COMING SOON
Alcestis in the Underworld, by Nina Murray
Pre-order Alcestis in the Underworld at Circling Rivers! We’ll ship your order by April 19 (free to US addresses) — let’s see if the US Post Office can beat the April 23 publication date to your door! If you’re in Richmond, VA, you can get a signed copy extra early — check our Upcoming Events. Of Alcestis in the Underworld, poet and essayist Christopher Merrill writes, “Greek myths persist in the modern imagination, because they present fundamental truths about the human condition. And the myth of Alcestis’ journey to the underworld finds new meaning in Nina Murray’s book-length sequence of poems, which reveal startling insights about the state of the world—and of the poet’s soul. Ukrainian by birth and upbringing, American diplomat by profession, and traveler by temperament, Murray expertly navigates the shifting borderlands of 21st-century life, where the line between poetry and prose blurs, foreign policy meets desire, and the inscrutable is our common inheritance. The light that guides her fits itself into the cracked shells/ of last night’s intimacies, and that is why every page of Alcestis in the Underworld shines. This is a book of revelations for our time.”
If you would like to review Nina’s book, request a copy by reply. Indicate if you prefer PDF or print ARC; if print we’ll need a US mailing address.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 12, Friday, 7 p.m., Chop Suey Books, Richmond, VA.
Nina Murray will read with Irene Mathieu at independent bookstore and browsing paradise, Chop Suey. Nina will read from Alcestis in the Underworld, and Irene will read from her latest collection Grand Marronage. Chop Suey will be the first bookstore with copies of Alcestis for sale (and signing). More info here
April 20, Saturday, 5 p.m., Belmont Public Library, Richmond, VA.
Jean Huets will read at RVALitCrawl, with Dale Brumfield, Ben Cleary, and Henry Rozycki. More details here See “Friends of Circling Rivers” (below) for more on Dale, Ben, and Henry.
CIRCLING RIVERS AUTHORS
Nina Murray talked with the Association for Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies about her translation work — and about her project with “the wonderful Circling Rivers press.” here
Nina Murray’s review of Lisa Dordal’s poetry collection Mosaic of the Dark was published in Southern Indiana Review here
Congratulations to Kenneth Pobo for two books, forthcoming: The Antlantis Hit Parad, from Clare Songbirds Publishing House, and Dindi Expecting Snow, from Duck Lake Books. Loplop in a Red City at Circling Rivers
Jean Huets’ review of Dave Eggers’s The Parade was published in The Millions here
Her novel The Bones You Have Cast Down is now available in both paper and hardcover (case-wrapped), and as an ebook. Sherryl E. Smith of Tarot Heritage wrote: “This is the kind of book I love: solid history with a touch of magic.” review here
A few years ago, I came across John Kuehl’s tribute to my poetry mentor Robert Hazel, in VQR. It reminded me, all over again, of how powerful Robert’s work could be, not only in its meaning and message, but in its incredible use of language. Kuehl’s article, together with a thoughtful reread of all five of Robert’s poetry collections, encouraged me to publish the reprint edition of Robert’s poetry collection Who Touches This. Read the article here It’s a beautiful piece, not only about a poet, but about poetry and what it is to write it. Who Touches This at Circling Rivers
FRIENDS OF CIRCLING RIVERS
Dale Brumfield’s novel Naked Savages is now available. In Ethiopia’s Danakil Desert Tom Desmond attempts to film a documentary of a vanishing indigenous society. Blistering heat, balky equipment and ignorance of culture and local politics sabotage the project and the crew at every turn. As the world eagerly awaits the film, chaos consumes it. More here
In Searching for Stonewall Jackson, historian Ben Cleary examines not only Jackson’s life, but his own, contemplating what it means to be a white Southerner in the 21st century. Publication date is July 16; it’s now available for pre-order. More here
Henry Rozycki reviewed Amazon Prime’s “A Very English Scandal” for GayRVA here