l u c e m
september
we begin to harvest and gather what we
have spent this heat-wave sowing. we
relax as the weather cools and
the leaves begin to fall.
new projects begin slow and steady,
and a somber air touches
all that we consume
at the breadth of
these, autumn
months.
h a p p e n i n g s
the poet is debuting her art, poetry, and prose
chapbook, "peeling the yellow wallpaper", on
september 10th at an event hosted by the
spiral bookcase at pretzel park in manayunk,
beginning at 5pm. see you there!
the poet will be joined by kailey tedesco
and hollistic arrangements for this event!
advance reviews for "peeling the yellow wallpaper":
"Robinson's latest work explores Charlotte Perkins Gilman's
widely read short story. Though Gilman leaves us with a complicated history,
Robinson merely uses 'The Yellow Wallpaper' as a jumping-off
point to examine what it means to be trapped, confined,
rotting in place. Robinson does not engage in fanciful reimagining
or empty 'girl power' moments. Instead, the poet shows us women transformed.
If society seeks to oppress women -- and it certainly does -- what will that
society do when it finds not mothers and caretakers trapped in
wallpapered rooms, but instead, crooked-backed and
sharp-clawed monsters?"
- Victoria Mier, The Spiral Bookcase
"Peeling the Yellow Wallpaper picks up where Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story left off.
However, it's not fair to simply call this experimental chapbook a second act or
continuation of "The Yellow Wallpaper." Robinson's luscious, haunting prose mimics
Gilman's cadence and inhabits her famous protagonist while offering this
character more tangible agency. Peeling the Yellow Wallpaper reads like a
saccharine possession of its captive protagonist, who now has an author that
dives even deeper into this character's desires and offers her liberation at last."
- Christina Rosso, Author of Creole Conjure and She is a Beast
'release is yours alone': "Monica Robinson's peeling the yellow wallpaper
is aggressive and introspective, elusive and above all timely--
a beautiful and crucial addition to feminist bookshelves."
- Diana Hurlburt, author and librarian
"girl. arm full of stars.", an experimental
flash prose piece will debut in thimble
lit mag at the end of september.
"in which i walk into the woods, and do
not return", a poem, will appear in
the dark forest issue of wyrd & wise
in late september or early october.
f r o m t h e p o e t ' s d e s k
"i walk through these windowed halls beside
you, basking in the weight of the autumn sun—
the summers we did not live and the winters
we fear we will not survive, though we do,
every undying year."
- m. r.
recommendations
l i t e r a t u r e
babel by r.f. kuang
a direct response to the white colonialism
present in the dark academia genre,
particularly in works like the secret history
by donna tartt. incredibly immersive and
intelligent speculative fiction!
the bruising of qilwa by naseem jamnia
glorious debut fantasy novella, a medical-
mystery with queernormative
elements and a compelling
narrative that explores real-world
issues in a fantasy setting.
our wives under the sea by julia armfield
slow-burn psychological sea-based
queer horror from the author of
salt slow!
the rabbit hutch by tess gunty
deeply unsettling character-driven narrative
set in a run-down automobile industry
town in fictional vacca vale, indiana.
examines humanity at its best and worst.
m u s i c
a collection of book-inspired
playlists by yours truly!
welcome to vacca vale
what moves the dead
i delight in what i fear
h a r r o w h a r k
c r e a t o r s
naseem jamnia
"queer, nonbinary, Persian, trans,
Chicagoan, writer, neuroscientist,
baker, nerd, gamer."
"I was born in Chicago and raised by Iranian immigrants.
My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan,
The Rumpus, The Writer's Chronicle, and other venues.
I was the 2018 Bitch Media Fellow in Technology,
a 2019 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction,
and a 2022 Otherwise Fellow, and was named the inaugural
Samuel R. Delany Fellow from CatStone Books.
My debut novella, The Bruising of Qilwa, [was] released by
Tachyon Publications in August 2022."
linktree
website
fin
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you can follow my own poetic endeavors at mrobinsonwrites.com
- m. r.