“Being human should not be an ideal for humankind, which is human by fate, being human has to be the way I as a living thing obeying through freedom the path of living things, am human. And I don’t even need to take care of my soul, it will fatefully take care of me, and I don’t need to make a soul for myself: I just have to choose to live. We are free, this is Hell. But there are so many cockroaches that it seems like a prayer.”
-Clarice Lispector, The Passion according to G.H.
“Call for Submissions:
Beasts, Monsters, Creatures, and Cyborgs:
An Anthology of Post-Human Poetry
In the twenty-first century poetry interfaces with animal-machine. The ‘human’ is not a given concept, but rather is one that is made in an ongoing technological and anthropological process. We hope to publish an anthology of poetry that participates in technological, biological, representational, sexual, political and theoretical post-humanisms. We’re looking for poetry that engages with or is written by animals, beasts, monsters, immigrants, creatures, aliens, cyborgs, queers such that it challenges western, enlightenment figurations of the ‘self’ and ‘human.’”
via Feng Sun Chen & Aaron Apps
Rauan Klassnik shows his support for my forthcoming e-chapbook of poems, foamghast (NAP, 2012). Rauan lives in Mexico with his wife. His book, Holy Land, was released from Black Ocean in 2008.
foamghast is very much a critique of ideals/absolutism. I like how creative Rauan was/chose to express himself. Thanks for sending me a video, Rauan!
Send me video footage of yourself foaming at the mouth and I will include your video in an upcoming promotional video for foamghast. Send anytime during the month of April.
Email your video to:
p (dot) edward (dot) cunningham (at) gmail (dot) com
FOAMGHAST is my collection of poetry forthcoming from NAP Literary Magazine (May, 2012).
Send me video footage of you foaming at the mouth and I will include your video in an upcoming promotional video for FOAMGHAST. Send anytime during the month of April.
Email your video to:
p (dot) edward (dot) cunningham (at) gmail (dot) com
![Radioactive Moat Press is hosting an open reading period for chapbook manuscripts of poetry during the month of April. We’ll be selecting one of those manuscripts in early May to publish as a print chapbook.For chapbook guidelines, click [here]Our first print chapbook was Feng Sun Chen’s Ugly Fish. You can read it [here] if you haven’t already.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m18qjhl6rM1r0mcezo1_500.png)
Radioactive Moat Press is hosting an open reading period for chapbook manuscripts of poetry during the month of April. We’ll be selecting one of those manuscripts in early May to publish as a print chapbook.
For chapbook guidelines, click [here]
Our first print chapbook was Feng Sun Chen’s Ugly Fish. You can read it [here] if you haven’t already.
MOAT SIX HAS FINALLY ARRIVED.
The spring issue features great new work by Sylvia Chan, Feng Sun Chen, Mark Decarteret, Christine Friedlander, Jared Joseph, Michael H. Koh, Robert Krut, Rob MacDonald, Neila Mezynski, Jacob Oet, Diana Salier, Amanda Silbernagel, Kimberly Ann Southwick, Cody Todd and collaborative poems by Nick Sturm and Wendy Xu!!
Bri Scala has also curated a special collection of photography by Rebecca Cairns—the same photographer who is responsible for the cover photo.
check out the contributors to the sixth moat
greetings from chicago
“I have grown weary of literature: silence alone comforts me. If I continue to write, it’s because I have nothing more to accomplish in this world except to wait for death. Searching for the word in darkness. Any little success invades me and puts me in full view of everyone. I long to wallow in the mud. I can scarcely control my need for self-abasement, my craving for licentiousness and debauchery. Sin tempts me, forbidden pleasures lure me. I want to be both pig and hen, then kill them and drink their blood.”
-Clarice Lispector
My poem “Edenic Language Suburbs and Holograms” has been featured in the March 2012 issue of Thrush Poetry Journal alongside great writers like Sarah Bridgins, Traci Brimhall, Callista Buchen, Anne Champion, Tiffany Chaney, Mary Stone Dockery, Michaela A. Gabriel, Cindy Goff, Jessica Goodfellow, Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Katie Manning, Nate Pritts, Michell Reale, James Robison, Daniel Romo, Peter Schwartz, Ocean Vuong, and J. Michael Wahlgren.
A huge thanks to editors Helen Vitoria & Walter Bjorkman!
“Edenic Language Suburbs and Holograms” will also appear in my forthcoming e-chapbook of poetry, foamghast (NAP, May 2012)
First, I love the meme :D
Second, many of you recently had the chance to view a number of videos that I posted on my Vimeo page. These videos were intended to satirize specific happenings within the alt lit literary scene. These videos have been perceived as humorous, but they have also been just as widely perceived as mean-spirited. I do not think each video is wholly mean-spirited, but I will not deny that there are moments of mean-spiritedness. Though, I consider each video a comedic effort rather than an opportunity to bully or degrade. I consider the Steve Roggenbuck video a tribute more than anything; it contains not a drop of mean-spiritedness, however, some of you believed I was ridiculing Steve. If I disliked Steve, I would not be returning his Facebook pokes.
I do not know what “good” art or “bad” art is, but I do believe literature is an art form and I do think it should be approached as an integral part of society. I also believe it is important to examine the functionality of ‘the idea’ behind a particular work of art. For instance, I happen to strongly believe in the concept of literary art being used as a form of activism. What is the point of one’s art if there’s no idea behind it? What are you saying? What do you want people to read and why should they read it? Surrealist literature is based on spontaneity and automatism, but it still exists because of a reactionary idea. One cannot prove or disprove “good art,” but one can certainly locate evidence of an influential or detrimental idea. “Good” art vs “bad” art is a frivolous binary grounded in arbitrariness. Binaries themselves are arbitrary. Strive for many directions, not just two. Strive for plurality.
Strive for fame? I had a recent discussion with one of my many new internet friends. We discussed younger writers and their intense desire for fame. I’m not here to bash a writer’s want of fame because fame does permit a writer to progress in a variety of ways, but I do encourage everyone to ask themselves: what good is even the smallest amount of fame if you have nothing to say? I strongly dislike things like this because if we stop arguing about art we become weak. That weakness allows others to take advantage of your artistic integrity and I think one’s artistic integrity matters more than anything else. Don’t be lazy. Don’t give a piece of yourself up for easy fame. If you have ideas, fight for your ideas. If you’re an artist that doesn’t like confrontation, get ready for one hellish toll road …
Some of you think I’m a huge asshole. That’s fine. I happen to think some of you are incredibly lazy, but I also happen to think all of you have great potential. I think a lot of this is like that Oregon Trail computer game. Some of you are moving at a steady pace. Some of you are moving at a strenuous pace. Some of you are moving at a grueling pace. But guess what? An artist moves at her or his own pace. Don’t let your art suffer because of your pace. Some of you need to slow down and some of you need to speed up. Lately, I’ve been hunting too much. I need to focus on how I’m going to get across the river Spencer Madsen warned me about.
That reminds me … if I see Spencer Madsen at AWP, I’m going to give him a long and uncomfortable hug.
I’m not going to leave the videos up forever. They could disappear tomorrow. Next week. A year from now. Who knows? But I don’t plan on making anymore right now. I think I’ve caused enough trouble.
It was great coming home from a weekend of traveling only to discover the latest issue of Esque Magazine—a REVOLUTION themed issue featuring the work of 108 poets (co-edited by Amy King and Ana
Just in case you need a hand preparing your own Chicago itinerary:
(LINKS TO FB EVENT PAGES INCLUDED)
AWP 2012 CHICAGO KICK-OFF PARTY
Reading: Michael Czyzniejewski, Sarah Rose Etter, Jesus Angel Garcia, James Greer, Lindsay Hunter, Jamie Iredell, Lara Konesky, Cris Mazza, Mary Miller, Lauryn Allison Lewis, Jeff Parker, Sam Pink, Craig Renfroe, Rebecca Roberts, Peter Schwartz, Amber Sparks, Sarah Sweeney, Ben Tanzer, xTx, Mike Young
Location: The Empty Bottle
1035 N. Western Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
Time: Wed. Feb. 29th 8PM - 2AM
AWP OFF-SITE READING: iO / Catch Up / Lara Turner
Reading: Geoffrey G. O’Brien, Cole Swenson, Srikanth Reddy, Shane Book, Vanessa Place, Joe Hall, Zachary Schomburg, Rebecca Hazelton, Jeff Hipsher, Adam Day, Kyle McCord, Wendy Xu, Cal Bedient, Cathy Wagner, Gary Jackson, Nick Sturm
Location: Harold Washington Library (Author’s Room)
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 5 PM - 9 PM
Reading: Richard Blanco, Jericho Brown, Regie Cabico, Bryan Borland, Joseph Campana, Steve Fellner, Charles Flowers, Michael Klein, Paul Lisicky, Lonely Christopher, Angelo Nikolopoulos, Ruben Quesada, Douglas Ray // Special Guests: Sarah Browning, Elaine Sexton, Dorianne Laux, Kathie Berquist, Ana Bozicevic
Location: Rehab Cocktail Lounge
3641 N. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60613-4315
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 6 PM - 8 PM
Reading: Matt Bell, Allyson Boggess, Ryan Bradley, Myfanwy Collins, Brett Elizabeth Jenkins, Laura Ellen Scott, Faith Gardner, Casey Hannan, Aubrey Hirsch, Jac Jemc, Tim Jones-Yelvington, Molly Laich, Scott McClanahan, Daiva Markelis, Chris Newgent, Brian Oliu, Sal Pane, Doug Paul Case, Robb Todd, Brandi Wells, xTx
Location: Beauty Bar Chicago,
1444 W. Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 7 PM - 10 PM
AFOREMENTIONED PRODUCTIONS AWP CHICAGO READING
Reading: Shannon Derby, Gillian Devereux, Thomas Mundt, Tom Nowak, Randolph Pfaff, Courtney Cullinan Robb, N. A’Yara Stein, Russ Woods
Location: Innertown Pub
1935 W. Thomas St.
Chicago, IL 60622-3732
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Reading: Matt Bell, Jessica Anya Blau, Blake Butler, Alexandra Chasin, Molly Gaudry, Amelia Gray, Lindsay Hunter, Jac Jemc, Stephen Knezovich, Samuel Ligon, Robert Lopez, Nelly Reifler, Joseph Salvatore, Jason Sommer, Matthew Vollmer, Jess Walter
Location: Haymarket Pub & Brewery
737 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60661
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 8 PM - 11 PM
AN EVENING OF INTIMATE READINGS IN THE BATHROOM OF A GOTH CLUB
Reading: Feng Sun Chen, Johannes Gorannson, Kristen Stone, Kate Durbin, Lucas De Lima, Gina Abelkop, Adam Atkinson, Kate Zambreno, Blake Butler, Ben Fama, Ronaldo Wilson, Lara Glenum, Lonely Christopher, Carrie Murphy, Ben Kopel, William Burke, Alissa Nutting, Anna Joy Springer, Mike Kitchell
Location: Neo
2350 Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614-3432
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 10 PM - 1 AM
GULF COAST & INDIANA REVIEW: WRITERS WE LOVE
Reading: Michael Cyzyniejewski, Ross Gay, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Leslie Parry, D.A. Powell
(Suggested Donation $4)
Location: Buddy Guy’s Legends
700 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 8:30 - 10:30 PM
Reading: J. Bradley, Anhvu Buchanan, Chloe Caldwell, Larry O. Dean, Sean Kilpatrick, Alissa Nutting, Sam Pink, Joseph Riippi, J.A. Tyler, Brandi Wells
Location: Billy Goat Tavern
430 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Time: Thurs. March 1st, 9 PM - 2 AM
UNTOWARD / LET PEOPLE POEMS / LOVE SYMBOL PRESS / PANGUR BAN PARTY
Reading: Shaun Gannon, Mason Johnson, Matt Rowan, Christopher Kelly, DJ Berndt, Russ Woods, Meghan Lamb, Carrie Lorig, Faith Gardner, Jess Dutschmann, Aral Johnson, M Kitchell, Jacob Knabb, Joshua Kleinberg, Josh Denslow
Location: 1824 S Throop St.
Chicago, Illinois Apt #1F
Time: Fri. March 2nd, 6:30 PM
SIXTH FINCH & YES YES BOOKS PRESENT…
Reading: Emily Kendal Frey, Ally Harris, Matt Hart, Mark Leidner, Thomas Patrick Levy, Ben Mirov, Metta Sama, Nate Slawson, Leigh Stein, Gale Marie Thompson, Phillip B. Williams, Angela Veronica Wong, Matthew Yeager
Location: Center for Book & Paper Arts
1104 South Wabash, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60605
Time: Fri. March 2nd, 7 PM - 10 PM
Reading: Tim Kinsella, Dorothea Lasky, Mary Miller // Special Performance by Jason Ball // Opening DJ set by James Yeh and Lincoln Michel of Gigantic // Dance Party by Matt Roan // Hosted by Zach Dodson and Lindsay Hunter
Location: Lincoln Hall
2424 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
Time: Fri. March 2nd, 8 PM - 2 AM
THE LEGION (BLACK OCEAN / LETTER MACHINE / OCTOPUS)
Reading: Feng Sun Chen, Christopher DeWeese, Peter Gizzi, Thurston Moore, Andrea Rexillus, Zachary Schomburg, and Jenny Zhang // Live Show by Manual Cinema & Chicago Q Ensemble
Location: The Hideout
Chicago, IL 60642
($10 / or free for AWP attendees)
Time: Fri. March 2nd, 9 PM - 2 AM
BLACK TONGUE REVIEW AWP READING
Reading: Adam Clay, Chad Sweeney, George Kalamaras, Bruce Covey, Josh Young, Greg Santos, LS Klatt, Tim Kahl
Location: TBA (Possibly Chopin Theater)
Time: Fri. March 2nd, 9 PM - 2 AM
Literary Performances: Kate Durbin, Ji Yoon Lee, Carina Finn, Meghan Lamb, Tim Jones-Yelvington
(Suggested Donation: $5)
Location: Multikulti
1000 N. Milwaukee
Chicago, IL
Time: Sat. March 3rd, 1 PM - 4 PM
POP SERIAL / AWP CHICAGO HOUSE PARTY
Reading: Sam Pink, Steve Roggenbuck, Timothy Willis Sanders, Mike Bushnell, Andrew James Weatherhead, Cassandra Troyan, Shaun Gannon, DJ Berndt, Carolyn Decarlo, Jackson Nieuwland, Jess Dutschmann
Location: Stephen Tully Dierks’ Apartment
Time: Sat. March 3rd, 8 PM - 8 AM
[writer / editor]
PAUL CUNNINGHAM is the author of two e-chapbooks of poetry: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (Pangur Ban Party, 2010) and Foamghast (NAP Literary Magazine, 2012). He manages Radioactive Moat Press and edits Deluge. He recently served as co-editor of the sixth issue of SLAB (Sound & Literary Art Book) which was awarded the AWP National Director’s Prize for Undergraduate Literary Magazines in the Category of Content. His writing has appeared in publications including Esque, DIAGRAM, Witness, A capella Zoo, H_NGM_N, The Destroyer and others.
He is pursuing a MFA at the University of Notre Dame.
www.radioactivemoat.com
