![Reuben Jackson [extremely candid]](https://4blkywnbsle3e4j2l3m98td1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ReubenJackson3-YouTube-300x187.png)
Off the Cuff: The Writing Philosophy of Reuben Jackson "Part of what I try to do [is this]: you know how you go down to the mall and you see monuments to this war and this war, and that’s fine. But, a lot of my friends I think about constantly. Maybe, they’re forgotten in a way; but [what I try] to do, and maybe this is what you do as writers, is to capture people who had an impact on you." -Reuben Jackson Poet and jazz scholar, Reuben Jackson gave a talk in Rockville, MD on April 6th where he went into detail on his writing philosophy and read a few poems from his upcoming collection … [Read more...]
Joanna Biggar's Picks for NPM Week 3 Week three of National Poetry Month is here and we are still celebrating! So as the champagne continues relentlessly foaming for party-goers catching their tipsy mid-air, we asked author, Joanna Biggar, to select three poems she thinks are worthy of applause between wassails. Her first, featured above, is Dickinson's "I'm Nobody! Who are You?" For her second an excellent poem by Carolyn Forche called "The Testimony Of Light" And last but not least an absolute banger from Salvadoran-American poet Javier Zamora entitled "Let Me Try Again" Joanna Biggar … [Read more...]
James J. Patterson's National Poetry Month Picks (week 2) In honor of National Poetry Month, We asked author and essayist extraordinaire, James J. Patterson, to select three poems he'd like to see celebrated. Along with Walt Whitman's "On the Beach at Night Alone" (featured above), he chose Wordsworth's "The World is too much with Us", And Last but not least, the famed American Poet Robert Bly performing the poem "On Being a Man" by the famed Spanish poet, Antonio Machado. James J. Patterson was born in Washington, DC, five days before Nixon’s infamous “Checkers Speech.” He’s been … [Read more...]
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...]
An Interview with Rose Solari on Dave Farrow's "The Brains Behind It" 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 … [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 Grace Cavalieri, seen above in her trademarked leather jacket, stopped by WYPR last week for an interview on "Midday" with Tom Hall. The Poet Laureate and author of ASP's Other Voices, Other Lives, mused on her life and work, meditating on the loss of her late husband, and reading from deep poetry catalogue. This interview is well worth the 40 minutes it takes to impart the important wisdom of one of Maryland's foremost sages. Listen to the interview HERE Watch the Interview HERE Buy a copy of Grace's Legacy Book … [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...]
Fiddlin' Around in Ireland a Travel Essay by Linda Watanabe McFerrin We were at Maggie’s, a pub on Kiernan Street in Kilkenny, and the devil was panting at Anthony Macauley's elbow, for the Irish lads were dueling it out with the musicians from Cornwall and the fiddles were smoking. The four musicians from Cornwall had their backs to the dark plank wall. Portraits of Yeats and Shaw frowned down on them. "I'm going to have to number these tunes," muttered the Cornish fiddler. "There's no point; you can't count," taunted one of the Irish lads. And so it went with the fiddles … [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. Joanna Biggar addressing the crowd at "A Great Good Place for Books" in Oakland, CA 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 … [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. “I had no choice. I was born and wired a writer.” Says Grace Cavalieri in the new WAMU article exploring her life as a poet and her plans as 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 … [Read more...]