Michael Montlack’s poetry collection Daddy (NYQ Books, September 7, 2020, 88 pages) is a sweeping vista of allegories and witticisms, and a benevolent contemplation on being a son, a brother, a poet, and a gay man in America.
The book cover is Christopher Shields’ pencil drawing of a man’s muscular arm sporting a tattoo of a seahorse; arresting and intriguing, it’s a warning of the nuanced play on femininity and masculinity that is to come. Appropriately enough, the book opens with a poem, “How to Mother Like a Man,” that talks about a male seahorse giving birth to help the female exhausted from egg production. This sets the tone for the entire collection—a compassionate memoir that transcends defined gender roles and is a celebration of grace, forgiveness, acceptance, and family.…
During an interview with Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, the creator of This is America, he is asked to “explain what’s happening during the video.” Gambino simply replies with, “No, I feel like it’s not my place to say that,” leaving the video up for interpretation. He implies that defining the meaning of the song would defeat its purpose, as the true value and theme of the song is derived from the variation in interpretations and what viewers choose to focus on. This is America, an artistic masterpiece released in 2018, used film and lyrics to portray a hard-hitting message about the frightening reality of the black experience in America and how it’s masked by the media’s portrayal of black Americans. Throughout his career, Gambino has been known for his symbolism in complex discography and visual genius, making this one of his hit singles, considering its dire message and ability to spark a national conversation.…
Cal LaFountain has published work with Submittable, Information Today, Exterminating Angel Press, and the Electronic Literature Organization. His audiobook, Puddle Is an Ocean to an Ant, was released by Xocord in 2020. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To connect with Cal, visit callafountain.com
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum chats with LaFountain about the process of recording an audiobook, getting Bam Margera to participate in his book trailer, remixing chapters with producers, the joys of prank calls (and childhood activities in general), and more!
The Bitter Kind – Tara Lynn Masih and James Claffey
The spread of COVID-19 has greatly impacted the human experience of 2020 across the world. In addition to our shared illness—and our losses of loved ones, income, and stability—our attempts to combat the virus interrupt our ongoing need and search for human connection. Many of us are feeling painfully isolated. Even in these strange times, though, books continue to provide insight into these particularly human emotions, and they are a source of connection in and of themselves. One such book is The Bitter Kind.
The Bitter Kind by Tara Lynn Masih and James Claffey (Oct. 2020, Červená Barva Press) is a fascinating lyric novelette divided between two alternating points of view: Stela, a survivor of childhood abuse that follows her into a transient adulthood, and Brandy, a Chippewa orphan, a seer, deeply in tune with nature, and a drifter.It’s…
TAK Erzinger is an American/Swiss poet and artist with a Colombian background. Her poetry has been published by The Curlew, The Beautiful Space Journal, The Rising Phoenix Review, among many others, and her debut chapbook, found: between the trees, came out last year through Grey Borders Books. It chronicles a life interrupted by mental illness (specifically, PTSD) and explores how love and nature can help us find forgiveness and healing. She’s recently found a publisher for her second, lengthier poetry collection, been accepted to a writers/artist residency in Italy, and much more.
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum chats with Erzinger about her artistry (both written and drawn), overcoming and normalizing mental illness, coping with the current pandemic and quarantine, and much more!…
Award winning Jaylan Salah is a writer, poet, translator, content expert, and film critic. Workstation Blues is a collection from the cubicle that resonates with white-collar workers worldwide passing the time between meetings and computer screens. The poems blur: monsters are replaced by monitors, flame-throwers by LED lights and swords by client comments. Cristina Deptula, executive editor of Synchronized Chaos Magazine, comments: “With energy and spunk, Jaylan Salah celebrates imagination, beauty, and most of all, freedom through her poetry and prose.”
What is your educational and literary backgrounds, and when did you begin to write prose and poetry?
I graduated in the faculty of Pharmacy at a prestigious private university in my hometown Alexandria, Egypt. You see, being a pharmacist and learning all the drugs in the pharmacopeia have nothing to do with literature or poetry, but it all started with school years at Sacred Heart Catholic School when the Sister senior encouraged me to be the next William Wordsworth and my mother told me to write the book I wanted to read.…
Frank Jackson is a short story writer living in Brooklyn, published in journals including Shabby Doll House, Four Chamber Press, X-Ray Literary Magazine, and Have You Seen My Whale.
In this episode of Cover to Cover with . . ., Editor-in-Chief Jordan Blum speaks with Jackson about his fiction piece “Brunch Warriors,” the power of satire in creative writing, the pros and cons of “cancel culture,” some favorite musical genres and artists, and much more!
