February 2012
12 posts
3 tags
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...
2 tags
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...
1 tag
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...
5 tags
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...
5 tags
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,...
5 tags
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...
2 tags
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...
7 tags
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...
2 tags
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...
3 tags
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...
2 tags
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...
1 tag
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
1 tag
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.
1 tag
"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...
3 tags
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...
2 tags
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...
3 tags
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...
4 tags
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...
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2012 New Year's Resolutions
Here is a list of my New Year’s Resolutions:
Get into an MFA program. Feel like there is a good chance this happens due to the large amount of programs I applied to.
Be published by the following journals:
Metazen
PANK
At least 3 journals run out of a university.
A journal that is based in New York City.
Red Lightbulbs
Numerous other places that are small and less difficult to get...
December 2011
12 posts
3 tags
GUEST POST: Zack Schuster liveblogs the Beachies.
Zack Schuster liveblogged the Beachy awards. Zack is the author of Trackback, reviewed here by Beach Sloth. We like Zack. Check him out on Twitter!
editor’s note: I do not live in Ohio
+++
9:32 - Best Alt Lit Novel just got announced, so we should be moving into the Beachies soon I guess.
9:33 - Aww, he was about to announce it, too, then I guess someone got called a jerk. DAMN.
9:34...
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LiveBlogging the Alt Lit Gossip Awards
all times are in CST and stuff
6:00- One hour until the awards, I think. About to maybe make coffee. Just bought a shirt off Big Cartel. Hope I converted time right in my head and it is an hour until the event begins.
6:20- Sick-ass Tinychat, featuring lots of penis drawings on whiteboard. Sweet.
6:52- THE AWARDS ARE ABOUT TO START.
7:01- Steve is dancing to Skrillex. Sweet.
7:04- Boost my...
4 tags
INTERVIEW: SHAUN GANNON
Perhaps more than any other person, Shaun Gannon can truly say: I AM SHAUN GANNON. He did as much to great effect in a boisterous poem entitled…I AM SHAUN GANNON. He also co-founded letpeoplepoems.com, an open site for online poetry submissions. Good luck finding his name anywhere on the site, though: as he insists, “we are explicitly not editors, we are facilitators.” Banango interviewed Shaun...
1 tag
'Truth' in Poetry
I read some comments on a review of Spencer Madsen’s book ‘a million bears’ and it led me to think about the connection between the ‘truth’ and the actual words on the page of a poem.
Here is the comment I felt strongly negatively about:
I went to highschool with this idiot, and I remember he had about only one girlfriend. Now it’s a bit hard for me to...
3 tags
Banango Interviews: JDA Winslow
JDA Winslow is a writer from England. He tweets here. He blogs here. Justin recently sent him some questions about writing and other things. They also had some IM conversations. Justin has attempted to edit these things together into a coherent conversation with JDA.
Justin Carter: Your web presence, specifically your twitter presence, seems to be fairly large. How do you keep up with this?
...
Beach Sloth: My first guest post: Banango Lit →
Glad Banango supports positive online anonymity. After reading my post and feeling all kinds of wonderful, I thought to myself: maybe I can soar, through that open online submission door.
Beach Sloth writes about his recent Banango guest post over on his blog.
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GUEST POST: 160 Words on Four Webjournals by Matt...
Editor’s Note: Banango is looking for guest posters. Preferably ones that are cool. Are you cool? Email us. This is a guest piece by Matt Margo. Matt edits Cormac McCarthy’s Dead Typewriter and we interviewed him recently. We hope you learn lots of things from Matt Margo.
‘shallow’ – edited by Zachary Whalen Recommended Reading: four poems by Marshall Mallicoat Although ...
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Interview w/ Chad Redden, Mayor of NAP
I interviewed Chad Redden, author of The Lesson of Furniture (The Red Ceilings Press, 2011) and Thursday (Plain Wrap Press, 2012), Mayor of NAP Mag, my new sensei, and all-around good dude. Here’s what he had to say. Who are you? Always the hardest question first. Some dude. Get back to me on that question. How long have you been a writer or person who writes or whatever you’re...
2 tags
GUEST POST: A Review about Reviewing by Beach...
Banango Lit is looking for talented and interesting guest posters. Not like the kind you put on a wall. If you are talented and interesting and not a wall hanging, email us at banangolit (at) gmail (dot) com. One of our very first guest posts is provided by the inimitable Beach Sloth. At Banango, we’re all big fans of this sloth’s reviews of music and literature. Check out his post on...
Submissions for NAP
NAP is accepting submissions again. Justin and Diana both are part of NAP (although Diana has a much larger, important role). Consider submitting to NAP. It would be good for you.
chadasaurusrex:
NAP is open for submissions again. Print chapbook submissions will close fast. Just saying. I’d like more dudettes to submit and such.
4 tags
REVIEW: Ambient Florida Position by Josh Spilker
What better way to celebrate Banango’s entrance into the Big Blog Leagues (check out our new URL!) than with a long-overdue review of “Ambient Florida Position,” a novella by Josh Spilker. The protagonist of the story is 26-year-old Wallace, recently out of a job. Wallace heads to interview after inane interview in a wetsuit. He moves in with his Uncle Ander, who’s...
1 tag
Literary Magazine Review: ILK Issue 1, Part 1
ILK is an online journal edited by Caroline Crew and Chris Emslie. The first issue just came out. I am going to discuss a few pieces from that issue right now instead of doing homework and finishing my MFA applications because the first issue is very good.
Madison Langston has three poems in this issue. These poems are ‘cute’ in some ways, ‘disturbing’ in other ways, but...
November 2011
4 posts
1 tag
On Being Flynn, the Trailer, and Adapting Memoir...
The trailer for Being Flynn is now on Youtube. Being Flynn is based on Nick Flynn’s 2004 memoir Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, which is probably one of my favorite books. In the book, we see a vignette-style journey through Nick Flynn’s past, taking the reader from Nick’s childhood to Nick meeting his homeless father at a Boston-area shelter that Nick worked at.
The way...
2 tags
Banango Interviews Matt Margo!
Matt Margo is the author of Friends Let Friends Let (self-published, 2011) and When Empurpled (Pteron Press, 2011). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in many places, including Red Lightbulbs, New Wave Vomit, West Wind Review, and Poetry by Emily Dickinson. He is an undergrad at Hiram College in Ohio. Justin and Rachel asked him questions about flarf writing and he responded.
Justin Carter: ...
5 tags
Poetry by Emily Dickinson: A Reflection
Introduction The Poetry by Emily Dickinson site has been officially live for over 2 months, so I think it’s high time for a critical evaluation and reflection on how the project has fared. First, some background. PBED was the brainchild of Steve Roggenbuck. The initial stage took place starting in mid-March of this year. Steve posted about his idea for a collaborative poetry project. This post...
1 tag
Literary Magazine Review: Black Warrior 38.1, part...
I have recently acquired the new issue of Black Warrior Review. Black Warrior Review is published by the University of Alabama. I have read a few things from this issue and will present some thoughts on them:
“Operation Toe Breaker” by Brandon Davis Jennings is a great story. It reminds me of Tim O’ Brien, not only because O’ Brien is referenced in it, but because it is an...
October 2011
12 posts
2 tags
GUEST POST: everyone should read banango. here's...
By peterbd. This is known as the ‘backdoor’ way of getting your name out there. Well done, peterbd. Consider our interest piqued, if it wasn’t already. 200. it’s name sounds cool 199. you’ll be cool for reading it 198. if you decide not to read it you’ll be uncool which is lame 197. reading it will make you smarter 196. reading it will make you happier 195....
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Review: MONSTER PARTY by Lizzy Acker
Lizzy Acker’s MONSTER PARTY has been a book for almost a year now, but i didn’t get my hands on a copy until about a month ago.
i met her when we read together in San Francisco and she left me with this lovely inscription on the title page: “For Diana! LOL JKBFF BRB (let’s be internet friends 4eva)” i read the whole thing in about three days, finishing the final...
Beach Sloth re: Banango post about Potato Salad →
1 tag
this says something about mass literature vs alt...
One time I ate really spicy potato salad from a slightly overpriced Cajun Po-Boy shop. This time was yesterday. It was really spicy but underneath that layer of being really spicy there was something good, something very solid. Something that tasted good. But I got full eating honey glazed sweet potato fries, which were better on the surface but probably lacked any kind of depth. So I took the...
Help us learn more about you.
Anonymous asked: i want to get notes on six books i dont wanna read
1 tag
Quick notes on things I have read fully/ part of...
I am reading short stories by Lorrie Moore and I am really enjoying them. I feel like the way she writes them is very proto-Internet. I understand why Tao Lin says she is a big influence on him. Her fiction is very imaginative and unique.
I just read Matt Margo’s new novella and blurbed it. I will provide an interview with him on here soon. I felt a little lost but enjoyed it.
Infinite...
ALT LIT GOSSIP
ALT LIP GOSSIP is back.
Frank Hinton runs ALT LIT GOSSIP now.
ALT LIT GOSSIP covers lots of cool stuff and seems to be ahead of the curve in finding out ALT LIT GOSSIP.
Banango enjoys reading ALT LIT GOSSIP.
4 tags
Review: 'very beautiful women' - a pangur ban...
last tuesday morning, Adam Moorad tweeted “verybeautifulwomen.blogspot.com.” i was at work and thought it was a snarky porn blog or something so i didn’t click on it. later i realized that verybeautifulwomen.blogspot.com is actually the home of Very Beautiful Women, a new collaborative e-chap from Pangur Ban Party curated by DJ Berndt and written by 36 female writers of words...
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Review: selected unpublished blog posts of a...
selected unpublished blog posts of a mexican panda express employee is Megan Boyle’s first book and it is a very interesting debut.
The first thing the reader notices about the book is the form it takes: the poems/ pieces seem to be arranged chronologically, so the reader feels like, in a way, they are reading a diary of Megan Boyle’s life. And this diary seems interesting. Included...
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Autobiography, 1952 by Yehuda Amichai
I (Justin) am writing a paper over this poem (I think) later this week and I think it is the best poem ever written and I want to share it with you:
My father built over me a worry big as a shipyard and I left it once, before I was finished and he remained there with his big, empty worry and my mother was like a tree on the shore between her arms that stretched out toward me
And in ’31 my...
Banango would like to add some more writers:
Hello,
I am busy with school and Rachel is busy with school and Banango seems to be not updating very much so if you are interested in writing for Banango, do the following things:
1) write something lit-related
2) email it to me at justinryancarter (at) gmail (dot) com
3) we will publish it (as long as it is not offensive/ is at least somewhat about literature/ etc)
4) we will maybe consider...
September 2011
5 posts
1 tag
Review: wikipedia says it will pass by Diana...
I liked this book by Diana Salier.
I didn’t expect to like it, because I have started to feel lately that this style of poetry/ writing in general has become too prevalent in the online lit community. These poems are very matter-of-fact. The reader is told everything that happens, and oftentimes it feels like the reader is also told what to think about what they are told. Spencer...
What is the "heart" of American Poetry right now?
Banango is interested in the poet/poets you consider to be at the center of American poetry. The poets that are innovating and changing the game, or the poets that already changed the game and are still winning it in the 4th quarter, or just the poets you really really like that should be at the heart of American Poetry.
Send us your answer with some sentences about why or something and we will...