The Clackity
Lora Senf
Lora Senf is our new favorite children’s author on this third day of February. Her debut book titled The Clackity will be officially available in June. Feel free to pre-order it today for a youngster in your life or for the child in you.
We came across Lora’s writings months ago and we were hooked. Reading about the upcoming release of The Clackity gave us a reason to connect with this cool mom of twins who is busy and keeps it real. It is almost 2 years since lockdown rules went into effect because of Covid-19. Although the situation has improved, the struggle to keep a positive outlook ain’t all that easy. |
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Reading Lora Senf's work helps. We especially appreciate her #BeatTheBlues strategy. Lora said, “I start and end my day with gratitude. Every day, no exceptions. Even the days that suck. Especially the days that suck.” We are grateful for the opportunity to connect with a writer like Lora Senf. The Clackity is set to be a fan favorite. We are betting on it.
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What it Meant to Survive
Mala Kumar
Mala Kumar is a talented writer and an unpretentious trailblazer who is an inspiration to many, including me, her old friend from grad school. Her areas of interest include the tech world and international development. Her professional experiences and achievements serve as proof of her ambitions and capabilities.
She is a real-world hero with laser sharp vision and mental powers used to finding relevant solutions. Adding to her busy schedule, Mala is in the process of preparing for the publication of her second novel titled What It Meant to Survive. Surviving a mass shooting is at the center of Mala’s story. Similar to her first novel – The Paths of Marriage – this is also a fictionalized story based on true events. |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
What It Meant to Survive addresses delicate questions and explores the dark aftermath of mass shootings and gun violence. Mala's book is a call to action that demands attention from all sides.
Read more and stay tuned for details about the release date of Mala Kumar's What It Meant to Survive.
Read more and stay tuned for details about the release date of Mala Kumar's What It Meant to Survive.
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
Laura Albert
Looking back, Laura Albert anticipated just about all of it. Long before we had split our personas into the lives we truly live and the images that we choose to create our personas on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and everywhere else, Albert created her own avatar. Before the lingo of gender fluidity and transgender identity became commonplace, Albert was writing novels and stories under the name of JT LeRoy, a former teenage West Virginia truckstop prostitute who made his way to San Francisco and wrote the novel Sarah and the short-story collection The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. – Adam Langer
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Both of Laura Albert's JT LeRoy books have been reissued by HarperCollins and are now also available as audiobooks from Blackstone Publishing. Laura is also the subject of Jeff Feuerzeig’s feature documentary Author: The JT LeRoy Story and Lynn Hershman Leeson’s film The Ballad of JT LeRoy. Laura’s writing has brought her to speaking engagements from the story-telling series The Moth in New York to Foyles bookstore in London and Brazil’s international Bienal Brasil do Livro e da Leitura, where Laura and Alice Walker were the 2012 U.S. representatives.
Laura took time off from her new book about her life and JT LeRoy to send us her responses to our interview questions.
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Laura took time off from her new book about her life and JT LeRoy to send us her responses to our interview questions.
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Jillian A. Fantin
Poetry
Where are we at this point in time? What do we do to achieve some basic requirements helping us to feel fulfilled? Who motivates us? How do we connect with new and inspiring ideas? Why do we seek novel experiences and adventures? So many questions. So little time. With that in mind, we turn to first-hand accounts and stimulating works by emerging talent. It's all in the name of reading the room and bonding with the spiritual and creative prowess in every corner of our vibrant communities.
Jillian A. Fantin is an MFA candidate at the University of Notre Dame. They are the recipient of a 2021 Poet Fellowship from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and they regularly collaborate with Chicago-based mixed media artist Kate Luther. Jillian’s poetry is published in or forthcoming from The American Journal of Poetry, TIMBER, The Daily Drunk, Entropy, wind up mice, Selcouth Station, Homology Lit, and elsewhere.
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Jillian A. Fantin is an MFA candidate at the University of Notre Dame. They are the recipient of a 2021 Poet Fellowship from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and they regularly collaborate with Chicago-based mixed media artist Kate Luther. Jillian’s poetry is published in or forthcoming from The American Journal of Poetry, TIMBER, The Daily Drunk, Entropy, wind up mice, Selcouth Station, Homology Lit, and elsewhere.
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No Secrets Allowed
Kana Wu
Kana Wu is a romance writer. No Romance Allowed and No Secrets Allowed are her two published books that have received great reviews by readers around the world. Kana initially planned to write mystery novels. Then she had a change of heart and wrote two captivating romance books. Check them out!
Kana’s ideas keep flowing every hour of day and night. Another book is in the works. It will not be part of the storyline she has presented so far. Isn't it exciting to be waiting for more good writing by a familiar voice? Talking to Kana Wu makes it clear that a writer’s life is a never-ending exploration of ideas and thoughts. |
Kana enjoys her daily activities as she keeps jotting down notes that might end up as another readers’ top pick.
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That Distinct Atmosphere
Roger Aplon
A conversation with poet and writer Roger Aplon shows that embracing life in its natural hues helps when you are seeking purpose and joy. Roger is a poetic soul whose body of work presents a vibrant landscape of his life’s journey. Dare yourself to follow in this poet's footsteps by maintaining a healthy sense of adventure while also investing time and energy in your passions. Connect with a talented author who never shies away from complexity, while also adopting various styles of writing with rich colors and vitality.
Aplon says, “I don’t intentionally write ‘themed’ books but rather arrange my collections around the calendar: what has touched me, intrigued me, stimulated me – personally, politically and/or socially during this/that time.” |
There is plenty of amazing sights to see through the eyes of a writer who has dedicated his life to his craft and keeps finding joy in every passing moment because of it. The Omnipotent Sorceror is one of Roger Aplon’s latest books but start with his talk with us for more.
Searching for Jimmy Page
Christy Alexander Hallberg
Christy Alexander Hallberg is a writer, educator, traveler, music lover with a lot of heart and loads of enthusiasm for the works of art and people who inspire her. We connected with Christy to discuss her debut novel Searching for Jimmy Page, forthcoming from Livingston Press. It is a story of self-discovery as much as it is about healing and love. Celebrated author Liza Wieland praises Christy’s book. She writes,“In her wondrous first novel, Christy Hallberg gives us a mystery, a mother-daughter love story, a paean to rock and roll, and a window into the culture of eastern North Carolina, all joined seamlessly by the elegance and poetry of her writing.” Christy's debut book is like entering a world where layers of dense feelings and scores of mythical or admired characters open up new ways of understanding life and discovering more about the meaning of identity and memory.
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Add Searching for Jimmy Page to your reading list. Read our conversation with Christy Alexander Hallberg to see how passionate people operate and manage the highs and lows of life without filters and fakery.
Grace and the Flesh-Eating Popcorn
Vanessa Bernice De La Cruz
Vanessa Bernice De La Cruz is an emerging writer and artist from Los Angeles, CA. She has been writing since before she learned the alphabet - drawing doodles of well-known stories and writing gibberish underneath them to (unsuccessfully) sell them in a fenced backyard. She enjoys writing because it's a way of getting our dreams on paper and she's currently working on both a novel and a collection of short stories. You can connect with Vanessa here.
Metallic Heart
Liahona West
"Metallic Heart is a post-apocalyptic romance novel. It is that and more. It is a story about redemption, self-love, and learning how to navigate trauma."
Liahona West is a new writer who deserves your attention today. Her love for literature is a lifelong endeavor. Her daily writing routine is what accentuates her superpowers. Liahona is a writer whose literary path is open and promising. Her debut novel Metallic Heart has garnered much praise for its accurate representation of relevant topics such as trauma, anxiety but also love. Check out our conversation with Liahona West and buy her book. Read more... |
Fellow Travellers
Jesse Bethea
Jesse Bethea is the author of Fellow Travellers. It is a science fiction/fantasy adventure about a community of time travellers that live in our world without us noticing. The story is quite interesting. It is well written and it truly transports you far away. No wonder it won the 2019 Great Novel Contest by the Ohio Writers’ Association. The writer, Jesse Bethea, is a busy creative. He does not sugarcoat things and he is not one to shy away from doing the work that it takes to complete any major project.
Writing a novel and sharing it with the world is not easy. It takes time and dedication. It takes discipline and grit. Jesse Bethea has those qualities and more. Read his Fellow Travellers but before jumping into that fun journey enjoy our conversation with him. |
The Fort - a new book for kids of all ages
Laura Perdew
Laura Perdew is a writer, an educator, and also a builder of forts and all kinds of magical worlds. Her most recent book is titled The Fort. It is a great read for kids and parents alike. Buy a copy of Laura’s latest book and begin your own adventures in forts built indoors or outdoors. Be creative and do the best you can with any materials you have around you.
Pause worrying about the difficulties we are facing, listen to Laura Perdew’s advice and remind yourself that this is a great opportunity for families to come together to play games, dance, draw, paint, play music, and cook together. As The Fort’s author says, “Whatever you do – disconnect and be together.” |
Before you turn off your computers, tablets, and phones, enjoy Laura Perdew’s interview, and plan your week by getting inspired to build your fort whether on a piece of paper or in the living room.
Be Happy, Even If Not All the Time
Sean Wai Keung
Allow yourself to not ‘be happy’ all the time. That’s too much pressure. Take some time away from it all if you can. And if you can’t, and you’re still struggling, then actively plan to take some time off at some point in the future.
Sean Wai Keung shares his thoughts and his poetry with us. He is a creator who is captivated by verse and flavors that connect the world. He hails from Glasgow where he has been learning new things and unlearning old habits to make life more fun. Good souls are ageless e is an expression that comes to mind while reviewing our conversation with Sean. Try to find peace within yourself and link up with others who enjoy sharing experiences and knowledge. Read, seek and savor new and familiar flavors in poetry and food. Read more... |
Wild Minds
Reid Mitenbuler
Reid Mitenbuler is a writer who enjoys being busy with intense research projects resulting in awesome books about interesting matters . His recent publication, titled Wild Minds, dives into the first fifty years of animation showcasing some fascinating facts associated with that era. The book is a tale that brings together all these different threads about politics, economics, and creativity. The author says that the studios behind so many iconic cartoon characters - Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, etc. - were full of highly creative people whose histories are relatively unknown. Check out Wild Minds to learn new details about them and the world of animation at large.
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Reid Mitenbuler is the type of thoughtful man who knows lots of remarkable details about a number of impressive topics. He comes across as a level headed writer with an eclectic musical palette and solid tips about bourbon, currently focused on his new baby. Just as an idea, wouldn't we be better off focusing more on the work of people like Reid Mitenbuler in order to help ourselves adapt a chill attitude towards everyday life and long term goals? Start here.
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What Carries Us
Emily Jungmin Yoon
Emily Jungmin Yoon is a poet who has already defined her presence in the literary community with publications, fellowships, and reputable awards. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Korean literature. Emily is also the poetry editor for The Margins, the literary magazine of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop.
We are glad to share with you Emily's understanding of the world which is detailed, elaborate, and right on point. Enjoy her poems as her word choice is impeccable under every circumstance. Our interview with Emily Jungmin Yoon will set the right tone for the week ahead. This is our way of tending to our minds. Join us! |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Poetry & Anthropology
Nomi Stone
Nomi Stone. Creative. Honest. Dedicated. Open. Inviting. She is an explorer, a thorough researcher. She teaches college courses at highly respectable institutions and still never gives up being a student, a learner of topics wide-ranging and always interesting. She is a poet. She is an anthropologist. In Nomi’s words, “I choose questions or problems that make me feel uneasy and restless, that complicate my position, and that push my seeing.”
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The Map of Salt and Stars
Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
It’s a weird world. Or is it beautiful and we are too distracted to truly enjoy it? Are we too caught up on the latest, fastest, craziest scene? You have to meet people like Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar and that’s when you feel hopeful, again. Reality is not as dreary as someone shouts and touts. There are plenty of amazingly talented people who seek, create, share and connect.
The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar contains some of the most beautiful writing published now. Read about the world in colors, smells, feelings, portraits and landscapes as Jennifer sees it and you’ll feel your heartbeat like you haven’t in a while. |
The present and the future demand more understanding, compassion, empathy, civility. Not less. Never less. Read Jennifer Zeynam Joukhadar’s full interview and you’ll agree that brilliant and humble, inspiring and down to earth can be used, although are not sufficient, to describe one person we are so honored to know and call our own…
Mind Over Matter
Shira Erlichman
Today is a good day because we get to share with you a glimpse of the work and portrait of Shira Erlichman. Her debut collection of poetry titled, Odes to Lithium, will have its launch party at the Ace Hotel in New York on October 4. This is a party you want to attend, but even if you can't be there, try to make it to any other events featuring Shira Erlichman. It is delightful to meet eloquent and honest people like her and listen to her talking about her poetry and her views on life. Get to know Shira through her work and think about what impact do we have on the world and how we are affected by each other; the issues we face, the feelings we share or hide.
Shira writes, “With all of my writing, my hope is to invite my reader deeper into the mystery & joy, as well as the complexity & ache, of being alive.” Read our conversation with Shira and you will see why we think she is one of the most impressive people you need to know through her words, music, and art work. |
First Aid Box
Jenny Drai
“Literature, making it, experiencing it, feels like a wonderful way to celebrate joy, survival, and the fact that we often find ways to work through pain and sorrow and create beauty from it.” These are the words of Jenny Drai who is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She is a sage soul drawn to historical and literary oddities, searching for the epic in the everyday, documenting and sharing some beautiful struggles of her transatlantic life.
Look at life as is. Deal with it. Don’t hide. Take a time-out if necessary and make adjustments for a better understanding of your own condition and see human nature for what it is. Explore new routes of survival. Nothing is easy. Be Aware of the fact that there will always be questions left unanswered. But at least try, and then try again and never give up. Read more... |
What Belongs to You
Garth Greenwell
Garth Greenwell’s first novel, What Belongs to You, is the 2016 winner of The British Book Award for Debut of the Year. It was longlisted for The National Book Award. It was the Finalist for The Pen/Faulkner Award, a Finalist for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the list goes on and on and on. If you listen to Garth Greenwell, it almost sounds as if he credits most of his book's success to a stroke of luck. But you have to read the book to see why readers and critics love it as much as they do. The book deserves all the love.
Garth Greenwell is an amazing writer who came to fiction through the world of opera and poetry. He experiences life through an expressive set of eyes that are the mirror to a beautiful soul of a strong and sensitive character. One of the ideas that is reinforced by conversing with Garth is that t’s not worth living life by other people’s definitions. |
Garth tells us, “I do think we all live by constantly negotiating between what we desire and what we can bear. I don’t think there’s any escape from that.” Read What Belongs to You, if you have not already done so, and be on the waiting list for Garth Greenwell's next book. For now check out his conversation with us.
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You're The Most Beautiful Thing That Happened
Arisa White
Arisa White is a Cave Canem fellow, Sarah Lawrence College alumna, an MFA graduate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of the poetry chapbooks Disposition for Shininess, Post Pardon, and Black Pearl.
She was selected by the San Francisco Bay Guardian for the 2010 Hot Pink List and is a member of the PlayGround writers’ pool; her play Frigidare was staged for the 15th Annual Best of Play Ground Festival. Nominated for Pushcart Prizes in 2005 and 2014, her poetry has been published widely and is featured on the recording WORD with the Jessica Jones Quartet. |
Recipient of the inaugural Rose O’Neill Literary House summer residency at Washington College in Maryland, Arisa has also received residencies, fellowships, or scholarships from Juniper Summer Writing Institute, Headlands Center for the Arts, Port Townsend Writers’ Conference, Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Hedgebrook, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Prague Summer Program, Fine Arts Work Center, and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
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All About Love
Lang Leav
Lang Leav is a writer who likes to blur the lines between poetry and prose, alternating between traditional poetry to free verse. She writes for the broken hearted, the ones who are trying to make sense of their feelings. Readers around the world adore her writing and so do we. Reading what Lang Leav shared with us is the biggest and best treat one could ever wish for. It’s as if getting special access to her magic making world. Lang Leav is beautiful in every sense of the word. She knows, understands, conveys the meaning of love and other complex themes with striking simplicity. She does it so effortlessly because that’s her vernacular.
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But could you have ever imagined that Lang Leav’s life began in a Thai refugee camp where her parents were seeking refuge from the Khmer Rouge regime? Lang told us, “I grew up in the midst of collective sadness and despair... As a child, writing was an escape for me. It wasn’t so much a choice as it was a necessity.”
Years later, in 2013, to be exact, it was her book “Love & Misadventure” that unassumingly took on the leading role in getting the younger generation hooked on poetry again. Her poetry was the unintentional and most effective counterargument to the Washington Post article (of the same year) suggesting that poetry was dead. Poetry will never die because of writers like Lang Leav. Sad Girls is Lang Leav's debut novel with a worldwide release date of 5/30/2017.
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Years later, in 2013, to be exact, it was her book “Love & Misadventure” that unassumingly took on the leading role in getting the younger generation hooked on poetry again. Her poetry was the unintentional and most effective counterargument to the Washington Post article (of the same year) suggesting that poetry was dead. Poetry will never die because of writers like Lang Leav. Sad Girls is Lang Leav's debut novel with a worldwide release date of 5/30/2017.
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Nathan Brown
He Thrived On Being Misunderstood
He thrived on being misunderstood. Loved
how students and colleagues didn’t “get” his poems, yet talked about how important they thought they were. Laughed at the extent to which he didn’t get them either… he just needed tenure. Benefits. If his Ph.D. had taught him anything, it was that the appearance of profundity is the Swiss bank account of academia. And if he were as honest with others as he was with me over a third margarita, he would tell them, looking around to see who else was listening, that really he just likes the Mexican food and coffee shops in Austin. |
Nathan Brown is an author, singer/songwriter, and award-winning poet. He served as Poet Laureate of Oklahoma in 2013/2014. He is one of the most curious, adventurous, and busy artist you’ll meet. Life is thrilling because of people like Nathan and the body of work he creates daily. Art in many forms and shapes, always striking, moving, heartfelt, is Nathan Brown’s life. To be Nathan Brown it takes talent, discipline, dedication. He has an inner light that’s unlike any other and that demands and deserves to be shared with others at a workshop, conference, house concert, big venue reading, festivals in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina and more. This is your chance to get to know a man whose universe is vast and his ability to create and connect through words, sounds, visuals is natural.
Get inspired and be one of those people who “go the extra 1,000 miles it takes to discover what they were meant to do… what their soul was built for… and then do it. No matter the cost. No matter the loss.” Read poetry. Read books by Nathan Brown. Go beyond facades. Explore the world in a budget by seeing it through the eyes of artists like Nathan. Live full heartedly.
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Get inspired and be one of those people who “go the extra 1,000 miles it takes to discover what they were meant to do… what their soul was built for… and then do it. No matter the cost. No matter the loss.” Read poetry. Read books by Nathan Brown. Go beyond facades. Explore the world in a budget by seeing it through the eyes of artists like Nathan. Live full heartedly.
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(made)
Cara Benson
Cara Benson is a writer whose work you want to read today. We discovered her through her book of prose poems titled (made). She is very knowledgeable and generous in knowledge sharing. She reads, writes, and earns her living as a writing mentor and editor.
Take this chance to learn about Cara Benson’s life as a writer, discoveries of other writers, her definitions of happiness and success and more. You may even find some new ideas to get you inspired in your own routine. Cara’s daily essentials are pretty reliable. Take note and adopt. |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Time. To daydream. To wander archives. To start and stop sentences. Move a paragraph, then move it back. Put a manuscript in the proverbial drawer for a while. Think about it while looking out the window.
Read what Cara Benson shared with us and rest assured that it’ll be a refreshing way to start your day.
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Read what Cara Benson shared with us and rest assured that it’ll be a refreshing way to start your day.
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Phyla of Joy
Karen An-hwei Lee
Karen An-hwei Lee is a published author of poetry, fiction, essays, & translations. Her work is selected for various anthologies and it appears in over a hundred respectable publishing platforms. Her volume of Song Dynasty translations, Doubled Radiance: Poetry & Prose by Li Qingzhao, is forthcoming (Singing Bone Press, 2018) and her avant-garde novel, Sonata in K was published last year (Ellipsis Press, 2017). Lee is a voting member of the National Book Critics Circle and she has over a decade of university level teaching experience. A former writing resident at MacDowell Colony of the Arts and the Millay Arts Colony, Lee holds an M.F.A. in Literary Arts from Brown University and a Ph.D. in British & American Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.
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It would take a whole lot more to write out in detail the list of achievements, awards, and recognition that Karen An-hewi Lee has received for her writing. But it’s best if you read her exclusive interview for our HocTok community. Read her poetry and don’t hesitate to reach out for more. It’ll be easy to connect to the humanity, empathy, and serenity transmitted through the author’s sincere words and thoughts.
Don’t we all need to hear more from a good-hearted human being who thrives on the complexity of her creative mind to imagine, discover, and inspire.
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Don’t we all need to hear more from a good-hearted human being who thrives on the complexity of her creative mind to imagine, discover, and inspire.
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Matter Out of Place
James Ijames
…Sit next to someone you don’t know and feel their humanity through the filter of collective suspension of disbelief. You’ll be reminded of what it feels like to be a kid again and pretend again. Don’t come to the theatre because it’s what fancy people do, come to the theatre because its freakin’ dope to breath with an instant community.
This is an open invitation from James Ijames, a performer and playwright based in Philadelphia.
This is an open invitation from James Ijames, a performer and playwright based in Philadelphia.
Ijames is a young artist, creative mind, and activist who works, writes, performs where his heart is: in the vibrant city of Philadelphia where the support for the arts and artists is natural and never ending. His body of work has won praise by local and national audiences of theater goers, newcomers, and serious critics. He is the 2017 recipient of the Whiting Award, a 2015 Pew Fellow for Playwriting, the 2015 winner of the Terrance McNally New Play Award for his play titled WHITE among other praise he has earned. James Ijames is a founding member of Orbiter 3, Philadelphia’s first playwright producing collective and a mentor of The Foundry. He is Assistant Professor of Theatre at Villanova University and resides in South Philadelphia.
Read more about James Ijames and his brilliant ideas about life in theatre and outside it. Get inspired and buy a pair of theatre tickets to experience a live show this week or even this month.
Read more about James Ijames and his brilliant ideas about life in theatre and outside it. Get inspired and buy a pair of theatre tickets to experience a live show this week or even this month.
Shayla Lawson
The Rihanna of Poetry
In a day like today, you need to hear from Shayla Lawson. She is a writer. Cool headed, clear, concise, never the one to dwell on the two-dimensional. Always finding a ray of hope and if anything else disappoints, it’s writing that soothes her.
I Think I'm Ready To See Frank Ocean is a good starting point of how Shayla excels in transmitting emotions through her poetry in personal narrative and social critique all while playing homage to Frank Ocean. Shayla Lawson is also the author of A Speed Education in Human Being (Sawyer House Press) and the chapbook PANTONE (Miel Books). |
We’re glad to introduce this Brooklyn based writer to our wider community. Brooklyn is cool because of Shayla's creative energy and presence is appreciated here. Looking forward to reading more from the Rihanna of Poetry.
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BORDERS kiLL
Justen Ahren
Cultivate a writing practice in Orvieto, Italy, every November with Justen Ahren, the current Martha's Vineyard Poet Laureate. Enjoy some of his impressive photography or listen to his music as he shares it with the world. Be reminded of what The Real People are made of and what the journey of life is all about. Forget copy/paste influencers in trendy spots or angry faces who have lost their senses. Keep exploring. Keep making. Keep sharing. Do it all in a kind, humble, and sincere manner as you see in Justen Ahren’s body of work. Carve your path and make it more than a mere survival routine. Make it count! Read more...
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The Length of a String
Elissa Brent Weissman
Elissa Brent Weissman is a writer, an educator, and all around creative powerhouse with a good sense of humor and a great understanding of the world we live in. Elissa writes children’s books and her latest one is titled The Length of a String. This should be a good read even for adults especially that it is historical fiction inspired by real time events and story lines. Younger readers are as attentive and sometimes even more difficult to impress than adults so if their attention is captivated by Elissa Brent Weissman books that’s the best reviews to rely on.
Although it’s worth mentioning that Elissa’s other books such as the popular Nerd CampSeries, The Short Seller, Our Story Begins: Your Favorite Authors and Illustrators |
Share Fun, Inspiring, and Occasionally Ridiculous Things They Wrote and Drew as Kids have won awards and have been praised by the likes of The Washington Times, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, and others. So, anytime you are faced with the opportunity of buying a gift for a young reader, go for one of Elissa Brent Weissman’s books. It will be a meaningful gift that will last the test of time.
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The Double Game
Dan Fesperman
"...Now that was interesting. Tolleson was the traitorous creation at the heart of Lemaster’s magnum opus, The Double Game, in which Folly unmasks his lifelong friend and colleague Don Tolleson as a Soviet double agent. Was Lemaster admitting that he, too, had been a mole hunter? None of his press clippings had even hinted at that.
“So did you ever find one?” I asked. “Who was your Don Tolleson?” Lemaster frowned, as if realizing he’d said too much. He swallowed more claret, then launched into a paragraph on the nature of betrayal. This time the answer felt rehearsed, and it skirted my question. I tried again. |
“But what about you personally? You wrote The Double Game while you were still with the CIA. It must have been a guilty pleasure to contemplate betrayal to such depths..."
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Girl at War
Sara Nović
Sara Nović writes to process her feelings. Writing to her is synonymous with thinking. What she writes and what she thinks flow eloquently from a place of honesty.
This is your chance to read our interview with Sara Nović, a gifted writer who is motivated to get people to empathize with others. Today’s world needs empathy in abundance. Getting a glimpse of the world through the words of Sara Nović is a starting point in the right direction. Girl at War (Random House, 2015) is Sara’s work that won the American Library Association Alex Award. It was an LA Times book prize finalist as well as being long-listed for the Baileys Prize for Women’s Fiction. Read more... |
GODSONG
Amit Majmudar
Amit Majmudar is a diagnostic nuclear radiologist and a writer as well as a poet, a really good poet. He is the first poet laureate of Ohio. His latest book Dothead will definitely make you think, laugh, smile and give you the key to a magical world that is more complex and intense that you could imagine. His translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita, Godsong, which comes out on March 20th, will also be a reading that you will cherish.
We had the good fortune to learn more from Amit Majmudar, the poet who dedicates his life to medicine, to literature and to his beautiful family. The essential truths that Amit Majmudar tells in a few paragraphs provide really good food for thought. Dig in! |
Reading poetry that keeps things in perspective, that includes humor, that is truthful about the past, the present and realistic of what's to come, should help us prioritize what matters. Amit Majmudar's take on life and his vital work in medicine and literature are a starting point to look inward and the world around us. Start by asking questions: who are we, who we want and can be, who we love, who loves us, what we care about and start clearing paths of any unnecessary clutter. Every passing minute matters.
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Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi
The Mesmerizing World of Fra Keeler's Author
Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi is the author of Fra Keeler (Dorothy, a publishing project) and the chapbook Girona (New Herring Press). She is the recipient of a 2015 Whiting Writers' Award, a MacDowell Fellowship, and a Fulbright Fellowship to Catalonia, Spain. Her work can be found or is forthcoming in BOMB, The Believer, The Brooklyn Rail, Words without Borders, and The American Reader. She is an Assistant Professor in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Notre Dame.
In March, Van der Vliet Oloomi was named a 2015 Whiting Award winner for “early accomplishment and the promise of great work to come.” “Fra Keeler firmly establishes Van der Vliet Oloomi in the tradition of writers like Nikolai Gogol, Clarice Lispector, Witold Gombrowicz, and Cesar Aira.” - The Coffin Factory |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
“It’s a stunning psychological thriller, a total identification with madness that creates drama without either belittling or romanticizing the insane.” - Los Angeles Times
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The Land of Dreams
Vidar Sundstøl
Vidar Sundstøl is a Norwegian writer who has become increasingly known in the US for his crime fiction. He is the author of what is known as the Minnesota Trilogy. The Land of Dreams is part of that trilogy. The author speaks about the two-years it took him to write it. Good work takes time. The story is set in an American-Norwegian environment of north shore of Lake Superior. For that reason, it was mostly people of Scandinavian roots who were among the first American fans of Vidar Sundstøl’s writing.
But that is changing by the day and that’s simply awesome. After all, as the writer says, the quality of work is all that should matter. |
If you are a crime fiction lover or if you simply like good writing, reach out for a book by Vidar Sundstøl. Whatever you do, always keep reading! Enjoy...
Mary La Chapelle
Absorbed in the Moment
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
It’s a new beginning. More hope. More inspiration. More work. The reason for all this positive energy is the extraordinary HocTok community with the growing number of amazingly talented people from across the country and around the world.
One of these fantastic humans is Mary La Chapelle. She is a writer, a successful one at that. She is a professor who is really invested in teaching her craft to younger generations. She is an intellectual who feels just as happy fixing a meal or a door or walking across a bridge or listening to someone telling her a story. Mary La Chapelle is the type of artist who doesn’t brag about what she has accomplished. She doesn’t bother with superficiality. She takes a cross country road trip when she feels the type of disconnect that is cause for outrage or disbelief. Enough said. Just read Mary La Chapelle’s interview and an excerpt of a new story she is sharing for the first time with us. Your time is precious but this kind of reading is so worth it. |
Mary La Chapelle is the author of "House of Heroes and Other Stories"; stories, essays and anthologies published by New River’s Press, Atlantic Monthly Press, Columbia Journal, Global City Review, Hungry Mind Review, North American Review, Salamander, Passages North, News Day, The New York Times; recipient of the O’Henry Prize, PEN/Nelson Algren, National Library Association, Loft McKnight and The Whiting Foundation Award, and fellowships from NYFA, the Hedgebrook, Katherine Anne Porter, Edward Albee and Bush foundations. She lives in Bronxville New York and San Francisco and teaches at Sarah Lawrence College. Read more...
My Friend fear
Meera Lee Patel
On this day, we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. Reading Dr. King’s notes in preparation of his sermon on “The Mastery of Fear,” we cannot help but make a connection with our reading pick of the day.
It is Meera Lee Patel’s newly published book titled, My Friend Fear. It is a beautiful work of art that will make anyone reflect, smile and react. Meera’s rendition is an honest take about a tremendously complex concept. She writes, fear is not something to be conquered—it is not a consequence or punishment for being weak or anxious. The author explains that fear is only an indication of our truest desires and dreams, and it’s something that can help guide us... |
Meera Lee Patel is a poet at heart as well as a talented, self-taught illustrator who shares some profound thoughts in the most sincere and uplifting way possible. Her language flows. Her colorful illustrations are easy to fall in love with. The topic she tackles is as relevant as ever. Get a glimpse of Meera Lee Patel’s universe. It is enchanting and inspiring.
Enjoy her interview and an excerpt of her book here...
Enjoy her interview and an excerpt of her book here...
Get Yer Rocks Off...
April Michelle Bratten
April Michelle Bratten is poet, editor, and curator who lives in Minot, North Dakota. It’s exciting to hear a new voice who brings a new perspective to the table. April is very young and she has a long road ahead of her. But she is a precious soul who has already collected some amazing life experiences living and traveling around the country and across the world as a proud army brat. April’s poetry is a big indicator of her character and her rich inner world. You can read some of her thoughts and couple of her poems here. Her poetry is also published in the Southeast Review, THRUSH Poetry Journal, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, Stirring, and others.
April is the editor of 'Up the Staircase Quarterly' since 2008 and she is also a contributing editor at 'Words Dance Publishing', where she writes the article 'Three to Read'. |
April Michelle Bratten is that talented, interesting friend who shares your love for reading and writing. Even better, she also loves beer, sports, camping, and more. It doesn’t get any cooler than that, does it? Read more...
Text, Don't Call
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura
Today is the day that we have been waiting for a while. Our HocTok friend INFJoe is having a book launch event online. Text, Don't Call is an illustrated guide to the introverted life. Introverts and extroverts gather, listen, read, ask questions and be present. Do so at the comfort of your chosen space, behind the security of your own screen. It's a given that you will learn fun, quirky tips how to live a full life as an introvert and how to better understand and love the introverts around you.
We trust InfJoe as his knowledge is based on his own experiences and his real life accounts of his friends and family. His witty humor and practical advice will convert into true believers even the cynical among us. For starters, keep in mind that "introversion is not a defect, but rather a matter of natural wiring." Whatever you do "...Don't try to 'fix' the introverts" you know and love. Instead make a serious effort to "Appreciate them for who they were meant to be..." Start by diving into "Text, Don't Call", the best book on this relevant subject matter written and illustrated by an author whose work you will adore and follow... |
INFJoe is the nom de cartoon of artist Aaron Caycedo-Kimura. Aaron drummed his way to The Juilliard School in New York City via the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He created INFJoe during a creative rut in 2012 and discovered the incredibly receptive introvert community.
He and his wife Luisa live in Connecticut, where they plan to birth as much art as possible.
Text, Don’t Call: An Illustrated Guide to the Introverted Life (TarcherPerigee) is on-sale Aug 15, 2017. Enjoy more...
He and his wife Luisa live in Connecticut, where they plan to birth as much art as possible.
Text, Don’t Call: An Illustrated Guide to the Introverted Life (TarcherPerigee) is on-sale Aug 15, 2017. Enjoy more...
Under An English Heaven
Alice K. Boatwright
Alice K. Boatwright is the winner of the Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize for best mystery in the Chanticleer International Book Competition, for her book UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN. This first Ellie Kent mystery has attracted an enthusiastic following, and the sequel will be published in 2017.
Alice is also the author of COLLATERAL DAMAGE, three linked novellas about the long-term impact of the Vietnam War. COLLATERAL DAMAGE was a finalist for the Flannery O'Connor Award and received the Bronze Medal for Literary Fiction from the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards. |
After having earned an MFA in writing from Columbia University, Alice has taught at two different universities and lived in the UK and France before calling the Pacific Northwest her home. Life experiences and educational credentials certainly come handy to building a good career. But none of it secures a certain desired result in becoming a writer. So we ask Alice for advice and she says, “My main tip for emerging writers is to be persistent – about doing the very best work you can do and then finding an audience for it. Don’t ever give up on a story you believe in, and take advantage of the new options for publishing today: traditional, hybrid, and indie. To reach a wide audience, you first need to write a good book and then have the willingness to work hard to market it.” Read more...
Slow Bleed
Felicia Zamora
Felicia Zamora writes poetry that you may want to read (and that many should read as far as we are concerned). She writes about relevant topics and true stories and, no, there is no preaching involved, no fuel for incessant fights and polarizing views. Felicia writes with her heart, and her words heal wounds and help us all truly understanding each other.
Pick up Felicia Zamora’s “Of Form & Gather” when it comes out this year not only because it won the 2016 Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize from University of Notre Dame Press. Do so knowing that this unpretentious, yet noteworthy work of poetry will shed some new light into your life. In her poem, Slow Bleed, Felicia writes, “say blood; & know something in/ wound; your face in distort reflection of reflection…” Read more... |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
The Heir of Nothing in Particular
Leslie Chivers
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
"I stand on the tarmac, the sky darkening around me, and turn my phone on. The cold creeps up from the gray concrete, through my shoes and into my feet. I should’ve worn something heavier, but I was optimistic that it might be warmer when I arrived. The air hurts my nostrils when I breathe in. I exhale puffs of steam. I wish I were back in New York.
When my phone finishes powering on, there's a text message from Chantal. It’s supposed to get cold this weekend, it says. No shit, I think. It’s also the first thing she says to me when I get into her car, an Audi TT that has the distinct fresh leather scent that fills all new cars. “New car?” I ask. “My father just bought it for me,” she says. I find the button to turn on my heated seat. “Of course.” She looks over at me and furrows her brow. “You’re one to talk...” Read more... |
Hope Wabuke
Reclaim Your Story
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Hope Wabuke is a poet, a writer who, as a young black woman growing up in America, was first motivated to write to give voice to instances of racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression and violence. She gives life to portraits, events, and stories that captivate our minds and hearts with a fluidity of ideas and thoughts shaped by every word she picks and the array of feelings she recreates. Hope's world in poetry is one that attracts because it has color, substance, and musicality. Her writing speaks volumes not only because it is the eloquent language of a trained photographer and musician, but mostly because it is the beautiful universe of honesty and truthfulness.
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Hope Wabuke said, "If you keep your eyes open as you go through the world, inspiration is endless." We are inspired by Hope's body of work and we are appreciative of the time she took to connect with us. Read on! Learn, reach, share and enjoy every beat presented by Hope Wabuke and her poetry. It'll be the best treat you reserve for yourself on this new day. Read more...
The Ongoing Journey of a Beautiful Mind
Paul Yoon
Paul Yoon was born in New York City. His first book, ONCE THE SHORE, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book and a Best Debut of the Year by National Public Radio. His novel, SNOW HUNTERS, won the 2014 Young Lions Fiction Award. A second collection, THE MOUNTAIN, will be published next year.
A recipient of a 5 under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation and a fellowship from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, Paul Yoon is currently a Briggs-Copeland Lecturer at Harvard University. Paul Yoon's writing is fascinating. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the author sees writing as a vocation rather than as a career choice or anything else. Maybe it is because of Yoon's own solid character and the way he approaches the past and present. Read Paul Yoon's books to discover magical worlds of landscapes, people, and feelings that grab attention by sheer eloquence. |
Paul Yoon told us he feels that it’s a tremendous honor to know his work is being read and considered and discussed, both publicly and privately. We are honored for the opportunity to speak with the talented, humble, inspiring, dreamer who is Paul Yoon. Read more...
On Loyalty
Troy Jollimore
Troy Jollimore is s a poet, philosopher, and literary critic. His first book of poetry, Tom Thomson in Purgatory, won the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. His other poetry collections include At Lake Scugog (2011) and Syllabus of Errors (2015), both published in the Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets. Jollimore’s poems have appeared in the New Yorker, McSweeney’s, the Believer, and other publications. He earned a PhD in philosophy from Princeton University and is currently a professor in the philosophy department at California State University, Chico.
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
''...Probably each artist has his or her own working methods, and I’m sure that living or working in a cluttered environment wouldn’t work for everyone. But it seems to work for me, at least a lot of the time, simply because I seem to be the sort of person who finds inspiration in my immediate environment. It’s the same reason I like wandering around in bookstores or libraries – I mean physical bookstores and libraries, actual buildings full of actual physical books. These are spaces that encourage serendipitous discoveries, lucky finds, the operations of chance. Browsing shelves, opening books at random, all sorts of things can present themselves to you and feed your work in ways you couldn’t possibly have come up with on your own. The richer the environment – and, to some extent, the more chaotic the environment – the more opportunities there are for the world to give you that gentle nudge you need, to push your work in a different direction, to open something up for you that had remained closed or hidden..." Read more...
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Under The Udala Trees
Chinelo Okparanta
Chinelo Okparanta is the author of Under the Udala Trees published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. We are talking about a book that made the New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. If that's not a sign of playing in the big leagues as a young writer, well, what else is there?!
Chinelo's work is praised by many voices a number of them cheering loudly from the HocTok studios here in Dumbo. The book is listed as Best Book of the Year by: NPR, Buzzfeed, Bustle, Shelf Awareness, Publishers Lunch. What's all the hype about? It's not hype. This is the story of a Nigerian woman coming to terms with her sexuality, the pressures of a repressive society, conflicting religious doctrines, motherhood, and self-worth, amongst other things. It's a heartfelt story of a heartbreaking struggle to love freely and openly which "demands not just to be read but felt" according to none other than Edwidge Danticat. |
Photo credit: Kelechi Okere |
Enough of us bragging about Chinelo Okparanta, a beautiful, talented writer with a unique voice. Get a taste of her writing in an excerpt included here from her Under the Udala Trees. Buy the book when you get a chance and try to attend one of the upcoming events featuring Chinelo Okparanta in Lewisburg, PA; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Washington, DC, and many other cities around the country. Read more...
With This Chance This Day
David Baker
Poetry is our source as well as our aspiration and, I guess, our faith. When I need courage, I go outside to the trees and the waters, or I read a poem. When I need company, I go outside to the birds and the fields and the woods, or I read a poem. When I need solitude, I go outside to the sky and the dirt, or I read a poem. I believe these are my deepest solace and knowledge. Is that power? I guess. It is also a desire for powerlessness, silence, a kind of unselfing that I find necessary.
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Plato said, "Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods…" That’s why some are incredulous, others sleepless, restless, anxious and many are fearful of drowning in utter confusion.
What we need is to hear from someone like David Baker, the American poet whose works have won fellowships and awards from the Poetry Society of America, the Pushcart Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. Currently a Professor of English and the Thomas B. Fordham Chair in Creative Writing at Denison University, Baker is also the editor of the Kenyon Review. David Baker represents great minds who observe, create, generously share their wealth of knowledge, inspire us to never give up seeking the truth and making a stand for it. |
With highlighter in hand, read David Baker’s answers to our questions, get a taste of his poetry and tune out the bullies who make everything look and feel cheap, ugly, and simply sad. Take cues from brilliant thinkers like David Baker whose life’s work is rooted in adding beauty to this world through poetry and literature. Read more...
Look Where She Points
Emily Vieweg
Emily Vieweg is from Fargo, ND. Poetry and playwriting are what she loves and escapes to any chance she gets. But life is complicated and requires lots of maneuvering especially when there are other loves in line and they all require priority. Sounds confusing? Well, there’s not much time to dwell or get lost in pits of confusion especially for a mother of two who also has a full time job. Emily Vieweg is truthful to her loves and that’s why she got our attention.
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Emily writing - courtesy of the artist |
Emily’s poetry is not about reality TV drama, it is about real life. She says, “The bulk of my writing is basically a series of photographs in words – expressing a moment in time in a way that others may not quite think about at first.”
If you would like to know something more about Fargo, ND, visit The Red Raven Coffee House or Drekker Brewing Company for a poetry reading. Emily Vieweg introduced us to the good people of the Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre, Theatre B, and Troolwood Performing Arts School and we are thankful to her for that. Read more...
If you would like to know something more about Fargo, ND, visit The Red Raven Coffee House or Drekker Brewing Company for a poetry reading. Emily Vieweg introduced us to the good people of the Fargo Moorhead Community Theatre, Theatre B, and Troolwood Performing Arts School and we are thankful to her for that. Read more...
The Cook Up & The Beast Side & More
D. Watkins
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
D. Watkins is the New York Times Best-Selling author of The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in America. His other book, The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir made the July (2016) issue of O, Oprah Winfrey's magazine, as one of the "best books of summer" under the "Saints and Sinners" section.
A good introduction to D. Watkins are his columns for Salon. His work has also been published in the New York Times, Guardian, Rolling Stone, and other publication. |
D. Watkins is also a dedicated college professor at the University of Baltimore as well as founder of the BMORE Writers Project. Watkins is the recipient of numerous awards including Ford's Men of Courage and a BME Fellowship.
There are many reasons to read and follow D. Watkins. It's obvious that he carries a torch of hope powered by his raw honesty, his powerful language, his persistence to be heard while sharing his passion for life.
Join team D. Watkins. Root for Baltimore. Don't ignore the sobering reality. Read more...
There are many reasons to read and follow D. Watkins. It's obvious that he carries a torch of hope powered by his raw honesty, his powerful language, his persistence to be heard while sharing his passion for life.
Join team D. Watkins. Root for Baltimore. Don't ignore the sobering reality. Read more...
Bukowski in a Sundress
Kim Addonizio
Kim Addonizio is a poet, novelist, musician and collaborator. She has earned fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Pushcart Prize and the John Ciardi Lifetime Achievement Award. Her 2000 poetry collection "Tell Me" was a National Book Award Finalist.
Her latest book, Bukowski in a Sundress, is a must read by all accounts. If you haven’t picked up a copy of it yet, don’t waste another second, get it now and indulge. This book is a compilation of genuine stories from a well lived life. Reading Kim Addonizio’s work is an addictive experience by an author who only speaks her mind and pours her heart out in the most eloquent, moving, and funny way possible. |
Bukowski in a Sundress deals with despair, disappointment, heartbreak, love and laughter shared by one of the most passionate, creative minds, and beautiful souls of our time. Love the cowgirl boots and don’t try to hide from those piercing eyes of the steady hand that reaches out for a K-Tini to celebrate or squish those not so cheerful thoughts that surface from time to time. Read Bukowski in a Sundress and get inspired.
Enjoy more...
Enjoy more...
The Fiddler & Poet Contemplates Life
Ken Waldman
Photo credit: Art Sutch |
- Dudley -
Don't bark. Instead, go into your dark past, Brooklyn, the first time a motorcycle weaved the street, smashed into your left hip, filled you with pain. Don't bark. Recall just how fast you used to run, a pup, Prospect Park, the last time whole, a great big borough of squirrels to chase. Don't bark. Good dog. Happy until you return to the hurt. A quick crazy blast of a bike accelerating, grazing you, barely, a second time. So now you limp, your gimpy left leg dragging if you walk too far. You compensate bravely, a true pal. Wise smile. Big eyes. Nose that knows shrimpy poodles and swaggering labs. Don't bark, Dudley. Talk. |
Ken Waldman is a fiddler, a poet, and a storyteller with the knack of connecting and entertaining a cool mix of people around the country. Honest, funny, political, are few adjectives to describe the dreamer, philosopher, poet and musician who is Ken Waldman. Don’t miss the chance to know this tireless, traveling artist and his immense dedication to a meaningful life.
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Insurrections
Rion Amilcar Scott
Rion Amilcar Scott is a writer, a professor, a family man and a proud father of a bright five year old boy. His short story collection, Insurrections (University Press of Kentucky), was published in August 2016. Reach out for this book written with heart, clarity, and candor. It’s a work of passion reflecting truthfulness and honesty about the emotional landscape of attention-grabbing characters. The author hopes that this level of sincerity will connect with readers and change the beat just slightly. We are certain it will. |
Rion Amilcar Scott confesses his writing process is a bit erratic and changes from project to project, often depending on his responsibilities to his job and his family. But he feels deflated, even angered and annoyed when he is kept for long periods from writing. Rion Amilcar Scott’s Insurrections is worthy of readers’ attention and we’re here to spread the word.
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Another Day...
Arisa White
Arisa White is a poet whose creativity is her daily realm. This is her power; it’s what permits her fearlessness. It is her truth. Her truth is what you need to hear as it flows from the heart and it is powerful. It is liberating for its descriptive character, the emotional impact, and thoughtfulness behind every chosen word.
She confesses that her daily struggles as a writer, a poet, a woman involve convincing herself that she matters, what she does matters, that her stories matter. |
Photo: Nye Lyn Tho |
We believe Arisa White’s writes remarkable poems that awaken the mind to think and see clearly experiencing the world without falling prey of the modern myths such as money, race, gender, not allowing us to become conquerable, corruptible.
Our sugesstion: read Arisa White’s poems and enjoy them at your own pace...
Our sugesstion: read Arisa White’s poems and enjoy them at your own pace...
Being a poet means...
Matthew Cook
Photo: Sherrlyn Borkgren |
A small, quiet life is a splendid thing.
Enormous quantities of dedication. Revision is oxygen and water. Compassion... to endure with. Embracing the difference between solitude and alone. Knowing the difference between honesty and truth. Loving language, syntax, grammar, punctuation and rhetoric unconditionally. Allowing language to do its work. Reading a lot. Getting out of one’s writing camp frequently and getting uncomfortable often and readily. Logging one’s hours alone in a chair, never being satisfied you have mastered your craft. Read more... |
Charleston and the Golden Age of Piracy
Christopher Byrd Downey
"...Stede Bonnet was born in 1688 near the capital of Bridgetown, Barbados, in the parish of Christ Church. He was the fourth generation of the Bonnet family to live on the English island colony.
...Regarded by friends and neighbors as a "gentleman of good reputation...master of plentiful fortune and [with] the advantage of a liberal education,"...Stede was soon consumed by romantic tales of the pirates who were running rampant through the Caribbean. Books and newspaper reports on private activities were hugely popular reading in the early eighteenth century, and Stede developed a passion for following their exploits. He daydreamed of leaving behind his mundane plantation life and his nagging wife for a life of adventure on the seas. |
In early 1717, much to the surprise and confusion of his family and friends, Stede commissioned a shipyard in Bridgetown to build a sixty-ton Bermuda-style sloop.
On a clear May night in 1717, without bidding farewell to his wife or children, Stede and seventy pirates boarded the newly constructed sloop, christened Revenge, and slipped quietly out of the Carlisle Bay...Hew would never see Barbados or his family again..."
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On a clear May night in 1717, without bidding farewell to his wife or children, Stede and seventy pirates boarded the newly constructed sloop, christened Revenge, and slipped quietly out of the Carlisle Bay...Hew would never see Barbados or his family again..."
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Mr. and Mrs. Doctor
A Novel by Julie Iromuanya
Julie Iromuanya’s Mr. and Mrs. Doctor is a must read first novel by an author with fierce honesty and humor in her story telling. Ms. Iromuanya has the power in her voice and imagination to describe events, present characters and situations, without taking sides, but by including details that connect us all on a deeper level. We all face our own struggles and find ourselves in the middle of crossroads that are not all that different. We are not alone. We have each other to cherish and each other to blame.
At eight years old, Julie Iromuanya mailed out to a number of publishers copies of her first novel. One of them replied indicating they did not accept unsolicited material. She hasn’t stopped writing since then and her persistence is our good fortune. |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
In response, we will continue to follow Julie Ironmuanya through her works and we surely hope to see her be praised for her talent. She has won our hearts. Most importantly, we are excited at the prospect of Julie Iromuanya opening new worlds and enlightening curious minds with her writing. Read Julie Iromuanya’s Mr. and Mrs. Doctor and you’ll see for yourself…
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Flash Fiction Magic
Robert Shapard
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Robert Shapard is a writer, editor, professor, connoisseur of good flash fiction stories that capture what’s magical. He turns to his friends, reviews, and bookstore browsing to find the latest literary gem or art inspiration. Genuinely enough, he doesn’t have a motto, but says it’s a good idea to have one.
Motto or no motto, we love Robert Shapard’s work as he travels in search of those essential stories that make life fascinating and thrilling. |
Find out more about Robert Shapard and what he considers good flash fiction by reading what he shared with us. Don’t miss Robert Shapard’s own writing also included here.
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On Constantly Striving: Thoughts For a New Year
Dale Trumbore
Photo credit: Krysti Sabins |
"...Each year, I achieve certain goals, fail to meet others, and set new ones. Every year brings a few more commissions, performances, and score sales.
It never feels like “enough,” though. Last year, I heard a quote by author Louise L. Hay on one of the podcasts that I listen to, and lately I've been repeating part of it often, like a mantra. It's helpful when I'm intimidated by others' successes and feeling like I'm not doing enough, getting enough, having enough, or being enough—which, if I'm being honest, is nearly every day. Here it is: I am in the right place, doing the right thing. This year, I'm adding: ...and that's enough." Read more... |
Grooming Of The Progeny
Leslie Chivers
..."My father came over from France in the twenties. He was only a teenager then. It was tough to make it as an immigrant, especially a French immigrant. He tried some labor jobs but wasn’t able to find anything for very long... Then, one day, he finds a shopfront that was empty, and he went in and rented the space with his savings. A week later, after he fixed things up, he opened a barbershop.”
...“I brought my own son here and taught him how to shave. But when he was twelve, he wanted to do other things. He told me he wanted to make real money, make something out of his life. I told him this was a noble profession. That a real man can find satisfaction by putting himself at the service of another. He told me he could get a shave by some girls in a tight shirt and mini shorts at some new place and most of the guys he knows go there to get a haircut. I was real mad when he said this. I mean, what does a woman know about shaving? The boys go there to look at their tits...”
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Read more...
Befriended
Jen Calleja
Photo credit: Owen Richards |
Jen Calleja is a talented writer of short fiction and poetry. She is also a book reviewer, a columnist, editor and curator. Her beautiful mind thinks and thrives in German as well as in English. She is adventurous in her choices, determined to make ‘em work and full of good energy.
So, you know how literary types are usually a bit on the shy side, proud introverts of sorts. Well, not Jen. For starters, she participates in readings usually taking place in rooms full of strangers. But guess what, Jen Calleja is also a drummer and vocalist for some rad music groups around London town. Without further ado, it’s our pleasure to introduce you to Jen Calleja’s brand new story, Befriended ...Your childhood is where you start, and it is where you return... Read more... |
Wishing Star
Thierry Kauffmann
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
...On the road to Uniondale, the white lacis of snow, the black asphalt and the grey pine wood houses, emerge through the car window. I walk up the steps. This is what it feels, to be home, I say to myself. Scented candles. Christmas is two days old, so am I. I feel the house with all my senses, I hear the hum of the air vent. Outside the sky is more intimate, with trees black and squirrels grey running along electric lines.
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...A reinvention without memory loss, two minds in one." I pause. "This is a long story. And an experiment. With time running both ways." "Living and telling. And then when you're done, there will be retelling. With hindsight. Now how do you manage all those voices?" "I'm a musician" "your book is going to have to be not just a book, but a fugue, a symphony. You must return. The hero always returns...
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Everyday is a Funeral & a Miracle
Danez Smith
Danez Smith is a poet. His poetry is his truth, haunting and liberating, heavy in tormenting thoughts and fears, charged and uncompromised as life serves ‘em. No filters. What’s the point of mincing words when the world has a way of shoving pain and happiness, heartbreak and revelry in all directions? Danez is clear and concise, stressing, “Today I am alive and the best part of it is that…period.”
Danez Smith has chosen writing as a place of joy, celebration, rebellion, innovation, magic, and because writing is a lot, and it’s difficult. He says, “& it’s scary to be that “liberated”, it’s scary to be free someplace, because we spend so much of our time not.” Read more... |
High Water
Debora Black
“It’s Liam.”
Liam’s voice was vibrant—spring sun. Spring. Melting the ski mountain. Filling the Yampa. I held onto his voice. “Liam!” My complaints had vanished. I wanted only to efface my own failures. I could see all the ways I had hurt Derek. I could see him struggling to be right for me. I could see his eyes. Green. And sad. And endless. “Liam! Will I be okay? Do you think I can manage?” Read more... |
Photo: courtesy of the artist |
Indran Amirthanayagam
Priceless
Photo credit: Val Loh |
The market startled, money
devalued, confidence disappeared, yet the sun shines on a temperate afternoon, leaves wet and green, the night's rain drying on the skin, children playing with Lego, father writing. January 7, 2016 Read more... |
The Perilous Production of the Ego,
the Limits of Imitation, and Other Non-Sequiturs
Josh Cook
...Many writers, from David Foster Wallace to Karl Ove Knausgaard, have said similar things. Embrace the stuff you don’t want people to see. How ironic it is, that to boost the ego, you need to first expose your shame.
I’ve always tried a little too hard. Strained too much. I’m not sure how to embrace my shame or how to even begin to invite it into my work. Watch more Glee? Listen to Katy Perry? Sing silly songs—songs that make absolutely no sense—to my daughter? Risk nostalgia? Sentimentalism? I’m not sure. But one thing I’m sure about is the work, and more work, and taking joy in the work. Above my desk is this quote, which I received from my thesis advisor, Jack Driscoll. It comes from Flaubert: “Style is achieved only by dint of atrocious labor, fanatical and unremitting stubbornness.” Read more... |
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EJ Koh
Thank You, I Am Sorry
EJ Koh is a poet. She “seeks to write about things uncomfortable to mention around the dinner table.” What matters most to her than the “variety of form and language and content, is that the poet surrenders herself—gets herself to that place of sincerity not frequented by others.”
Read her “Thank you, I Am Sorry!” “Doom” “Blurb” and everything of hers you get your hands on, and you will understand why so many love EJ Koh's poetry. The weight of her words is measured in honesty for all colors of life. Her storytelling is relentless, detailed, rich. Characters, landscapes, raw life. Unadorned, uncensored, meaningful. |
Photo: Jerad Knudson
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Fluent in humanity’s struggles and loves, EJ confesses she is concerned by all the hatred. In her words, “I am you as you are me. If I want to stop your hatred, I must first stop mine.” Her suggested solution in breaking the cycle of hatred is within ourselves. “We are all human and we are all each other. We forgive, forgive, forgive.”
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Forrest Gander
Dear Poet
Your must read summer (or any season) list better include books by Forrest Gander. It’ll do you good. His “sinewy and strenuous language” is what caught the attention of the Boston Review. Many other tough critics have shown their softer side after reading Forrest Gander’s work that is rich and enriching on so many levels. For that reason alone, pick a book of your choice and dwell on it until the end of time or something like that.
Just read, read, and read some more of Forrest Gander. You’ll get why the New York Times called him an “unflinchingly curious mind.” In the meantime, enjoy excerpts of his work and a few thoughts Forrest Gander shared with HocTok. Read more... |
Motion Live
The Power of Poetry and Language Arts
"...Words, language, communication – these are power. The power to define yourself, the power to give voice, to tell your own story and not have your story told for you or to you. Words can also mobilize - a whole movement, can be bought together under the banner of a phrase - the words we memorize, and quote, and pass down. How we use words can be forms of resistance; how we create new language and new codes. Spoken wordists, poets, speechifiers put our experiences into context, flip around perspectives, make connections, act as trumpets to blow down walls and light fires to put us into action..." Read more... |
photo credit: Eklipz |
W.T. Pfefferle
Psychosis, Golf Courses & Poetry
W. T. Pfefferle is a poet, a writer, a professor, a traveler, a curious mind on and off the golf course. His most recent work, My Coolest Shirt, was published in April 2015 by The Word Works Press. He is not interested in writing poetry that is universal. In fact, he steers clear of anyone or anything associated with the beaten up notion of "universal" or the wrong road on a bad map as he calls it. But W.T. Pfefferle truly believes that every one of us has our own poetry. As long as we don’t call it that or treat it that. It’s not necessary.
The best advice, from a man who isn’t big on advice or rules, is to know that our own poetic self is our truest self. Getting to accept our truest self ain’t that easy, maybe a lifelong battle for some. Not for this poet. He knows what he does, what he likes, what he is and is not. But most importantly he knows he cannot stop writing, preferably on his own time and in his own space. |
Buy, read, listen to poems by W.T. Pfefferle starting with his most recent book, My Coolest Shirt. You'll be immersed in the tragicomedy of ordinary folks, flawed characters as the author knows them to be and lets them be. Nothing saccharine or artificial. W. T. Pfeffer is interested in the most modest moments, the stillness and the quiet, where the emotions are not keening. And that's alright with us.
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Gabrielle Freeman, Poet
As the Story Goes
Gabrielle Freeman is a poet from Greenville, North Carolina. Her poetry has been published in many journals including: Beecher’s Magazine, Chagrin River Review, Gabby, Melancholy Hyperbole, Minetta Review, and Shenandoah. She earned her MFA in poetry through Converse College.
She has been nominated twice for the Best of the Net, and she was a finalist in 2014. Gabrielle Freeman is the winner of the 2015 Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition for her poem, “Failure to Obliterate”, which is published in a special supplement of storySouth. Enjoy Gabrielle's poetry and writings at: www.whythewritingworks.com www.ladyrandom.com Read more... |
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Gary W. Allison
Bourbon & Cigarettes
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Gary W. Allison is a Detroit based writer who seems to have a knack for adventurous pursuits allowing him the right to brag which he don't do. Keeping it honest, keeping it real, his story could easily rival the coolest Hollywood character you may or may not have encountered thus far.
"Love it or hate it, as long as you walk away from it feeling something. So far, my work has been an exploration of man's vulnerability and how one overcomes tragedy. If that doesn't wake something up within you, then I suggest taking a break from cable news stations and just appreciate life for a moment. Maybe you can even rediscover that relationship you've been neglecting for too long." Read more... |
Love Letters by Alejandra
Josephine Scicluna
...Darling, it was your name I repeated on the page. Now as I sit here with my tea gone cold, I feel frightened that our separation, which I can hardly bear, is already driving me to seek you in the eyes of another. Let it not be in their arms. Please do not see this as a weakness or as a deterioration of my love, for you, of all people, cannot blame me for being disarmed by the space of writing. In this space who we are loses all origin. You have told me this many times yourself.
I crave something from you – anything – more than just your memory. Yours. Always. Alejandra Read more... |
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Marlin Barton
Something from Nothing by Gabrielle Freeman
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Marlin Barton is a writer from the Black Belt region of Alabama. His most recent book is Pasture Art, a collection of short stories. He has published two novels, The Cross Garden and A Broken Thing, and two previous collections, The Dry Well, which received the Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook Award for the best first volume of short stories published in 2001, and Dancing by the River.
His stories have appeared in a variety of journals and anthologies, including Shenandoah, The Southern Review, The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Sewanee Review, Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, and The Best American Short Stories. He teaches in, and helps direct, the Writing Our Stories project, a program for juvenile offenders in Alabama. He also teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Converse College. Read more... |
Fiction by BARBARA HARROUN
Here & Here
...They walked and ate, rode bicycles on a paved trail for 13 leisurely miles, held hands, stopped and kissed in the street, drank two bottles of wine with dinner, conversed intently, trying to catch one another up on the accumulation of their lives, to push back years and make space, to pull back the years to reveal who each had been... Read more... |
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Aesthetic Disobedience
A conversation with Jonathan Neufeld Ph.D.
If you are an artist, whatever you do, do not forget to factor in your audience. Keep it real, keep it simple, or make lavish choices. Just remember to extend a sincere invitation to your audience to be an active participant in your work. An unruly response is much better than no response at all. Confirmed by the conversation with our guest philosopher, Professor Jonathan Neufeld, aesthetic disobedience is key in reviving interest in the arts. It is a healthy choice. Give it a try! Read more... |
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