Who’s responsible for all the crap swirling around in the middle of the ocean? Brian Belefant deserves at least part of the blame. For decades he worked in advertising and marketing, doing his best to manipulate people like you into craving things you truly don’t need––Pepsi, Nissan, Taco Bell, Visa, Toyota, Pizza Hut, US Bank, Frito-Lay, and others.

He made enough money to buy a lot of stuff, but the fuller his closets got, the emptier he felt.

This book is a form of penance. And it’s not a one-off. So much of what Brian writes deals with themes of consumption, waste, and American cultural imperialism. ‘The Sultan of Garbage' shares 4 tips on how to reduce waste and be a more responsible consumer.

Brian’s short stories appear in American Writers Review, Magpie Messenger, The South Shore Review, JAKE, Story Unlikely, The Blue Mountain Review, and Half and One. He’s written two novels and a how-to book, Spouse Hunting: Using the Rules of Real Estate to Find the Love of Your Life (spoiler alert: it works).

His novel ‘Egregious” was a finalist for the Unleash Press 2024 WIP Prize and was shortlisted for The Letter Review Prize.