“Maybe it’s just our generation, but there’s always been this constant pressure to actively work towards success, money, or fame… There’s this fear that if you haven’t made a name for yourself by the age of twenty, you’ll never be successful,” says a member of Kindergarten Breakfast, a highschool-based satire band, “And when you’re working with the arts, that pressure is even more extreme. You have to be amazing. You have to be the best. You have to be something the world’s never seen, or it feels like you’re nothing at all. It’s absolutely dreadful on the mind—it makes you feel worthless, it makes you feel guilty if you’re not always working, working, working . . . and it’s exhausting. Oh boy, is it exhausting.”
Reflecting on his life and memoir Conducted by Emily Bond
Michael Long was born with an intellectual disability and cerebral palsy. He’s an education advocate for people with disabilities and recently his memoir, A Life Like Anybody Else: How a Man with an Intellectual Disability Fulfilled His American Dream, was re-edited and re-released. I spoke with Michael about the anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, his book, and his life right now.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) marks its 31st anniversary this July 27th. The act officially became law in 1990. In 1992, Governor Pete Wilson hired disability awareness activist and speaker Michael Long in the role of a Consumer Coordinator at the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), making Michael the first person to be officially hired by the State of California with an intellectual disability.…
Fayyaz Vellani is a British-Canadian writer who has lived in London, New York, Toronto, and Philadelphia, where he teaches writing at the University of Pennsylvania. His stories have appeared in The Bookends Review and F-Word Magazine, and his first novel, Tea with Ms. Tanzania, will be published by Africa World Press in 2022.
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Vellani speaks with Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum about his recent writings, as well as his love of music, his diverse experiences teaching in different countries, and more!
Chris Gregory founded the Alternative Stories and Fake Realities podcast in 2019, with the aim of creating high-quality spoken word podcasts featuring audio drama, poetry, and fiction. Fiercely independent and committed to promoting writers and poets whether published or not, Alternative Stories uses a team of professional actors to bring stories to life. Chris is involved in directing sound design and writing these productions. As a musician and composer, he has produced the soundtracks for many of the podcast’s dramas. Alternative Stories has provided content to BBC Radio and to North American broadcasters and been selected to represent the UK at the International Radio Drama Festival for the last two years.
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum talks to Chris about the in and outs of the Alternative Stories podcast, including how it was affected by COVID-19, how actors and musicians are chosen, and much more!…
Dominque Carson is an award-winning community activist, journalist, researcher, and massage therapist. She’s written for NBC News, Ebony, Soultrain.com, and Singersroom.com, among other outlets, and has interviewed a wide range of artists, including Charlie Wilson, Patti Labelle, Tito Jackson, The Isley Brothers, and Regina Belle. Recently, she published a biography called Jon B: Are You Still Down? (which examines the life of R&B icon Jon B). She’s also working on a journaling project regarding the National Women’s History Museum, as well as her next book, The Invisible Betty Boop.
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum speaks with Carson about her various career paths; her love of music, writing, and helping others; and how she’s been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.…
Ellen Birkett Morris is the author of Lost Girls, a collection of short stories. Her fiction has appeared in Shenandoah, Antioch Review, Notre Dame Review, South Carolina Review, and Santa Fe Literary Review, among other journals. She is a winner of the Bevel Summers Prize for short fiction, as well as a recipient of an Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council.
In this episode of ‘Cover to Cover with . . .,’ Morris speaks with Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum about the inspirations, processes, and reception of her books, as well as modern feminism, the impact of COVID-19, and more!
Erik Fuhrer is the author of several books of poetry, including last year’s Not Human Enough for the Census (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), which is officially described as “an ode to apocalypse as anthem for the environment [that] sees nature as a protagonist fighting to change humanity by exposing its absurdity. This collection finds both beauty in decay and hope in our mistakes.” His upcoming book, in which I take myself hostage, will be published by Spuyten Duyvil Press later this year.
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum chats with Fuhrer about his latest collections, his inspirations, and plans for 2021.
