| (no subject) |
[Dec. 8th, 2009|09:27 am] |
Here is a great article by Chris Hedges on the hollowed out "progressive" movement in America. This is a great piece and slams "progressives" for not leaving the Democratic Party a long time ago and thinking that Obama would be anything less than much of the same, beholden to the corporate interests.
http://www.alternet.org/world/144419/are_liberals_pathetic/ |
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| (no subject) |
[Dec. 1st, 2009|07:30 pm] |
What the FUCK is Obama thinking? Send 30-35,000 more troops to Afghanistan? Why the hell would you do that? The SOVIET FUCKING EMPIRE AND BRITISH EMPIRE failed in Afghanistan. The county is a GRAVEYARD for empires and world powers. War there is simply not winable for superpowers. Look at history! Why are we bothering sending more troops there to die and spending more money on this?
Obama is looking more and more similar each day to the clowns that proceeded him, in terms of both economic and foreign policies. It's the same old, same old, and I do hope he realizes he's going to disillusion all of those young people that voted for him and worked for him because they believed the Democrats would reverse the Neocon policies. I honestly feel they were all duped by another corporate shill. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 29th, 2009|02:13 pm] |
A lot of great albums by several of my favorite bands came out this year. Chuck Ragan released Gold Country and expanded on the folk/country sounds of his solo career. Strike Anywhere released Iron Front, another politically-charged album by the Richmond foursome. American Steel released Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts, an album that is a little more pop-punk influenced and less political than their last release. But it was perfect music to suit its mid-summer July release. Meanwhile, the Bouncing Souls released a series of 7-inches with new songs to celebrate their 20-year-anniversary. The final one is coming out in early December. The Lawrence Arms broke their four-year hiatus with a 7-inch of four new songs that I hope is a tease for a tour in 2010 and a brand new full-length. The Lawrence Arms hour glass logo was my first tattoo, by the way.
But of all the new releases out this year, I think Collapser by Banner Pilot is by far my favorite release of 2009. These guys are good, damn good. What is it about the Midwest that has produced such awesome bands? Dillinger Four, Off With Their Heads, the Lawrence Arms, and a few others all hail from there. Maybe in the midst of snow storms and a depressed economy, people start bands and make honest music.
When my vinyl copy of Collapser came in the mail back in Sept., I listened to it nearly every night for a few weeks, no joke. I recently started spinning it again, and the album seems even more fitting as we transition from fall to winter. In a lot of ways, the album is about trying to hold onto summer, drinking to get through the long, harsh winter, and trying, but usually failing, to hold onto unstable relationships.
The album, unlike the band's previous full-length, is solid through and through, filled with powerful hooks, perfect breakdowns, raucous power chords, and galloping drums. Songs like "Skeleton Key" and "Farewell to Iron Bastards" are just as anthemic as a lot of the music played by the band's Midwestern counterparts.
It is my favorite album of 2009. These guys are young, and Collapser is only their second full-length. Can't wait to see what else they release in their career. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 5th, 2009|09:38 pm] |
So, I've been doing a lot of thinking/planning over the last few weeks. It is very likely I am going to have to move within the next year or two in order to obtain a full-time academic job. It's not likely any of the colleges around here are going to have full-time openings in the English/creative writing departments within the next year or two, and I'm not going to do the adjunct gig once I have a my MFA, which is a terminal degree, a doctoral equivelent in the arts. No way. I didn't continue graduate school after I obtained my M.A. to maintain the level of an adjunct professor. So, I've basically accepted the fact I have to be open to relocating anywhere. It's not possible to be picky if you want a full-time academic gig.
I do like teaching composition, intro to literature courses, and fiction classes, but I really should be focusing on teaching creative writing/poetry. That is what M.A. is in and what my M.F.A. will be in.
Also, once I get my MFA, I need to ensure my manuscript is published. I was talking to the director of my graduate program, and she said once I have my manuscript published, I should be gold. I have good journal publications already, and now I have teaching experience.
I did notice that West Chester University is seeking a full-time poetry professor. From what I've gathered, they no longer have any poetry professors. My old mentor, Kate Northrop, moved to Wyoming to be with H.L. Hix, who is a well-published, well-respected poet. She's also teaching out there. And Alex Long, who I believe was an adjunct professor who taught poetry courses, is also gone. He was there during my senior year or so.
They are accepting applications starting this month. I am seriously tempted to apply for it. I meet most of the qualifications. I have the journal credits, the teaching experience now, and I went there. I know the folks who will serve on that hiring committee. However, the job posting says one published book is required. I think I need to get serious ASAP about sending my manuscript out to various presses. Enough of the poems have been published or are forthcoming in journals. It's time to send the whole manuscript out because it's going to be tough landing a job as a full-time creative writing/poetry professor without a full book out.
I have a feeling this summer is going to involve a lot of job searching. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 4th, 2009|07:41 am] |
If the GOP victories in the governor races in New Jersey and Viriginia yesterday mean anything it's that all of the first time voters and coalition Obama built last year have not remained politically engaged. Is anyone surprised, though? Do young people ever really stay that engaged in politics, especially with local races? It's rather pathetic the level of political involvement in this country and the amount of people that only vote once every four or eight years for presidential elections.
Democrats should be seriously concerned about 2010 and losing A LOT of seats in both the House and Senate. Their base is not at all activated. And the conversative base, with all of those tea party wing nuts, is going to remain quite active. They're also purging moderates out of the party. Look what happened with the special Congressional race in NY. At least a Democrat won up there yesterday over the wingnut. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|06:51 am] |
In honor of the Lawrence Arms new 7-inch that came out last week and a new DVD they have in the works celebrating their 10-year anniversary, here is a video from that DVD.
http://www.punknews.org/article/35801 |
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| new Larry Arms! |
[Oct. 23rd, 2009|05:20 pm] |
The Lawrence Arms are celebrating their 10-year anniversary this year, with a major sold-out show in their hometown of Chicago that will be filmed and released as a DVD. They're also releasing a lot of new merch, including a suicide king hoodie that they haven't done since their first few years as a band. I have to snag one of those!
I am currently streaming some of the new songs from the 7-inch. As soon as I heard Brendan's growl and Chris' smoother vocals, I was immediately hooked. These guys haven't gone back a step at all. There's a reason I have a Lawrence Arms tattoo. These guys keep it pure, raw, and honest. They still craft the best songs about drinking, lost relationships, and trying to survive another shitty winter.
IF you want to hear some new songs, go here:
http://www.soyamilkzine.net/?page=bandoftheweek/TLA |
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| HWM Retrospective |
[Oct. 8th, 2009|06:43 am] |
A very rad retrospective of Hot Water Music has been posted online. It combines videos of the band, dating all the way back to the 1990s up to the reunion shows last year. It also features stories and personal antecdotes by some fans and people who have toured with the band. The video footage from the 1990s is simply incredible, especially the footage surrounding the release of No Division, an album that I think is the band's best material and perhaps artistic peak.
http://unartignyc.com/2009/05/18/hwm1/ |
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| more good news! |
[Oct. 5th, 2009|06:53 pm] |
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Another one of my poems, "Freshman Year," has been picked up for publication. I just got the e-mail today that it will be published in the winter issue of My Favorite Bullet, a fabulous journal that has actually rejected me before. Glad to say I finally cracked in there. The editor says the issue is likely to come out in January. This poem is actually seperate from my manuscript. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 3rd, 2009|09:23 pm] |
I just reread "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates tonight. The story was a lot more disturbing to me this time around. The story main character, Connie, is basically a young, self-absorbed teenager who feels rejected at home.
About halfway through the story, the devil, in the form of a handsome teenager, comes to visit her. You get little hints throughout the story that he's the devil. His white t-shirt is "a little soiled," his face is darkened from not shaving in a few days, and he keeps wobbling in his boots, basically because he has hooves. When the teenager tries to resist him, she, for whatever reason, maybe his powers, starts to feel dizzy and then starts to feel as though she's been stabbed in the chest over and over.
Well, at the end of the story, the devil, who calls himself Arnold Friend, convinces her to go with him "for a ride." Basically, the girl is going to be murdered and raped.
I didn't find it as disturbing when I read it in graduate school, but now I do. |
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| literary news! |
[Sep. 30th, 2009|06:00 pm] |
Lots of literary news to announce!
The Pages and Places Festival will take place this weekend in downtown Scranton, bringing together authors, editors, and readers from across the country. There will be panel discussions throughout the day, a book fair at the courthouse square, and free readings all day long.
I will be one of the people reading, and I'll be joined by a variety of writers from NY, PA, and elsewhere that write in a variety of genres. I'll be reading poetry at noon at the courthouse square outside.
For a full list of events, check out www.pagesandplaces.org
Also, three of the poems from my M.A. thesis manuscript have been accepted for publication in the December issue of Chiron Review, the best journal I've broken into yet. |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 26th, 2009|07:47 pm] |
In the last few weeks, I have probably sent out 20 poems or so to various literary journals. I've been pretty lucky so far getting published this year. I hope it continues, but rejection letters are also a normal part of the process. I just dislike waiting months and months to hear back from editors. I used to hold off sending to multiple journals at once, but not anymore. I simply keep sending stuff out. That's how you have to do it. I even sent out a short story and want to keep writing some fiction.
I've been drafting a lot of new work. I just finished a new short story that I have to print out and revise. I've also been drafting and revising some new poetry. I read two new poems at a reading last night for the first time ever. They went over well. It's always tough to read new work because you're testing it. Sometimes, you don't realize how clunky a line is until you actually perform at a reading.
I'm also doing a reading on Saturday, Oct. 3 at noon at the courthouse of Scranton, part of the Pages and Places Book Festival. Check it out, if yo ucan.
I hope some of my students show up. One of them actually came to the reading last night. Out of all the classes I teach, the students in the fiction workshop seem the most interested in getting involved with literary events outside of the classroom, but a few of them actually want to be writers. They're not just filling a gen ed like the students in my English 101 sections.
I am going to a housewarming party tonight. It's only 8 p.m., and I'm already tired. Since I started teaching last month, I get tired by 9 or so because I teach an 8 a.m. class every day and classes later in the day. |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 22nd, 2009|09:15 pm] |
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Chuck Ragan's new album, Gold Country, is my favorite album of the year thus far, hands down. This is saying a lot because a lot of my favorite bands released albums this year, including American Steel, Bomb the Music Industry!, and Chris Wollard. Against Me! also released the demos of The Eternal Cowboy. But god damn, Ragan's new album is SO good. He definitely expanded on the folk style of his solo material by adding drums, back-up vocals, cello, and other instruments on several of the tracks. The result is a more engaging album than his previous solo efforts and a batch of songs that sound fuller and richer. The lyrics throughout the album are as honest and heartfelt as the words he roared while in Hot Water Music. He spins tales or road weariness and personal surival throughout the tracks, while still sticking up for the underdog. |
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| Happy b-day Punknews! |
[Sep. 18th, 2009|05:50 pm] |
Punknews.org is turning 10 years old soon, and here's an interview with the editors and founders:
http://www.pastepunk.com/site/?p=19867
This website totally changed how people in the punk scene hear about bands and shows. Prior to the Internet and the growing popularity of Punknews, people relied on DIY zines or word-of-mouth to hear about new bands. But most of those zines, besides a select few, really didn't have much reach beyond their communities. But now, if a band is featured on Punknews and praised by the editors and community members, that band has a chance of getting big. Against Me!, Rise Against, and the Gaslight Anthem are fine examples of that.
I can't even tell you how many bands I discovered because of this website: Streetlight Manifesto, Dear Landlord, Gaslight Anthem, Bomb the Music Industry, the Lawrence Arms, and Defiance Ohio are just a few that come to mind...
Thanks for all the coverage Punknews.org! |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 13th, 2009|11:24 am] |
I started writing fiction again and began the draft of a new short story. I haven't written fiction in about a year, mostly because I worked on a poetry manuscript/thesis in that time. But the manuscript is just about done, so I want to move onto other things. I also revised a short story I wrote in graduate school and sent it off to a literary journal. I hope it gets published. I've only had one short story published before, back in 2004 in an anthology. I've had several poems published.
I find it rather refreshing to write fiction again, to craft characters and focus on different techniques of writing, such as point of view. But I'm still writing poems, especially new ones. At least when I get sick of one genre, I can switch to the other.
There are people who say, including a few in my graduate program, that writers should stick to one genre. I think that is total BS and a sign of laziness. Ezra Pound even said that poets could benefit from writing in prose, from the discipline of that craft. Likewise, fiction writers could benefit from writing poetry, from learning about compression and the importance of a single line and image and the weight they carry. |
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