Book Versions

Remember when we lived our lives instead of posting them? Author and artist Michael M Clements does. In this era-defining love letter to Generation X, Clements uses poetry, prose, doodles, art, instant camera photography, ticket stubs, and other analog artifacts, to transport us back to the late ‘80s and early noughts — a time of wired phones, mixed tapes, and actual eye contact — to reveal timeless lessons about growing up, falling down, and tuning in before we all logged on.

Part scrapbook, part time capsule, this nostalgic Gen X collection follows a "hero’s journey" through the grit and grace of young adulthood. From the sun-kissed shores of Florida and the high-pressure streets of Atlanta and Washington, D.C., to global adventures in Japan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Thailand, London, Amsterdam, and beyond, Clements captures the raw creative energy of a generation navigating life unencumbered by algorithms.

Inside this multi-media retrospective, you’ll find:

• Evocative Poetry & Prose: Raw fragments and honest reflections on love, identity, religion, politics, culture, growing up, and the search for purpose and meaning. 
• Original Analog Photography: Grainy, unfiltered images captured on 35mm and disposable cameras.
• Original Gen X Outsider Art: hundreds of clever, quirky, and era-defining doodles, illustrations, and artworks. 
• Tactile Artifacts: Concert ticket stubs, floppy disks, and authentic planner entries that evoke the tactile world of the late 20th century.
• Accidental Prophecies: Early works that uncannily foresaw world events, from the rise of social media to global pandemics.

GenXiled is more than a memoir; it is an invitation to log off and rediscover what it felt like to be truly present. Whether you are a Gen Xer looking to revisit your childhood or a digital native curious about life before the smartphone, this book is a sanctuary for the analog soul.

Step back into the Analog Age. Relive the journey. Remember the vibe.

Order Direct

Title: GenXiled: A Poetic Gen X Memoir from the Analog Age

Status: Published, 2026

Author: Michael M Clements

Illustrations: Michael M Clements

Photography: Michael M Clements

Edit: Michael M Clements

Design:  Michael M Clements

Publisher: Genki Media Publishing

Categories: 

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs

POETRY / American / General

ART / Folk & Outsider Art

Imprint: Lulu.com

Edition: Unabridged edition, First Edition

Paperback, Black and White: 978-1-105-96024-6

Paperback, Standard Color: 978-1-257-38140-1

Hardcover, Premium Color: 978-1-105-98409-9

Size: Trade, 9 x 6

Word Count: 21,000 words

Pages: 373

Creative Assets: 350 original photos, drawings, sketches, and artworks mixed with '90s memorabilia, ticket stubs, and nostalgic memorabilia. Layout & design by author.

• Preface 
• Introduction 
• Chapter 1: Rewind — College (1987-1991), Ages 18 to 21
• Chapter 2: Airplay —   Real Life (Sort of) (1992-1995), Ages 22 to 25
• Chapter 3: Waterbed — Japan (1996-1998), Ages 26 to 28 
• Chapter 4: Fire! — Thirtysomething (1999-2003), Ages 29 to 33 
• About The Author
• Poetry & Prose Index
• List of Works & Credits

Generation X, GenX, Poetry, Memoir, Nostalgia, Analog Age, Pre-Millennial, Illustrations, Cartoons, Ticket Stubs, Ephemera, Collectibles, Scrapbook, 1980s, 1990s, Coming of age, Pre-smartphone, Pre-911, American, Mixed Media, Artbook, Japan, Hong Kong, Outsider Art, Instant Camera, Time capsule, Inspirational, Philosophy, Travel Photography, 35mm Photography, 35mm Film, Biography, Autobiography, Pop Culture, Early 2000s, Narrative Non-Fiction, Hand-drawn, Self-help, Florida, Growing up, Notebooks, Doodles, Memorabilia, Mementos, Artifacts, Concert Tickets, Paper, Non-digital, Original, Creative Non-Fiction, Keepsakes, Analog nostalgia, Gen X poetry, mixtape culture, retro childhood, 1980s 1990s nostalgia,  creative nonfiction,  hybrid memoir, poetic scrapbook, Gen X identity, coming-of-age, counterculture memories, arcade culture, DIY zines, American nostalgia, punk generation, digital shift