Marissa Bell Toffoli

Archive for the ‘poetry’ Category

Interview With Writer Sheida Mohamadi

In books, censorship, journalism, poetry, translation, writing on August 24, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Sheida Mohamadi

Sheida Mohamadi. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2011).

Editor’s Note
I publish these interviews to explore the different ways writing sculpts the lives of writers—young and old, emerging and established, writers in all genres and from around the world. Iranian journalist, poet, and novelist Sheida Mohamadi’s story is especially interesting to me as a case for how critical it is to find a way to fight for what matters to you. I admire what she has given in pursuit of her beliefs, and in hope of creating change in the world. Talking with Sheida reminded me how undeniably lucky I am to have been born in a place where freedom of expression is a mainstay of society, in an era when striving for equal rights does not necessitate risking the loss of my life, and I am not in danger of being exiled for my art. This interview is substantially longer than others because of my deep interest in understanding more about what it means to live as an artist under censorship. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer & Performance Poet Arthur Flowers

In art, books, graphic novels, nonfiction, poetry, spoken word, writing on June 4, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Arthur Flowers

Arthur Flowers. Photo courtesy of the author.

An introduction to Arthur Flowers, author of the graphic nonfiction book I See The Promised Land (Tara Books, 2011). Flowers collaborated with Manu Chitrakar, a Patua scroll painter from Bengal, to illustrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. A novelist, essayist, and performance poet, other books by Arthur Flowers include Another Good Loving Blues, De Mojo Blues, Cleveland Lee’s Beale Street Band, and Mojo Rising: Confessions of a 21st Century Conjureman. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Monday Night Editors

In art, books, editors, fiction, literary journals, nonfiction, poetry, writing on May 23, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Monday Night 9 cover

Monday Night Issue 9. Cover design by Sharon McGill (2010).

An introduction to Sharon McGill, Heather Miller, Nana K Twumasi, and Jessica Wickens, the editorial team that publishes the literary journal Monday Night. Open submissions are held from September to December. The idea to start Monday Night came out of a writing group where Jessica Wickens and Sharon McGill first met. The debut issue of the journal published in 2001. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer Caitlin Doyle

In poetry, writing on March 11, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Caitlin Doyle

Caitlin Doyle. Photo by Mike Robinson.

An introduction to poet Caitlin Doyle, who just completed her tenure as the winter term Writer-In-Residence at the Jack Kerouac House in Florida. Accolades for Caitlin Doyle’s work include Pushcart Prize nominations, a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Prize, a poetry award from The Atlantic Monthly, and prizes from the Academy of American Poets. Doyle is currently at work on her first book-length poetry manuscript. Her poems have recently been published or will soon appear in Best New Poets 2009, Black Warrior Review, The Boston Review, The Warwick Review, and Measure.

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Interview With Writer Elliot Harmon

In poetry, slam, spoken word, writing on January 4, 2011 at 10:01 am
Elliot Harmon

Elliot Harmon. Photo courtesy of Harmon.

An introduction to poet Elliot Harmon, who initially made a name for himself through performance poetry. Harmon shared, “I think that performance still plays a role in what I write, and I love having the opportunity to perform in different contexts. There was a while there when I was traveling a lot and I was really active in the slam scene. Performing things over and over was a big part of how I revised and worked. That’s not the case anymore because I have a full-time job and not as much opportunity to do that stuff. It’s changed how I work.” Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Writer & Editor Juliana Spahr

In editors, poetry, writing on November 22, 2010 at 6:11 pm

 

Juliana Spahr

Juliana Spahr. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of several poetry books, including The Transformation (Atelos Press, 2007) and This Connection of Everyone With Lungs (University of California Press, 2005). Juliana Spahr co-edited the literary journal Chain, and has published and edited a variety of essay collections. Currently, she teaches at Mills College in California. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Cerise Press Editors

In editors, fiction, literary journals, poetry, translation, writing on August 23, 2010 at 9:28 pm

Cerise Press Summer 2010

Cerise Press Summer 2010 Issue. Cover Art by Mikhail Gubin.

An introduction to Cerise Press and the literary ladies who founded it: Sally Molini, Karen Rigby, and Fiona Sze-Lorrain. Cerise Press is an international online journal that publishes three issues annually. They accept submissions year round.

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Interview With Writer Steffi Drewes

In poetry, writing on June 28, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Steffi Drewes

Steffi Drewes. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to poet Steffi Drewes. Read the full interview with Drewes on Suite101.com. (First published on Suite101.com in June 2010.)

Interview With Writer & Filmmaker Robert Philipson

In books, film, poetry, writing on June 13, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Robert Philipson

Robert Philipson. Photo by Bob Fischer.

An introduction to the author of the poetry book Very Good-Looking Seeks Same. Read the full interview with Robert Philipson on Suite101.com. (First published on Suite101.com in June 2010.)

Interview With Writer, Translator, & Editor Zack Rogow

In books, editors, poetry, translation on May 11, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Zack Rogow

Zack Rogow. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of the poetry book The Number Before Infinity, translator of Colette and George Sand, and editor of The Face of Poetry anthology. Rogow is the author, editor, or translator of eighteen books and plays, including six collections of poetry, a novel, three anthologies, four volumes of translation, and a children’s book. The Number Before Infinity (Scarlet Tanager Books, 2008) is his most recent poetry book.
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Interview With Writer & Translator Denise Newman

In books, poetry, translation, writing on April 27, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Denise Newman

Denise Newman. Photo by Eva Whitney.

An introduction to the author of the poetry books The New Make Believe, Wild Goods, and Human Forest, and translator of Danish writer Inger Christensen’s novels. Newman’s third book of poems, The New Make Believe, is forthcoming from The Post-Apollo Press.

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Interview With Writer Hugh Behm-Steinberg

In books, editors, literary journals, poetry, writing on April 4, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Hugh Behm-Steinberg

Hugh Behm-Steinberg. Photo by Marissa Bell Toffoli (2010).

An introduction to the author of the poetry book Shy Green Fields and faculty editor of the literary journal Eleven Eleven. Hugh Behm-Steinberg was a Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and recipient of an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship. He discusses writing, editing, and his current projects in this interview.  Read the rest of this entry »

Interview With Editors Laureen Mahler & John Peck

In comics, editors, fiction, literary journals, poetry, short stories, writing on March 27, 2010 at 12:53 pm
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Laureen Mahler & John Peck. Photo by John Peck (2009).

An introduction to literary magazine editors of Beeswax Magazine, Laureen Mahler and John Peck, who also run an independent letterpress and book arts studio. The dynamic married couple publishes Beeswax Magazine from their print studio, Volta Press. Mahler and Peck have backgrounds in writing and literature, which lends them unique perspective as editors and printmakers.

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