Reuben Jackson Makes Banshee Press’ 2020 Best Short Readings List
Jackson's poetry cycle, "Kelly's Love for Waltzes" (published by Boston Review) is chosen by Jaydn Dewald for the year-end list.
THIS YEAR, the Irish publisher, Banshee Press, asked its editors and contributors to pick "their favourite shorter reads of the year." Poet, Jaydn Dewald, whose work has appeared in Banshee and numerous other journals, chose Reuben Jackson's poetry cycle "Kelly's Love for Waltzes" for the list. The cycle was originally published by Boston Review and includes poems that utilize a waltz-like form, each line containing three words.
In "Kelly's Love for Waltzes" Reuben, who achieved considerable recognition for his narrative-driven poetry about lovers Khadijah and Amir, showcases a new voice, that of Kelly, loud and frustrated over racial inequality. Reuben's most recent collection Scattered Clouds features a plethora of his narrative and character-based poetry, and includes of all of his Khadijah and Amir poems. You can pick that up from ASP here.
Scattered Clouds is a volume of lyrical, emotionally forthright meditations on love, loss, and longing. The volume contains the complete text of the author’s award-winning first collection, fingering the keys; his nationally lauded poem, “For Trayvon Martin”; and his suite of ruminations on a long-time and deeply missed friend, the late barbershop owner Amir Yasin, and his widow Khadijah Rollins. These poems, exploring Amir’s late-life romance with Kadijah, became a national internet sensation.
An introduction by poet Abdul Ali places Jackson in his rightful context as a Black American poetry elder, who has influenced generations of younger poets with his musical wisdom as well as his poetry. Ali is a Cave Canem alum and the author of the poetry collection, Trouble Sleeping.
Live from the Reading Room Episode 4 (THE HISTORIES)
In this edition of “Live From the Reading Room”, James J. Patterson reads from three histories, Will and Ariel Durrant’s “The Life of Greece,” Edward Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, and Leo Damrosch’s “The Club.”
He also reads “The Conjecture Chamber” from his first collection of essays BERMUDA SHORTS
New Review of Scattered Clouds Raves “SC is one I return to again and again”
Reuben jackson recieves another glowing review for his collection “Scattered Clouds.”
Rose Reads Episode 4 (Myths and Retellings)
In this episode of Rose Reads, poet Rose Solari talks re-telling poems – by Louise Gluck, Derek Walcott, Anne Sexton, and herself.