Plight of the Poet
the writing of Bailey Stone Barnard
Modern Disparity chronicles the narrator's autofiction adventures in luxury and self-discovery amid the Great Recession, Arab Spring, and Occupy Movement.
Part One: 26 Miles of Scenic Beauty recounts the narrator's time in Malibu working for a luxury magazine while making meager editorial wages, struggling to keep his beachside guest apartment, pining after an old high school flame, and starting an affair with a bona fide Malibu cougar.
And that's just the beginning.
Modern Disparity
Part One: 26 Miles of Scenic Beauty
Life seems pretty good for our protagonist.
The Iowa native and aspiring writer arrives in Malibu, California, for an assistant editor job at a well-known luxury magazine, which comes with myriad perks, from expensive sports cars to lavish vacations. The recent college graduate is handsome, outgoing, and hardworking—but it’s August 2007, the global economy is about to implode, and he starts an affair with an older woman who’s married to a prominent film producer. He’s also in love with a fellow Iowa transplant who will never fully reciprocate his affections. But those are the least of his problems.
His womanizing and substance abuse fuel his self-destructive nature as he attempts to navigate the Great Recession while clinging to the fringes of extreme luxury, living well beyond his means, and clumsily finding his way to becoming a very famous author.
