A Small Press With Big Ideas
Max Barton's Picks for National Poetry Month (Week 2) We asked Max Barton, ASP Gopher and the present author, for his National Poetry Month picks. He recommends specifically the poem, "Home Burial", as one of immense value. Along with "Home Burial" by Robert Frost, he wishes to celebrate "The Magi" a short and substantive poem by Yeats, and Kipling's "Epitaphs of The War" which he feels is more moving than any Kipling poem has any right to be. … [Read more...]
Off the Cuff: Rose Solari's Keys to Writing Success Rose sits down with Brain Hackers Magazine founder and CEO, Dave Farrow, to talk about succeeding as a poet. "[A] thing that is crucial [for up and coming writers] is reading a lot. A professor of mine in college gave me the 100:1 ratio. He said, “You have to read about 100 good poems to write one.” It sounds daunting but it actually makes a kind of sense. I was trained in poetry, I have an MFA in poetry, so when I sat down to write a novel for the first time I knew I had an idea which was too narrative to fit into a poem and that it had to … [Read more...]
Elizabeth Hazen's Picks for National Poetry Month (Week 2) We asked poet, Elizabeth Hazen, for three poems she'd like to seen celebrated this National Poetry Month. And she chose three of equal merit in three very different styles. As featured above she chose the current United States Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith's stellar poem "My God, it's full of Stars"; James Wright's "A Blessing"; and Naomi Shihab Nye's "The Yellow Glove". Elizabeth Hazen is a poet and essayist whose work has appeared in Best American Poetry 2013, Southwest Review, The Threepenny Review, The … [Read more...]
Week One of National Poetry Month 2019 The first week of National Poetry Month is over. Let's take a look back at the featured poems of this past week. National Poetry Month is upon us! This year ASP has decided to celebrate by featuring several poems each week curated by different members of the ASP team. Now that the first week is over, let's take a look back at the poets and poems we have featured thus far. MONDAY Linda Watanabe McFerrin selected four poems dear to her to feature on Monday, including the late W.S. Merwin's Rain Light (pictured above). She also … [Read more...]
Craving More Grace? Check out the Poet Laureate on the NEA's "Art Works" Listen to Grace Cavalieri on the NEA's Podcast "Art Works" Grace Cavalieri recently stopped by the NEA's official podcast, "Art Works", to read poetry and talk hardship. Craving more Grace Cavalieri? Of course you are! Maryland's newest Poet Laureate is active, about, and spreading the word; that is, her words. Even though Poet Laureate is largely an honorary position (it is unpaid, and one is "honored" more with a title than a job much like a knighthood or a medal of freedom), Grace Cavalieri seems determined to become … [Read more...]
Grace Cavalieri's Interview on Midday with Tom Hall The Poet Laureate talks with the always informed Tom Hall about poetics, politics, and doing th work of art "If I say something that I believe in the deepest part of me and you read it and you say 'oh my gosh I have always thought that but never said it,' what has happened between us? We have made a contact, that’s a bridge, and the world is less lonely for it." -Grace Cavalieri Grace Cavalieri stopped by WYPR last week for an interview on "Midday" with Tom Hall. The Poet Laureate and author of ASP's … [Read more...]
University of DC Jazz Forum: A Conversation with Reuben Jackson In this University of DC forum, "Archivist, poet, writer, radio broadcaster/producer and currently Jazz Archives Specialist at the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives, Reuben Jackson, discusses his remarkable career with veteran jazz broadcaster and historian, Rusty Hassan." … [Read more...]
Inside the Industry: The Wonderful World of Galleys Joanna Biggar's new book has just gone to galley, but what does that mean? "Melanie's Song", the latest from Joanna Biggar, is out on October 1st, 2019 A galley, put simply, is a proofing copy. Doggy-eared, coffee-stained, and scribbled on with bright red pen, the galley is the penultimate stage before publication where all the smallest details of a manuscript, disregarded during the writing and organizing process, are scrutinized by fastidious copy-editors and a team of eager-to-help friends of the author. Because it is … [Read more...]
Remembering W. S. Merwin Grace Cavalieri's Two Interviews with the Literary Giant On Friday we lost one of America's greatest literary voices. W.S. Merwin was 91 years old. Grace's first interview with W.S. Merwin: Grace and Merwin 1 Grace's second interview with W.S. Merwin: Grace and Merwin 2 On Friday we lost a true hero of American poetry. Dignified from beginning to end, W.S. Merwin was not only one of America's finest literary exports, but one of its most prolific (an almost impossible feat for any career artist). During his life, Merwin published over 50 books of … [Read more...]
An Interview with Elizabeth Hazen, Baltimore Poet and 2019 Baker Award Finalist "Baltimore is a small city; it is almost impossible to leave the house without running into someone you know. Until I moved here, I never experienced a strong connection to a place, but after almost 20 years here, I feel Baltimore, with all of its quirk and contradiction, is part of my identity." Last week Baltimore poet, Elizabeth Hazen, was announced as a finalist for the 2019 Baker Award in literature. Baltimore poet, Elizabeth Hazen's first collection of poems is entitled Chaos … [Read more...]
Elizabeth Hazen Announced as a Finalist for the 2019 Baker Award Elizabeth Hazen (left) with Santa Fe Writers Project founder, Andrew Gifford The 2019 Baker Award finalists have been announced! The Baker Awards are the premier honors for artists working and living in the greater Baltimore area. Past awardees in music include jazz pianist and music club stalwart, Lafayette Gilchrist, and avant garde pedal steel virtuoso, Susan Alcorn. Winners of the Baker Literary prize include poet and Iowa Writer's alum Dora Malech and novelist Timmy Reed. This year, ASP's own Elizabeth Hazen, … [Read more...]
Grace Cavalieri's February 2019 Exemplars of Poetry Every month for the Washington Independent Review of Books, the Maryland Poet Laureate, Grace Cavalieri, author of Other Voices, Other Lives, does a round-up style review of the best recently released independent books of poetry and books about poetry. February 2019's review features 8 books ranging from exciting newcomer, Sam Ross, to long-dead literary stalwart, Charles Bukowski (whose new collection, edited and compiled by Abel Debritto, is titles On Drinking) Read the full February 2019 round-up HERE … [Read more...]
Throw Back Thursday: James J. Patterson's "Jesse Lancaster Remembers" One of Patterson's most intimate and psycological scenes is featured today on ASP's Throwback Thursday. But it is a deviation from the normal tone of his personal essays. James J. Patterson with his first book, the essay collection "Bermuda Shorts." Myra Sklarew once said of reading James J. Patterson that it is "like sitting down with a very intelligent friend and having the kind of conversation you’d always wanted to have." James J. Patterson is best known for personal essays like "Lovesick Lake" with its … [Read more...]
A Great Evening at a Great Indie Bookstore (Who are the Wanderland Writers?) Recently, The Wanderland Writers have been hosting a myriad of reading events and writing workshops throughout California. Lately on the ASP page we've been posting a lot of events for the Wanderland Writers. Most of these are in California, and generally they are workshops geared toward travel writers. WW put out books as well: anthologies for the most part. Their latest book Wandering in Cuba; Revolution and Beyond features contributions from several writers detailing their … [Read more...]
Featured Audio: Rose Solari Reads "The Beginning , 1939" "Rose's voice is as much a part of the journey as the text. Her understanding of (and love for) the music within language is entrancing-haunting, and delightful. It moves me like love itself." Reuben Jackson In "The Beginning, 1939" Rose Solari's mastery of recitation is put to the music of her capricious mother and the frantic hopes of her father who wishes to leave "no long, tight pauses for her to fill." I've written before about Rose's use of swing and rhythmic motifs in her work, elements which are alive in this poem, … [Read more...]
Mikaela Lefrak Examines the Life of Maryland Poet Laureate, Grace Cavalieri In a new piece for the WAMU website, Mikaela Lefrak takes a deep dive into the career and day to day of Maryland's 10th Poet Laureate. The beloved Grace Cavalieri "contains multitudes" according to Mikaela Lefrak in her newest article from WAMU taking a look at the life and career of the 10th Poet Laureate. And Ms. Lefrak treats her subject with the due respect of a life which cannot be covered succinctly in 500 words. She delivers a reverent tourists' view of Grace Cavalieri's life, hitting the big things: … [Read more...]
Listen to Grace Cavalieri on the Kojo Nnamdi Show Grace Cavalieri's interview on the Kojo Nnamdi show is now up on the WAMU website Grace Cavalieri's recent stop at NPR's The Kojo Nnamdi show is now streamable HERE Over a substantive 22 minutes, listen to Grace talk about poetry, inspiration, and her plans as the 10th Maryland Poet Laureate. Other Voices, Other Lives: A Grace Cavalieri Collection is a selection of poems, plays, and interviews drawn from over forty years of work by one of America’s most beloved and influential women of letters. The author of 23 books of poetry and 26 … [Read more...]
The Prologue of "That Paris Year" is POETRY Rethink your definition of poetry, Joanna Biggar's prologue to her first novel "That Paris Year" is an absolutely breath-taking vision of California and the city of love. Excerpt from the Prologue of "That Paris Year" How can I convey to you what this is like? It’s been only ten years, but it seems a hundred since I walked this shaded street, passing the open grassy quad, the somnolent ivied walls, the buildings and bell tower beyond where California Spanish makes an impressionist’s blur of whitewash splashed with red tile, orange … [Read more...]
MLK Video: Reuben Jackson narrates "March" by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin Hear Reuben Jackson narrate from "March: Book One" in honor of MLK day. If the video is not working, you can follow THIS link to stream it. Happy MLK day! We are super excited to finally see Reuben Jackson's long awaited narration of March: Book One co-written by congressman and civil rights activist, John Lewis. And it does not disappoint. The narration above is paired with visuals from the graphic novel which was illustrated by Nate Powell. For more information, we did a story last week on … [Read more...]
Reuben Jackson Narrating Graphic Novel "March" for MLK inspired Concert In-house ASP wordsmith and noted Jazz Scholar, Reuben Jackson, will be narrating March: Book One, written in part by sitting Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, for the Vermont Youth Orchestra's celebratory performance of Duke Ellington's Three Black Kings (which includes an ode to MLK) and Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony (which takes inspiration from African American spirituals). Amy Lilly wrote beautifully on the subject over on Seven Days an independent journal in Vermont. You can check out her … [Read more...]
