Last Friday night we played host to a rather dynamic duo: writers Grant Cross and Stephanie Goehring. Grant shared a mixture of haiku (he’s a 5-7-5 wizard!) and longer verse, and also proved that a gourd can provide excellent accompaniment, while Stephanie read a beautiful lyric essay as well as new poems from a series excellently titled “Who Took This Selfie?” Enjoy the footage from their reading, and then check out our Events Calendar; we have oodles of upcoming literary larks you’re sure to enjoy!
Old Green World at Malvern Books
Last Saturday night we welcomed a talented trio of writers to the Malvern stage to celebrate the launch of a wonderful Old Green novel. First up was author Susan Schorn, who read from a thriller-in-progress. Susan is a self-defense instructor, black belt, and memoirist—and she also writes “Bitchslap,” a kick-ass McSweeney’s column about women and fighting.
Next we heard from Paige Britt. Earlier this year Paige released a children’s book, The Lost Track of Time, but on this occasion she was introducing us all to a lyrical, philosophical postapocalyptic sci-fi romance set 4000 years in the future, aka the evening’s laudable launch, Old Green World by Jason Craft.
And then we welcomed the man of the hour, Jason Craft / Walter Basho. In case you’re a little confused, Basho is the pseudonym Craft chose when he first self-published Old Green World, as there is already a Jason Craft writing sci-fi; however, he has since decided to use his own name—and explore his options vis-à-vis traditional publishing—so capturing this appearance from “Mr. Basho” was quite possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Jason/Walter very kindly encouraged the audience to purchase some of the lovely titles on our shelves, and then treated us to a little more from Old Green World…
A Beautiful Ugly Trifecta
We’re rather fond of Ugly Duckling Presse, a publishing collective run out of an old can factory in the heart of industrial Brooklyn. In fact, we’re one of their Partner Bookstores, which means we have a standing order to receive every new book they release. And this month we were delighted to get our mitts on the handsome Ugly trio you see below…
The Green Ray by Corina Copp — the first full-length collection of poems from Copp, a writer and theatre artist based in New York. Arava Review described Copp’s poetry as “a beautiful racket” and “a strange waterfall interruptive soundtrack,” which sounds pretty darn intriguing.
Costume en Face by Tatsumi Hijikata — Hijikata (1928-1986) was a Japanese choreographer and the founder of Butoh, a radical form of dance performance art. Costume en Face is the first publication of one of his notebooks; it contains fascinating notations concerning the art of Butoh, as transcribed by Hijikata’s “disciples.”
Alien Abduction by Lewis Warsh — Warsh has been a major figure in contemporary American poetry for over forty years, and this extraordinary new collection, his first full-length volume since 2008, will only enhance his reputation as a poetry icon.
Climb Down at Malvern Books
We decided to get July off to a well-rounded start by spending an evening with the multi-talented poet and visual artist David Thornberry. Observant Malvernites may remember spying his art on our walls; this time around we were celebrating the launch of his new poetry collection, Climb Down, every copy of which has a hand-painted, original cover featuring David’s artwork. Watch the second video below for an explanation of the book’s title (at around the 12-minute mark); it’s a wonderful metaphor taken from a rather terrifying mountain climbing incident.
Joining David on our stage was another Malvern fave, W. Joe Hoppe, host of the Poetry Corner reading series (returning in the Fall). On this occasion, W. Joe was sharing some of his own work, including a fantastic poem about Michael Collins, who piloted the Apollo 11 command module alone (“he circled like a film noir taxi / keeping the motor running for the getaway”), while crew members Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin gallivanted on the moon for the better part of a day.
Check out the footage below to enjoy some brilliant poetry—and then come to our Novel Night on Thursday to round out your literary calendar with some smashing prose!
Summer Social at Malvern Books
Last Friday night we were thrilled to host the inaugural event in our I Scream Social series. Hosted by our very own Annar and Schandra, I Scream Social is a warm and welcoming summer reading series that celebrates young women poets—and ice cream! Check out the footage below from our first-ever Scream… and if you agree that audacious poetry and delicious desserts make for a winning combination, be sure to come along to the next sweet Social on Friday, July 24th. (Also worth noting: each Social features an open mic section, so all young women poets are encouraged to bring along some verse to share. It doesn’t matter if it’s silly or serious, polished or in-progress… we’ll reward you with ice cream regardless!)
Our first reader was Alana Torrez, a “former spy” turned poet extraordinaire.
Next up was Shelby Newsom, who’s entering her second year in the MFA program at Texas State, and who is very much Team Mint Chocolate Chip (me too!)
And our third featured reader was award-winning Ohioan poet Maggie Ilersich, who bravely confessed to a love of home improvement television.
The final portion of the evening was the open mic—hearty thanks to Allyssa Milan (first video) and Allyson Whipple (second) for sharing their wonderful work with us!
California On Sale
Here’s a brief and bonny update to let you know that all our University of California Press titles are currently 10% off! Do be sure to stop by the bookstore and grab yourself some bargain brilliance. There are plenty of tempting titles to choose from, including…
Anteparadise by Raúl Zurita; translated by Jack Schmitt (bilingual edition)
Zurita is one of Latin America’s most celebrated poets and the recipient of numerous awards, including the National Literature Prize, the Pablo Neruda Prize, and a Guggenheim fellowship. Anteparadise, his second collection, is in part a response to the brutality of the 1973 military coup, during which Zurita was arrested and detained for six weeks in the hold of a cargo ship.
Canto General by Pablo Neruda; translated by Jack Schmitt
Canto General is Neruda’s tenth collection, and it’s considered by many to be his masterpiece. This epic work comprises 300 poems and is more than 15,000 lines long, and offers readers a vast and moving history of the Americas.
Dora Bruder by Patrick Modiano; translated by Joanna Kilmartin
This novel is a kind of literary hybrid in which a number of genres—detective novel, biography, autobiography—are employed to tell the story of Dora, a fifteen-year-old girl who has run away from her Catholic boarding school. Modiano comes across a Missing Persons notice placed by her parents in a French newspaper, and this sparks off a decade-long investigation into Dora’s fate.