Local Author Ryan T. Pozzi Makes His Debut with Book: The Mess That Made Them

August 18th, 2026

Ryan T. Pozzi, a local author based in Council Bluffs, is making his debut in the writing world with his narrative nonfiction book, The Mess That Made Them. The book aims to recontextualize the stories of 24 renowned artists, from Van Gogh to Rachmaninoff and even writers such as Mary Shelley. It seeks to debunk the myth of the solitary genius and examine the nuanced challenges that many of these creatives faced. Pozzi says, “The point of the book, for me, at least initially, was to go back and reexamine some of that and try and see them for the people that they were, good and bad.”

Ryan Pozzi has worked to cultivate local talent through his previous work with the Nebraska Writers Collective. Now forging a path of his own, Pozzi is touring The Mess That Made Them through five states and multiple cities. Pozzi says, “But the real experience, the real reward to me is connecting with readers and seeing what they think about it and whether or not they can benefit from it.”

As his first published book, The Mess That Made Them examines the lives of creative figures and reframes the stories of these legendary artists into ones that many local artists can relate to. Pozzi hopes the book might resonate with creatives who may be having doubts about their careers. Pozzi says, “Because what I really want to be doing is making more space for more creative work. There’s so much talent here and so many people who would be doing more if they felt like they were in a position where they could.”

The The Mess That Made Them launch event will take place on September 3 at the Tea Smiths. More information can be found at ryantpozzi.com.