Author Archives: Joel D. Hirst

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About Joel D. Hirst

Joel D. Hirst is a novelist and a playwright. His most recently released work is "The Unraveling" -- a novel about how it all came apart. He has also written "An Excess of Nationalism", a novel about Soviet Armenia. "Dreams of the Defeated: A Play in Two Acts" is about a political prisoner in a dystopian regime. And "I, Charles, From the Camps" is the story of a young man from the African camps. "Lords of Misrule" is the an epic tale about the making and unmaking of a jihadist in the Sahara. Finally, Hirst has re-published his "San Porfirio" series into one volume "The Epic Tale of Revolutionary Venezuela", about the rise and fall of socialist Venezuela (with magic).

Mountain Cabin

Posted on August 10, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

My wife prefers the beach. But for me the sand and the heat have always been a little bit of a nuisance. I’ve always preferred the quiet of a still mountain cabin. https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst?i=319328-42

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The Unraveling — My Dystopian Novel

Posted on August 7, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Nobody really reads anymore, the statistics are pretty grim. Pew Research suggested last year 40% of Americans read no book at all, 27% read up to four books and 19% — what Pew called “Heavy Readers” (no irony alas) read … Continue reading →

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The Chaos and the Color

Posted on August 4, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I went to New Orleans the other day. It was a goodbye of sorts, after a period of long work. I went with my wife, who had never been. I wanted to show her the city, the chaos and the … Continue reading →

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Alone

Posted on July 20, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

I thought here of an old friend, retired now after a lot of loss and a life that was full of meaning but also troubled in a lot of ways. His love of nature, his desire to be alone, the … Continue reading →

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Blue Ridge Mountains

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

They’re not really mountains at all, from somebody who grew up in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, soaring 24,000 feet above. But they have tremendous charm; they are old, and as they roll back and back you can get … Continue reading →

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Jesus — The Mandylion

Posted on June 21, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

Early in the first century King Abgar V of Edessa was sick. He heard of a holy man in Jerusalem, named Jesus, and sent his messenger and his court portraitist to invite Jesus to Edessa. Abgar could not cross Roman … Continue reading →

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Girl With Glasses

Posted on June 13, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

My wife said she seems like somebody who would get offended easy 🙂 — But I think the glasses softened her. This is painting number 100. They are now hanging in the office of a U.S. Senator, in the office … Continue reading →

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Piazza San Marco

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

In Venice — https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst/?i=319328-7

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Woman With Nose Ring

Posted on May 24, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

This one got a little weird, but it’s sort of striking. https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst/?i=319328-21

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Reflections On My Last 5 Years

Posted on May 22, 2026 by Joel D. Hirst

“Pretty soon my five years in the Senate will be coming to an end. On a trip to Mexico, the U.S. Ambassador was introducing the Senator and said, “Everything of any significance to the life of our nation goes through … Continue reading →

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