Summer of ‘99 is the setting of a Kirby family ghost story. My whole life, my father has told ghost stories. They were mystical, unbelievable, and often outlandish. They were also all corroborated by various family members, making them infuriatingly difficult to cast-aside, even as the youngest child, with little memory of the actual events. 

This story has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. My father’s hauntings and tall tales were always, for me, inextricably connected to the addictions that kept him out of my life for years at a time, causing him to vanish into thin air like the apparitions that so often visit him. 

My sincerest thanks to Composer, Justice Phillips, for bringing my family’s story to life. To Cover to Cover, for their artistry and the trust to allow me to explore my roots. To Hill Country, for the home it gives me and the relationships and wounds that have been healed here. To my dad, for this story and for finding the strength to leave his ghosts behind.