i can't really sing, so

More poetry than usual this month! It WAS National Poetry Month in April, so that makes sense! Mission:  to read 52 books in 2012 Status : 24/52 Books Read, April:  7 Notes on Books Read: 18) Threats by Amelia Gray We read this for book club and everyone liked it. It had short, short chapters, something that I think appeals to modern readers. It's like-- if I am reading something with longer chapters, I am more inclined to stop once I reach the end of a chapter because then I won't have to worry about getting caught in the middle of one. Short chapters, however, do not pose the same threat, so I read more nonstop. The zany world that this book builds in-or-around (who knows!) the reality we live in is both believable and unbelievable at the same time. This novel will make you feel slightly insane and is worth reading. It just came out this year from FSG. 19) Culture of One  by Alice Notley I heard Notley read from this novel-in-verse at AWP in Chica...

If there is one thing I've learned being a professor at a University, it is to never make promises. Never promise you will have anything graded by a certain date. Never promise that something will or will not be on an exam. Never promise that something will be easier or more difficult than something else. Seeming objectivity becomes soft, marshmallow-like when entering the brains of students. So when I promised myself that I would read more this semester than last semester, I should have known better. This is not to say that I didn't enjoy a few fabulous books this semester. Books Read Fall 2010 Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey I read this on recommendation from a friend of mine from the Philadelphia Folk Festival. It took me a couple of months to get through. Kesey's descriptions of Oregon are often long winded, but clear as blustery winter day. The events of the book don't span a long period of time, and a good reader can trace where they are going from early on...

RAFFLE NOW CLOSED. Check back to this website soon for a video drawing of the winners as well as a list of who they are, what they won and where they're from! Thanks to everyone who entered! We'll leave the FAQ up in case anyone is still curious about things. ALSO: check out our sponsors! -GS staff FAQ 1) What can I win? You can win one of FIVE prizes. Our sponsors are listed below. ALL of our prizes were provided by our sponsors, so click around to see how great they are! Our GRAND PRIZE consists of the following: complete collection of the publications from Wave Books in 2010 bag, book & change purse from ModCloth shirt, LP, CD & buttons from Anna Vogelzang CD from Christine Lyons novel by Tao Lin EP by shoney lamar & the equal rights with exclusive art by shoney book of poems by Peter Jay Shippy & a book of short short stories from Rose Metal Press chapbook by Paul Siegell from Splitleaves Press original movie poster from “Little Miss Sunshine” exclusive ch...

in April, everything is poetry. i was interviewed by thunk blog. read all about it here . thank you ryan manning . i want to know how to do the tinyurl thing. sometimes it does it by itself. sometimes it doesn't. this confuses me. i read almost all fiction in month. totally weird. but this is my blog post for... books read: march How to be alone by Jonathan Franzen this book of essays consistently teaches its title with grace and goodwill. i liked the one about the post office in Chicago a lot because i love the post office. i liked this book. i like being alone. i might like being alone more now that i've learned to appreciate it via completion of this excellent book. the paperback one i read has an extra essay in it that the hardcover doesn't. read the paperback. The Proof of the Honey by Salwa Al Neimi read a review of this book that sounds like part of an academic essay in GIGANTIC SEQUINS volume 1.1, which is coming out so soon, so soon. Ghosts by Cesar Aira this ...

i am getting better at this. this is not going to be an epic account of anything, but a selection of things that i think you should check out because they are important. things that don't piss me off: this weekend, i met some kind of fantastic people. our magazine, gigantic magazine, has been involved a small nomenclature and turf scuffle to which i have come up with a maybe permanent, maybe temporary solution. we'll see. meanwhile, we are still getting ready to go to print in march for an April 2009 release date. we are still trying to connect our domain to a wordpress page i can't figure out. check back here to read more about the magazine, though, when we have more. production doesn't afford us time to delineate every step of the way, for most of it is not too interesting. meanwhile, my friend Geoffrey has informed me that there is a movie called Gigantic . you can watch the trailer here . it won a Spirit Award, and is coming out April 3rd, 2009. (yes. i am not kid...