The world of cinema has suffered a loss with the passing of Paul Mazursky, who died on Monday at the age of 84. Read his obituary in the New York Times here. (Sam Wasson with Paul Mazursky, photo by Gary Copeland.) In 1978, Times critic Richard Corliss wrote that Mr. Mazursky was “likely to be remembered as the filmmaker…
#tbt: Peter Gizzi, “The ethics of dust”
by sgerton •
This week’s TBT selection is Peter Gizzi’s “The Ethics of Dust” from Some Values of Landscape and Weather (2003). You can find a review of Peter’s latest book, In Defense of Nothing, in the July/August issue of Boston Review. The ethics of dust to think I have written this poem before to think to…
#tbt: Phillip Levine, “Commanding Elephants”
by sgerton •
Last weeks’ #TBT poem was by the new U.S. Poet Laureate, Charles Wright. This week’s poem is by our previous Poet Laureate, Philip Levine, This week’s selection is “Commanding Elephants ” from Philip Levine’s Not This Pig (1968). . . COMMANDING ELEPHANTS Lonnie said before this, “I’m the chief of the elephants, I call the…
“Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire” wins 2014 Griffin Poetry Prize
by sgerton •
Brenda Hillman’s Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire is the International winner of the 2014 Griffin Poetry Prize. The prize was founded in 2000 to serve and encourage excellence in poetry, and past winners have included eminent writers like Fady Joudah, John Ashbery, Kamau Brathwaite, Charles Simic, Paul Muldoon, and Alice Notley. . . This…
#tbt: Adélia Prado, trans. Ellen Watson, “With Poetic License”
by sgerton •
If you’ve spent any time on the Internet lately, you already know about Throwback Thursday—an occasion for Tweeters, Instagrammers, and Facebookers to share with their audiences a glimpse of their past, a funny memory or a cute childhood photo. We at WesPress thought we’d hop on this trend. After all, we have a long history—founded…
Traditional and experimental music meet in northeast Brazil
by sgerton •
We are pleased to announce a new book by Daniel B. Sharp, Between Nostalgia and Apocalypse: Popular Music and the Staging of Brazil. Between Nostalgia and Apocalypse is a close-to-the-ground account of musicians and dancers from Arcoverde, Pernambuco—a small city in the northeastern Brazilian backlands. The book is a study of samba de coco families, considered bearers…
