Bites

Afternoon Bites: “Rebecca” Remade, Tilda Swinton and MoMA, New Brian Evenson Fiction, and More

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Brooklyn Vegan chatted with the guys in Paint it Black about their new 7″. Sounds like there’s going to be a new cinematic adaptation of Rebecca. Mark Kozelek covered Jason Molina for an upcoming benefit compilation. The American Reader has new fiction from Brian Evenson. Hey, it’s art in Brussels. Are you curious about what Aaron Gilbreath’s working on? (Hint: Canada.) Jerry Saltz on Tilda Swinton, MoMA, and “living art.” Maria Sherman has some thoughts on the breakup of My […]

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Books, Featured, Interviews, Poetry

The Real Subjects: An Interview with BJ Best

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Classic video games might not seem like traditional fodder for a book of poems, but the surprise of it seems to be what Wisconsin-based poet BJ Best revels in. His new collection of prose poems, But Our Princess is in Another Castle, has just been released by Rose Metal Press and takes inspiration  from such vintage arcade and home video games as Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, and The Legend of Zelda. And while the focus of the book […]

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Book Review, Books, reviews

Shattered Lives, Evoked With Subtlety: Jessica Francis Kane’s Collection “This Close” Reviewed

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This Close: Stories by Jessica Francis Kane Graywolf Press; 179 p. Jessica Francis Kane’s This Close doesn’t go for the showy. Its conflicts and themes are weighty: within its pages, you can find early death, the effects of depression on a close-knit family, and a devastatingly awkward interaction buoyed by class conflict. But the resolutions of these stories stray from operatic extremes or sudden, striking denouements. The power of these stories comes from subtle accumulations, of details that seem to […]

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Bites

Morning Bites: Mapping Gay Talese, Celebrating Poetry, Welcoming Spring, and More

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“I don’t use notebooks. I use shirt boards.” You might have seen it floating around, but let’s look at it again: Gay Talese’s story map of “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” Jane Goodall is being accused of stealing some of the sparkling prose on Wikipedia for her book Seeds of Hope. Poetry’s blog Harriet is celebrating National Poetry Month (it’s April, don’t forget) with posts from poets who’ve never written for the blog, including Vol. 1 favorites Anthony Madrid and […]

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Bites

Afternoon Bites: Frank Bill’s Playlist, Washington Irving, New Bleached, Paul Kneale, and More

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Frank Bill’s Donnybrook playlist is up. Iggy Pop digs Iceage and Jazuzzi Boys. We can relate. “I think London’s iconography is really interesting because it’s so removed from the experience of the city.  In places like New York or Paris you always have the feeling that you’re participating in the filmic experience of the place you have logged in your memory. London’s pop images feel like a flaky concession to that.” Paul Kneale talked with Rhizome. Ed Champion made his way to  the […]

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Band Booking, music

Band Booking: Talking I Ching with Montreal’s Valleys

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Marc St. Louis and Tillie Perks are the duo behind electronic Montreal-based band Valleys, whose newest album Are You Going to Stand There And Talk Weird All Night? will be released April 30th on Kanine Records. Marc and Tillie have been making music since the mid-’00’s, trading places on guitars, synthesizers, drums and sequencers. On previous River Phoenix and Stoner EPs, and their Sometimes Water Kills People LP, they have skirted the line between dream pop and post rock, with an increasing if subtle introduction of electronic elements and rhythms. Their […]

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Events

Vol. 1 Brooklyn and Tin House Present: Matthew Specktor and Chuck Klosterman at Community Bookstore

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Matthew Specktor in conversation with Chuck Klosterman. We really don’t feel like there’s that much more to say about this event, other than it will be those two guys in conversation. While the talk with mostly focus on Specktor’s fantastic new novel, American Dream Machine, you can’t really go wrong hearing what either of these guys have to say about any given subject. The event is  at 7 pm on May 2 at Community Bookstore (143 Seventh Avenue in Brooklyn), and […]

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