Some Notes on Laurie Sheck’s A Monster’s Notes
Head on over to Gently Read Literature where you can check out the November reviews. I have a piece up on Laurie Sheck’s multi-genre novel A Monster’s Notes.
Category: Reviews
Some Notes On Charlie Jensen’s The First Risk
I’ve read some great new books in recent weeks and wanted to highlight some of them. This post is dedicated to Charlie Jenson’s first full-length collection, The First Risk: The first thing that struck me about the collection is how unified it is, both within each sequence and across each sequence. The thematic arcs have Read More …
Aftermath
I had the opportunity and pleasure to see a new show Friday night at the New York Theatre Workshop. It’s called Aftermath and is written by Jessica Blank and Eric Jensen who took interviews they conducted in June 2008 with Iraqi refugees in Jordan and crafted them into a show that interweaves the stories of Read More …
My first NYC Ballet
Jon took me to my first NYC Ballet performance on this rainy cold June night and I enjoyed it immensely. The first piece was “Glass Pieces” set to the music of Philip Glass with choreography by Jerome Robbins (all the pieces tonight featured his choreography). I’m not really sure how to write about dance, but Read More …
Tangled Alphabets
I sometimes pop into MoMA during my lunch break and catch a quick exhibit. There’s a fascinating show on the 6th floor called “Tangled Alphabets: León Ferrari and Mira Schende” which runs until June 15th. Both draw inspiration from language, notably the written word but also finding visual equivalents for language that is spoken in their Read More …
Getting Over My Fear of Reviewing
I’ve been trying my hand at some reviewing the past couple weeks, in part to get over my fear of it. The fear still exists, and it’s far easier to write a review for a book I felt some connection with vs. one I didn’t, but I’m still finding my mind resists putting down in Read More …
H.D.’s Trilogy
Of all of H.D.’s work, next to Notes on Thought and Vision (which proves a good key or legend to understanding Trilogy) this is my favorite and I suspect her most important epic poem (though I am fond of Helen in Egypt andHermetic Definitiontoo). Trilogy consists of three books: These Walls Do Not Fall; Tribute to the Angels; and The Read More …
Chicago, Day Three
Yesterday was my day off from AWP-related events. Lori and Adam took me to the Museum of Contemporary Art since I had been to the Art Institute many times before and wanted to see something new. Of course it had to be kid day, or family day, and while I know these events are vital Read More …
Bruce Chatwin’s The Songlines
I’m curious that Chatwin considered this book fiction; perhaps by today’s standards we’d brand it “creative nonfiction” the “creative” part being perhaps invented or doctored dialogue, some bending of facts to get at a more truthful narrative, etc. As a travel document, though, it maintains Chatwin’s compressed ability to sketch a character or paint a Read More …
Sharon Dolin’s Burn and Dodge
It’s been a while since I’ve thrown up a review of something I’ve read, and I rarely gush about a book of poetry, but I am in love with Sharon Dolin’s Burn and Dodge, Winner of the 2007 Donald Hall Prize in Poetry. What initially struck me was the vast grasp and versatility of form, Read More …