The author of Reflections of a successful Wallflower – Lessons in Business; Lessons in Life? talks about her new book, about her earliest books, her inspiration, her writing style, her work-in-progress, and more.
A Different Mary: An essay on the novel The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin
The reader will immediately recognize the tone of sadness and fear that permeates the text. But there is a niggling sense that there is something missing, of something not being said. It is only after the narrative has advanced a long way, to its end almost, that what is withheld becomes clear: guilt and shame. It is not withheld deliberately from the reader, rather it is something she is hiding from herself with poignant delicacy and tact.
Philip Salom on Alterworld
The author of Alterworld: Sky Poems, The Well Mouth, Alterworld reads from and talks about his new poetry collection and how it came together as a trio over 27 years, about his settings, the poetic afterlife, mythologies, the power of poetry,…
An interview with Patricia Bracewell
The author of The Price of Blood talks about her new book, her title, the attractions and challenges of Emma of Normandy’s story, her extensive research, the appeal of Vikings, her other characters, advice for aspiring writers, her ideal book club, and lots more.
A review of The Moon in the Pool by Gary Metras
Gary Metras’s The Moon in the Pool is a small book that packs a big poetic punch. Metra makes something out of what appears to be nothing at first sight. Mundane items, such as stones or the sight of an old man, serve as inspiration for Metras. It is not surprising, then, that Metras has ten other books under his belt. The Moon in the Pool is the work of a seasoned poet, a writer accustomed to having his way with words. But there is more to these poems; they make us what we already are. In other words, they tap into our shared humanity.
An Interview with RosaBella Bloom
The author of Ruby ShinesBright and the Birthday cake talks about the inspiration for her book, her fantasy writing mentor, the value of stepping out of the comfort zone, her writing challenges, advice for other writers, and more.
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell by William Klaber
Klaber vividly depicts life in untamed Minnesota on the brink of statehood. There, Lobdell lives (as a man) in a shanty town outside St. Paul’s and works in a hotel kitchen. To make more money, he signs on as one of two guards at a land claim at Kandiyoki, in a remote part of the state. He encounters aboriginal people and finds a vast, wolf-haunted snow-covered wilderness with game to hunt.
An interview with Stewart O’Nan
The author of West of Sunset talks about his new novel and why it was a novel instead of a bio, his attraction to F. Scott Fitzgerald, how he you developed his ear for Algonquin-style repartee, the paradox of the alcoholic, his greatest challenges, on Los Angeles, Hollywood, and lots more.
A review of Alterworld by Philip Salom
Woven throughout these poems is so much music, art, myth, magic, politics, and even the domestic, in such a silky and natural interplay, that it is possible to read them over and over, uncovering a little more each time. Though I think that each of the books is powerful in itself, having these three together creates a far grander picture, where each poem is informed by, changed, and strengthened by those around it. So we understand this imaginative work to be a multiverse, rich with hell and heaven together, and also our daily struggles – love, death, desire, and loss.
A review of I Let Go of the Stars in my Hand edited by Jane Ormerod, et al
According to the Introduction, I Let Go includes “some of the most experimental poems” that the editors have ever included in an anthology. In some, “the writers let go of more than just stars.” Poets Zev Torres “Jamnation” and Stephen Mead “Researching Plague” have created poems which do not lend themselves to being performed aloud; their cleverness is best appreciated on the printed page. Kit Kennedy’s “Fog Descends: I Walk into a Koan,” consisting of cryptic proverbs, and ending with “How many crows inhabit an imaginary tree?” provides food for meditation.