I’ve been rereading some classic horror including Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and Stoker’s Lair of the White Worm. Le Fanu is the better writer and sets up a lot for Stoker’s Dracula almost three decades later. These and M. R. James’s ghost stories have filled up my October reading. Kyua (Cure, 1997) is part of … Continue reading Marginalia #9
I’ve been rereading M.R. James’s stories. He’s most associated with ghost stories and quiet horror, but as an influence on Lovecraft there are plenty of creepy crawlies for those kinds of fans. I get why they seem archaic to some contemporary readers. Jacobi’s readings are perfect in the audiobooks. Puppets and animation in a serious … Continue reading Marginalia #8
Artaud’s manifestos on the Theater of Cruelty. Certainly transferable to other art forms. I read this 20+ years ago after discovering various early-20th Century avant-garde manifestos. Worth a reread with fresh eyes and more experience. Holbein’s paintings are favorites and I’ve always wanted to track these down. Functions like a Memento Mori Tarot. Le danse … Continue reading Marginalia #7
We talk about her book, Known by Salt, over at The Drunken Odyssey. (Photo courtesy of Bang Images.) Continue reading An Interview with Poet Tina Mozelle Braziel
News was serious.He read the Ladies and Gentlemen bulletin.The mask was warm, luminous. Continue reading Little Billboards #86
Shel Silverstein wrote the first poems I remember reading and they were frequently silly, but it was a silliness that kept me reading all of his work, some of which, is not so silly. Between Silverstein and MAD Magazine, I cane to enjoy language that had a sense of humor, even if it came with … Continue reading My Earliest Poetry Experiences + An Exercise + A Poem
No surprise being uneasyto approach self-approval,the young man thread a soul. Continue reading Little Billboards #88
writing to findthe rules not to beto be Continue reading Little Billboards #41
With my current job I travel more than I ever have. One way I stave off homesickness is by reading books my wife has given me (and rereading poems we’ve written for each other). The one I keep picking up for now is Letters to Véra, Vladimir Nabokov’s letters to Véra Slonim from their first … Continue reading Good night. The day seems to be breaking. The sky is green.–Friday Love Letters
Stephen McClurg 