final note (I hope) on speaking up

According to Statcounter (and as of this posting), 2384 unique visitors have read Saturday's post. 2020 were first time visitors to this blog. Suffice it to say, a lot of people are interested (and I hope concerned) about what's happening.

I've made my thoughts known. Others have too. I don't think I have much else to add on that front. I'm not interested in having fruitless discussions with individuals who abuse and intimidate in the guise of protecting abuse victims. It's a tactic that I regularly endured starting from childhood through my mid-30's and there's just no productive way to deal with that. I might point it out from time to time, but I won't engage it. I also have no intention of sanitizing comment fields either here or on FB. I think it's important for there to be a record of what a few are saying and doing.

I haven't (at least not directly) written about my own past abuse experiences and if I ever do choose to write about those events, it won't be to teflon myself against accusations of being an apologist or defender. It'll be on my own terms.

I truly appreciate all the messages of support I've received and am very grateful to see all the support and love for Bruce. I wish healing and recovery for EVERYONE tangled in this awful mess and to those who have been affected just by it being ever-present in their social media.

For now, I too would like to talk and write about other things.

Bombyonder Review & Page 69 Test

Marie Curran reviews Bombyonder in The Collagist:

Beyond logic and linear thinking, manners and order, humor and horror, there is Bombyonder. Not exactly a physical location, but more than a passing thought, Bombyonder echoes poetry of mythic proportions. It smells of decaying flesh, drips with bodily fluids, and brims with the anger of a Medusa. It is a subconscious space of both apocalyptic absurdity and astonishing lucidity, where zombie sex jokes can morph into profound commentaries on social media, and vague memories hilariously allude to Ancient Greek literary characters. Poet Reb Livingston's debut novel, appropriately titled Bombyonder, explores this confusing realm in lyrical prose that, while often overwhelming and disgusting, is searing and unforgettable.

Bombyonder is a disjointed tale made up of fragments: diary entries, memories, text messages, letters, forums from the future, and other indirect narrative forms. The book, however, opens as legend—like so many myths, a passionate patricide leads to an impossible quest—and it is important to remember this classic grounding because as the story continues, it dives into sensuous, often outrageous obscurity.

READ ENTIRE REVIEW

I couldn't be any happier with this review. As a writer (and sometimes as a human being too) I often feel like people don't "get" what it is that I'm trying to do. This is a common lament among writers and artists, but it feels true. So it's gratifying and very appreciated when someone both takes the time to seriously consider the work and engages it in its own realm instead of trying to force-fit it into a tidy category.

If you're curious as to what's on Page 69 of Bombyonder, you can see how it fares at TNBBC's The Next Best Book Blog.

Baby Got Books

Pre-AWP Book Booty

AWP Fashion Spread #1

AWP Fashion Spread #2

AWP Fashion Spread #3

All together now!

AWP, Broets, Poemblots & NaPoWriMo, Oh My!

I'll be at AWP in Minneapolis/St. Paul this week.

Thursday night I'll be reading at the Queen Mob's Teaparty along with Kirsten Kaschock, Nicholas Rombes, R.M. O'Brien and music by Vernon Dixon, Elizabeth Ghandour and Gabriel Douglas.

The Teaparty will be held at at Dulono's Pizza starting at 9pm.

Copies of Bombyonder will be on sale at the Coconut Books/Bloof Books table. Table 1633

I'll also have a few copies on hand myself.

At Queen Mob's Teahouse I have an interview with Collin Kelley regarding his poem "Saving Anne Sexton" and the critical reception both it and he received.

There's a Poemblot of a Julie Bloemeke poem where the reader contemplates whether or not Julie might be a stalker.

So far I've stayed on scheduled for NaPoWriMo.

We'll see if I can keep that up later this week when I'm at AWP.