhouse Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award, performed at several events and has won recognition as an EPPY Award finalist and a 2016 Pushcart Nominee.

Antonio’s books include “Seven”, a poetry anthology that spent three weeks at number 1 on Amazon’s hot new releases.

Antonio hopes to continue publishing and crafting stories in the future and is always on the lookout for new ideas for his stories and poems.  And when he isn’t working on new poetry, he likes to relax by painting, cooking, playing ping pong and scuba diving in the cold waters off Puget Sound.  He also enjoys soccer, taking road trips and going camping in his ‘57 Security trailer.

 "Do Bikers Believe in Fairy Tales” The Subterranean Quarterly "The New Tempest," The Harrow Magazine "The Butler Garage,” Exquisite Corpse, "I Think of The Octopus" Quiet Shorts (print journal)" The Vernal Equinox of Death and Kisses and other Short Stories” anthology of previously published short stories, Lulu Publishing. “Do Bikers Believe in Fairy Tales” Old Growth (print journal) Other stories published in, Farmhouse Magazine,  Lost Magazine, Letter X Magazine (print journal) Poor Mojo's Fiction, Ward 6 Review, Creation: A Literary Journal (print) The Osceola Mud Flow , 90 Ways, "That Burning Bush I Saw" (print journal) The Angler, "Kayakers, Beecher, Monkeys and Disneyland" 20 Dissidents (print journal), Sunset Journal,"The Alki Tavern" Ascent Magazine, SNReview "Two Poems", The Wonderboy Review (print journal). Ignavia Press, "The Bridge From East to West".

Antonio Hopson spins gentle legends and quiet love stories.  From biker goddesses to mythical tricksters, from feuding winds to debauched taverns, the subjects of "The Vernal Equinox of Death and Kisses and Other Short Stories" reveal the author's romantic enchantment with the world around him, even when it's at its grittiest.

–Dru Pagliassotti, Editor in Chief, The Harrow

Antonio Hopson writes with a subtle power and a minimalist’s sense of economical prose. His affecting style comes on slowly and dances beneath the surface, evoking abstract emotions that stretch beyond the short boundaries of his flash-fiction. Layered and dense, his writing belongs to the prose genre but employs the artistic precision of poetry.

–Mike Dell’Aquila, Editor, Farmhouse Magazine

Antonio Hopson writes with the sense and instincts of a Jack Keruoac, combined with the cultural eye for detail of a Chuck Klosterman.  All five senses thrive when reading his prose which moves through you like the Snoqualmie River itself.

–Jon Horowitz, The Wonder Boy Review

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.” 
― Edward Abbey