DAVID KITZMILLER

WRITER, AUTHOR, POET, SONGWRITER

WELCOME TO THE TOASTER UNIVERSE

From the creative mind of David Kitzmiller 

The Toaster Universe began long before the first book or album. It traces back to David Kitzmiller’s early years...

The name “Toaster Universe” reflects the role the object played throughout Kitzmiller’s life. In the period leading up to A Step Away from Bathing with a Toaster, the toaster represented the point where his internal voice had nearly gone silent — a moment shaped by years of instability, exhaustion, and emotional collapse. It was the object that marked how close he had come to losing himself entirely.

Upon reflection, Kitzmiller recognized that the toaster had been present long before adulthood. It symbolized the conditions he was born into — a childhood marked by abuse, fear, and the need to find a way out. Kitzmiller describes it as “being born with a toaster in the bathroom,” not because of the object itself, but because the circumstances of his early life created an environment where escape felt like the only option.

Writing became the alternative. Poetry offered Kitzmiller a way to step outside those circumstances, to create something instead of being defined by them. Every book, poem, and project that followed grew from that decision. The Toaster Universe is the body of work built from choosing creation over collapse, and from bringing those works “from the toaster” rather than being consumed by it.

That universe grew…

The "Dealing with the Toaster" Memoir Series.

The memoirs form the historical foundation of the Toaster Universe. They document the periods of Kitzmiller’s life that shaped his creative work, providing context for the themes and ideas that appear throughout the rest of the universe. Each book reflects a different stage of his personal history and establishes the framework from which the later branches developed.

• Born with a Toaster in the Bathroom 
  This memoir covers Kitzmiller’s early years, outlining the circumstances and experiences that influenced his initial approach to writing. It presents the environment in which his creative work first emerged and establishes several elements that later become part of the Toaster Universe.

• A Step Away from Bathing with a Toaster 
  Written after his return to writing in Australia, this memoir marks the beginning of the Toaster Universe as a defined body of work. It addresses the period leading up to that turning point and documents the transition from a prolonged absence from writing to the start of a new creative direction.

Together, these memoirs provide the core narrative that informs the poetry, fiction, and music that followed. They serve as the entry point into the broader creative framework Kitzmiller continues to develop.

Poems from the Toaster (Volume I, II, and III)

Poetry is the foundation of the Toaster Universe. It is where Kitzmiller’s creative work began, long before the memoirs, novels, or musical projects took shape. Writing poems at twelve provided a way to navigate a difficult home environment, and the form became the earliest structure he relied on to make sense of his world. After returning to writing in adulthood, poetry was the first medium he rebuilt.

The Poems from the Toaster series (Volumes I, II, and III) reflects that origin. Each volume contains more than ninety pieces, with every poem designed as an individual visual asset. The work combines text with typography, photography, illustration, and graphic design, creating a format that departs from traditional poetry collections and establishes the aesthetic direction of the Toaster Universe.

Kitzmiller is a six‑time Critic’s Choice winner, and the series received top honors at the Northeastern Poetry Summit. These volumes form the creative bridge between the personal history documented in the memoirs and the fictional and musical work that followed, carrying forward the voice that began the universe and shaping the visual and tonal identity of everything built after it.

Fiction represents the part of the Toaster Universe where imagination takes the lead. It is where Kitzmiller explores the “what if” questions that have followed him throughout his life — the alternate paths, the unrealized possibilities, and the scenarios that never had the chance to unfold. These works are not extensions of the memoirs, but separate worlds shaped by curiosity and creative speculation.

In Kitzmiller’s fiction, dreams and fantasies are allowed to play out, even when the outcomes are imperfect or unexpected. The stories examine how life might have looked under different circumstances, reflecting the same attention to personal history and emotional truth found in his nonfiction, but through a lens that is free to diverge from reality.

This branch of the Toaster Universe expands the creative landscape beyond lived experience, offering narrative space for the ideas that exist outside the autobiographical timeline.

Nameless Cowfish: The Years Between The Stations

The Debut Novel from David Kitzmiller.

Nameless Cowfish: The Years Between the Stations follows a garage band from Sheridan, Indiana, tracing their development, setbacks, and the period between their early efforts and later outcomes. Although fictional, the novel maintains continuity with themes present in the memoirs and poetry, reflecting the same focus on personal history, creative direction, and the influence of formative experiences.

The novel also connects directly to the musical branch of the Toaster Universe. The fictional band featured in the book became the subject of Rust Belt Thunder, a tribute album recorded by real musicians and released through Ace of Toaster Records. This crossover illustrates how the literary and musical components of the universe intersect and how one branch can inform another.

The novel serves as a link between the earlier memoir and poetry work and the subsequent musical catalog, contributing to the broader structure of the Toaster Universe.

Independent Discography & Production.

Every great road trip requires a great soundtrack. Life is no different. Music has always been the companion to Kitzmiller’s writing — the right songs for the right moment, the genre that fits the words coming out. As the Toaster Universe expanded, the musical branch developed alongside the memoirs, poetry, and fiction, offering a parallel way to express the themes that run through his work.

Ace of Toaster Records serves as the home for that catalog. The label includes multiple independent releases, each shaped by the same creative sensibilities found in the written material. Some projects connect directly to the fiction, such as Rust Belt Thunder, the tribute album inspired by the band in Nameless Cowfish: The Years Between the Stations. Others stand alone, reflecting different periods, influences, and directions.

Together, the musical works form the soundtrack of the Toaster Universe — not an accessory, but an extension of the same voice, carried through a different medium.

Corporate & Creative Inquiries.

For media requests, rights licensing, collaboration proposals, or official correspondence regarding the Norman Kitzmiller Publications portfolio, please utilize our primary point of contact.

A Note from Management: If you have arrived at this catalog because you are currently going through your own dark spaces, please know that you do not have to carry it alone. Critical mental health and crisis support networks are actively listed on our About page.