(Shropshire, EN: Platypus Press, 2020) I discovered Joseph Fasano, author of the new novel The Dark Heart of Every Wild Thing, as a poet. A few years back, I read some of his verse, and more recently I heard him … Continued
(Huntsville, TX: Texas Review Press, 2020) Heather Lang-Cassera: Dylan, thank you for chatting with me about your exquisite novella, The Loneliest Band in France, the 2019 winner of the Clay Reynolds Novella Prize! Might you please share what sparked this lovely, lyrical book? … Continued
Translated from Spanish by Robin Myers (Phoenix, AZ: Cardboard House Press, 2018) HLC: Thank you so much, Robin, for taking the time to chat with me today, and thank you even more for translating Ezequiel Zaidenwerg’s Lyric Poetry Is Dead, … Continued
(West Caldwell, NJ: Terrapin Books, 2019) Some poets remind us what quietude can bring, that it is not synonymous with disengagement nor weakness. Rather, bringing the noise level that surrounds us down for a few moments (to read a poem), … Continued
(Glenview, IL: Glass Lyre Press, 2019) If you have enjoyed the works of Mary Quade, either Guide to Native Beasts or Local Extinctions, or are enamored with molecular biologist and field ecologist Katherine Larson’s poetry collection, Radial Symmetry, Mary Peelen’s … Continued
(Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2019) Lee Ann Roripaugh’s fifth volume of poetry, tsunami vs. the fukushima 50, explores the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, triggered by the tsunami following the Tōhoku earthquake. The collection opens with a handful of poems … Continued
(Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018) Growing up, my younger brother had a unique plush toy. Some kids have teddy bears. Many have plush dogs. My brother, however, had a stingray. Because that’s how we grew up, and that’s what … Continued
Heather Lang: Thank you so much, Michael, for agreeing to an interview on your brilliant translation of The Popol Vuh, the ancient Mayan creation epic, as translated from the K’iche’. I’ve long been familiar with your poetry, so I was … Continued
Heather Lang: The other day, after cleaning my house, I found myself staring—just sitting and staring—at the space I had created: the white wall beneath the oval mirror, above the bookshelf, and to the right of a small family photo. … Continued
(Port Townsend, WA: Copper Canyon Press, 2018) Before I moved to the desert, I lived in Seattle, and within walking distance from my apartment was a modest surf shop. I’d rent stand-up paddleboards and, with my small dog at the … Continued
Heather Lang: Pete, congratulations on the publication of your short story collection, Little Black Dots, out with Chatter House Press. I know that “Little Black Dots” is also the title of one of the short stories in the collection, but … Continued
Heather Lang: Taylor, thank you so much for chatting with me today. As you know from my previous note to you, I feel The Whetting Stone (Studio City, CA: Rattle, 2017) might be the most important poetry chapbook of the decade. Many … Continued
Heather Lang: Thank you, Fiona Sze-Lorrain, for taking time out of your brimming schedule to chat with me about your art. As you know, I greatly admire your latest poetry collection, The Ruined Elegance (Princeton University Press, 2016), and am … Continued
(Buffalo, NY: Sunnyoutside, 2017) All right, folks. I’m going to admit it. I’m finding more and more that I enjoy a stellar chapbook over the sacred, full-length poetry collection. I’ve spent some time pondering why this might be, and I … Continued
(El Paso, TX: Veliz Books, 2017) To New York City, I’m an outsider. I’d never even visited until my mid-twenties, when my New Jersey grad-school friends and I piled into a car late one night. We drove through a tunnel … Continued
(Las Vegas, NV: Zeitgeist Press, 2016) A couple years ago, I moved to Nevada from Washington state. I packed all my belongings into my car, and I drove. In my Subaru were my clothes, LPs, books, saxophones, and even my … Continued
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2015) I recently visited Nevada’s National Atomic Testing Museum. I expected to be taken back by certain images – the apocalyptic mushroom clouds and obliterated cities – but something else remained with me, too. I … Continued
(Brooklyn, NY: The Operating System, 2016) If you’re familiar with poet Mark Gurarie, it’s likely you know he’s a musician as well. You might recognize him as a member of the indie-rock band, Galapagos Now! Moreover, his chapbook, Pop :: … Continued
(Warrensburg, MO: Pleiades Press, 2016) I remember the first time that, in terms of the poem, words failed me – not my words or another’s words but words in general. I was attempting to describe a man speaking and, behind … Continued
Translated from the Chinese by Fiona Sze-Lorrain (Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2015) “A stage setting has no independent life of its own. Its emphasis is directed towards the performance. In the absence of the actor it does not exist.” These words … Continued
Translated from the German by Elisabeth Lauffer (Animal Internet: Nature and the Digital Revolution. New York, NY: New Vessel Press, 2016) Recently I met someone online. He lives near Marcoola, Queensland, Australia, which is about an hour and a half north … Continued
(Buffalo, NY: sunnyoutside, 2015) I’ve suffered fits of insomnia since I was young. I’d wake my mother at 2 a.m. to “roast marshmallows” (her paired socks) on “the grill” (her blanket-covered legs) or to tell her stories about multiplication, butterflies, … Continued
(Seattle, WA and New York, NY: Wave Books, 2015) In October I had the pleasure of attending the Vegas Valley Book Festival, including the panel “Literary Nonfiction: The Elegance of Truth.” Among other topics, panelist Mike Sager, an award-winning journalist, … Continued
(Tuscon, AZ: Spork Press, 2012) Until recently, I would not have considered myself a spiritual person. Maybe I still wouldn’t. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that, like many who look to higher-powers only during times of need, I gave myself … Continued
(Los Angeles, CA: Heartworm Press, 2015) Exactly how dangerous is it to stare at the sun? This is a question that I find myself asking throughout Eric Paul’s second poetry collection, A Popular Place To Explode. No, the book isn’t particularly … Continued
(Toronto, Ontario: McClelland & Stewart, 2015) Fibonacci numbers were, I think, my first formal introduction to the idea that math and science are essential to the beauty of the natural world. I was in early elementary school when I learned … Continued
(New York: Black Lawrence Press, 2015) I have long been interested in the relationship between the poem and the moment or, perhaps more precisely, the moment as it sits perched within memory. But after my sister’s sudden and unexpected passing, … Continued
Translated from the Spanish by Yvette Siegert (Brooklyn, NY: Ugly Duckling Presse, 2015) Last November, my introduction to Diana’s Tree was similar to that awe one feels when meeting an exceptional human being—I was rendered speechless. After my first read through … Continued
(Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2014) “Sun’s yoke a greasy sputter in morning’s blue Teflon.” Lee Ann Roripaugh opens her poem “Trompe l’Oeil: The Annotated Version” with these words, which I read as I sit at a diner down the road, … Continued
(Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2014) From “big jellyfish, All grown-assed” to “rain-laden / Lilacs,” Alex Lemon’s newest poetry collection, The Wish Book, is filled with everything. In a way, this reminds me of Dara Wier’s newest collection, You Good Thing, … Continued
(Seattle and New York: Wave Books, 2013.) I can’t put O’Brien’s newest poetry collection down. By this I do not mean that I am propelled through People on Sunday until the end, but rather, that I am compelled to read … Continued