Books

Thomas Kelley
BooksNews

13 Books You Should Be Teaching

Here are some books you should be teaching in your workshops and classes.

1. Jayy Dodd – “Mannish Tongues” (Platypus Press, 2016)
2. Gabrielle Civil – “Swallow the Fish” (CCM, 2016)
3. Wendy C. Ortiz – “Bruja” (CCM, 2016)
4. Chiwan Choi – “The Yellow House” (CCM, 2016)
5. Michael Schmeltzer – “Blood Song” (Two Sylvias Press, 2016)
6. Kim Hyesoon – “All of the Garbage of the World, Unite!” (Action Books, 2011)
7. Cathy Park Hong – “Engine Empire” (Norton, 2013)
8. Jamaal May – “Hum” (Alice James Books, 2013)
9. Cortney Lamar Charleston – “Telepathologies” (Saturnalia Books, 2017)
10. Lynn Melnick – “If I Should Say I Have Hope” (Yes Yes Book, 2013)
11. Claudia Cortese “Wasp Queen” (Black Lawrence Press, 2016)
12. Srikanth Reddy – “Voyager” (New California Poetry, 2011)
13. Marie NDiaye (translated by Jordan Stump) – “My Heart Hemmed In” (Two Lines Press, 2017)

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (The Operating System, 2017), Xenos (Agape Editions, 2016) and the editor of A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault (CCM, 2017). Joanna received a MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College, and is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, a managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM, as well as an instructor at Brooklyn Poets. Some of their writing has appeared, or is forthcoming, in Brooklyn Magazine, Prelude, Apogee, Spork, The Feminist Wire, BUST, and elsewhere.

June 20, 2017
“Readers of Scott Esposito’s Conversational Reading blog already know him to be one of the most perspicacious literary critics in America. But to read The Doubles is to discover something else: that he is as thrillingly insightful about film, and about human experience, as he is about literature. With a bounding intelligence, a tremendous—and seemingly effortless—erudition, with enormous soulfulness, energy and wit, Esposito strains his life through the prism of cinema (or is it the other way around?) and arrives at something magnificent: a work of sustained criticism that is itself a work of high art, and a profound meditation on how the art we see becomes who we are.”
BooksNews

Coping with Scott Esposito, Author of ‘The Doubles’

#CopingWith is CCM’s interview series run by managing editor Joanna C. Valente

Scott Esposito is the author of his forthcoming book “The Doubles,” which will be released this fall. Besides that, however, Esposito is the editor and founder of Conversational Reader and The Quarterly Conversation, as well as the Publicity Director and Senior Editor for Two Lines Press.

Of his book, Mathew Specktor said, “Readers of Scott Esposito’s Conversational Reading blog already know him to be one of the most perspicacious literary critics in America. But to read The Doubles is to discover something else: that he is as thrillingly insightful about film, and about human experience, as he is about literature. With a bounding intelligence, a tremendous—and seemingly effortless—erudition, with enormous soulfulness, energy and wit, Esposito strains his life through the prism of cinema (or is it the other way around?) and arrives at something magnificent: a work of sustained criticism that is itself a work of high art, and a profound meditation on how the art we see becomes who we are.”

Luckily, he talked to me about his favorite gif, meal, and apocalypse plans:

Describe your favorite meal.

What a fantastic question to start with. (I think having good meals, especially with pleasant company, is one of life’s most important things.) I once dined on a rooftop in Athens during the summer, with excellent views of the Parthenon. They kept bringing us various foods—salads, roast peppers, cheeses, moussaka . . . and we had a bottle of red wine. It was about 70 degrees, the ambiance was intimate but also felt very urban, we talked for hours. I think that’s just about perfect.

What music do often you write to, if at all?

It’s almost always either hip-hop or classical, maybe a little jazz sometimes. Something like Future is great to write to: it’s very easy to ignore the lyrics and just let the rhythms inhabit you, the sounds inspire you. The minimalists are also great in that way. But really almost any good hip-hop will do . . . once I get immersed in the focus of what I’m writing, it’s amazing how much ambient sights and sounds my mind will block out.

What are three books that you’ve always identified with?

1984 was probably one of the first “adult” books that I read and understood and found utterly compelling. I wasn’t terribly literate at that age, so something in me must just resonate very much with that book.

I could also say that same thing about 2001, which I discovered at about the same time—first I saw the movie, and then I read the book (which was written concurrently with the making of the movie). The whole idea that that book and movie sets out to embody still utterly fascinates me.

And Água Viva by Clarice Lispector was a book that I discovered very early on, and was compelled by even though it also completely mystified me. Nowadays it mystifies me much less, also still more than virtually any other book, and I mean that in a good way.

Choose one painting that describes who you are. What is it?

Caravaggio’s portrait of Saint Jerome is just about perfect. As a visual aesthetic, an attitude, Caravaggio’s work in general feels very true to me. And in Jerome it reaches something like it’s ideal form. The intricate folds of that red robe he’s wearing, the stark black background, the way he clutches his pencil (I always have a pencil when I read), his focus, that skull to his side to remind him of mortality, that wicked, wispy halo. It’s all just perfect.

Choose a gif that encompasses mornings for you.


I like to start off the day feeling peaceful and inspired. I try to read a few lines of good poetry if I can, otherwise I just sit there and contemplate the day ahead.

Oftentimes things go seriously down from there, but it’s nice to have a good start at least.

What do you imagine the apocalypse is like? How would you want to die?

I think, contrary to popular belief, humanity will find a way to keep propagating itself no matter if we manage to unleash nuclear weapons, or contagions, or evil robots upon ourselves, as seems uncomfortably possible. I think if we end ourselves, it will just be from boredom with the possibilities of being human. Either that or the sun will engulf the Earth, or a catastrophic collision with an extraterrestrial body, and that’ll be it.

I think it would be fascinating to die by drifting into a supermassive black hole. According to what I’ve read, the physics is such that you’d be able to briefly witness the end of the universe, and your own death would be very peaceful.

If you could only watch three films for the rest of your life, what would they be?

I think Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise, to always remember how it is to be young and feel that life is full of possibilities. And Kieslowski’s Double Life of Véronique, because it’s just so mysterious and lovely. And Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, because there are so many layers to it, and it’s a perfect love story.

How would you describe your social media persona/role?

My persona is me, albeit a version of me that’s preternaturally fascinated with books and cats. My role (which I don’t always live up to, but which I do aspire to) is to share information about art and literature, to get people to read books I find amazing, to not let those books be lost in the churn and flow of culture, to inspire people, to be empathetic and encouraging, and of course to also self-promote.

What’s your favorite animal and why?

A lot of animals are very fascinating, or are able to do things that I find quite astonishing, but probably the cat is the only animal that I could manage to co-habitate with, so I think I would have to say that one.

What do you carry with you at all times?

For years I’ve made it a practice to always have a book and a pencil with me whenever I’m out of the house. I fear that’s the boring truth of it.

Scott Esposito has worked in the field of translated literature for over a decade. He specializes in Latin American and Mitteleuropan literature.

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (The Operating System, 2017), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of her writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, Pouch, and elsewhere. She also teaches workshops at Brooklyn Poets.

June 13, 2017
book
BooksNews

10 Essays & Interviews That Are a Gift to Your Mind

Just because it’s nearly summer doesn’t mean it’s time for your mind to go on vacation, especially now. Here’s some essays and interviews that you should check out:

1. Julia Fierro – “The Secret to My Success? Antidepressants” (NY Times)
2. Brandon Taylor – “Being Gay vs Being Southern: A False Choice” (Lit Hub)
3. Catherine La Sota – “Late to the Party: Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar” (Electric Literature)
4. Alexis P. Williams – “Interview with Aziza Barnes: A Queer Black Poet’s Quest for Liberation” (Vice)
5. Toni Morrison – “The Work You Do, The Person You Are” (The New Yorker)
6. Kaveh Akbar & Kazim Ali – “Silence and Breath: Kaveh Akbar and Kazim Ali” (Asian Americans Writers Workshop)
7. Brandon Shimoda – “The Night Cafe” (Entropy)
8. Lucie Bonvalet – “The Future of Traumatic Memories” (Catapult)
9. Porochista Khakpour – “How to Write Iranian-America, or The Last Essay” (Catapult)
10. Kate Schapira – “On Political Change, Climate Change, and the Choice to Not Have Children” (Catapult)

Joanna C. Valente is the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Xenos,  and the editor of A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault.

June 6, 2017
books
BooksNews

13 Poems You Should Be Teaching

These are poems that I have either taught or plan to teach in my poetry workshops. If you are an educator, add them to your curriculum. If you aren’t, read them and send them to your friends.

1. Mathias Svalina – “One Night” (Poets.org)
2. Lisa Ciccarello – “At Night, By Marriage” (Poets.org)
3. Tarfia Faizullah – “Aubade Ending with the Death of a Mosquito” (Poetry Foundation)
4. Sherwin Bitsui – “River” (Poetry Foundation)
5. Omar Sakr – “Ghosting the Ghetto” (Cosmonauts Avenue)
6. Sam Sax – “Doctrine” (Poets.org)
7. Nils Michals – “The Key, the Lock” (PANK)
8. Srikanth Reddy – “Four Poems” (Jacket Magazine)
9. Kim Hyesoon – “Three Poems” (Asymptote)
10. Natalie Eilbert – “Imprecation“ (Poetry Society of America)
11. Solmaz Sharif – “Social Skills Training” (Buzzfeed)
12. Charif Shanahan – “Wanting to be White” (Lit Hub)
13. Richard Siken – “Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out” (Poetry Foundation)

Joanna C. Valente is the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Xenos, and the editor of A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault.

May 22, 2017
books
BooksNews

#CopingWith: 13 Fiction Pieces You Need To Read

This week, I rounded up some fiction you should read.

1. Ilana Masad – “Hamlet, Claudia, Zanzibar” (Volume 1 Brooklyn)
2. Michelle Lyn King – “Ghosts You Loved More” (Joyland)
3. Rion Amilcar Scott – “The Party” (Joyland)
4. Kamil Ahsan – “The Bare-Bones Facts” (Entropy)
5. Han Yujoo – “The Impossible Fairytale, excerpt” (Cosmonauts Avenue)
6. Henry Hoke – “Genevieve Exists” (Entropy)
7. Bud Smith – “Temporarily Here” (Digging Through the Fat)
8. Celeste Mohammed – “When a White Man Paints Black People” (The Rumpus)
9. Becky Mandelbaum – “Straw House” (The Rumpus)
10. Chavisa Woods – “A New Mohawk” (Lit Hub)
11. Nick Cave – “The Sick Bad Song” (Lit Hub)
12. Kerry Cullen – “Tell Me What to Do” (Luna Luna Magazine)
13. Justin Lawrence Daugherty – “This Is Conquest” (Joyland)

Joanna C. Valente is the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Xenos,  and the editor of A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault.

May 15, 2017
Aaron Burden
BooksNews

#CopingWith: 13 Nonfiction Essays You Need to Read

If you’re going to read anything, read these.

1. T Kira Madden – “The Feels of Love” (Guernica)
2. Sarah Gerard – “An Incomplete List of My Failures” (Hazlitt)
3. Libby Leonard – “How to Be with Others” (Volume 1 Brooklyn)
4. Morgan Parker – “How to Stay Sane While Black” (NY Times)
5. Mira Ptacin – “What Happens When You’re Pregnant in Prison” (Elle)
6. Esme Wang – “I’m Chronically Ill and Afraid of Being Lazy” (Elle)
7. Porochista Khakpour – “My Life in the New Age” (VQR)
8. Jayy Dodd – “Why I’m Scared of White Women” (The Establishment)
9. Aila Boyd – “My Life as a Trans Woman Teaching High School in a ‘Bathroom Bill’ State” (Broadly)
10. Jenny Zhang – “They Pretend to Be Us While Pretending We Don’t Exist” (Buzzfeed)
11. Kate Moore – “The Forgotten Story of the Radium Girls” (Buzzfeed)
12. Nicole Dennis-Benn – “Growing Up with Miss Jamaica” (Elle)
13. Margaret E. Jacobsen – “I’m Non-Binary, And Here’s How I Talk to My Kids About It” (Romper)

Joanna C. Valente is the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Xenos,  and the editor of A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault.

May 8, 2017
stack of old books in home interior
Books

#CopingWith: 13 Poets Writing About Resistance

We all could stand to read more poetry. I say this as a poet who is immersed in poetry daily. You can never have too much of it–and personally, I don’t understand why more people don’t read poetry more. It’s short, which means you can digest a poem (the first time) anywhere. It’s all very momentary. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t go back to the poem later, and reread it with new eyes.

This is why I’m rounding up 13 poets writing about resistance whose work I admire. We can always cope with more poetry, am I right?

1. Danez Smith – “You’re Dead America” (Buzzfeed)
2. Robert Balun – “No-Titled” (Yes Poetry)
3. Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib – “The Day After the Election I Did Not Go Outside” (The New Inquiry)
4. Catherine Valdez – “Three Poems” (Heavy Feather Review)
5. Jen DeGregorio – “Three Poems” (Heavy Feather Review)
6. Guillermo Filice Castro – “Poems & Photographs” (Tarpaulin Sky)
7. Jennifer S. Cheng – “Inside Our Killing” (Tarpaulin Sky)
8. Jericho Brown – “Bullet Points” (Buzzfeed)
9. Yehuda Amichai – “The Place Where We Are Right” (On Being)
10. Maya Angelou – “On the Pulse of Morning” (University of Wisconsin)
11. W.H. Auden – “As I Walked Out One Evening” (Poets.org)
12. Octavio Paz – “Proem” (Poets.org)
13. Anne Waldman – “Endtime” (Poets.org)

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (2016, ELJ Publications), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions) and the editor of “A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault” (CCM, 2017). They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of their writing has appeared in Prelude, Apogee, Spork The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, The James Franco Review, and elsewhere. They also teach workshops at Brooklyn Poets.

May 1, 2017
BooksNews

Coping with Christine Stoddard, Contributor in ‘A Shadow Map’ & Editor of Quail Bell Magazine

#CopingWith is CCM’s interview series run by managing editor Joanna C. Valente

Christine Stoddard is a contributor in our anthology “A Shadow Map,” which was released on February 22, 2017. Besides that, however, Stoddard is the editor and founder of Quail Bell Magazine.

Luckily, Stoddard talked to me about her favorite gif, meal, and apocalypse plans:

Describe your favorite meal. Really anything that combines spinach, cheese, and tomatoes, whether it’s spinach enchiladas or spinach lasagna. Call me Popeye.

What music do often you write to, if at all? Everything from No Doubt to Debussy.

What are three books that you’ve always identified with? The Velveteen Rabbit, Love in the Time of Cholera, and Anna Karenina.

Choose one painting that describes who you are. What is it? “The Chick” by Frida Kahlo. Some days, I am the chick. Other days, I am the spider.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choose a gif that encompasses mornings for you.

Disney GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

(I am such a night owl.)

What do you imagine the apocalypse is like? How would you want to die? There is no art and there is no cheese. I hope I die in my husband’s arms, apocalypse or no apocalypse.

If you could only watch three films for the rest of your life, what would they be? This would be tough for me because I have a voracious film appetite, but I guess I would pick “Amélie,” “The Virgin Suicides,” and “Moonstruck.” My answer might change tomorrow!

How would you describe your social media persona/role? It’s decisively fairy punk.

What’s your favorite animal and why? The quail because I run Quail Bell Magazine. It’s my darling and I can’t thrilled to see how it grows.

What do you carry with you at all times? Literally, a book. Figuratively, my imagination.

joanna valenteJoanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (The Operating System, 2017), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of her writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, Pouch, and elsewhere. She also teaches workshops at Brooklyn Poets.

 

 

Christine Stoddard is a Brooklyn-based writer and visual storyteller who has created or contributed to books, films, museum exhibits, gallery shows, digital campaigns, and more. In 2014, Folio Magazine named her one of the media industry’s top 20 visionaries in their 20s for founding Quail Bell Magazine and Quail Bell Press & Productions.

April 13, 2017
ben white
Books

#CopingWith: 13 LGBTQ Poets You Need to Read

We all could stand to read more poetry. I say this as a poet who is immersed in poetry daily. You can never have too much of it–and personally, I don’t understand why more people don’t read poetry more. It’s short, which means you can digest a poem (the first time) anywhere. It’s all very momentary. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t go back to the poem later, and reread it with new eyes.

This is why I’m rounding up 13 LGBTQ-identifying poets whose work I admire. We can always cope with more poetry, am I right?

1. Jamie Mortara – “Any Animal” (Queen Mob’s Teahouse)
2. Natalie Diaz – “Grief Work” (Poets.org)
3. Amber Atiya – “How To Land A Job” (Powder Keg)
4. Nikky Finney – “The Aureole” (Poetry Foundation)
5. Precious Okoyomon – “Daydream in Ultralight Beams” (Metatron)
6. Jayy Dodd – “Black Philosophy #3” (The Shade Journal)
7. Frank Bidart – “Queer” (Poets.org)
8. CAConrad – “Bee Alliance: A (Soma)tic Poetry Ritual & Resulting Poem” (PEN America)
9. Eileen Myles – “The Letter Q” (Poets.org)
10. Joshua Jennifer Espinoza – “The Moon Is Queer” (The Feminist Wire)
11. Ricardo Maldonado – “The Project of Hands” (InDigest Magazine)
12. Tommy Pico – “Junk (an excerpt)” (Poetry Foundation)
13. Nathaniel Rosenthalis – “A Map Poem” (Yes Poetry)

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (2016, ELJ Publications), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions) and the editor of “A Shadow Map: An Anthology by Survivors of Sexual Assault” (CCM, 2017). They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of their writing has appeared in Prelude, Apogee, Spork The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, The James Franco Review, and elsewhere. They also teach workshops at Brooklyn Poets.

March 28, 2017
abigail welhouse
BooksNews

Coping with Abigail Welhouse, Author of ‘Bad Baby’ & ‘Too Many Humans of New York’

#CopingWith is CCM’s interview series run by managing editor Joanna C. Valente

Abigail Welhouse is a contributor in our anthology “A Shadow Map,” which was released on February 22, 2017. Besides that, however, Welhouse is the author of several chapbooks, Bad Baby (dancing girl press), Too Many Humans of New York (Bottlecap Press), and Memento Mori (a poem/comic collaboration with Evan Johnston). Of Bad Baby, Alex Crowley has said: “Welhouse’s imagery is lively and she navigates nostalgia without being maudlin, confronting moments of joy and self-doubt in equal measure…cutting as well as lighthearted.”

Luckily, Welhouse talked to me about her favorite gif, meal, and apocalypse plans:

Describe your favorite meal.

Made by someone else.

What music do often you write to, if at all?

Classical or baroque. Bach especially recalibrates my brain.

What are three books that you’ve always identified with?

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, Ruin by Cynthia Cruz, and all of the Saddle Club books by Bonnie Bryant.

Choose one painting that describes who you are. What is it?

Madame X. It reminds me to try to be brave about making art that risks offense. I’ve particularly loved that painting since my friend Micharne Cloughney included a song about it in her play The Way We Live.

 

Choose a gif that encompasses mornings for you.

What do you imagine the apocalypse is like? How would you want to die?

I picture someone pressing a button with the power to destroy the world. But I’d rather die in my sleep after knowing in advance for exactly one week.

If you could only watch three films for the rest of your life, what would they be?

The Princess Bride, Casablanca, and The Addams Family.

How would you describe your social media persona/role?

I try to be a resource for job leads, amusement, and supporting friends. When friends–especially longtime friends–write or make something beautiful, I’m so proud of them. Pride is a silly reaction, since I never have anything to do with their accomplishments. Still, I think it’s one of my better qualities. (For example–my longtime friend Rebecca Weaver published this beautiful essay about cleaning and grief recently, and I am so proud.)

What’s your favorite animal and why?

Horses, because they don’t need to listen to humans, but often do.

What do you carry with you at all times?

Altoid mints, wintergreen flavor only.

joanna valenteJoanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (ELJ Publications, 2016), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of her writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, Pouch, and elsewhere. She also teaches workshops at Brooklyn Poets.

 

 

abigail welhouseAbigail Welhouse is the author of Bad Baby (dancing girl press), Too Many Humans of New York (Bottlecap Press), and Memento Mori (a poem/comic collaboration with Evan Johnston). Her writing has been published in The Toast, The Billfold, Ghost Ocean Magazine, the Heavy Feather Review, and elsewhere. Subscribe to her Secret Poems at tinyletter.com/welhouse.

March 21, 2017
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