Cover, “Beyond the Baobab” Photo courtesy of Judith Krummeck

Beyond the Baobab

-Book Review by Michelle Junot–

Beyond the Baobab, by Judith Krummeck, is simply elegant. From the first sentence of the first essay, to the very last line of the book, Krummeck uses subtle humor and rich allusions to invite readers into her head, into her heritage, into her hesitancy about becoming an American. Her story is not only one of emigration from South Africa to the United States. The essays chronicle her change, growth, unexpected adventures, and her search for a sense of identity and belonging.

The collection’s first piece, That July Day, takes readers along for a walk in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, as Krummeck recalls her first afternoon as an American immigrant. She wanders through the streets, observing the many ways this new country is different from what she had expected and dreamed. Krummeck’s first encounters are jostling, but she portrays her bumpy ride both vividly and humorously.

“As people came towards me on the sidewalk, I wanted to step left instead of right,” Krummeck writes, recalling the dangers of switching her street orientation.

“It was a precursor to learning to drive on the other side, banging my left hand on the driver’s window as I instinctively reached to change gears, I would pull out into traffic, having carefully ascertained that nobody was coming on my right, and there would be a wildly gesticulating driver screeching to a halt inches from my left, because I was inadvertently turning onto the wrong side of the road in front of him.”

The scene above may be about driving on the wrong side of the road, but its story asks, do I belong here? Could this be home?

Cape of Good Hope, No. 8 Chapman Street, and On Loader Street take us through chapters of Krummeck’s life, capturing the innocence of her childhood through her adolescence and young adulthood. Krummeck’s vivid memory stops time, fully exposing these other versions of her character. Readers are invited to explore significant moments in Krummeck’s life as well as her first relationships in an intimate yet fleeting fashion.

In The Arduous Undertaking, readers are introduced to Sarah and George Barker, two of Krummeck’s ancestors who left England in 1815 to become missionaries in South Africa. Krummeck explores their lives through the pages of George’s journal, questioning the connection between their proclivities to migrate and her own. Only Krummeck could make these long-time dead missionaries come to life in a way that makes the reader care about them and their continuous impact on her life.

In Stamp of Approval readers will hold their breath as immigration authorities inspect Krummeck’s visa and passport, causing her to worry that she won’t be allowed to stay in the US. Similarly, the honesty of the narrator’s grief in, Getting the News, is heavy on the page. Readers can taste Krummeck’s fundamental angst, and a realm of other complicated emotions influencing her voice. Nevertheless, she tells her story in a simple and honest manner, making her personal stories echo in her reader’s imaginations.

The details of Krummeck’s story are remarkable on their own, detailing an inspiring journey, but her essays also speak to anyone who has ever experienced a significant life change whether it’s a move from one hemisphere to another, or a milestone like graduating college. Krummeck’s memoir reminds readers that nothing is forever, and the past exists to be revisited. In The Cape of Good Hope she writes:

“When I drive along the Cape Town streets that I know like the proverbial back of my hand, it’s not as if I never left, it’s as if I am living a parallel life.”

Ever conscious of her absence in her homeland, the author’s nostalgia for old friends, family, routines and a lifestyle that she vividly remembers, creates the impression that her soul has split, and there are in fact two “Judiths” carrying on separately. This collection meets at the crossroads of these two lives, piecing together a full picture of the memoirist.

From its masterful use of language, to the physical beauty of the lines on the page, Beyond the Baobab is a delightful tour of Africa and the United States. Krummeck vividly recalls scenes from her childhood set on the iconic coast of Southern Africa, the unease of early adulthood, and the final leap of faith surrounding her decision to emigrate. In every essay, Krummeck skillfully navigates between her poignant feelings of peace and unrest, delivering a detailed perspective of her life’s choices, while meditating on the lingering questions that still surround her immigrant identity. Where does she belong? Is choosing a life enough to make it hers? What’s beyond the Baobab?

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The collection is now available for sale by the author at: http://newworldnotes.wordpress.com/beyond-the-baobab/

“Last Glimpse” -Hang glider over Tel Aviv Boardwalk
Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken

Last Glimpse

-Book Tour Reflections and Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken–

The same day I booked my ticket to Israel five years ago I also stole a book; Woody Guthrie’s Bound for Glory. The folk singer’s autobiography chronicles his tragedy-filled childhood and later life on the road. I’m not proud of my theft and certainly wouldn’t repeat the crime again today, but it’s strange how often I still think of this book in connection with my travels and later writing. It’s fitting that I also lost my stolen copy somewhere along the way, and have no recollection whose hands it’s in now. Maybe Woody would be pleased? Some books are meant to wander. 

In New York, I sometimes worked two to three jobs in a day—commuting in between. One job was in an office. I can’t remember what floor the non-profit was on, but it was in a high-rise, a block south of Penn Station. The company helped develop music education programs for New York’s under-served public schools. I was “the Intern,” and having a rough time. On a good day, they’d give me a prepaid Metro card and send me out to deliver children’s instruments to schools in Harlem and the other boroughs. On a bad day, I’d be stuck inside, facing a wall, and watching the space on my desk disappear as papers stacked up for me to file in various binders.

“Beach Dominos” -Tel Aviv High Rises at Dusk. Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken

My sister’s friend got me the job. I suppose I should have shown a little more devotion and respect, but I was beat down, exhausted, and losing my grip. The wireless card on my old laptop from college was shot, so I’d started doing all of my web surfing and personal emailing while I was at work. Unhappy with my life in the City, I’d search for tickets abroad.

It was easy enough to hide my rotten work ethic. I was the only man in the office and the four girls I worked with were chatty—all day long gossiping about dates with men and planning an after work “happy hour” that somehow never seemed to materialize. I made jokes and flirted to keep the days interesting, but most of the time I was on Orbitz, weighing my options.

My decision to go to Israel became a daunting dare. I’d arrived at this conclusion only after endlessly considering visa requirements, my meager savings, and what I thought I could achieve in a foreign country. For fun, I thought I’d bring my banjo along and play some music.

“Sin Litter-Leaflets,” Tel Aviv, May 2014. Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken

I had a terrible cold. I blew my nose and refreshed the browser. I selected the cheapest, a $500, one-way fare operated by a Ukrainian airline. All I had to do now was click. I remember it was raining. The girl who shared my cubicle was frustrated with me. I’d procrastinated on a project all morning. The office air was too warm and static to breathe. The room was spinning.

Then I clicked, setting in motion all the events that inspired my collection of stories, This Year in Jerusalem, and indeed everything that has happened in my life since I departed New York in 2009. Finishing my work later that night, I was the last to leave the office. Having forgotten my umbrella, I waited for a lull in the rain and browsed titles on the bookshelf behind the secretary’s desk. That’s when I discovered Woody’s volume and snatched it up.

In Bound for Glory, Guthrie passes through so many towns, looking for work or a place to sleep while he sings the common man’s plight, that his song-saying; “So Long, Been Good to Know You,” sticks and rings nostalgic.

Jack Kerouac’s prose is less colloquial but toys with the same emotions:

“Snap Silhouette” -Tel Aviv. Photography by Jeffrey F.

“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? – it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”

The oft-repeated image of a no-account traveler swinging his rucksack over his shoulder, telling yarns and singing dust-bowl ballads to all the good folks he meets along his way evokes an American romance that certainly inspired my trip to Israel. Soon I heard a voice that was ready to leap off the page. Myles became my instrument for singing about the people I met while I lived and worked abroad. I gave my hero a world of his own and everything that happens to him in This Year in Jerusalem is fiction, but when it came time to conjure other characters, I couldn’t resist evoking some of the strong personalities I’d encountered on my travels.

Satire is a clumsy knife that can knick nerves if the writer isn’t careful. Returning to Israel three years later, therefore—published book in hand—it took me a while to come to terms with what I had done. The biggest challenge of the book tour this past year was not learning Hebrew or getting up the nerve to introduce myself to so many strangers, but rather, facing the friends I’d met on my first trip. I was terrified showing them my writing. What if I’d spoiled memories with my words and somehow hurt them all?

“Jaffa Moon Shoe” Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken

Time proved I was wrong to be afraid.

The other day I said goodbye again to one of my Israeli friends who didn’t make it into the book. His story was too troubled and complicated at the time I was writing, that I didn’t have the words or imagination to create a fiction around his experience. He’s since begun a medical process to change his sex, becoming a woman.

“Why did you keep in touch,” she asked me last Monday when we met for a drink in Tel Aviv. Then she told me how other friends had disappeared when she began taking hormones.

I’m not sure if I explained myself so well when I answered. I’m always better with a pen. But if I could answer again now, I’d say that was the point of writing the book. I wanted to prove to the people I’d met and to myself that I wasn’t just passing through their country, destined to change back to my old self the moment I got home. On the contrary, I was ready to change with them. My eyes were wide open. Every last glimpse I stole contributed to the stories, and was colored by a longing to relive the entire experience. “So long, been good to know you…” That line echoes sweet in the soul but isn’t good enough for me. I think we ought to never say goodbye. It’s not like we mean it.

“Eastern Glare” -Sunrise, Haifa May 17th, 2014. Photography by Jeffrey F. Barken

The book tour in Israel is finished. I hope to retrace this trail again some day soon and to keep in touch with everyone. For now, however, I’m happy to be a-homecoming again; Chicago bound. I’ve got a lot of old friends scattered across the USA whom I want to see. Time to tell the other half of Myles’ story and sing a verse I cut from the original title of my story collection; Myle’s optimistic refrain, “Next time in America.”

-Jeffrey F. Barken

Haifa Israel 2013-2014

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Photo Courtesy of Roger Market 

A Literary Evening

-Reporting By Roger Market–

On May 9, 2014, the University of Baltimore’s MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts (CWPA) program held its annual MFA reading and book release party for graduating students. Eighteen writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry read from their incredible culminating works in front of an excited crowd.

Throughout their studies, CWPA students engage with a core curriculum that focuses on creative writing and experimentation. Additional courses in web and book design, editing, and publishing help students achieve the necessary skills to launch successful books and writing careers. Thesis, an intensive final year packed with workshops and publishing design instruction, is the highlight of the program. Students are encouraged to write, edit and rewrite, cut, glue, scribble, and bleed—whatever it takes to arrive at a worthy final project that always comes in the shape of a book. But these are no ordinary volumes of literature.

UB’s talented writers produce eye-catching works of art comprised of their peer-edited content. Students personally design every aspect of their books and graduate as self-published authors whose first edition copies will stand the test of time. The results are always breathtaking, and this year was no exception.

This year’s UB MFA reading and book release party featured readings by the stupendous D. Watkins, Saralyn Lyons, Gabe Luzier, and Dustin Fisher. The wonderful Beth Hawbaker, Kelsie Gaskill, Drew Robison, Anthony Moll, and Mychael Zulauf. The insanely talented Amanda Gilleland, Michelle Junot, Rachel Wooley, and Kari Waters. The captivating Ian Anderson, Matthew Falk, Cailin Iverson, and Even Schaule. And the euphonious Judith Krummeck—Baltimore’s own classical radio celebrity. Also graduating this year is K. “Koko” Zauditu-Selassie, who, unfortunately, was abroad at the time of the reading, but she sent her love—and her books.

Each writer brought something different to the table. Junot’s excerpt from her title essay, “And the Floor Was Always Lava,” entertained effortlessly and could have gone on another five minutes. Fisher’s Daddy Issues collection gave parents and non-parents alike a much-needed laugh. Writers like Anderson, Waters, and Watkins no doubt surprised some audience members with their complex portrayals of life’s darker streets and alleys. Reading from Naps Are More Serious Than You Think, Iverson tugged at some heartstrings with poetry about loss, sleep, and growing up as a military brat. Always a treat, Krummeck, who read from her memoir, Beyond the Baobab, offered stunning prose, eloquently delivered in her radio-ready voice and South African accent.

Photo Courtesy of Roger Market

Whereas most MFA events end after the reading, UB’s annual celebrations always go late into the night, quickly transitioning to a full-fledged book release party. Book covers are on display throughout the evening. At the party, however, audience members are invited to explore the books personally, feel their varying textures, admire their (required) handmade elements, and, of course, buy a signed copy.

This year, inventive and breathtaking book designs by Gilleland, Wooley, and Moll showed exactly how far this MFA program goes to instill the value and principles of great design. Watercolor paintings, cutout titles, and creative uses of color were the hallmarks of this work. While some writers from this year’s class went with minimalist covers, they did so with great care, creating designs that rivaled even their most ornate companions.

Last, but by no means least, Zulauf was one of the rare students who decided to create his book of poetry entirely by hand—all sixty copies! This is no easy feat, to be sure, but it’s one that’s always met with enthusiasm in the program.

After weeks of exhausting work, CWPA writers could finally relax and speak with friends and family at the release party. Many commented that their nerves hadn’t melted away until the last moment when they read publicly from their work, thereby putting a stamp of completion on their thesis project. Graduating from the UB CWPA program doesn’t guarantee mainstream publishing success, but it does underline the notion that hard work and dedication pay off. Students embarking on writing and publishing careers after completing their MFA at UB have many professional tools at their disposal. What is perhaps more valuable than their degree, however, is the opportunity to continue participating in a unique and vibrant community of artists that is bound together by common pride in their independent creations. If this event is any indication of the caliber and talent of this year’s graduating writers, audiences should look forward to reading every word they’ll publish next.

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Photo Courtesy of http://www.folger.edu

Two Gentlemen,

Their Mistresses,

and a Dog

-Theatre Review by Judith Krummeck–

The Two Gentlemen of Verona is generally believed to be Shakespeare’s first play. He based it loosely on a 16^th century Spanish bestseller about a young woman, disguised as a boy, who becomes the unwitting emissary for her beloved in his pursuit of another woman. Fiasco Theatre, a New York based ensemble created in 2009 by graduates of the Brown University/Trinity Rep M.F.A. acting program, presents a vigorous reading of Two Gentlemen at Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C. On a bare stage, using few props and minimal costumes, six actor-musicians take on multiple characters – and a dog.

In Shakespeare’s version of the story, Valentine (Zachary Fine) can’t persuade his lovesick friend Proteus (Noah Brody) to join him on a journey to “See the wonders of the world abroad.” Valentine makes his way alone from Verona to Milan, where he quickly falls in love with Silvia (Emily Young). When it comes to getting Proteus out of the house, his father (Andy Grotelueschen) proves more persuasive. Proteus is soon sent to Milan and he is forced to take heartfelt leave of his beloved Julia (Jessie Austrian). The painful separation is soon forgotten, however, as soon as Proteus sets eyes on Valentine’s beloved Silvia. “Even as one heat another heat expels / or as one nail by strength drives out another, / So the remembrance of my former love / Is by a newer object quite forgotten,” the love struck Proteus exclaims, setting the wheels of the plot in motion.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.folger.edu

Shakespeare tries out many of his familiar themes in this early play. In the same way that Romeo, initially sick for love of Rosaline, instantly transfers his affections to Juliet when he sees her, so too Proteus’s love for Julia is quickly supplanted by his besotted feelings for Silvia. In no less than seven of Shakespeare’s plays, women dress up as males; in Twelfth Night, As You Like It, and The Merchant of Venice it forms an essential part of the plot. Two Gentlemen of Verona lays the groundwork for this when Julia follows Proteus to Milan, dressed as a boy. Just as Viola (disguised as Cesario) must woo Olivia on behalf of Orsino in Twelfth Night, so Julia woos Silvia for Proteus in Two Gentlemen.

The most famous of Shakespeare’s “mechanicals” are found in A Midsummer Night’s Dream but, even in his tragedies, the playwright masterfully utilizes comic characters to lighten the tone and change the pace. Shakespeare experiments wonderfully with this device in Two Gentlemen. Aside from the bantering between Speed “a clownish servant to Valentine” (Paul L. Coffey), and Launce “the like to Proteus” (one of several parts played by Andy Grotelueschen), there is Launce’s dog named Crab. Who would have thought of having the romantic lead doubling as a dog? Zachary Fine accomplishes this feat to brilliant effect. His costume is completed by a black clown’s nose, and he uncannily portrays the physical embodiment of doglike devotion with some perfectly modulated non-verbal asides to the audience.

Photo Courtesy of http://www.folger.edu

Jessie Austrian, who plays Julia with an all-out abandon that would do Cate Blanchett proud, is one of Fiasco Theater’s co-artistic directors and founders. She shared directing duties on Two Gentlemen with fellow co-artistic director and founder, Ben Steinfeld. Austrian’s fiancé, Noah Brody, another co-artistic director and founder, has the difficult task of making Proteus not only believable, but also likeable, given his egregious betrayal of both Julia and Valentine. He manages to pull off both.

Shakespeare’s earliest play is not easy to perform nor is the script a seamless creation. Without giving away too much of the plot, Valentine’s forgiveness of Proteus seems extraordinarily far-fetched. Whether this is due to the inexperience of a young playwright, or due to the culture of his time—when demarcations between filial love and homoerotic love were not as clear-cut (think of Antonio’s love for Sebastian in Twelfth Night, or Mercutio’s love for Romeo)—is a question that has vexed Shakespeare lovers for centuries. Attend the Fiasco Theatre’s inventive production of The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Folger Theatre, and you will be able judge for yourself whether they have tackled this question successfully. The show is playing until June 1^st. It’s a delightful production with an outstanding cast, the perfect intro to a summer of Shakespeare.

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Post Photos Courtesy of http://www.folger.edu

Leather Corduroys

-Album Review by Jacob Kresovich–

Leather Corduroys, comprised of SAVEMONEY members Kami de Chukwu and Joey Perp, released their much anticipated debut EP, Porno Music Vol. II: TSFR on April 2, 2014. The mixtape features production from ‘III,’ ‘ILEET’ and ‘THEMpeople.’

The five tracks on this album range in emotion from soulful and heartfelt in the first track “Bleed,” to openly antagonistic and confrontational in the song “Irie Trill Vibes.” Not only are these sentiments evoked through the lyrical ability and the clever diction of the rappers, the beat drives a dwelling mood. Leather Chord’s music is passionate and obsessive. “Bleed” includes expressive piano with chord progressions that suggest a sullen feeling. Conversely, the piano in the second track, “Dat Strong” conveys to the listener how serious and severe de Chukwu and Perp can be, if they desire.

“Nightmare on Chicago Ave,” is ambitious. The two rappers display their lyrical abilities, taking on extended verses with driving rhythm and emotion. Although their diction is less playful than other artists in SAVEMONEY, the sentiment behind their words is stunning. Chukwu’s verse in “Nightmare on Chicago Ave” finishes with the lyricist yelling, “Making it out on my Christopher Wallace flow / Bitch you look like Christopher Robin / Brush you off lightly, die like Christopher Lighty.” His passion for the music he creates leads him wandering around topics, but he stays focused on musical themes, like Biggie’s flow and the recent suicide of music industry leader Christopher Lighty. Whenever Chukwu and Perp slow down the speed of their rhymes, the listener is treated to a track where the lyricists’ raw talent and passion break through the fancy tempo-changes.

The artists’ wide range of emotions and their ability to enhance an array of production details on this mixtape demonstrates the talent of these rising Chicago stars. Even though these two rappers aren’t the most well-known out of their collective (Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa can be tough acts to follow), Kami and Joey belong in the fold and add depth to SAVEMONEY’s chorus of talented musicians.

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Post Photo Courtesy of www.cmj.com

Cover Image courtesy of Dustin Fisher

Daddy Issues

(This IS his Job…)

-Book Reviewed by Judith Krummeck–

In the 19^th and early 20^th century, children were often in the charge of nannies in nurseries. Some birth parents never saw their infant children except to say goodnight. A lot has changed since then. As parents have taken more of a hands-on approach to raising their children, progressive theories have emerged, ushering in new perspectives of family life and parental roles. Along with these theories, numerous books on the subject are now available. Ranging from Anne Lamott’s Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year and Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom” by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, to the controversial Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua, baby talk is everywhere.

The authors stewarding this genre are mainly women. This is not very surprising given that, with the exception of sea horses, males do not bear babies, and postnatal care has also typically fallen to females. Now, however, there is another seismic shift taking place in child rearing. Fathers are taking more of an active role—some, even a predominant role.

Enter Dustin Fisher, a self-described amateur stand-up comedian, award-winning storyteller, freelance writer, and stay-at-home dad. His memoir, Daddy Issues, which is part cri-de-coeur and part David Sedaris, tackles the topic of the male as primary caregiver. When Fisher and his wife, Jenn Morrison, discovered that they were expecting their first child, important questions arose—the same queries that baffle many couples. How best to take care of the baby? Should the wife stay home? Should income be set aside for childcare? Or, happening more rarely, should the husband stay home? In this case – you’ve guessed it – the decision was made for Fisher to be the stay-at-home parent.

For years, Fisher had known that he would be “an awesome dad,” and he drives the point home repeatedly in his book. He fully expects this to be the case when his daughter, Mabel, arrives on the scene, and he becomes the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MabelCorp. “How hard can it be?”Fisher says, “73% of the world does it. Hiking Mt. Everest is hard. I can change poopy diapers and learn to sleep less.” The reality, of course, turns out to be somewhat more complicated.

With self-deprecating humor and refreshing honesty, Fisher takes us into his confidence as he describes the “whoosh” effect of the combination of “insomnia, anxiety, depression, whatever.” He finds out that not earning his own income and having to account for every purchase, big or small, can have a rather emasculating effect. “My bank account,” he tells us “consists of a dilapidated envelope with a steadily disappearing $27 in it, a remnant from a time long ago when I was a whole person, which I hide from my wife so that I may purchase a diet soda on occasion without judgment.”

Then, there is the embedded attitude about the stereotypical role of the father. Fisher faces condescension standing in line at the grocery store when a man inquires, is it “Daddy’s day with the baby?” Conversations with friends depict rigid social norms clashing with Fisher’s domestic awakening:

“Oh, so you’ll be working from home?”

“No, I’m going to stay home and raise my daughter.”

“Oh… so you’re going to work at night now?”

Fisher wrestles with unexpected social dynamics inherent in his new position. Whereas mothers naturally gravitate towards each other, and seamlessly set up play dates and get-togethers, he is confronted with the notion that, were he to do that, he would, essentially, be asking a married woman out.

These issues are tackled with humor and a deft, amusing turn of phrase. Some of the segments are laugh-out-loud funny, like the time when Mabel filled up on pureed pears, and “pooped so explosively, it shot up the diaper and covered most of her back.” (You’ll have to read the book to discover how Mabel earns the nickname, “poophead.”) But there are also passages of pathos and tenderness. Readers will admit affection when Dad lays his “sleepy ball of precious down in her spot” on the night before they start to “sleep train” Mabel in her crib.

There are many “Aha!” moments that new parents will relate to in this memoir, but the writing is so engaging that it will appeal to a wider audience as well. Interwoven into the humor in the book, there is a pulse of deep love and commitment. What is clearly not at issue in Daddy Issues is whether, given the option to go back and do it all again, Dustin Fisher would make a different choice.

Order your copy here!

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Post Photo Courtesy of Dustin Fisher

Photo Courtesy of Michelle Junot

And the Floor Was

Always Lava

 -Book Reviewed by Dustin Fisher–

And the Floor was Always Lava is the forthcoming essay collection by Michelle Junot. Reminiscent of The Butterfly Effect, a film in which Ashton Kutcher transports himself back in time by reading passages about his childhood, Junot’s book provides a similar portal for discovery.

The collection opens with a prologue introducing the adult Michelle who is moving far from her Louisiana home to Baltimore for graduate school. The transition is life changing. Junot carefully introduces readers to her new and evolving character, before sending them back in time to find out how she arrived at this critical juncture.

As a memoirist, Junot has a unique gift, the ability to seamlessly write from the perspective of childhood innocence while including mature, adult insights. Her prose invites readers to view the world through the eyes of a child, while simultaneously granting a bird’s eye perspective of life events. In her essay Paranoid, she talks about eavesdropping on her older sister and her friends from outside their bedroom.

If she took two steps forward, she’d discover me. But she didn’t know I hid there sometimes, so she went back into our room and closed the door. I heard one of her friends say the word paranoid but I didn’t know what it meant. I suspected it was some sort of code name for me.

Junot recalls what it’s like to be shunned by an older sibling with whom she desperately wants to spend time. Although the scene is recounted in a child’s voice, an adult’s subtle and sarcastic wit underlies her memory.

In Just Rinse the Damn Dish, she writes from the perspective of her parents, listing all the rules they have bestowed on her throughout the years. Nobody likes taking orders, and this is an essay to which both rebellious children and their parents will relate. Readers beware, the traumas of growing up under strict surveillance never fade easily, and Junot begs her audience to recall instances in their own lives when mom and dad delivered ultimatums.

“Don’t put anything on the stairs. Never block the pathway to the stairs. Never block any pathway anywhere. Why would you even consider it?”

Michelle is able to simultaneously give the perspective of the father, to which these rules seem self-evident upon birth, while also giving the child’s viewpoint. The little girl simply doesn’t understand why doing things like blocking the stairs is such a big deal.

There’s a hint of pixie dust charm elevating the essay, Like Camouflage. Here, readers meet the child version of Michelle, a girl who doesn’t want to grow up, because “growing up meant being brave, even without a night light.”

Drawn into her childhood world of rotating pets and non-washable “colors” (crayons), readers have a chance to grow up with Michelle, experiencing the fun games, sad events, and the confusing emotions that all continue to influence the author’s adult sensibilities. Ultimately the threads tie together, returning readers to the opening scene, where the adult Michelle is preparing to move 37 hours away from home. Nerves linger, but as Junot’s book illustrates, reflection breeds confidence. She has acquired wisdom on her treks through old memories.

The book is a fast read. If only childhood were as easy to get through as these 124 pages; most of the essays are short glimpses and dreamy reflections. The perfect nightstand companion, readers may find themselves staying up later than expected. Junot simply won’t go to bed! And the Floor was Always Lava is difficult to put to down.

Junot’s collection is a delightful romp through one innocent girl’s childhood, culminating in a young woman’s symbolic act of independence: moving out. The author brilliantly captures the stubborn instincts of a child in an inviting voice that gradually and for the most part, gracefully, matures. Relevant to anyone who has ever been a parent or a child, the book delivers laughs and endearing memories. Only those with adverse physical reactions to humor, or perhaps, grumps who grew up too fast, should steer clear.

Book Available May 9th. Purchase copies at http://michellejunot.com 

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Post Photo Courtesy of Michelle Junot

Cover; “Make Believe Animals.” Image Courtesy of Amanda Gilleland

Make Believe Animals

-Book Reviewed by Roger Market–

Make Believe Animals is the forthcoming short story collection by Amanda Gilleland. The book’s characters are performers at heart. From literal actors, artists, and psychics to everyday Joes, Gilleland depicts people going through the motions of life. Sometimes these people exhibit genuine personality, but more often than not, there is a facade. They are pretending to be someone or something they’re not: the girl next door, a happy couple, artistic…young.

The first story, “Four Quarts,” is somewhat soft and simple but by no means unremarkable. It eases the reader into Gilleland’s world before things get more lyrical, more imaginative, perhaps more literary. Depending on the reader’s tolerance for characters that take and talk about drugs, the story’s content can test one’s patience, but the author’s sensitivity for subtle human elements makes the prose shine. Gilleland brilliantly captures the grit of Baltimore’s less desirable neighborhoods and the strange experience of visiting a psychic to inquire about life’s most mundane and unimportant aspects. Themes of light vs. dark in a tormented world are vividly contrasted. Yes, real life is indeed present in the pages of “Four Quarts,” even for readers who can’t relate to the drug world.

“Betty Blue” and “Scenic Route,” the second and third stories, take a different turn that is both creative and thought provoking. An overt and humorous metaphor for the human resistance to change, the former story depicts our titular hero, Betty, angrily and perpetually stomping on tomatoes. Despite her best efforts, strawberries, green beans and peppers can’t satisfy this character’s destructive needs. Gillelend wonderfully evokes the gush of juice and the release of pent up frustration that only exploding fruit can provide.

“Scenic Route” steers us in a new direction. Humming with human emotion, and driven by lyrical verse, the story characterizes the beauty of nature in a way that may shock the most modest of readers. The story is well worth the read for those who aren’t afraid to get a little…well, sticky.

Although “Make Believe Animal” is the book’s centerpiece, and it certainly does epitomize the overall theme of people as actors, “Just a Trim” stands out. Who knew that a story about a haircut could be a bit of a tearjerker? “How do I look?” the husband asks when it’s over. The wife’s response is simple but effective, demanding an emotional reaction on the part of the reader. “Just a Trim’s” well placed setups are heartbreaking to watch unfold, and those last few lines may very well be the strongest parts of the whole book. If not for the preceding prose, they would seem mundane, too “everyday” to carry real weight, but with Gilleland’s careful pacing, the words reach new heights.

The ensuing stories, “Lobster Queen” and “Signal Hill,” allow for a well-deserved emotional breather. Then, after a short trip to the land of schmaltz (albeit lovely schmaltz) with “A Brief History of Love (Part One),” the reader arrives at “The Girl, The Princess, Trapeze Safety Awareness.” This final story is one of several that play with new structures, and it is here that the theme of life acting climaxes.

Make Believe Animals reveals a solid understanding of structure. Gilleland is always building toward something. Even when the effect is subtle, the action or detail has meaning for the reader. This book’s characters are role players in the stories of their lives, performers advancing from one act to the next. We witness them shining and fading away on stage, collectively waiting for the final curtain call. This is the only stage direction that can save them from the embarrassing encounters that bridge life’s common comedies and tragedies, providing adequate closure. Luckily for the reader, Make Believe Animal’s ending never feels achingly far off; the book doesn’t drag. That’s the beauty of a well-conceived short story collection. This one, in particular, will be available directly from the author in early May.

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Post Image Courtesy of Amanda Gilleland

Post photo courtesy of: http://pascalleburton.wordpress.com

The Ants

-Forthcoming Book Reviewed by Kendra Bartell–

The scene: a lively underground reading in the heart of Pike Place Market, Seattle. Amidst the buzz and commotion of this year’s AWP conference, representatives of Les Figues, Ahsahta, Drunken Boat and Ugly Duckling Press, gather in The Alibi Room, where the poet Sawako Nakayasu and her Ants are being introduced. The “ants” really are hers.  No doubt about it.

Towards the end of the evening, Nakayasu takes the mic. Unabashed, in the dim light of the room, the author crawls on hands and knees toward the brightest point. There she kneels, reads from her book, and delivers intoxicatingly rich prose. Audiences are entranced by her energy and creative expression.

The poems in The Ants have such an incredible rhythm to them, and hearing them read in Nakayasu’s voice reveals mesmerizing intricacies. Imagine if you will, a tiny woman with a HUGE presence, crouching and reading the following:

The car very car is having a hard very hard very hard time getting started up again, and so we kick it very kick it in its ass very ass and the car is still having a hard very hard time and we are feeling lost all the more lost very lost in this desert very desert…

The room was enraptured by this performance. At the conference the next day, the books (available nationally July 1, 2014) were selling fast. This reviewer was sold.

As a collection, The Ants never disappoints. Through the span of 93 pages, Nakayasu explores an incredibly twisted and astonishing world of weird-yet-banal instances of life. The ants do not necessarily stand in for people in this world, but rather, serve as complements for Nakayasu’s investigations into human experience. Shifting narration and perspective changes provide the mechanism for discovery. At times, the narrator is obviously a human, as she interacts in the world and with the ants. Other moments, however, the narrator takes on a 3rd person omniscient view, focusing on the ants themselves. At still other intersections, a 3rd person limited perspective, derived from an ant’s mind space, is introduced. A form in which readers are complicit with the ant’s consciousness:

An Ant in the Mouth of Madonna Behind Locked Doors

Is there, is there, is there but can’t prove it to anyone, is small, is glistening and black, is determined, is hanging on, is at a loss for a good perch, is wet, is blown by the wind when she takes a breath, is happy, is uncertainly happy, is ardent, is devoted, warm and plenty…

The title blending into this wild narration pulls audiences into the poem immediately. The pace never lets up as readers delve further into the ant’s mind, a viewpoint that, as it turns out, thinks pretty similarly to a person in a time of struggle. An ant, like a human, Nasayaku suggests, “is an optimist at heart,” but “fearful in the moment.” In the above quoted scene, even though this ant is inside a person’s mouth, the insect is also a person trying to complete an arduous task. This amazing perspective of struggle allows Nasayaku to explore the mental trials humans commonly endure.

Many of the poems in the collection span only one sentence. The pacing and syntax in these brief verses, therefore, are carefully metered to keep the poem moving. Clauses build on each other naturally and vividly, creating the incredible stream of conscious that allows readers to identify with the ant and witness to Nasayaku’s penetrating investigation into human thought patterns.

Some readers may weary of the ant-ness or more ant-specific prose, but relief and fresh inspiration are never far off. “Ice Event 2,” for example, describes the physical ordeal an ant colony undergoes when the collective becomes trapped under ice. The distressed tribe must find a new queen to procreate. Unlike the one-sentence perspectives delivered earlier in the book, this poem echoes Thoreaus’ “battle of the ants” observations in an epoch 4 page long prose entry. Here the voice slows down, breaths are taken, and the urgency of the situation that the ants face is depressed by nature’s freezing force. Nakaysu’s engaging style resonates with intense rhythms, depicting bizarre events that develop a genuine connection between her human readers and her ants.

Delightful surprises occur throughout the text and our delivered with astonishing energy. Nakayasu is whimsical, yet her voice resounds of urgency and is immediately relatable, even in a stranger than fiction world where ants can work as communicator decoys and set up colonies inside bodies. The poems are tight knit prose blocks featuring gripping syntax and language. Read on a log, The Ants is the perfect afternoon snack. The prose reaches deep into reader’s minds, exposing humanity’s greatest desires, fears, and wildest thoughts. “The Great desire is to get inside of it—the poem, the painting, the movie, the music,” Nakayasu meditates in “Decay.” This is the recipe for the triumph of her Ants.

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Post Photo Courtesy of: http://pascalleburton.wordpress.com