The new Wasteland art novel arrives as a raw and intimate collision of image and language, built from the shared creative pulse of Jason Haaf and Scooter LaForge. Released February 24 through Doable Guys, this collaborative project fuses painting, prose, poetry, and collage into a single emotional landscape. It reads like a diary that has been painted over, a sketchbook that learned to speak, and a love letter written from inside a restless mind.

Queer art has long lived at the edge of confession and confrontation. Artists often use personal truth as both shield and spotlight, revealing desire, shame, hunger, and tenderness in equal measure. Wasteland leans into that lineage, presenting LGBTQ intimacy and vulnerability without polish or apology. The result is deeply human. Readers do not just view the pages. They enter a shared mental and emotional space shaped by two distinct yet connected voices.

What makes this release compelling is the sense of immediacy. Nothing feels staged. Nothing feels distant. Every mark, every phrase, and every layer of color suggests process over perfection. That energy makes Wasteland feel less like a book you finish and more like a place you visit, linger in, and carry with you afterward.

How A Chance Bookstore Moment Sparked A Creative Bond

The story behind Wasteland begins with a quiet but meaningful encounter. Jason Haaf recalls discovering that his earlier book had sold out at the Strand bookstore and learning Scooter LaForge had purchased the final copy. That small moment led to a message, then a conversation, and eventually a partnership rooted in mutual recognition and respect for each other’s emotional honesty.

Haaf describes the collaboration in his own words: “Earlier this year I was working at the Strand bookstore and my book, Harsh Cravings, was stacked on the LGBTQ table. It was a Sunday and there was one copy left. By the time I left for the night, I noticed that it was gone. I posted a story on Instagram that we ran out of copies but we’d restock soon. I received a message from Scooter LaForge and he said he bought the last one.”

Blurring Lines Between Words And Images

From the beginning, Haaf wanted more than a surface level pairing of text and visuals. He sought a true merger of voices and mediums. His vision was not illustration but conversation on paper, where writing and painting would overlap, interrupt, and respond to one another in real time.

He explains, “I told him that I don’t want my work to just sit on top of another’s. I want it to go inside. I want a melding, a third eye, a true collaboration where lines are blurred.” That intention shapes every page of Wasteland, where ink, watercolor, pastel, and handwriting live side by side without hierarchy.

A Process Driven By Emotion Instead Of Plan

There was no outline, no mapped storyline, and no rigid concept guiding the work. Haaf began by revisiting journal entries from past years, selecting passages that still carried emotional charge. He transcribed them by hand onto watercolor paper, channeling the feelings he once lived through. Those pages were then passed to LaForge for response.

Haaf reflects on that exchange: “When I handed off the pages to Scooter, the aim was to discover a response. Nothing planned, nothing predetermined.” That openness allowed each artist to react instinctively, creating a layered dialogue that feels spontaneous yet deeply connected.

Scooter LaForge On The Pull Of Instant Connection

For LaForge, the collaboration began with a gut reaction to Haaf’s writing. He encountered the book in a bookstore, opened it, and immediately felt seen by its tone and honesty. That personal response set the stage for everything that followed.

LaForge shares, “This collaboration started with a jolt of instinct. I was roaming the Strand, hungry for something real—maybe a queer love story, maybe just a voice that felt alive. Then I saw the cover of Jason’s book. It hit me. I opened it, read a few lines, and felt that electric pull you only get when something speaks straight to you.”

Art As A Living Response To Intimacy And Tension

LaForge describes the creative flow that followed as immediate and unforced. The work did not come from planning but from feeling. That energy translates directly into the pages, where bold colors and restless lines seem to answer the vulnerability in Haaf’s words.

He says, “The work poured out of me. No forcing, no second-guessing. Just pure response. It felt like opening a vein in the best way.” That sense of release and exposure echoes through Wasteland, making it both deeply personal and widely relatable to anyone who has wrestled with desire and self expression.

Building A Place Called Wasteland

As the project grew, Haaf noticed something unexpected. The collection of pages began to feel like a setting rather than a series of separate works. Wasteland became a metaphorical territory shaped by longing, repetition, escape, and the urge to transform one’s surroundings.

Haaf writes, “Months later, I began sorting about 80 art pieces together. What I found is that Wasteland became a place, a being, a location.” That idea gives the book its emotional weight. Readers move through states of closeness, frustration, fantasy, and reflection as if walking through rooms of a shared interior world.

The Artists Behind The Pages

Scooter LaForge brings decades of experience in painting, sculpture, and drawing to the project. Based in New York’s East Village, his work has appeared in institutions such as the Leslie Lohman Museum in New York and the Friedrichshof Museum in Vienna. His expressive style and interest in emotional storytelling make him a natural partner for a project rooted in confession.

Jason Haaf, a Brooklyn based writer and visual artist, is known for diaristic and memoir driven work. His earlier publications explore intimacy and personal truth through fragmented forms and collage. Together, Haaf and LaForge create a book that feels handcrafted in every sense, guided by instinct and shared trust.

Where To Find Wasteland

Wasteland is published by Doable Guys, a collective dedicated to showcasing homoerotic art and supporting artists who explore personal and creative freedom. The book is available for pre order and purchase through their official site. Readers can learn more and secure a copy at https://doableguys.com/wasteland.

For those drawn to art that lives between vulnerability and visual experimentation, Wasteland offers an experience that stays with you long after the final page.

Share Your Thoughts On Queer Art And Collaboration

Wasteland invites readers into an intimate creative exchange that feels both deeply personal and widely resonant. Have you ever connected with a book or artwork that felt like it understood you? Share your thoughts on collaborative queer art and how projects like this shape LGBTQ storytelling in the comments below.