l u c e m
august is a return. welcome back.
we re-enter. we begin again.
we reap our harvest.
the cliff's edge looms, and it is both a fearful arrival,
and a welcome change. embrace it,
leap feet-first. there are those
at the bottom, waiting
to catch you.
h a p p e n i n g s
the poet will again have a combination of recycled art and poetry at the Pretzel Park Farmer's Market
on Saturday August 7th, Saturday September 4th, and
Saturday October 2nd for anyone in the area.
the poet has been nominated for the Best of the Net by Southchild Lit,
for woman, but as a love letter to myself and my lover both.
the poet has also started a Patreon, which you can find here.
current projects in progress include: a 90s lesbian desert gothic retelling
of Orpheus and Eurydice, an art/poetry/prose chapbook
inspired by The Yellow Wallpaper, a new poetry
collection, and a story about radium
mermaids. stay tuned!
f r o m t h e p o e t ' s d e s k
"I wake again at the cliff’s edge of a
fresh start — and i jump."
- m. r.
recommendations
l i t e r a t u r e
mexican gothic by silvia moreno-garcia
a beautiful lesson in the power of suggestion and suspense, with a
very interesting twist and a neat focus on the potential horrors
of biology. a new release in the world of women's spec fic.
the strain by guillermo del toro and chuck hogan
pandemics, vampires, and the end of the world
as we know it, in this early 2000's suspense
novel by one of the masters of horror himself.
the undocumented americans by karla cornejo villavicencio
wonderful read that explores real narratives from
undocumented americans, and the struggles
they face especially after tr*mp.
anne boleyn: 500 years of lies by hayley nolan
a wonderful exploration of the life of anne boleyn and
the misogynistic lies that surrounded her
life and reign.
.
boelyn by juliette sebock
a beautiful collection of poetry inspired by the life of
anne boelyn (see a trend here?) and again,
the damaging lies that surrounded her.
nothing left but mud by jennifer r. donohue
a story that searches for meaning, catharsis, and hope in the world
of a pandemic not so different from ours. an original from
sword & kettle press.
and while you're on the sword & kettle shop, check out
the cup & dagger series of chapbooks! my chap,
"bury me in iron and ivy" is among a collection
of many other incredible works, hand
bound and printed.
m u s i c
little dark age by mgmt
as the world caves in by sarah cothran
i will never die by delta rae
fairytale by alexander rybak
only the good die young by billy joel
c o m m u n i t y
The Spiral Bookcase in Philadelphia has re-opened for physical
hours at a new location! say hi in Manayunk or online!
"The Spiral Bookcase is more an idea than anything else. It's a small ripple in reality where nothing is what it seems.
Like its founders & its customers, Spiral thrives on all things strange and unusual,
whether that's stories from just off the beaten path or tales told from the clutches of otherworldly creatures.
Spiral believes in the power of the story to transform and the fairytale to heal.
Form and shape of these stories matter less than intention and content,
and we aim to uplift marginalized voices. Within the tiny, warm confines of our little shop,
you'll always find your next daring literary adventure. We invite you to stop by, put the kettle on
and curl up with Calliope, our bookstore cat, and let us tell you a story. We promise it will be strange."
Crust Vegan Bakery is another of my long-time favorites
in Manayunk. here's what they have to say
about their model.
"We value high quality ingredients and strive to purchase local products when possible
to support other small businesses & local makers as well. We are woman owned and operated,
all natural, and all vegan. Our goal at Crust is to find the balance between
offering an affordable and quality product to you, while also providing
a living wage and supportive work environment to our wonderful staff.
We also make sure there is always room to give back to our community within our costing structure,
because being able to donate food and funds to causes we feel passionately about
is a privilege that we embrace wholeheartedly. We keep it political because food is political."
c r e a t o r s
ash catcher
writer, photographer, artist
i met ash at the farmer's market, wrote her a typewriter poem, and landed
a feature on her incredible all-women page, Atomic Tampon.
she's involved in multiple artistic ventures, and i
invite you to take a look!
personal instagram
photography instagram
atomic tampon
long shot books
fin
if you like seeing this in your inbox, consider donating to my ko-fi or paypal to keep it running!
you can follow my own poetic endeavors at mrobinsonwrites.com
- m. r.