“The writer’s role is to menace the public’s conscience. He must have a position, a point of view. He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism and […]
7 Poetic (Auto)Biographies You Should Read
“In the beginning, no one was around.” – Zachary Schomburg, “1977” Before we start, I gotta come clean: even though this is a genre I really really like, I’m not […]
Albums I Should Have Listened To Already: ‘Sistahs’ by Big Joanie
“Don’t tell me to wait” – Big Joanie, “New Year” It’s time for another “Albums I Should Have Listened To Already!” This one is exciting. We’re getting into contemporary punk! […]
Riffs On Writing With Gwendolyn Brooks
“I write my poems on scraps of paper because I want to carry them in my address book. I’m likely to read them at a moment’s notice.” – Gwendolyn Brooks, […]
Dispatches From The Weirdo Convention 2026
“It can make us physically well, or horribly ill.” – David Byrne, ‘How Music Works’ Real quick: I am reading poems TONIGHT, 3/11, at The Whistler. That’s right, two weeks […]
11 Poetry & Short Story Collections By Women You Should Read
“I will call you man / man man man man / it is a recipe / it is not expensive” – Heather Christle, “YOU ARE MY GUEST” I somewhat want […]
On Performing
“[Singing] was sensuous, a pure pleasure, which didn’t take anything away from the emotions being expressed…Music can do that; you can enjoy singing about something sad.” – David Byrne, ‘How […]
Albums I Should Have Listened To Already: ‘Noise Addiction’ by Pure Hell
“Pure Hell went wild on their equipment, and they predated hardcore with their fast attack and assault method on instruments…they enjoyed who they were and what they created…” – Reaghan […]
The Annual Shipwrecked Sailor NBA Column
“Darwin did not change the islands, but only people’s opinion of them. That is how important mere opinion used to be, back in the era of great big brains.” – […]
11 Poetry Collections By Black Authors That You Should Read
“How are you going to force white critics to learn enough about us? Most of them have no interest in us or in our work. So how are you going […]