Naya Clark

Naya Clark discusses with Peter Ramos his book Poetic Encounters in the Americas: Remarkable Bridge. In Remarkable Bridge Ramos delves into what goes into poetic translations, referencing poets such as James Wright and César Vallejo; Walt Whitman, Pablo Neruda and Langston Hughes; Luis Palés Matos and William Carlos Williams; Elizabeth Bishop and Octavio Paz, and more.
In this interview, Ramos answers questions regarding how language and place literally and figuratively cross boundaries and c...

M. I. DEVINE IS A multidisciplinary writer, lyricist, and performer. An associate professor of English at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, Devine has published widely on an array of topics, his scholarship winning the 2019 Gournay Prize in Creative Nonfiction and support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. His most recent book, Warhol’s Mother’s Pantry: Art, America, and the Mom in Pop, published in November by Mad Creek Books, delves into the life and work of pop-...

How the neighborhood’s artists are adapting to the COVID-19 era

(Seattle, WA: Entre Ríos Books, 2020)
Orange, by E. Briskin, is a collection of segmented prose about the death of a grieving narrator’s dog. Along with the jolting theme, the form that Orange takes is just as peculiar. The stream-of-conscious narrative is displayed in numerically disordered blocks of thought, many times in the form of observational one-liners. The nameless narrator’s thoughts are consumed by the memories and consciousness (or lack thereof) of their late canine companion. Des...

Followers, a novel by Megan Angelo (Graydon House 2020), is a fictional prediction of a world molded by social media culture. Followers revolves around the lives of Orla Cadden, whose dream is to become a literary success, and Floss, an aspiring celebrity influencer. Told in alternating stories, the novel sees Floss and Orla hack societal prestige through digital connections.

Kelly Taylor Mitchell is an artist and educator, using experimental art forms, care, and creativity to preserve and uncover Black diaspora.

Care (n.)
/ker/
The provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.
This month started like everyone’s: with uncertainty. The beginning of March felt like years ago. When the buzz of Corona Virus felt like it was just heresy laced with paranoia. The fears became real when Urban Ivy’s staff traveled to San Antonio for the AWP conference. It was something like a dream of mine– a real writer’s experience, even with fears of cancellatio...

Just before writing this I was trying to think of an honest angle. How do I approach being an editor at a newer, small publisher without acknowledging my overwhelming sense of imposter’s syndrome? Then I started zoning out. Time does this peculiar thing, where it warps, and it seems like just a few months ago, I was starting my freshman year of college. Ironically, I was in the same coffee shop I’m in now, in my high school hometown. After working part-time at a close-by boutique, I would loo...

In the midst of America’s identity reflecting itself through politics and pop culture, Saeed Jones’s new memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives, illustrates an experience of American life that is rarely talked about yet commonly lived. The book focuses the life of a queer Black boy from the South, and how the lack of conversation in America shaped the experiences of his youth, personal development, education, and sexuality into a battle of survival.

Among Atlanta's High Museum of Art's most diverse audience in history, Jafa compiles video documentation of the complexity of Blackness

Over a year ago I reviewed poet, José Olivarez' "Citizen Illegal", a collection of poetry centralizing the experience of immigration from Mexico to L.A. Have a read!

To say that Nicole Dennis-Benn is highly accomplished as a writer is an understatement. Her debut novel, Here Comes the Sun, received titles of best book of the year from the New York Times, NPR, Amazon, and Kirkus Reviews, amongst others. Now, Dennis-Benn is also the writer behind the forthcoming novel, Patsy. Dennis-Benn and I recently discussed her writing process for both Patsy and Here Comes the Sun, as well as issues of motherhood, religion and the Church, immigration, and craft.

On a clear, winter night down a few backroads, and through a barely-lit, crater-ridden parking lot, a band called True Blossom rehearsed at a warehouse practice space. They warmly welcomed me in and offered me candy prior to my interview. Initially, I wouldn’t have imagined True Blossom’s music coming out of a warehouse. I pictured their sound flowing from a purple-lit living room, like a scene straight out of Scott Pilgrim. The airy, dance-in-your-room grooves and melodies True Blossom creat...