BRIAN JAMES MCGUIRE

Filmmaker | Writer | Educator | Producer

Lecturer – University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts – Film, Video, Animation and New Genres Mitchell Hall B83

Fall 2026 Courses

Directing

Writing for Film

Digital Filmmaking

Senior Project I

Current Work

A novel in progress – Stop Terrorizing the Birds

Stop Terrorizing the Birds – A Novel in progress – Cover Art: Esther Lee Wu

Stop Terrorizing the Birds is set in Utah, in 1992. Twelve-year-old James Maby and his half-brother Skip Keating cut school, wander their rusty neighborhood, and live with parents who fail them. Principal Rhodes says they might be held back in fifth grade, but they’re done with school anyway. They need to get away from the lies parents tell, the indifference from teachers, and the violence they encounter.

James finds a gun in an alley and becomes attached to what it makes him feel: stronger, more in control, and a little less invisible. But Skip’s mom abruptly takes him to another town. Alone, James has nowhere to go but to school. Then Skip makes his way back and their plan to run away to Norway or Los Angeles is for real now. The gun will protect them.

JOIN THE MAILING LIST FOR Stop Terrorizing the Birds here

A spotify list of songs that are mentioned in the novel or were inspiring while writing.