Recent Work

I have a long poem titled, "Leaves of LOL" featured in the new issue of NOÖ Weekly. It's the last poem in my forthcoming debut book of poems, Dork Swagger (Coconut Books, 2013).

I also have an interview with fellow Coconut press-mate, Christie Ann Reynolds over here & here's one I did with the ever-awesome, Farrah Field!

"Goddamn Sad Animals"

Here's a sneak peak at one of the illustrations by Joseph Lappie which will be featured in my book, Dork Swagger, forthcoming this fall by Coconut Books.

The Next (Big) Thing

Susana Gardener kindly tagged me in this self-interview thing that has been setting the nets afire.

The Next (Big) Thing


What is the working title of the book?

The End of Dork Swagger


Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was born in Philly and I think that city has always “valued” the swagger. I’m thinking of Moses Malone, Dr. J, World B. Free, Wilt Chamberlain, and AI. This season the Sixers signed Nick Young who goes by the nickname, Swaggy P. There’s also a statue of Rocky in Philly. So I started thinking about the intersection of “swagger” in politics, sports, music, and art, as well as what happens when superficiality of it fails. The book wound up exploring this more through the lens of youth: ambition, slackerdom, parties, and naïveté.

What genre does your book fall under?

Poetry


What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Don would be played by Richard Pryor hovering somewhere between his stand-up routine, and setting himself on fire.

Maria (Don’s party/junky girlfriend) If the Parker Posey’s character in Party Girl partied harder.

Bree (high school/college crush turned awkward post-college “just friends”)- Perhaps Thandie Newton or Charlotte Gainsburg.

Unnamed narrator – Somewhere between Aaron Stanford (in Tadpole) and Jesse Eisenberg (Squid and the Whale) skating the line between awkward and idiocy. Wait maybe that’s Paul Giamatti.

Hitomi- (girlfriend of unnamed narrator) Carry Mulligan (circa Education or Never Let Me Go) or Anna Karina.


What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

“You itch your head & hair falls out.”


How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The first draft took about a year (most of the poems came fast and delirious). The revisions however, are coming much slower and more focused.


Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to take a break from another manuscript (Sister, formerly From Every Slit Throat Still Song) and write poems that more openly relished in Ugly Feelings ala Sianne Ngai. This allowed me to embrace a lot of (dark) humor.


What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

As mentioned before, there’s a healthy dose of black humor, a sprinkling of feel good moments, references to Warhol, Eddie Fiola (freestyler from the 80s), bonfires, salmon, film and art by the ever-awesome Joseph Lappie aka Peptic Robot Press. Also its on Coconut Books!!!


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Coconut Books(October, 2013).


My tagged writers for next Wednesday are:
Alexis Orgera, Farrah Field, Jared White, Kate Greenstreet, Shane McCrae

Dork Swagger 2013

I'm thrilled to announce that my first full length collection of poems will come out in 2013 on the ever-awesome Coconut Press!! Coconut Poetry We're thrilled to announce the following winners of the Elizabeth P. Braddock and Joanna Cargill prizes for poetry from Coconut Books, selected from 269 entrants: Braddock Prize (for a previously published writer): Lauren Ireland, The Arrow Alexis Orgera, Dust Jacket Cargill Prize (for a first book): Ji Yoon Lee, Foreigner's Folly: A Tale of Attempted Project Steven Karl, The End of Dork Swagger These books will all be published in the fall of 2013!!! We're also excited to announce that Coconut will publish Natasha Kessler's Dismantling the Rabbit Alter in the spring of 2014.

Cuckoo for Coconut

Coconut Books Giveaway

This week HTMLGIANT is celebrating the release of Natalie Lyalin's Pink & Hot Pink Habitat. To coincide with this momentous occasion, the women of Coconut Books have decided to offer a book giveaway. The contest rules are simple: leave a comment on Reb Livingston's blog with your name and e-mail address. At the end of the week, the names will be entered into a drawing, and a winner will be selected at random. The winner will receive a package containing all of the Coconut Book releases:

Natalie Lyalin's Pink & Hot Pink Habitat
Gina Myers's A Model Year
Jen Tynes's Heron/Girlfriend
Sueyeun Juliette Lee's That Gorgeous Feeling
Reb Livingston's Your Ten Favorite Words

These five titles could be yours! & you have a second chance to win by entering over at Gina Myer's blog.

Nut News & Two Interviews

You may have read her chapbook, Perfect Villagers, from Octopus Books (which is the last section of this book), but this is Sueyeun Juliette Lee's first full-length book & it's pretty damn good. I might have a review of this book forthcoming so for now all I'll say is that I picked as one of the best books for 2008 over on the No Tells blog & you can buy it here. Also the poet (my friend) Meghan Punschke designed the cover.

Speaking of Coconut, issue 14 is up & it contains some poets I can't wait to read such as Eileen Tabios, Graeme Bezanson (who I went to NS with, as well as, worked on LIT with ((he's still the poetry editor there)) and he's part of the Coldfront Crew, yet I haven't really read his poems), Susana Gardner (who edits Dusie press), and Rauan Klassnik.
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Two more interviews with the esteemed artist, Joseph Lappie:

http://chicagoist.com/2008/11/22/an_interview_with_joseph_lappie.php

http://theloop.colum.edu/s/644/index.aspx?sid=644&gid=24&pgid=252&cid=4885&ecid=4885&ciid=16917&crid=0