In his newest poetry collection, Application for Release from the Dream (Graywolf Press), Tony Hoagland comes across as a bit of a cranky old cuss, but instead of waving… Read more “A Review of Application for Release from the Dream by Tony Hoagland”
Author: David Nilsen
A Review of Ball: Stories by Tara Ison
There is a sickness at the heart of Ball, Tara Ison’s first short story collection, one she pokes at in each of the collection’s eleven tales until it… Read more “A Review of Ball: Stories by Tara Ison”
Friends, Get Wayward
“You can romanticize America and you can romanticize leaving but you can’t romanticize the Kansas City Greyhound.” – Friends, Get Wayward I recently discovered (late to the… Read more “Friends, Get Wayward”
A Review of Stay: Prose Poems by Kathleen McGookey
Stay. In Kathleen McGookey’s new prose poetry collection of that title (Press 53) the word has several meanings. In the book’s dealings with grief and the loss of loved… Read more “A Review of Stay: Prose Poems by Kathleen McGookey”
A Review of Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir
Mary Karr is the unassuming master of the modern memoir. Her three offerings–1995’s The Liar’s Club, 2005’s Cherry, and 2009’s Lit–are adored by readers and were roundly praised by critics. Her… Read more “A Review of Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir”
Scarlet Street (1942)
In the first scene of Fritz Lang’s 1945 film noir classic Scarlet Street we are introduced to Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson), a meek and diligent bank cashier who… Read more “Scarlet Street (1942)”
A Review of Mark Vanhoenacker’s Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot
The most remarkable aspect of Mark Vanhoenacker’s fascinating new book Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot is not his lovely gift with words–that is merely what makes it… Read more “A Review of Mark Vanhoenacker’s Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot”
A Review of Rachel B. Glaser’s Paulina & Fran
I spent the first chapter of Rachel B. Glaser‘s new novel Paulina & Fran(Harper Perennial, 2015) laboring under the misguided belief I needed to like its characters.… Read more “A Review of Rachel B. Glaser’s Paulina & Fran”
A Review of Cult of Loretta by Kevin Maloney
“When they barged into the bathroom and found us, the joke was on them. They were just men with radios calling for backup. We were simian angels… Read more “A Review of Cult of Loretta by Kevin Maloney”
Jenny Lawson, Mental Health, and Weird Taxidermy
Jenny Lawson, better known by her online persona The Bloggess, is just damn funny. Of course, if you’ve been reading her incredibly popular blog for very long… Read more “Jenny Lawson, Mental Health, and Weird Taxidermy”
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