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cover of "care of wooden floors" by Will Wiles

Care of Wooden Floors

Care of Wooden Floors Will Wiles New Harvest, October 2012 304 pages $24.00 In Will Wiles’ debut novel Care Of Wooden Floors, an unnamed narrator is invited to mind an empty apartment in an unspecified Eastern European city. Upon his arrival the narrator discovers that his friend, Oskar, infamous at university for tidiness and insistence…

photo of Sherwin Bitsui and Orlando White together, posing for the camera

I Don’t Stand Alone: Poets Orlando White and Sherwin Bitsui on the Importance of Mentors

  Whether it’s in the acknowledgment section of their books or in daily prayers of gratitude, many writers thank mentors for helping to shape their paths as artists. In the interview below, authors Sherwin Bitsui and Orlando White graciously open the window to their friendship and writing. How did you two meet? Sherwin: I met Orlando…

photo of a sign that points to "Oak Leaf Trail" ahead in brown and gold lettering, an oak leaf accompanies the words

Literary Boroughs #25: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Literary Boroughs series will explore little-known and well-known literary communities across the country and world and show that while literary culture can exist online without regard to geographic location, it also continues to thrive locally. Posts are by no means exhaustive and we encourage our readers to contribute in the comment section. The series will run on our blog…

up-close photo of broken glass with the caption "the revolution happened and you didn't call me"

Dear Dr. Poetry

The Revolution Happened And You Didn’t Call Me Maged Zaher TinFish Press, September 2012 67 pages $15.00 Dear Dr. Poetry, I’ve been occupying Wall Street continuously since September 2011. Since we lost Zuccotti Park, I’ve been sneaking into Goldman Sachs’ offices at night to sleep standing up behind a filing cabinet or large ficus. I’m…

photo of Aurora Anaya-Cerda at La Casa Azul, she sits and smiles for the camera

An Interview With Aurora Anaya-Cerda, Founder of La Casa Azul Bookstore

In an age where bookstores are closing, independent bookseller and former middle-school teacher Aurora Anaya-Cerda opened the doors of La Casa Azul Bookstore, in East Harlem, last June. I first heard about La Casa Azul through some of my online communities including Letras Latinas, VONA, and a small group called Facebook. At first it sounded…

Photo of a sign for the Poe Museum--a raven is illustrated inside of the "O"

Literary Boroughs #24: Richmond, Virginia

The Literary Boroughs series will explore little-known and well-known literary communities across the country and world and show that while literary culture can exist online without regard to geographic location, it also continues to thrive locally. Posts are by no means exhaustive and we encourage our readers to contribute in the comment section. The series will run on our blog…

Cover of The Piano Cemetery

THAT LIT, LIT LIFE (with global characteristics) 8 (of 14)

My aspiration in life is to loaf. These days, life seems to be much ado about aspiration, or so the brand-marketing-image-makers would have us believe. We aspire to fame (and living forever, as that song goes) and wealth, stardom for a second on YouTube, regardless. Me? I want, like Larry, an American character in The…