On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary

07/05/2024

NEW: The May/June edition of On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary awaits you with essays and fiction by Hank Lazer, Jim Rader, Anara Guard, Carolyn Alessio / Lit in translation -- Jean Frémon's essay on Chaim Soutine, translated by John Taylor; two excerpts from Gil Cuadros' MY BODY IS PAPER via City Lights Booksellers & Publishers; H**e Uhart's cronica "This Is A Humane Country" translated by Anna Vilner via Archipelago Books; Eva Umlaut's memoir "The Number on Your Arm is Blue Like Your Eyes" translated by Shelley Frisch; & 3 poems by Leelahlar Jagoori translated by Matt Reeck / poet Jesse Nathan in dialogue with Mandana Chaffa / poetry by Mackenzie Kozak, Karen_An-hwei Lee, Joel Brouwer, Diane Martin, Joe Safdie, Jacob Boyd, Iris Cai, Joel Chace, Angela Narciso Torres & Alan Felsenthal / Commentary: Michael Collins on Dorianne Laux's LIFE ON EARTH; Christoph Irmscher on Peter Schjeldahl's essays; Yelena Furman on Andrey Kurkov's THE SILVER BONE; Aiden Hunt reviews Cindy Juyoung Ok's poems in WARD TOWARD; Valerie Duff on Andrea Cohen's THE SORROW APARTMENTS; Hamilton Cain on James Shapiro's THE PLAYBOOK; Dorian Stuber on Dan Stone's THE HOLOCAUST: AN UNFINISHED HISTORY; Ben Woodard on Fine Gråbøl's novel WHAT KINGDOM; Mark Athitakis on Cory Leadbeater's THE UPTOWN LOCAL; Susan Schultz on Laura Mullen, author's eTc; David Woo on Kim Hyesoon's PHANTOM PAIN WINGS; Steven Cramer on I TELL YOU THIS NOW by Daniel Lawless; Sharon Beriro on Honor Levy's MY FIRST BOOK; Judith Harrison on Maddie Norris' THE WET WOUND; & I cover FOG AND SMOKE by Katie Peterson, FORGOTTEN ON SUNDAY by Valerie Perrin and IN THE SHADOW OF FEAR by Nick Bunker in "Book Notes" -- & in. my music "Book Notes" I write on BITTER FRUIT by Paul Alexander, THE NOTEBOOKS OF SONNY ROLLINS, HIRED GUNS: PORTRAITS OF WOMEN IN ALTERNATIVE MUSIC by Amanda Kramer & Wayne Byrne, & 3 SHADES OF BLUE: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and the Lost Empire of Cool by James Kaplan ... www.ronslate.com

14/04/2024

Coming to PathwaysARTS on Tuesday night - Kimberly Grey will read from/talk about A MOTHER IS AN INTELLECTUAL THING, her new book of lyric essays. She weaves philosophy, psychology, history & poetry to reflect imaginatively on her childhood abandonment by her mother. Kimberly is our final visiting reader for this season. The link will be available on Tuesday afternoon at www.pathwaysmv.org. Please join us at the Tavern!

29/03/2024

Coming LIVE to Pathways ARTS on Tuesday night 4/2 at 7:30pm -- Andrea Cohen will be our guest, reading from her new collection THE SORROW APARTMENTS published by Four Way Books. The Zoom link will be available on Tuesday afternoon. Please join us!

05/03/2024

NEW: The March/April edition of On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Poetry by Peter Streckfus, Maxine Scates, Denise Duhamel, Kelly Madigan, Peter Grandbois, Jane McKinley, Kathleen McGookey, Linda Bamber, Peter O'Donovan, Danielle Lemay, Laura Tanenbaum, Dagne Forrest, Rebecca Kaiser Gibson, Charles O. Hartman / Essays by Gary Fincke, Julia Kidd, Anthony Lefeber, Sydney Lea / Lyric Prose by Rosa Alcala / Fiction by John Poch / Lit in Translation -- poems by Ann Jagerlund translated by Johannes Göransson; poems by Salvador Espriu translated by Andrew_Kaufman & Antonio Cortijo Ocana; an excerpt from My Heavenly Favorite, a novel by Lucas Rijneveld, translated by Michele Hutchison / a cronica by Craig Moodie / Interview: Jennifer Jean in dialog with Frances Donovan / Commentary: Lanie Tankard on Jenny Croft's THE EXTINCTION OF IRENA REY; Tara Cheesman on THE FREAKS CAME OUT, Tricia Romano's nonfiction on the Village Voice; Mark Athitakis on Lauren Oyler's NO JUDGMENT; Piotr Florcyzk on Witold Gombrowicz's THE POSSESSED; Christoph Irmscher on Eliot Weinberger's THE LIFE OF TU FU; Hamilton Cain on WANDERING STARS, a novel by Tommy Orange; Cory Oldweiler on MY HEAVENLY FAVORITE by Lucas Rijneveld; Alexander Pyles on HOW WE NAMED THE STARS by Andres N Ordorica; Tobias Carroll on VERDIGRIS by Michele Mari; Michael Collins on CREATURE, poems by Marsha de la O; Katharine Coldiron on Sjon's UNDER THE WINGS OF THE VALKYRIE; Wayne Catan on WHERE THE WIND CALLS HOME by Samar Yazbek; & I comment on TRACE EVIDENCE poetry by Charif Shanahan, Jonathan Buckley's novel TELL, and ON GIVING UP by Adam Phillips ... www.ronslate.com

02/03/2024

Coming TUESDAY NIGHT 7:30pm ET -- Sean Thomas Dougherty comes to Pathways ARTS via Zoom as our guest and featured reader. In his latest book, DEATH PREFERS THE MINOR KEYS (BOA Editions, 2023), Sean gives us work in several forms — prose poems, essays, and stories. Sean works as a third-shift medical technician with a specialty in helping people with traumatic brain injuries — and his work reflects his experiences as an EMT. His other books include The Second O of Sorrow, All You Ask for is Longing: Poems 1994-2014 and Scything Grace. Sean also is a writing mentor for the MFA program in creative writing at Western Connecticut State University, and he lives with his family in Erie, PA.

The Zoom link will be available on Tuesday afternoon at www.pathwaysmv.org. Please join us!

18/02/2024

Coming Tuesday 2/20 7:30pm eastern -- Robert Yune will be our featured guest & reader at Pathways ARTS here on Martha's Vineyard & via Zoom. Robert's debut novel is EIGHT DAYS OF SUNSHINE (2017) & his story collection is IMPOSSIBLE CHILDREN (Mary McCarthy Prize, Sarabande, 2019). He teaches at West Virginia Wesleyan University. The Zoom link will be available on Tuesday afternoon at www.pathwaysmv.org. Please join us!

12/02/2024

Friends, on Tuesday night 2/13 at 7:30pm eastern, Tony Trigilio will join us at Pathways via Zoom to read briefly from his new memoir CRAFT: A MEMOIR & to discuss the foundation of his teaching practice. Tony is professor of English and creative writing at Columbia College in Chicago. The Chilmark Tavern, where our live audience gathers, will be closed due to the forecasted snow storm -- so this is ZOOM ONLY. The link will be available tomorrow at www.pathwaysmv.org.

07/02/2024

Here's gratitude to Major Jackson & The Slowdown for featuring my poem "The Dangers of Contemplation" from JOY RIDE on today's show. It's based on a warning in the Kabbalah. And baseball.

The Slowdown podcast hosted by Major Jackson delivers a different way to see the world - through poetry

20/01/2024

Coming to Pathways ARTS Tuesday night 7:30pm ET -- Susan Aizenberg, Betsy Sholl and Leslie Ullman will read new poems & talk about how collaboration and mutual critique have influenced and enhanced their work. The Zoom link will be available at www.pathwaysmv.org on Tuesday afternoon. We're grateful to these three accomplished poets for so generously offering their time and insights for our audience -- here on Martha's Vineyard & elsewhere.

09/01/2024

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary Jan/Feb edition, featuring an excerpt from Julia Kristeva's DOSTOYEVSKY IN THE FACE OF DEATH / Christoph Irmscher's essay on discovering the secrets in Max Eastman's library / an excerpt from CRAFT: A MEMOIR by Tony Trigilio / Guillermo Gil on "Better Not To Say: Apology in Poetry" / a story by Chris Urban / Therese Gleason Carr's essay "When I Get Botox I Think of Bees / Lisa Russ Spaar interviewed by Jasmine V Bailey / Poetry by Joel Brouwer, Molly Spencer, Kaecey McCormick, Jonathon Weinert, Rose Solari, Sarah Dickinson Snyder, Julie Swarstad Johnson, Chard DeNiord, Roger Mitchell, Samn Stockwell, Scott Withiam, and the noir poems of Woody Haut / lit-in translation: poems by Russian poet "Irina" tr by Josie von Zitzewitz & poems by Rafael Alcides tr by Pablo F. Medina / art & text by J.I. Kleinberg / Reviews: Calista McRae on THE UPSTATE by Lindsay Turner, Michele Sharpe on A VOLGA TALE by Guzel Yahkina, Hamilton Cain on Ross Perlin's LANGUAGE CITY, Jack McClelland on CHEVENGUR by Andrey Platonov, Michael Collins on POSTCARDS FROM THE UNDERWORLD by Sinan Antoon, Douglas MacLeod on FALLEN ANGEL by Robert Morgan (Poe biog), Yelena Furman on THE BODY OF THE SOUL by Ludmilla Ulitskaya, Mark Athitakis on Irene Graziosi's novel THE OTHER PROFILE, David Berridge on IMMORTAL THOUGHTS by Christopher Neve, Marek Makowski on HOW TO DRAW A NOVEL by Martin Solares, Erick Verran on Hannah Sullivan's WAS IT FOR THIS, Joseph Harrington on Tony Trigilio's CRAFT: A MEMOIR ... & in my "Book Notes" column I write on James V Jeffries novel WINGS OF RED, FEBRUARY 1933 by Uwe Wittstock & Yasunari Kawabata's novel THE RAINBOW ... & also, an omnibus piece on new music titles on Ella Fitzgerald, Sly Stone, Brad Mehldau & rock & roll in JFK's America.

07/11/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our Nov/Dec edition's monthly feature is Heather Treseler's essay on Elizabeth Bishop's postcards / Kai Maristed's "July 14. Bastille Day" is our first Crônica / Lit-in-translation -- A story by Dominique Lanni, tr by Amy Gamble; fiction by Simon Frueland, tr by K. E. Semmel; Nancy Naomi Carlson, our intrepid translations editor, interviews Alta Price on translation / poetry by Christian Teresi, Betsy Sholl, Meighan Sharp, Jacob Strautmann, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Katharine Whitcomb, Eric Stone, Leslie Ullman, Barbara Duffey, Jessica Purdy, Katherine/Katie Riegel, Warren Woessner, Sheila Wellehan / flash fiction by Meredith Lewis, a story by Vincent Czyz, a story by Robert Yune, a book chapter by Rebecca Clouse, a flash essay by Molly Giles / Commentary -- Olga Zilberbourg on Irina Mashinski's GIORNATA tr by Boris Drayluk, Christoph Irmscher on HOW TO BE by Adam Nicolson, Mary Maxwell on David Yezzi's biography of Anthony Hecht, Ben Woodard on THE DELIVERY by Margarita García Robayo, Eric Vanderwall on a new translation of Flaubert's letters, Isaiah Vianese on SELECTED POEMS OF CALVIN HERNTON, Chard DeNiord on THE BURNING WORLD poems by Sherod Santos, Daniel Craft on EXHIBITIONS by Jehanne Dubrow, Joyce Peseroff on THE BOOK EATERS by Carolina Hotchandani, Michael Collins on Sahar Muradi's OCTOBERS, Mark Athitakis on Will Hermes' biography of Lou Reed, Hamilton Cain on Yascha Mounk's controversial THE IDENTITY TRAP, Shinjini Dey on MY WORK by Olga Ravn, Hardeep Sidhu on TREMOR by Teju Cole, James Gruett on THE MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut, Heather Green on THE LONG FORM by Kate Briggs, & I remark on TIME'S MOUTH, a novel by Edan Lepucki & A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO LEVITATION by Angolan writer Jose Eduardo Agualusa ... www.ronslate.com

15/09/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Now a bi-monthly, we begin our 6th year as a gallery with our Sept/Oct edition and essays by Zach Savich, Anu Kumar, Erica Goss, & Gary Fincke / fiction by Gregg Williard / poetry by Janlori Goldman, Celia Bland, Megan Nichols, Jen Gayda Gupta, Ted Deppe, Rachel Blau DuPlessis, Elizabeth Loudon, Kevin J Craft & Constance Hansen / Lit in Translation: an excerpt from LOJMAN, a novel by Ebru Ojen; Philip Metres translates an essay on a poet's development by Russian poet Sergey Gandlevsky; Forrest Gander translates poetry by Jeannette Lozano Clarion & Tiffany Troy translates poems by Santiago Acosta / Commentary: Mark Athitakis on THIN SKIN by Jenn Shapland, Virginia Konchan on I DO EVERYTHING I'M TOLD by Megan Fernandes, Michael Collins on ALL THE EYES THAT I HAVE OPENED, poems by Franca Mancinelli tr. by John Taylor, Hamilton Cain on AFTER THE N***S by Michael H Kater, Bridget Quinn on SURREAL SPACES: THE LIFE OF LEONORA CARRINGTON by Joanna Moorhead, Blake Campbell on SOME PROBLEMS WITH AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Brian Brodeur, Darius Atefat-Peckham on PLEASE MAKE ME PRETTY, I DON'T WANT TO DIE by Tawanda Mulalu, David Nilsen on LANDSCAPES by Christine Lai, James Butler Gruett on THE LIBRARIANIST by Patrick DeWitt, Wayne Catan on RAVAGE & SON by Jerome Charyn, & in my "Booknotes" column I write on two debut poetry collections, EGGTOOTH by Jesse Nathan & GRAND TOUR by Elisa Gonzalez ... www.ronslate.com

10/07/2023

NEW: July edition of On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / featuring David Wojahn's review of poetry by Marilyn Hacker & Ellen Bryant Voight / essays by Ellen Birkett Morris, Rick Brown & Nichole LeFebvre / poetry by Carlos Reyes, Chris Hutchinson, Marc Vincenz, Daniele Pantano, TR Hummer, Susan Spear, Joan Larkin, Judith Harris, Laura Budofsky Wisniewski / Interview: Jennifer Franklin talks with Tyler Mills / Photography & lyric prose by Susan M. Schultz / poetry by Joyce Mansour translated by Emilie Moorhouse / fiction by Shya Scanlon / Commentary -- Michael Collins on LIVE IN SUSPENCE by David Groff, Hamilton Cain on ANIMAL SPIRITS by Jackson Lears, Eric Vanderwall on a new translation of SWANN'S WAY, Alexander Pyles on MY MEN by Victoria Kielland, Lola Haskins on DREAMING THE MOUNTAIN by Tue Sy, & I comment on the novels STILL BORN by Guadalupe Nettel & OUT OF THE CSUGAR FACTIORY by Dorothee Elmiger ... We'll be on hiatus in August. In September, we reappear as an expanded bi-monthly ... www.ronslate.com

05/06/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our June edition brings flash fiction by Lydia Copeland Gwyn and an essay by Elizabeth Tucker / poetry by Peter Streckfus, Jim Daniels, Hank Lazer, Paula Bohince, Melanie McCabe, Tharani Balachandran, Richard Michelson & Maxim D. Shrayer / A spirited art & text feature with poems by David Blair & collages by Donald Langosy / In translation: a poem by Kenia Cano translated by Indran Amirthanayagam, an excerpt from Anne Berest's novel THE POSTCARD with an essay by translator Tina Kover, & Deborah Woodard writes on her new edition of THE DRAGONFLY, poems by the Amelia Rosselli / Commentary: Esperanza Hope Snyder writes on AUSTRAL, a novel by Carlos Fonseca -- Susan M. Schultz on EXCURSIVE, poems by Elizabeth Robinson -- Woody Haut gets our noir coverage going with his piece on Daniel Weizmann's THE LAST SONGBIRD -- Ben Woodard comments on Philippe Delerm's SECOND STAR -- David Roderick reviews AMERICAN TREASURE, poems by Jill McDonough -- Olga Zilberbourg comes to terms with Boris Poplavsky's novel HOMEWARD FROM HEAVEN -- Asa L. Drake finds much to admire in FEAST, poems vey Ina Cariño -- Mark Athitakis writes on SOLDIERS DON'T GO MAD, Charles Glass' book on WWI shell-shock & Owen/Sassoon -- Hamilton Cain comments on Domenico Starnone's THE HOUSE ON VIA GEMITO -- & in my "Book Notes" column I write on Ralph Dutli's OSIP MANDELSTAM & Jennifer Banks' NATALITY ... www.ronslate.com

02/05/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our May edition includes lyric prose by Brian Turner, Alina Stefanescu's spirited essay on Carmen Bugan, a story by Yuan Changming & prose poems by Ambrielle Butler / poetry by Martha Rhodes, Kathryn Cowles, Jane Zwart, Miriam Levine, Erin Wilson, Kellam Ayres, Bill Tremblay, Julia Thacker, Kathryn Petruccelli & Marilyn Johnson / Reginald Gibbons translates poems by Ukraine-born Ilya Kutik / An excerpt from PROFESSOR SCHIFF'S GUILT by Israeli novelist Agur Schiff / Commentary: We're featuring contributing editor Mark Athitakis' review of THE AGE OF GUILT by Mark Edmundson , plus Morgan English on DEAL by Randall Mann, James Butler-Gruett on A 'WORKING LIFE' by Eileen Myles, Wayne Catan on PICASSO THE FOREIGNER, Christian Detisch on GRAVITY AND CENTER by Henri Cole, Danny Kraft on STILL NO WORD FROM YOU by Peter Orner, Douglas MacLeod on I WENT TO SEE MY FATHER by Kyung-sook Shin, Zach Savich comments on SOLILOQUY WITH THE GHOSTS IN NILE by Husain Ahmed, & Ron Slate looks at four new/recent music titles ... THANK YOU for your readership! ... www.ronslate.com

04/04/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our April edition is here with poetry by Roy White, Brian Simoneau, Erin Malone, Carol Frost, Cassandra Whitaker, Carla Drysdale, John Bradley, Seth Rosenbloom, Christopher Louvet, Rebecca Hart Olander / Will Schutt translates the poetry of Fabio Pusterla, Sarah Kafatou translates poetry by Hilda Domin & Helene Cardona translates the work of Maram Al Masri / Alexander Hinton essay on Pol Pot's prisons / Kirie Pederson's essay "Nightwalking" & 2 flash essays by Jose Hernandez Diaz / "Model Home: A Study Under Compression," an art & text essay by Leslie Lindsay / Jonathan Farmer in dialogue with Crystal Simone Smith on her DARK TESTAMENT / Commentary -- Lisa Russ Spaar on COLORATURA ON A SILENCE FOUND IN MANY EXPRESSIVE SYSTEMS by Alice Fulton -- Mark Athitakis on LOSING MUSIC, John Cotter's splendid memoir -- Susan M. Schultz's spirited essay on BARD, KINETIC by Anne Waldman -- Ericon the new SELECTED STORIES by Thomas Mann -- Esperanza Hope Snyder writes on two novels by Juan Gabriel Vasquez -- and I comment on Ellen Cooney's novel A COWARDLY WOMAN NO MORE and THIS IS NOT MIAMI by Fernanda Melchor ... www.ronslate.com

07/03/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary/ Our March edition features DDaniele Pantanos translations of poems by Robert Walser ... and a selection of Seamus Heaney's translations of poems by C. P. Cavafy / Poetry by Kelly Rose Hoffer, David Santiago, BBeverly Burch BBrandel France de Bravo JJessica Goodfellow Ueno & WWilliam Palmer/ essays by YYerra Sugarman& PPeter Neumann/ short fiction by Mark DeCarteret / Commentary: MMark Athitakison RRebecca Makkais novel I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU -- NNatalia Holtzmanon FORBIDDEN NOTEBOOK by Alba de Cespedes -- DDanny Krafton Helene Cixous' WELL-KEPT RUINS --- MMichael Collinson SONNETS WITH TWO TORCHES AND ONE CLIFF by RRobert Thomas-- D.W. White on A SENSITIVE PERSON by Jáchym Topol -- Tara Cheesman on EASTBOUND by Maylis de Kerangal -- & I comment on two novels, ABYSS by Pilar Quintana & HOURGLASS by Keiran Goddard ... www.ronslate.com

09/02/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our February edition features a story by Henzell / Poetry by Esperanza Hope Snyder, Sunni Brown Wilkinson, Pamela Jody Stewart, Daniel Leach, Mary Buchinger Bodwell, Teresa Cader, Emily H Axelrod & Jane Ann Devol Fuller / essays by Christoph Irmscher & Jeffrey Thompson / a story by Julie Esther Fisher / 4 poems by Juana Peñate Montejo, translated from the Ch'ol by Carol Rose Little & Charlotte Friedman / Commentary: Mark Athitakis on EVIL FLOWERS, stories by Gunnhild Øyehaug, translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson ... Sharon Mesmer on THE NAKED WORLD by Irina Mashinski ... Herb Randall on THE 12TH COMMANDMENT by Daniel Torday ... W. Scott Olsen on STILL PICTURES by Janet Malcolm ... James Butler-Gruett on COUPLETS by Maggie Milner ... Hank Lazer on poetry by Gary Snyder, Roger Kamenetz & Rachel Blau DuPlessis ... Aida Muratoglu on INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMAN by Angela Hume ... and in my "Book Notes" I comment on PREVIOUSLY OWNED, poems by Nathan McClain & MARINA TSVETAEVA by Vénus Khoury-Ghata ... www.ronslate.com

03/01/2023

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary January edition / Jonathan Farmer's featured essay on "The Courtliness of Thom Gunn" / poetry by Denise Bergman, George Kalamaras, Sonia Greenfield, Nancy Takacs, Lauren Mukamal Camp, Thea Matthews, Saba Husain, Xiaoly Li, Peter Cooley & Roger Mitchell / a story by Greg Sendi & lyric prose by Meg Yardley / collaborative microfictions by Meg Pokrass & Jeff Friedman / Brad Harmon translates the poetry of Birgitta Trotzig & Connie Voisine translates the poetry of Patron Henekou / commentary: Mark Athitakis on EXTREME MUSIC by Michael Tau, Mary Maxwell on Grace Schulman's NEW & SELECTED POEMS / Elizabeth Frank on BRIGHT UNBEARABLE REALITY by Anna Badkhen / Elizabeth Tucker on THE BUREAU OF PAST MANAGEMENT by Iris Hanika, Susan M. Schultz on poetry by Rachel Blau DuPlessis & Norman Fischer, Cory Oldweiler on BARILOCHE by Andrés Neuman, & I comment on JERSEY BREAKS, a memoir by Robert Pinsky & AMERICAN WILDFLOWERS: A LITERARY FIELD GUIDE , Susan Barba ed ... www.ronslate.com

06/12/2022

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our feature: work by Belarusian poet Julia Cimafiejeva, translated by Valzhyna Mort and Hanif Abdurraqib / 3 lyric prose pieces by D. Nurske / poetry by Deb Gorlin, David Groff, Nicole Hefner Callihan, Jon Okrent, Gabe Dunsmith, Jed Myers, Steven Cramer, Jon Davis, Jennifer Jabaily-Blackburn & Lola Haskins / "Echolocation," an essay by Kai Maristed / Mary Ann Newman translates the aphorisms of Catalan writer Joan Fuster / an excerpt from Hiromi Ito's memoir THE THORN PULLER, translated by Jeffrey Angles / Reviews: Michael Dylan Welch reviews BEL CANTO, poems by Virginia Konchan -- Chard DeNiord on poetry by Saeed Jones, John Skoyles & David Blair -- Mark Athitakis on Michael Lesy's WALKER EVANS, LAST PHOTOGRAPHS -- Cory Oldweiler on HOW TO TURN INTO A BIRD by Maria Jose Ferrada -- Joon-Li Kim on Sevgi Soysal's novel DAWN -- Daniel Kraft on Jed Rasula's WHAT THE THUNDER SAID / James Butler-Gruett on Manuel Rivas' novel THE LAST DAYS OF TERRANOVA -- Kathryn Bloom on THE LITERARY MAFIA -- & I comment on the photos of Bernd & Hilla Becher and WAR IS THE GREATEST EVIL by Chris Hedges ... www.ronslate.com

08/11/2022

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our November edition features Mark Athitakis' commentary on Darryl Pinckney's memoir COME BACK IN SEPTEMBER / Lyric prose by Hedy Sabbagh Habra, a story by Helena Corzan & a "Poems Not Written" micro-essay by Maureen Seaton / Poetry by Ira Sadoff, Deborah Brown, Will Alexander, Kary Wayson, Mary Ann Samyn, Kathleen Ossip, Alan Williamson, Denise Duhamel, Peter Cole / "Idols: An Interview," photos & text by Marsha Pomerantz / Lit in Translation: Fady Joudah translates Ahlam Bsharat, Marguerite Feitlowitz translates prose by Ennio Moltedo, Carlos Reyes translates poems by Gustavio Adolfo Garces, Grant Schutzman translates prose poems by Alvaro Fausto Taruma, an excerpt from BLOOD RED, fiction by Gabriela Ponce translated by Sarah Booker / Nancy Naomi Carlson interviews Kelsi Vanada / Reviews: Nichole LeFebvre on A LINE IN THE WORLD by Dorthe Nors, Joyce Peseroff on SOME OF YOU WILL KNOW by David Rivard, Susan M. Schultz on Hank Lazer's PIECES, Esperanza Hope Snyder on DECEMBER BREEZE by Marvel Moreno, Nick Admussen on IN THE ROAR OF THE MACHINE by Zheng Xiaoqiong, Ben Woodard on SEDUCED BY STORY by Peter Brooks, & in my "Book Notes" column I review DAWN a novel by Sevgi Soysal & THE VISIBLE UNSEEN by Andrea Chapela ... Please message me w/your email to receive our newsletter when we publish a new edition ... www.ronslate.com

11/10/2022

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our October edition features a sonnet sequence by Marilyn Hacker / Prose -- "Water Monologues" by Daniel Torday, "The Guitar Lesson," flash memoir by Diane Wald, "Under Canine" by Rebecca Clouse & two flash memoirs by Sydney Lea / Lit in translation: 4 poems by Matthias Göritz, translated from the German by Mary Jo Bang, 4 poems by Giovanna Cristina Vivinetto, translated from the Italian by Dora Malech & Gabriella Fee, & 4 poems by Lara Dopazo Ruibal, translated from the Galician by Lau Cesarco Eglin / Poetry by Fady Joudah, Patrick Donnelly, Allison Funk, Nadia Herman Colburn, Vanessa Smith, Carolyn Guinzio & Christopher Nelson Bowcutt / Commentary: Mark Athitakis on STRANGERS TO OURSELVES by Rachel Aviv, Aida Muratoglu on BLUEST N**E by Ama Codjoe, Herb Randall on LUCKY BREAKS by Yevgenia Belorusets, Cory Oldweiler on COCOON by Zhang Yueran, Virginia Konchan on INFINITY NETWORK, poems by Jim Johnstone, Kai Maristed on WAY OUT WEST by Wyn Cooper & Kathryn Bloom on THEY CALLED US GIRLS by Kathleen Stone ... www.ronslate.com

13/09/2022

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Our September feature is Mark Athitakis' illuminating piece on MIDWEST MATERIALS, photographs by Julie Blackmon / We're showing 4 poems from SOME OF YOU WILL KNOW by David Rivard / "Come Back," a photo & text collaboration by Chuck Zovko & Lee Upton / A review-essay of Dolores_Dorantes" COPY by Alina Stefanescu / More poetry -- by Yahia Lababidi, Elizabeth Poliner, Tracey Knapp, Nancy Naomi Carlson, Hank Lazer & Maya Bernstein / "a treat," lyric prose by Alina Rios / Lit in translation: an excerpt from VICTORIOUS by Israeli novelist Yishai Sarid -- excerpts from NO WAY THE SKIN WITHOUT THIS BLOODY EMBRACE by Jean D'Amérique, tr. by Conor Bracken -- & 3 poems by Jacek Napiórkowski, tr. from the Polish by Cecelia Woloch & Marek Kazmierski / More commentary: Lara Levitan on THE UNDERCURRENTS by Kirsty Belle -- Ben Woodard on BAD HANDWRITING by Sara Mesa -- Yelena Furman on THANK YOU FOR NOT READING, essays by Dubravka Ugrešić -- Tobias Carroll on TIME SHELTER by Georgi Gospodinov -- Carolyn Oliver reviews THE BOOK OF GOOSE by Yiyun Li -- Mary Maxwell on THE LASCAUX NOTEBOOKS by Philip Terry -- Tara Cheesman on a new translation of Stendahl's RED AND BLACK -- Sonia Greenfield looks at LIAR, poems by Jessica Cuello -- & in "Book Notes" I comment on MOTHERCARE by Lynne Tillman & Canción by Eduardo Halfon ... www.ronslate.com

09/08/2022

NEW On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Bessie F. Zaldívar received a Best of the Net Award for a story published here & now she returns with "Otra Noche en Miami," our feature / Jennifer Martelli's poems to the 6 SCOTUS Conservative Justices / Lit in Translation: Caio Fernando Abreu's "The Day Jupiter Met Saturn," tr. by Bruna Dantas Lobato / We're delighted to show work from DeWitt Henry's FOUNDLINGS: FOUND POEMS FROM PROSE / "The Latest Scar in Time," an essay by Greg Gerke / poetry by Veronica Kornberg, Jan Freeman, Dawn Potter, Kelly Fordon, Deborah Bacharach & Sarah Jefferis / Tiffany Troy talks with Joy Ladin about SHEKHINAH SPEAKS & gender transition / Commentary: Mark Athitakis' sharp piece on HOW TO READ NOW by Elaine Castillo ... YIELD by Anne Truitt illuminated by Bridget Quinn ... Hamilton Cain covers David Cottington's RADICAL ART & THE FORMATION OF THE AVANT-GARDE ... Dolapo Demuren writes on MUTINY, poems by Phillip B. Williams ... John Yau's GENGHIS CHAN ON DRUMS, reviewed by Warren Woessner ... Natalia Holtzman comments on Ben Slotsky's novel AN EVENING OF ROMANTIC LO******NG ... Cory Oldweiler reviews PINA, a novel by Tituaua Peu, tr. by Jeffrey Zuckerman ... & I contribute 2 pieces -- first on FLORIDAS, photography by Anastasia Somoylova & Walker Evans -- and then, in my "Book Notes" column, I look at AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF AN ANGEL by Gabor Schein & THE MISSING WORD by Conchita DeGregorio ... www.ronslate.com

12/07/2022

NEW July Edition of On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary / Poetry by Martha Silano, Sheila Wellehan, Annie Schumacher, Brad Richard, Warren Woessner, Jennifer Barber, Ed Harkness, John Moessner, Jane Donohue, Lisa Rosinsky / an excerpt from PINA, a novel by Titaua Peu (Restless Books) / poems by Charlie Lambert, translated from the French by John Taylor / Nancy Naomi Carlson's essay "Filling in the Shadows" / "Goodbye!" a story by David Hansen / Reviews: our feature review is D. J. Waldie's piece on BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: ED RUSCHA, ART, AND DESIGN IN THE 1960s by Jennifer Quick / Tobias Carroll reviews JAWBONE, a novel by Monica Ojeda, translated from the Spanish by Sarah Booker / James Butler-Gruett reviews LAPVONA by Ottessa Moshfegh / & in his "Book Notes" column, Ron Slate comments on TENDERNESS, poems by Derrick Austin and WITHIN THE SWEET NOISE OF LIFE, poems by Sandro Penna / www.ronslate.com

14/06/2022

Our June edition features fiction by Robert Yune / poetry by Elizabeth Jacobson, Susan Aizenberg, Bill Neumire, Carolyn Oliver, Susan Browne, Susan Farrell Smith, Catherine Gander & Ryann Stevenson / Essays: David Wojahn on the origins of elegy and self-elegy, Diane Glancy on wildlife and human thought / lit-in-translation: six poems by Georgian poet Diana Anphimiadi & and an excerpt from BELLE GREENE a novel by Alexandra Lapierre, translated by Tina Kover / Reviews: Calista McRae on THE HURTING KIND by Ada Limón; Zach Savich on THESE TREES, THOSE LEAVES, THIS FLOWER, THAT FRUIT, poems by Hayan Charara; Hannah Joyner on BENEFIT, a novel by Siobhan Phillips; Daniel Schwartz on WITTGENSTEIN AND MODERNIST FICTION by reg Chase; Kathryn Bloom on Abraham Socher's essays in LIBERAL AND ILLIBERAL ARTS (MOSTLY JEWISH) ; and in my "Book Notes" column, I write on AURELIA, AURELIA by Kathryn Davis, SON OF SVEA by Lena Andersson, and THE NIGHT ALBUMS by Kate Palmer Albers ... www.ronslate.com

07/06/2022

Jay Hopler's third book of poems, STILL LIFE, has just been published by McSweeney's -- at the very moment Jay has entered hospice care. The press asked me to formulate some questions for a dialogue with him, and I did so. But Jay was able to respond to just one question, speaking through the haze of his pain meds with the support and assistance of his wife, the poet Kimberly Johnson. Kim, the press and I concurred that we should post the one inquiry and his spirited answer. Friends, STILL LIFE is unforgettable -- please give Jay's work your attention. You'll find my essay-review on the book in the forthcoming July edition of On the Seawall: A Community Gallery of New Writing & Commentary. https://bit.ly/398ZBZU

Confronted with a terminal cancer diagnosis, Jay Hopler—author of the National Book Award-finalist The Abridged History of Rainfall—got to work. Th...

17/05/2022

NEW: Our May edition with David Wojahn's featured essay on NELLY SACHS: FLIGHT & METAMORPHOSIS, poems translated by Joshua Weiner / two stories by Glen Pourciau / Yerra Sugarman's essay "This Lviv" & Anthony Lefeber's essay "At The Dakota" / "The Enchantment of Death: Briar Rose," a lyric essay by Franca Mancinelli, translated by John Taylor -- don't miss it! / "The beloved of the Dawn," mythic prose by Franz Franz Fühmann translated by Isabel Fargo Cole / “Honeymoon”
a story by Gabriela Alemán, translated from the Spanish by Dick Cluster / from “The Aeronaut," ”fiction by Shuang Xuetao, translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Tiang / poems by Donald Nitchie, Marc alan Di Martino & Dorian Kotsiopoulos / Commentary -- Will Brewbaker on CANOPY, poems by Linda Gregerson -- Rachel Richardson on REAL PHONIES & GENUINE FAKES by Nicky Beer -- Mark Athitakis on PARADAIS by Fernanda Melchor -- Valerie Duff on BEST BARBARIAN, poems by Roger Reeves -- Olga Zilberbourg on GREY BEES by Andrey Kurkov trans. by Boris Dralyuk -- Mary Maxwell on Cees Nooteboom's LEAVING & 533 DAYS -- David Nilsen on THINGS YOU MAY FIND HIDDEN IN MY EAR: POEMS FROM GAZA by Mosab Abu Toha -- Bailey Trela on WOMAN RUNNING IN THE MOUNTAINS, a novel by Yūko Tsushima, trans. by Geraldine Harcourt / Katherine Young on on BRISBANE, a novel by Eugene Vodolazkin, translated from the Russian by Marian Schwartz ... www.ronslate.com