I don’t know what’s going on over at Eksatsis, but they printed this essay of mine in what I hear will be their last print journal. It’s a good one to get, if only for that. My essay is about Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Super Mario, and Wordsworth, and Jesus. It begins, “My son Sebastian…” and he had a fun time reading about his gaming when it arrived at the house. Read for free here »
Note too how the clever layout folks over there cropped the attending image so that it rhymes with the stellar cover David Wittig produced for the Elegy Beta. Well done, crew.
But I really wanted to ring on to tell you all to come by a reading I’m giving in February. Of course you can’t all come—I’m aware of the vast distances that comprise our country—but some of you might, and if you do, I’d love to meet you. I am further aware that many of you know people in Arizona and that those people probably look to you for cultural recommendations, so, you know, be a mench and send them over. Event info here.
I’m really excited about this one, in part because my family has never been to a reading before and they’re coming, but also because I get to share the stage with Betsy Brown, whose book City Nave I recommended to you in my last missive. We’ll have a piano tinkling away and hors d’ouvres and piles of books and hopefully, you. It’ll be great.
What else? I wandered into a fight about Taylor Swift over at Cassandra Voices. One of my beloved students wrote an essay about her greatness and, when I demurred, she tasked me with explaining myself, which I did by writing a response essay for the same journal. You can read our tete-a-tete here. I published it anonymously to save myself from Vengeful Swifties, but in this crowd, I feel fairly safe lowering the gloves.
And that’s about it, I guess. Fifteen or so poems from the new book manuscript have been published and I’m now sending the volume around to likely publishing partners. Also, I’ve gathered 20-something published essays into a file that I’m also sending out similarly. Grace Period, I think we’ll call the latter. It’s thrilling.
Lord-willing, we may have two new books under contract in 2025!
Reading
Soul of a Nation by Peter Ackroyd
An outline of England’s spiritual development over the centuries (but mostly a collection of short biographies of key figures)
Arizona Friend Trips by Julie Morrison et al.
A former student of mine made little poems about all these Arizona small towns and byways. They’re collected here alongside a kind of Keruacian travelogue around the state. Fun times.
Listening
Wilderado Talker
Sophisticated, tasteful, music with rather unsophisticated lyrics.
Microwave Let’s Start a Degeneracy
How could you not love album titled like that?
Oddments
I was giving a lecture about George Eliot and Victorian Criticism when a friend sent me this film review with I think is perfect. So savage (to its target) so respectful (of its audience). Just a hilarious read.
Seattleites, go see Sleeping Beauty that opens this week, with set design by my friend Preston.
Much to look forward to for me, including a series of talks I’m giving up at Whidbey to the SPU MFA cohort in March, about which, more anon.
Until then,
MW
A. Curmudgeon 😄