Alan Squire Publishing

A Small Press With Big Ideas

Don't let a Poet Burn Down Your House: A Cautionary Tale for the Holidays By Rose Solari WHETHER YOU LOVE IT OR LOATHE IT, there’s no denying that the holiday party season is all-consuming. Hosts everywhere order mistletoe, peruse catering menus, and search for just the right poet to read her work at their swank event. What’s that, you say? Never heard of that last one? Indeed, of all your artist friends, a poet pal might be last one you’d think to ask to recite a few pieces at your holiday shindig. Musicians of all stripes are pressed into service this time of year, lending their flutes, … [Read more...]

An Interview with Mark A. Pritchard Mark A. Pritchard grew up in the New Forest, Southern England, a village with more sheep than people. He is the eldest of four siblings, whom he assures are recovering well. Mark holds a degree in drama from King Alfred’s College, Winchester. Tired of suffering Mark’s essays, the Head of Drama suggested he try a screen play as his dissertation. Words magically ceased to be mortal enemies and he has been captivated by story telling ever since. Rose Solari discovered him at the Oxford Literary ‘Fringe Festival’ in 2008 reading from his then work in … [Read more...]

Notes from the Personal Journal of James J. Patterson (On Joanna Biggar) At our October book launch, James J. Patterson introduced Joanna Biggar in a way only he could pull off, with passages from his personal journal. ASP’s Fall Book Launch Party took place on October 10, 2019 at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD. There James J. Patterson was giving the lofty task of introducing his mentor, Joanna Biggar, whose novel Melanie's Song was debuting that night— its predecessor That Paris Year was among the first books published by ASP ten years ago. The evening was also, in many ways, a … [Read more...]

Escaping the Fat Man by Joanna Biggar "To say that the Gao jail was notorious is an understatement. It was a spot we had no intention of visiting. Yet, in the heat of mid-day, there we were, sweating inside the interior of its relatively cool cement walls...Watching those ahead of us beg, grovel, and attempt to pay their way out of their difficulties was not reassuring. Watching a prison guard beat until bloody two beautiful young Tuareg men in blue robes was positively terrifying." IT BEGAN, OF COURSE, WITH A FRENCHMAN. While living in Ghana in the 1970’s with my husband and three young … [Read more...]

Two Poems by Reuben Jackson Kelly Recalls 1963 I still call The year 1963 Season of Nightmares After Medgar Evers Was killed I Would lie awake And wait for My uncle Joe To get home Safely he and My Aunt Blanche Had the same Carport Mr. Evers Had I know Because I read The story concerning His assassination over And over in Ebony magazine even When he my Uncle was safely Seated on the Couch I could Not sleep because I now knew That we were Hated for being Who we were And are then The four little Girls in Birmingham Died in that Bombing who will Protect us I Asked the moon On more … [Read more...]

Shanghaied By The Past By Linda Watanabe McFerrin SHANGHAIED BY THE PAST appears in Navigating the Divide (ASP 2019) SOME CALL SHANGHAI THE PEARL OF THE ORIENT. And, in many ways, it is—organic, iridescent, a nacreous gemstone wrapped around a suffering center stuffed into the belly button of China. Behind it, China’s umbilicus, the great Yangtze, crawls through the fat middle of the country all the way from Tibet. Shanghai is young as great cities go. A murky backwater for centuries, its origins as a cosmopolitan center are rooted in the 1843 Treaty of Nanjing and trade concessions … [Read more...]

Scattered Clouds Featured on The Poetry Foundation's December Reading List Reuben Jackson's second collection of poetry is named by editor Naomi Ayala to the December reading list. If you're a frequent reader of The Poetry Foundation's Editor's Blog, you might have seen the title Scattered Clouds appear somewhere between Samuel Miranda and The Dalai Lama on editor Naomi Ayala's December reading list. The PF reading list, simply put, is a short list of recommended reading from the editor's of Poetry. December's was an eclectic list and the tastes (and … [Read more...]

Love Poem by Elizabeth Hazen I love you changes me into a tree falling after erosion has its say. This process does not simply take away the cliff’s edge— it creates new space, frees me from fear of stasis. It tells me I’m still young enough to be surprised. I first believed the tree was dead, but months later it blossomed, this emblem of possibility prostrate across our path, this tangle of limbs like a castaway clawing her way back from the sea. "Love Poem" appears in Hazen's new collection Girls Like Us ( ASP March, 2020) Girls Like Us is packed with fierce, eloquent, … [Read more...]

Grace Cavalieri talks Buddhism with "Lion's Roar Magazine" Grace Cavalieri, MD's 10th Poet Laureate and a practicing Buddhist, talks about her spiritual journey with "Lion's Roar Magazine." GRACE CAVALIERI, poet, playwright, author, educator, poet laureate, radio personality, and Buddhist. Grace Cavalieri recently spoke to Lion's Roar magazine, an English-language Buddhist publication, about how her spiritual journey in Buddhism has dovetailed with her artistic journey in poetry. Grace started practicing Buddhism after her partner of 60 years, Ken, passed away. She was named as … [Read more...]

Nathan Leslie Interviews Reuben Jackson Before the publication of "Scattered Clouds" in October, Nathan Leslie sat down with Reuben Jackson to discuss his work in literature and music. "I’ve been a music chaser all my life. When I was in grade school, I secretly longed to, say, write liner notes for albums. I’d also conduct fantasy interviews with my favorite artists. I never imagined that I would work with Duke Ellington’s papers for 20 years, for example...Some of my reviews make me wince like old high school photos. But like anything, you do your best. And hopefully … [Read more...]

ASP featured in “Six Local Indie Presses You Should Know” "D.C.’s literary scene is independent to the core..." begins local author Hannah Grieco's article on the movers and shakers of the DC publishing world featured today in the Washington City Paper. Alan Squire Publishing, celebrating its ten year anniversary in 2020, and its close collaborators make up three of the six presses Grieco interviewed for her article. Richard Peabody's press, Paycock, publisher of Gargoyle Magazine, and Andrew Gifford's Santa Fe Writer's Project (of which we are an imprint) are featured prominently … [Read more...]

Grace Cavalieri on Kojo Nnamdi WAMU Grace Cavalieri was recently featured on WAMU's "People we met in 2019". Listen to her appearance on the Kojo Nnamdi show earlier this year. “What I love best is the people who say, ‘After talking to you, I wrote my first poem,’” she said. “I would love to have put that little chip, that little crystal behind your heart.” — Grace Cavalieri The Maryland Poet Laureate was recently featured in WAMU's "People we met in 2019." During the inaugural year of Grace's Laureateship, Grace has received many awards and recognition for her busy speaking … [Read more...]

“Melanie’s Song” Reviewed in The Maryland Literary Review Author and Baltimore native, Charles Rammelkamp writes glowingly about Joanna Biggar's newest novel in his review in MLR. Charles Rammelkamp's lovely review of Joanna Biggar's new novel Melanie's Song is up today on the Maryland Literary Review. Read an except below, the full review here, and find a preferred place to purchase the book here. "A sequel to her 2010 novel, That Paris Year, which followed five California girls on their junior year abroad, in 1962, at the Sorbonne, Joanna Biggar’s new novel follows … [Read more...]

Reuben Jackson and Rose Solari to Read at the American Poetry Museum December 14th, 2019 Reuben Jackon, Rose Solari, and the wonderful Maryland poet Maritza Rivera will perform poems from their catalog at the American Poetry Museum in Washington, DC. The readings will be followed by a question and answer period. more info Sure to be a treat for the DMV poetry fan, Reuben Jackson and Rose Solari are known to have particularly excellent chemistry together, having read and worked together for over twenty years. In the early '90s Rose and Reuben were fresh poets just hitting the scene. … [Read more...]

Incoming: Early 2020 will be the first ASP Open Submissions Period This new year WE WANT YOUR POETRY AND NOVEL MANUSCRIPTS! For this, our first open submissions period, we are looking for manuscripts in two categories: full-length poetry collections and novels. We are interested in work that is well-crafted and possessed of a strong, distinctive voice. Before you submit, we suggest you review our current list, to see if your work might be a good fit for us. What we are NOT looking for on this round: Short story collections, essay collections, memoirs, and other forms of creative … [Read more...]

A Writer's Legacy: The Mission Behind the Peabody Reader and The Legacy Series The life of a small press writer can be difficult. Many writers can go their whole lives publishing only with small presses only to watch them fold and their work sit in langor out of print for years or maybe forever. LR: Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Richard Peabody, Grace Cavalieri "When we launched [The Peabody Reader] to a packed house at that year’s AWP conference, ASP co-founder James J. Patterson asked everyone in the room whose career had been assisted in some way by Richard to raise their hand. In … [Read more...]

Christmas comes early Mark A. Pritchard is a writer in the tradition of well-loved British and American authors, from E. B. White to Madeleine L’Engle, from J. R. R. Tolkien to J. K. Rowling, whose books, though directed at the young, capture the hearts and minds of readers of all ages. Billy Christmas is a boy with a man’s problems. Since his father disappeared mysteriously last Christmas, Billy’s mom has withdrawn into her grief, neglecting him and everything else. Now, in addition to his schoolwork, Billy must also keep the household running for both of them, paying the bills from … [Read more...]

Reuben Jackson and Richard Peabody Featured in The Writer's Guide The Writer's Guide is the tri annual literary offering from Bethesda's The Writer's Center. See inside for an interview with Reuben Jackson and a Review of Peabody's newest collection. The Winter/Spring 2020 edition of the Writer's Guide (The Writer's Center tri-annual literary offering) is out and you can read it for FREE here to get all your DC lit news, book reviews, and information on upcoming classes and workshops at The Center. This edition features an excellent interview with Reuben Jackson on his newest … [Read more...]

Scattered Clouds Receives Glowing Review in Foreword In book reviewer Matt Sutherland's short and sweet review of Scattered Clouds by Reuben Jackson, he remarks on Reuben's use of punctuation saying "By avoiding cumbersome punctuation and the formality of capitalization, Reuben Jackson lullabies his way into treasured-voice status, quiet yet forceful." The review is, as stated, a brief one; but, in a couple of sentences Sutherland gives an accurate aesthetic assessment of Reuben's unique style. That is an achievement unto itself. You can read the rest of the review here You can buy the … [Read more...]

"Poetry in Motion." An Introduction to Grace Cavalieri Grace Cavalieri has been publishing poetry for over 50 years. But how did she get her start? In this weeklong series we will be discussing Grace's life and work in detail. Today, we discuss her origin as a poet. Like many feminist writers of the midcentury, Grace Cavalieri’s artistic origin coincided with her husband’s deployment. It was the mid 1960s, Grace’s husband, airforce pilot, and, later, sculptor Kenneth Flynn, was deployed on shore duty in Annandale, Virginia and Grace, for the first time, found time on her hands. … [Read more...]