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Toni Stern enjoyed a highly productive collaboration with the singer-songwriter Carole King. Stern wrote the lyrics for several of King’s songs, most notably “It’s Too Late” for the album Tapestry. Here, with affection and insight, she examines the breadth and boundaries of family, place, language, and self, and talks about her new poetry book About As Close as I Can.
A review of Appalachian Fall by Jennifer Maiden
Anyone who thinks of poetry as a hermetic art form has not read Jennifer Maiden. A keen and articulate observer of current affairs and trends, Maiden’s work explores a political and sociological landscape through the lens of poetic vision. This analysis takes many forms, often in multi-genred pieces that transcend essay, fiction, biography and poetry. In spite of the mixed literary forms, there is a consistency in characters, themes, and in approaches across Maiden’s oeuvre that makes for an accumulative effect.
A review of This Far Isn’t Far Enough by Lynn Sloan
Sloan’s characters are from various walks of life: an art dealer, a sculptor, a soldier, a convenience store clerk, a female prize fighter and several disillusioned mothers. Bullying, dishonest superiors, exploitative friends, devoted friends, women who love too much, and the darker side of parent-child relationships are examined in this collection
A review of Earthly Remains by Donna Leon
Ranging from downtrodden pensioners to wealthy villa owners to ineptly corrupt bureaucrats, Leon’s secondary characters lead Brunetti through complex situations imbued with Italian history and passion, but often tainted by modern Italy’s ineffectual political system.
Writing in Uncertain Times at The Wollongong Writers Festival
The Writing In Uncertain Times event at The Wollongong Writers Festival featured an amazing panel of commissioning editor for PRH, Lex Hirst, rapper and poet Omar Musa, author and screenwriter, Amal Awad and debut novelist, Daniel Findlay. The event concluded to this year’s festival and author, reviewer and interviewer Samuel Elliot was there to cover it.
A review of I Don’t Want to Know Anyone Too Well by Norman Levine
Lives in these stories never turn out as expected, but they do have the accomplish, the finish, of a life that feels real; sometimes to the point of unbearable pain. Whether it be an old friend that the protagonist bumps into that he can’t connect with, or a father whom he wishes not to be similar to in anyway, for his lack of power, these characters resonate with the human flicker of reality; the chaos that lurks behind the ordinary lives of strangers.
The Sum of Our Parts: A review of It’s Not Yet Dark by Simon Fitzmaurice
Fitzmaurice wrote with the sensibility of a filmmaker. He blends past recollections, present conditions and future possibilities in a moving kaleidoscope of connectivity regarding one’s influences, hopes and realities that seems always to be present instead of distant and reflective.
A review of A Jarful of Moonlight by Nazanin Mirsadeghi
All poems are reflective of universal human experiences. The poems are short and uncomplicated. Mirsadeghi shares poems on self and eros love, friendship, sadness, longing, pain, heartbreak, and healing. Some of the poems are heart wrenching. I heard a desperate plea for love’s understanding and reciprocity. The reader is invited to share in this heartache and sadness.
Interview with Oranmore
Oranmore, also known as Dominick Mereworth, is a poet and playwright. He drops by to talk about his latest book Sparkling Fountain, his inspiration, his writing process, tips for aspiring poets, typical writing day and more.
Interview with C.R. Richards
The author of The Obsidian Gates talks about the latest book in the Heart of Warrior series and how it came to fruition, the biggest surprises in the book, her special research, what keeps her writing, her influences and mentors, her other works, what’s next and lots more.