Alan Squire Publishing

A Small Press With Big Ideas

James J. Patterson's Live from the Reading Room episode 2 In this edition of LFTRR, James J. Patterson reads from the masters, Yeats and Delacroix, before returning to his own work with a new essay from the upcoming Junk Shop Window. It is like sitting down with a very intelligent friend and having the kind of conversation you’d always wanted to have. —Myra Sklarew In clothing, Bermuda shorts are a kind of casual formal wear – and in this collection of essays, Bermuda Shorts is the perfect metaphor for James J. Patterson’s fundamentally serious but playful … [Read more...]

Elizabeth Hazen, Steven Leyva, and Dora Malech Virtual Reading and Discussion The three Baltimore poets come together to support the good work of the Maryland Food Bank Baltimore poets Elizabeth Hazen, Steven Leyva, and Dora Malech present this hour-long virtual poetry special. The reading consists of two periods: in the first, each poet reads from and discusses their new work; and in the second, the poets enjoy a roundtable discussion of poetry and writing craft. Please support #TeamBaltimorePoetry in its goal to raise $250 for the Maryland Food Bank: … [Read more...]

Rose Solari Reviews 4 Books for The Washington Independent Review of Books The review cycle, called "Pieces of the Whole," concerns 4 new poetry collections, each one exploring a unique theme. Rose Solari speaks at the Writers' Center. credit: Hankins-Lawrence Photography ROSE SOLARI's first round of reviews in her new monthly series is live on the Washington Independent Review of Books' website and can be read here. In April's installment, the poet gives her thoughts on collections which develop a theme over many poems. She reviews the "formal mastery" of Katherine Barrett … [Read more...]

James J. Patterson Live from the Reading Room #1 James J. Patterson reads a story from "The Richard Peabody Reader" and from his upcoming "Junk Shop Window" … [Read more...]

“Death of the Patriarch”: Joanna Biggar on Ellis Marsalis The latest installment of Joanna Biggar's blog details her meeting with the late great jazz musician. "He talked to me of the history of jazz, evolving from its roots in plantation entertainment to minstrel shows to vaudeville “Music was an Africanized version of what the master was familiar with—like Irish jigs…When the slaves were playing for themselves, it was a different rhythmic component.”  And he explained that as we closed out the 20th century, it was important to follow carefully the changes that occurred … [Read more...]

Poet Rose Solari Shares Poetry and Thoughts Over Recent Livestream (#1) Rose Solari will be livestreaming over Facebook every Wednesday at 4pm … [Read more...]

Our Amazing Kindle Deals As of last week Amazon is NO LONGER delivering "non-priority" goods. Justifiably included in that category are physical books, along with other entertainment and art objects like films and videogames. In this day and age, physical sales through Amazon can make up the lion's share of a small press' earnings, and with bookstores now closed, as well as in-person gigs no longer an option, many of us are left without our most reliable income streams. Fortunately, the virtual market is still available to indie presses. All of our books can be bought as Kindle editions … [Read more...]

Elizabeth Hazen Describes the “Girls Like Us” Menu with Lesley Wheeler As part of Lesley Wheeler's "Virtual Salon" Series, Elizabeth Hazen describes an accompanying menu for her poetry collection "Girls Like Us" and gives advice on getting through the quarantine. "If one wanted to emulate the women in many of the poems, straight liquor – any kind – would be a fitting refreshment; another version of the party’s menu could be the austere black coffee and stale donuts or off-brand cookies so often associated with recovery. A wild array of mocktails would be better suited to a … [Read more...]

Rose Solari Shares New Poem “Hunger” After Jackson Browne Solari's new poem was shared to her Facebook page on Friday. Hunger His voice is the taste of Michelob and cheap weed, a late spring evening leaning into summer in somebody’s absent parents’ rec room. Black lights and band posters. “Saturate Before Using” spinning our smoke-addled heads. Now   someone picks up a guitar, and the still- though-not-for-much-longer tenor star of our school chorus starts singing, Doctor,   my eyes, and everyone, even the metal-head kids, chimes in. We all know this singer’s story — the … [Read more...]

Baltimore Magazine Names Elizabeth Hazen an Author to Read During Social Distancing Elizabeth Hazen, author of "Girls Like Us," is named beside Dora Malech and D. Watknins as authors to read during social distancing in a new Baltimore Magazine editorial. Elizabeth Hazen addresses a packed house at Atomic Books. In a new editorial from Baltimore Magazine, Baker award finalist Elizabeth Hazen is named as an author to read "while working from home" (read: social distancing). The magazine puts her name next to other Baltimore stalwarts like the incredible poet Dora Malech and the … [Read more...]

Grace Cavalieri’s “Other Voices, Other Lives” Recieves Large Discount "In the darkest of times, you will encounter starlight" says Herbert Woodward Martin of the MD Poet Laureate's Legacy Book. In continued celebration of Women's History Month, we are offering Grace Cavalieri's Legacy Book, Other Voices, Other Lives which is an abridged compendium of her poetry, plays, and interviews with United States Poets Laureate, for the discounted price of 14.99. Not only is Grace Cavalieri one of North America's premier women of letters, the recipient of many awards and honors, … [Read more...]

“Girls Like Us” Reviewed in London Grip "Who or what, exactly, are “girls like us”?" Asks Charles Rammelkamp in his review of Hazen's latest collection for London Grip ELIZABETH HAZEN'S new collection, Girls Like Us, was recently reviewed by international culture magazine, London Grip. Enjoy an excerpt below, check out the full review here, and buy Elizabeth's book here. Full Review Buy Girls Like US An excerpt from the review “Girls like us” are filled with doubt. (“The Bereaved” includes the lines, ‘It was doubt // that first defined existence. Time itself / makes no … [Read more...]

International Women's Month Sale Starts Today March is International Women's Month; this week we have a sale on two collections by poet Elizabeth Hazen. IT'S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S history month and We’re Having a Sale! We’re proud of our strong list of women authors, and so we’re celebrating the month of March — International Women’s History Month — with weekly special book sales on our site of poetry and prose by women. And we’re kicking off with our latest release, Elizabeth Hazen’s poetry collection, Girls Like Us. This week only, we’ve got a 2-for-1 deal on Elizabeth’s work. … [Read more...]

Catch Reuben Jackson on WPFW's Live@5 Reuben Jackson will appear on WPFW's Live@5 today to read from his new collection of poems, "Scattered Clouds" WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3rd: Reuben Jackson will appear today on WPFW's Live@5. Although the coveted spot is usually reserved for musical guests, Reuben Jackson's jazz-informed Scattered Clouds will be the focus of today's show as the author reads from his own work. Started in 1977 as a single-room broadcast, WPFW has become one of the leading voices for progressive news in the DC area. They are known for their dedicated volunteers, … [Read more...]

Elizabeth Hazen at AWP Come see Elizabeth Hazen at the world's largest writing conference. ALTHOUGH Elizabeth Hazen will not be reading from Girls Like Us at the AWP conference in an official capacity, she will be there for conversation, books on hand. The 2020 Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference in San Antonio has undergone some adveristy recently as the San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg declared a public health emergency in the Texas city on Monday. Though, according to the San Antonio Express-News, the maneuver is more about "[wresting] control of the … [Read more...]

GIRLS LIKE US Now Available on Amazon and Indie Bound Elizabeth Hazen's new collection of poems is now available from Amazon, Indie Bound, and other online booksellers. From IndieBound From Amazon From The Ivy From A Likely Story From Loyalty From Barnes & Noble From The Book Depository From ASP … [Read more...]

“Scattered Clouds by Reuben Jackson is the balm for the sting of ‘real’ American life” In the lastest review of "Scattered Clouds" Serena Agusto-Cox explores the pain and triumph in Jackson's poetry. SERENA AGUSTO-COX recently posted a glowing review of Reuben Jackson's poetry collection "Scattered Clouds" on her excellent blog Savvy Verse & Wit.  In her review, Agusto-Cox focuses on the immense tremors of pain that shake the book at its core and on the hope lingering in their aftermath: "Scattered Clouds by Reuben Jackson is the balm for the sting of 'real' American life, … [Read more...]

Reuben Jackson Featured in The Montpelier Bridge In her article entitled "Clouds over Vermont," Mara Brooks describes the romantic relationship between Goddard alum Reuben Jackson and his second home. “I’d seen all these postcards where there were, like, green pastures, and gazebos, and I thought, ‘wouldn’t that be wonderful?’” Jackson recalled. “Of course, being a black kid in D.C., I couldn’t tell my friends that, so I was kind of a closet pastoralist.” In this wonderful article by The Bridge's Mara Brooks, reflections by Reuben Jackson and writing by Brooks combine to create a … [Read more...]

Rose Solari’s Review of “Million Dollar Red” Lands on the Front Page of Lit Pub Gleah Power's powerful new memoir receives the thumbs up from ASP's Rose Solari. ASP'S OWN Rose Solari made waves today when her review of the much-anticipated new Gleah Powers memoir Million Dollar Red hit the front page of Lit Pub. Solari, the co-founder of Alan Squire Publishing and a working editor on almost every book we published, was more than prepared for the job of critic, penning a review that, though positive, does not pull any punches. At the end of the review, Solari gives Powers her most … [Read more...]

Joanna Revisits Greece in her New Blog Entry In her personal blog, "Thoughts on Books and Such," Joanna Biggar describes the differences between visiting and revisiting. "Visiting a foreign place for the first time offers the traveler the chance for fresh wonder and the jolt of surprise—like new love. But revisiting that place, perhaps multiple times, offers the traveler another opportunity:  to add connections through time and season rendering what was already known to layers of what is still to be revealed and the chance to find something new altogether" It's safe to say … [Read more...]