Alan Squire Publishing

A Small Press With Big Ideas

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...]

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...]

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...]

Featured Poetry: "Winter Funeral" by Elizabeth Hazen Fully embracing what the lyric mode does best, Hazen provides the readers with brief, intense poems that preserve a suspended moment in time, attempting to record the thought processes and emotions of the speaker much like tree rings reveal drought, heat, and age. With astonishing clarity and concision, Hazen explores the mysteries of our realities—which are ultimately beholden to entropy. —Charlotte Pence, Kenyon Review Winter Funeral The embouchure opens to the unknown of ocean, the horizon’s deceptive line. It unfolds … [Read more...]

The Poet and The Poem is a radio show and poetry program hosted by poet and playwright, Grace Cavalieri. For over 40 years, TPaTP has been broadcast from the library of congress, and since 1977, Grace has interviewed every US Poet Laureate to hold office.  On "The Poet and the Poem" Grace examines just that, the poetry and the poet. Each show is an interview with an important poet, national or international, and each interview a mix of questions pertaining to the poet's life, anything from literary inspirations to childhood romances. Thanks to Grace's disarming personality and acute questions, … [Read more...]

Rose Solari reads "Achilles on Shore" "No one reads poetry like Rose Solari. She enters the essence of each word with a voice, making meaning become spirit. I think her great gift is the understanding that language can make you feel what the speaker experiences...so she proceeds to make you feel her passion, her wit, and love." Grace Cavalieri Rose Solari's upcoming poetry workshop at Politics & Prose is titled "Revise, Rethink, Reveal." "Rethink" holding, for Rose, an essential place in the poetic process. It makes sense then why she would gravitate toward poems about myth and family. … [Read more...]