Current News

The American Scholar features Grace Cavalieri's "Work Is My Secret Lover" In this audio-only feature, the Maryland Poet Laureate's poem is read by Amanda Holmes of The American Scholar Phi Beta Kappa's The American Scholar recently featured a beloved poem by current Maryland Poet Laureate, Grace Cavalieri. The feature is audio only and TAS' Amanda Holmes offers her vocal stylings for an introduction of Cavalieri and reading of the poem, "Work is my Secret Lover." "Work is my Secret Lover" appears in Cavalieri's Other Voices, Other Lives part of Alan Squire … [Read more...]

Saida Agostini is Torch literary Arts Featured Artist of July Torch Literary Arts, a non-profit literary organization with the goal of raising the creative voices of black women writers, has selected Saida Agostini as their featured artist of July. Included in the feature is a sampling of her work and a substantive interview with Saida. Read the entire feature here and find an excerpt of the interview below. Saida Agostini is a queer Afro-Guyanese poet whose work explores the ways Black folks harness mythology to enter the fantastic. Her first full-length poetry collection, let … [Read more...]

LET THE DEAD IN Receives Glowing Review in Lightwood Press #10 "Agostini's socially and spiritually aware poetry collection 'Let the Dead In' focuses on the duality between love and hate along with the way that these concepts integrate and clash" Poet Robyn Hager reviews Saida Agostini's daring first collection let the dead in in the 10th edition of Lightwood. In her review, Hager praises Agostini's social and spiritual awareness as she contends with the violence and oppression facing black people in the United States. Below, read a small excerpt. Read the entire review … [Read more...]

James J. Patterson to Write Liner Notes for New Country Rock Record The North Star Band, formerly managed by ASP's own James J. Patterson, release a new LP, Then and Now James J. Patterson, famed himself in the music world for his onstage-persona, Jimmy Pheromone, writes the liner notes for the new North Star Band album Then and Now. The North Star Band was formed in the 1970s by Patterson's erstwhile co-writer and co-performer Al Johnson (Al Pheromone). After recording two albums under the Patterson's management, the band went on a long hiatus from which they only recently … [Read more...]

Saida Agostini Poem Appears in Pride Poems 2022 For pride month 2022 Saida Agostini reads her (VERY NSFW) poem "Adventures of the Third Limb" "Adventures of the Third Limb," Saida Agostini's boisterous and celebratory love poem was chosen as part of DC Pride's poem a day celebration. The project hosts 30 short videos of queer DC-area poets reading a love poem and archives them all on their website: pridepoems.com. You can watch Saida read her poem HERE. The full text is below (NSFW WARNING) and you can help out DC pride by volunteering or donating at capitalpride.org. You can … [Read more...]