A hug thank you goes out to Brandi Spering for writing a review of Some of the Times ​on her blog. She writes:

"Each page varies in length and structure, frequently avoiding punctuation, which conveys a sense of continuation; this, and the placement of line breaks, contribute to the list-like flow of the writing. Myers catalogs what she absorbs, from daily news, illness, loneliness, decay, as well as comradeship. Often philosophical, “Some of The Times” prompts its readers to evaluate their own framework for construction."

Read the full review. 

+

Some of the Times also appeared on Entropy's "Best of 2020-2021: Poetry Books & Poetry Collections" list. This is a really fun list to go through, as it includes some of my own favorites but also many books that I have not read yet and am excited to check out. 

I am sad to see Entropy closing. It has been such an important resource over the years. I especially loved reading their book reviews and interviews, and I feel like there are fewer venues that feature small and indie press book reviews (I hope that I am wrong about that). I wish the best of luck to all the editors and folks who have dedicated themselves to Entropy over the years!

Earlier this year, I spoke with Charles Valle about his debut book of poetry Proof of Stake, published by Fonograf Editions in June.

The interview is now live at Poetry Northwest. I'd like to send a huge thanks to editor Bill Carty for giving our conversation a home and to editorial assistant Alexa Luborsky for her work getting it up on the website.

Here is a snippet from the intro:

How does one speak the unspeakable? How can grief and immense loss be conveyed to others? These are questions that Charles Valle grapples with in his debut book of poetry Proof of Stake, released by Fonograf Editions in June. Written in stops and starts over nearly a decade, Proof of Stake is comprised of a single long poem, an elegy addressed to Valle’s daughter, Vivian, who died shortly after her birth. Unlike traditional elegies, the speaker does not arrive at a place of consolation or solace by the end of the poem. Instead, Valle rages as he unsettles himself throughout the poem, mourning not just the loss of his daughter, but also decrying the persistent racist history of colonialism, and the contemporary racism and cruelty of capitalism—the things Vivian would have inherited, the things Valle’s other children have inherited. This is an elegy that resists and refuses closure as it recounts various traumas. It is a poetics of grief, a rallying cry, and a protest song. 

You can read the interview here. 

​Earlier this year, I started an Instagram account for mini book  reviews. I just hit my 50th post today (though not all posts have been reviews). It's been a fun challenge to write something that fits within the character limit of the Instagram caption. If you want to follow along, you can find it at @reviews_by_gm.

Thank you to New School Alumni for including Some of the Times on its summer alumni reading list. It is pretty incredible to see this selection of great books that have come out from New School alumni in the past year. I already have a couple of titles on my to-be-read list and look forward to checking out more. View the Summer Reading List.

They also have a series of author events related to the reading list. 

​I am super honored to be participating in this year's 215 Festival, which is its 20th anniversary! I'll be sharing work during the Regional Small Press Poetry Showcase on Saturday, May 15, from 1 - 2:30 pm. The showcase includes poets representing Barrelhouse, Thread Makes Blanket, Radiator Press, and Bloof Books. See full event details and register here. 

Also check out the full schedule of 215 Festival events here--there's a lot of great stuff going on. I have great fondness for this festival, and I'm excited to see it in its virtual form! 

At Entropy, Levi Bentley writes, "Conversations among poets continue amid the intensifying crush of global climate change, illness, severe weather. The book, written before and published amid the pandemic, anticipates the aura of grim carrying on amidst crisis, the importance of cataloging small joys."  

A huge thanks to Levi for this review of Some of the Times! Read the full review.

  Bedfellows has been publishing some great work in their Little      Black Book anthology, and I'm thrilled to have a new       
  anticapitalist love poem in collection III.
  
​  You can read the poem  here. 

I'm beginning the new with gratitude to Bear Review, who recently posted a recording of my poem "Snow Day." "Snow Day" appears in Some of the Times (Barrelhouse 2020), but it was originally published in the inaugural issue of Bear Review, which I was super excited to be a part of. You can listen to the recording here, and also read an extremely kind write up of the poem by Editor Marcus Myers. In the weeks to come, look for recordings by other past contributors on Bear Review's blog.

The new issue of The Volta includes a feature in memory of Molly Brodak. It includes her final poems as well as remembrances from Blake Butler, Caroline Crew, Carrie Lorig, Nick Sturm, and myself. My essay is the hardest thing I have ever written. Molly's death has been devastating, and there are no words to capture what a truly amazing person she was. You can read the feature here.