May 2012
3 posts
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When I Arrived, The Music Changed
BY: JUSTIN CARTER
In place of a true review of Brian Oliu’s Level End (Origami Zoo Press, 2012), I am writing a piece that responds to it & also sorta reviews it. Buy Brian Oliu’s Level End because it is very good. You are missing out if you do not read it.
When Brian Oliu arrived, the music changed, became a little less hollow. The final boss was ahead, seated inside the...
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a Discussion on Emoticons in Metered Poetry
the following discussion occurred on Facebook:
Nathan Masserang: what is the metrical classification of an emoticon in poetry. :( = iamb? Theoretically, the longer the emoticon, the longer the beat, yet not stronger than an understood syllabic stress. *<:0) = weak anapest.
Justin Carter: since the emoticon is probably not read out loud & is understood via visual cues, i would say it...
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Interview: Felix Jung of A Poem From Us
It’s high time for interviews. A Poem From Us is a poetry project that aims to “use technology to help folks share their love of poetry with others.” Initial participants received and distributed a set of stickers with QR codes which, when scanned, lead to the project website. Anybody can submit a video of themselves reading a poem for inclusion on the website. I was drawn to the project’s...
April 2012
13 posts
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An Interview with Stephen Tully Dierks
Stephen Tully Dierks is the editor of Pop Serial, whose third issue is currently being serialized online. The issue will be completed soon & then a print edition will be available. I talked to Stephen about Pop Serial & his own writing & other things. Justin Carter: What is Pop Serial and why did you start it? Stephen Tully Dierks: Pop Serial is a magazine. From its start there...
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Banango Street Issue 1 Has Launched!
You should probably check this out.
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Fall Out of Your Skin by M.G. Martin
M.G. Martin’s Pangur Ban Party chap Fall Out Of Your Skin came out a couple weeks ago. this ain’t no jagged little pill. it’s very short and very swallowable at just 8 poems. The poems are odd and surreal and sometimes when there’s an “i” or a “we” it’s hard to tell exactly who that is, but it’s secondary. M.G. Martin doesn’t...
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sentences, stanzas, and lines I liked from Michael...
BY MATT MARGO
Michael Inscoe is the author of Don’t Die Alone, a collection of poetry and fiction that was originally published in April 2011 and republished in a revised second edition in March 2012. It is available as a paperback for $9.00 and as an ebook for free. I recently finished reading the book for the first time, and these are some of my favorite sentences, stanzas, and lines from...
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Interview with Mike Kitchell
Jackson Nieuwland: Yo Mike is it cool if I interview you?
Mike Kitchell: totally
JN: Sweet I’ll just jump right in then.
Two books are coming. Are books, to you, sexual objects or architectural objects? Or neither? Or both? Or something else entirely? Or just books? Have you ever fucked a book? If not, would you? Would you fuck a building? Didn’t a woman marry the Eiffel Tower once...
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REVIEW: Letters From Robots by Diana Salier
BY: JUSTIN CARTER
Diana Salier contributes to this blog & one time we started a collaboration that I never finished working on because I am really bad at finishing shit. Hey Diana, will email you later with 90s lyrics. Okay. Okay.
I said that because I am really biased & should not be reviewing this but I am doing it anyways.
Here are things I liked about this book:
- The longer poems...
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The Human War by Noah Cicero
This is Noah Cicero’s first book. It came out in 2003. Nine years ago. It is about the hours preceding the Iraq war. It’s political. Noah is a political dude, but he is also a man of the people. He writes about political and philosophical theory in terms of the lives of people from Youngstown, Ohio, who do drugs, go to strip clubs, and struggle to make enough money to survive and...
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Review: Heavy Feather Review, Volume 1, Issue 1
BY: THOM JAMES
Ok, so, I’m going to tell you about Heavy Feather Review, an electronic journal founded by Nathan Floom, and Jason Teal, with two assistant editors, Jason Carnahan, and Kyle Bialko.
I open the PDF file. The cover image is an image-poetry macro by Steve Roggenbuck. I can already tell that Heavy Feather Review know what they’re doing. This theme continues; though...
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This Is Water by David Foster Wallace
I have read this essay five times now. It is important to me. I think that what David outlines here is the ideal way to interact with other human beings. I have not read a lot of David’s other work. I have attempted Infinite Jest twice. I enjoy that book but I never have the stamina to continue through to the end. I appreciate the conciseness of This Is Water. I am a fan of books with not...
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reviewing some books based on their amazon.ca...
‘sometimes my heart pushes my ribs’ by ellen kennedy
looks pretty chill. i am digging all the pastel colours. i don’t know how i feel abt the alternating green and grey letters, seems confusing. I was trying to discern some kind of pattern but could not. I thought maybe like, certain letters were always green and some were always grey but that turned out to be false. If anyone...
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March 2012
14 posts
"LIVEBLOG-STYLE-REVIEW MADNESS" SALE
muumuuhouse:
To celebrate the recent liveblog-style reviews of
“selected unpublished blog posts…” by Megan Boyle by Rachel Hyman
“selected unpublished blog posts…” by Megan Boyle by Rachel Hyman by Megan Boyle
All orders of “selected unpublished blog posts…” by Megan Boyle until 11pm Eastern time will receive ~1000% more “free ‘goodies’” than normal.
Order here.
Thank you for your...
Megan Boyle re "Rachel Hyman re 'selected... →
Megan Boyle reviews Rachel’s Banango review of Megan Boyle
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Banango Sunday Round Up
Screaming Seahorse is now taking preorders for their first print book: Walter Mackey’s ‘mysapce.com’.
Matt Holmes has released a 4 poem .pdf file called de_dust.
unsure if i will allow my beard to grow for much longer has published a poem by Crispin Best that is really good.
Robert Duncan Gray at Metazen. (Also at Metazen, a piece by Banango editor Justin Carter)
Pop Serial...
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after megan boyle's 'selected unpublished blog...
BY: RACHEL HYMAN
3.23.12 after megan boyle’s ‘selected unpublished blog posts of a mexican panda express employee’ i have been meaning to play around with different styles of reviewing justin already reviewed megan boyle’s selected unpublished blog posts of a mexican panda express employee and i bet if i went to the muumuu house page i could find a lot of other reviews...
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Review: Age of Aquariums by Lilyyy Dawn
BY: KATEY METCALF
This is the first poem in Lilyyy Dawn’s recent chapbook “Age of Aquariums.” I considered trying to describe the aesthetic, but this is a situation where the picture does a better job than I ever could. From here on imagine all quotes in fishbowls. That last sentence was a highlight in my internet writing career.
So anyway. I first read “Aquariums” last month, and had planned on...
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Pop Serial 3 Review Series: Luna Miguel
BY: JUSTIN CARTER
When Pop Serial 2 came out I tried to review every piece in it but there were too many.
Pop Serial 3 is being released in a serialized format though so I am going to try again. I will probably not be able to keep it up.
Pop Serial was the first alt lit journal that I became interested in, I think. I remember downloading the .pdf of the first issue and reading it and liking...
Banango Street Submission Deadline
Reminder that the submission deadline for Banango Street is TOMORROW. Submit here. For those who have already submitted, thank you for your patience. We will be in contact within the next week.
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Review: The Sky Conducting by Michael J....
BY: RACHEL HYMAN Disclosure: I was sent a review copy of this book. One of the blurbs on the back of Michael J. Seidlinger’s The Sky Conducting (Civil Coping Mechanisms, 2012) says, “This is the obscure voice-over for the back-alley director’s cut of our lives as American actors. And the cameras are still rolling.” Does anyone else get intimidated by such descriptions, often more gilded than...
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Reading roundup: Santos, Mirov, Mcclanahan, Martin
BY: DIANA SALIER
a roundup of a few things I’ve read in the first part of 2012 and would like to recommend. The Emperor’s Sofa by Greg Santos This book is split into 3 sections: Thinking Things Through, Thinking Through Things, and Travels Around the Empire. I’m way way drawn to the first section most of all.
It opens with “Road Trip (after Mary Ruefle),” a...
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Review: NAP Issue 2.3
BY: THOM JAMES
So. NAP’s pretty rad. I never use the word ‘rad’ because I’m British and it doesn’t sound right. But NAP is rad nonetheless. NAP 2.3 is a collection of work which screams innovation. Though, it’s no surprise. NAP has always been screaming innovation, even since the first issue back in January 2011. I’m going to boldly say that this is their...
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AWP: Rumpus Reading
By: Rachel Hyman
So apparently there’s some big conference going on in Chicago that people pay money to go to. You might have heard of it. AWP? I also know that there are a whole host of off-site readings going on over the next few days. Tonight’s reading was sponsored by The Rumpus. I forget that not everything is on punk time. Apparently “doors” at 7:30 means the room...
Banango, the Literary Blog: BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:... →
banangolit:
Banango Lit is pleased to announce we are starting an online journal. Submissions are now open. It will be called Banango Street. Our first issue includes contributions from people we all know and love, including Russ Woods, DJ Berndt, and Neon Glittery. Theron Jacobs will be providing…
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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: BANANGO STREET
Banango Lit is pleased to announce we are starting an online journal. Submissions are now open. It will be called Banango Street. Our first issue includes contributions from people we all know and love, including Russ Woods, DJ Berndt, and Neon Glittery. Theron Jacobs will be providing artwork. The only thing missing right now? You!
Submit through Submishmash here. There are 2 categories: poetry...
February 2012
13 posts
6 tags
WatchEver by Blake Butler (read by Jackson Nieuwland)
Ever is Blake’s first book but it makes a lot more sense to me after reading Scorch Atlas (the book of stories that came after). Much of Blake’s work is set in the same world, a world that takes time to get used to. I believe Blake has improved with every book but that is not to say that this one is of low quality. This was one of the...
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A List Of Books That I Have Not Read That I Should...
by: Justin Carter
Section 1: Books That I Own/ Have Ordered
Light Boxes by Shane Jones: Russ Woods suggested this book to me on gchat. I don’t know much about it. I flipped through the pages and it looks very stylistically interesting. I think this will be the next book I read.
I Am A Productive Entrepreneur by Mathias Svalina: I ordered this book. I hope it comes in soon. Svalina wrote a...
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Interview with Jordan Castro
Jordan Castro is a writer living in Ohio. He is the co-author of Cute (Thumbscrews Press, 2011) and author of Supercomputer (Deckfight Press, 2011) and the recently-published KADIAN (hiphiphooray press, 2012). Banango writer Jackson Nieuwland interviews him here.
Jackson: How is college so far?
Jordan: I like it.
How long have you been there now?
Since August 25, 2011.
What are you...
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Review: SIGH NO MORE, A Collection, by T.L. Kirk
BY: THOM JAMES
I remember when the Mumford and Sons album first came out in Britain. I gave it a few listens, and did not think much of it. I moved on to the next thing. I think it was the XX.
T.L. Kirk has written a collection of poems within a chapbook whilst being inspired by the music he heard from Mumford and Sons. After being given this piece to review, I thought, “why not listen to...
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Valentine's Day Megapost
Many things came out on Valentine’s Day 2012. Most of them will be reviewed here. Some of the bigger things will be given due consideration and reviewed at a later point. Read on. OKSTUPID by Walter Mackey reviewed by Justin Carter Walter Mackey wrote a story about love for Valentines Day. It is about Sarah and Greg. They meet through OkCupid. They are both depressed. Greg is in an emo...
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Unorganized Thoughts in Response to Jordan...
by Matt Margo
KADIAN Jordan Castro Hip Hip Hooray Press, February 2012 Buy from Animal Sorrow
KADIAN is a morphine sulfate extended-release capsule. KADIAN is intended to alleviate your pain. KADIAN can easily lead to an overdose if chewed, crushed, dissolved, snorted, or injected in excess. KADIAN, Jordan Castro’s poetry chapbook published by Hip Hip Hooray Press,...
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Review: PANIC ATTACK, U.S.A. by Nate Slawson
By: Diana Salier
i first read nate slawson last year on linelinelineline — he wrote an echap of love poems to zooey deschanel, and i share his love for zooey d, so i really enjoyed that. last month i bought PANIC ATTACK USA at powell’s and started reading it on donald dunbar’s living room couch. i read it on a plane from portland back to san...
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Review: Less of Everything by Dave Shaw
Dave Shaw can be found on Tumblr here. He also runs the website Lit Mixtapes.
By: Rachel Hyman It’s funny that Dave Shaw’s newest chapbook, recently released through NAP, is called Less of Everything. It’s chock-full of images (the word kind), details, people, places, things. Less of Everything centers around a character named Anxiety. I like this, this idea that Big Things...
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Notes on 4 Chapbooks
by Justin Carter
I recently received the following chapbooks in my mail box: tiny people by Russ Woods, He Is Talking to the Fat Lady by xTx, I Don’t Respect Female Expression by Frank Hinton, and make-believe love-making by Ana C.
I am going to write short reviews of each one and tell you why you should acquire them.
tiny people
Russ Woods is one of my favorite poets right now. I...
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Thoughts on "Everything" Poems
by Justin Carter
I just got out of a craft talk/ lecture by Mark Halliday and J Allyn Rosser (which also featured Tony Hoagland and Kevin Prufer and Ange Mlinko asking questions (who needs AWP, this was probably better) ~10 minutes ago. The craft talk was about “everything” poems, by which they meant poems that attempt to discuss everything and the inability to be able to discuss...
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Guest Post: Jackson Nieuwland reviews The Oregon...
By: Jackson Nieuwland
The Oregon Trail is the Oregon Trail (Mud Luscious Press) by Gregory Sherl
I had been waiting for this book for a long time and I am excited that it is now in my hands,
which is surprising because I haven’t read any of Greg’s poetry
(well I have read a couple poems from his blog in the last couple days but mentioning that takes away a lot of the power of what I’m...
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Review: All Her Father's Guns
By: Rachel Hyman All Her Father’s Guns is a novel by James Warner. It was published by Vox Novus in 2011. Disclosure: I was sent a complementary copy of this book. As the 2012 primaries and eventual presidential race get under way, as the hope and change touchstones of Obama’s 2008 campaign ring hollow, as we find ourselves faced with new movements like the Tea Party and...
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Review: The Black Dot Series by Gabby Gabby
by: Justin Carter
edit: link to the actual collection is HERE.
I don’t know who Gabby Gabby is. The best I can figure out is that she lives in Williamsburg, Virginia (thanks Beach Sloth) and that she surfaced on the ‘alt-lit’ scene fairly recently. She had a poem published in the first issue of a new online journal called ‘screaming seahorse’. She has something...
January 2012
8 posts
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Review: Edward Mullany's "If I Falter At the...
BY: DIANA SALIER
edward mullany has written my new favorite love poem: the poet envisions his death it is true i love you more each day, you for whom i’ve never written a love poem. i first met edward last week in an abandoned apartment on haight st. in san francisco for a house reading. he was very tall and soft-spoken....
HTMLGiant Comments Disappear, Discuss It Here.
That happened.
This post is to let you discuss HTMLGiant no longer having comments.
You can do it in the Disqus commenting section underneath this post if you open up the post from the website and not from the tumblr dashboard.
Enjoy.
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"pinky promise me this," or, How to Fall in Love...
I didn’t read this aloud like Ana asked on the first page, and it felt so much more personal that way. It felt like reading a confused Facebook narration from a college boyfriend—someone struggling to get along, get by, be loved in a meaningful way by someone who matters. Needless to say, I liked it a lot.
This is not to say I think Ana Carrete is a great poet, or even a good one. But what “pinky...
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Internet Poetry, Artistic Merit, and Hazel...
At some point in the past, I found Steve Roggenbuck on HTMLGiant. I read “i am like october when i am dead” and liked it a little bit. I read excerpts from “Download Helvetica For Free.com” and thought it was a work of genius, that maybe it could redefine poetry in some way. The book seemed very ‘silly’ on the outside, but I felt there were lots of times that...
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REVIEW: Chokeville by Joshua Allen
Please welcome Katey Metcalf to the Banango family. Here she reviews Chokeville by Joshua Allen. Chokeville is available in its entirety here. The problem is, I’m not sure if he’s joking or not. Chokeville, the long-awaited and still incomplete novel from copy-writer-by-day, American-absurdist-blogger-by-night Joshua Allen is a funny, clever, bewildering series of tales about Allison Hull. Upon...
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REVIEW: Terminally Beautiful by Christy Leigh...
Terminally Beautiful Christy Leigh Stewart self-published, March 2011 Buy from Amazon, Lulu
One holding a copy of Christy Leigh Stewart’s Terminally Beautiful will find that the back cover of the book seems to address the reader directly, let alone a bit scornfully:
Diana isn’t pretty like you.
She isn’t smart like you, or interesting like you.
No one loves her like we all love you.
You...
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Justin and Rachel Review Russ and Meghan!
Russ Woods and Meghan Lamb live in Chicago. They are married. They run Red Lightbulbs. Russ just published “Pictures of Salukis Looking Majestic.” Meghan just published “Love, Jennifer Jason Leigh.” Justin reviewed “Pictures of Salukis Looking Majestic” and Rachel reviewed “Love, Jennifer Jason Leigh.” Rachel and Justin are not married.
Rachel Reviews Meghan Lamb:
I realized I wasn’t sure...