Phil Elverum, photo by Katy Hancock Poems are songs, songs are poems. This dictum may infuriate anyone who has ever penned an editorial on Leonard Cohen’s songs or anyone who was irate when the Nobel committee declared Bob Dylan was literature. Those familiar with the history of songwriting, however, might be inclined . . .
Read MoreI think I can finally stand meWithout a glass or a stein.– Barton Sutter, “Sober Song” Well, you know that a Sober OctoberFor this beer reviewer’s a Noper.Yet again—just for you—I’ve imbibed more such brews.Let me be your NA beer decoder. You can still do your work with these beers,Fill your glasses . . .
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A Review of Fadi Azzam, Huddud’s House. Translated by Ghada Alatrash. Northampton: Interlink Publishing, 2024. What does it mean to truly belong? Is it the soil beneath our feet? Or is it the echoes of our memories, the whispers of our ancestors, and the silent pull of our heritage? In a world fractured . . .
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Photograph of Witness. Courtesy of the Author. “What’s the problem of women? Knowledge! What’s the problem of women? Their head, that’s why they want to cut their head.”—Nawal El Saadawi In the early morning of July 8, as Hurricane Beryl cast the coast of Texas in darkness and disarray, a statue was beheaded on . . .
Read MoreFrom the mountains and prairies, to ocean’s white foam:Hail the beers of America. Let your tastes roam!‘Twixt Atlantic, PacificCome brewers prolificWith tributes for toasting this spacious-skied home. So gallantly streaming, beers pourInto glasses and cups for the Fourth.From the crisp, from the tart,to the hoppy—the heartOf the country pumps out brews galore! . . .
Read MoreAnd pints that instantly glow,On the counter, in pyramids of crowns…—Émile Verhaeren, trans. Jacob Siefring Tripelicious is how I describeThese Belgian-style beers I imbibe.As I sip golden glow,I will rhyme and bestowApprobations with Tripel Ale vibes. 1St. Vrain is a river and beer.Lightly fruity, the latter will cheer—fully tickle the tipOf your tongue as . . .
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It must be awful to be a Republican these days. So many reasons to be terrified: immigrants flooding across our borders, gender subversion from within, swarthy people rising from below, and so few of “our nation’s core principles” left unassailed. Even Sean Hannity, culture warrior supreme, can’t seem to keep up. How . . .
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A review of Bianca by Eugenia Leigh (Four Way Books, 2023) “Trauma” and “grief,” or rather such shallow incarnations of serious psychological phenomena that they merit air quotes, have become trendy concepts in recent 21st century discourse and media. Movies and television use the traumatic past as a major plot revelation (The Matrix Resurrections, Succession, Yellowjackets), or . . .
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A Review of Under Our Skin, by Joaquim Arena, translated by Jethro Soutar (Unnamed Press, 2023) I like to say that Joaquim Arena’s memoir/travel narrative Under Our Skin, translated by Jethro Soutar and published by Unnamed Press, arrived to me at the perfect time, because I had been learning about extraordinary historical figures from . . .
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A Review of I’ll Give You a Reason by Annell López (The Feminist Press, 2024) Annell López’ short story collection, I’ll Give You a Reason, brings us to the heart of the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. These stories explore race, colorism, Blackness, identity, sex, and gentrification, among other topics. López gives . . .
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