Gently Read Literature is an internet journal that hopes to be useful by creating a forum for criticism and analysis of contemporary literature, specifically contemporary poetry and literary fiction. GRL believes there are too few outlets that take the time to scrutinize literature, to explain how and why we value poetry and fictive prose the way we do. Readers and Writers alike need to know the reasons why there are good angels and bad angels. At Gently Read Literature, we will explain ourselves fully, we will own our judgments, and we will always strive to help make the world more literate. With so much these days based on the idiot premise of opinion, GRL strives to present arguments not just feelings. An opinion is worthless because everyone has one, to think that your opinion matters is to insist that the sun shines on just you and not on all. It is time for a congress of critique, so that we can begin to wipe away the inept, the superfluous, and the deficient. This all may sound pretentious, but within the vast glut that is American literature, too much is published that is poorly written or simply needless. It is time we separated the wheat from the chaff.
GRL will publish monthly new, in-depth reviews of contemporary poetry and literary fiction as well as the occasional original essay pertaining to aesthetics, writing, or culture. If you would like to have your email address added to our monthly new issue notification list, simply send a message to gentlyreadlit@ymail.com with the word “subscribe” in the subject line or in the body of the message.
Gently Read Literature is always looking for reviews, criticism, and essays on contemporary poetry and literary fiction. Although we are open to examining all styles of poetry and fiction (and, therefore, all poets and novelists) we prefer those authors/presses that do not typically get the attention they deserve.
Our guidelines are simple: 500 words minimum with no maximum, with as much direct textual analysis as possible. Contributions should be emailed to Daniel Casey, editor, (gentlyreadlit@ymail.com). “GRL submission” should be in the title of email, and must be in the body of the email or attached as a MS Word document. All contributions should be plainly formatted—12 point font, Times New Roman or the equivalent, MLA style guidelines. GRL publishes monthly, submissions received after the 1st of each month will be considered for the next issue.
GRL would love to feature essays on aesthetics or extended essays focused on the aesthetics of individual authors. Although we leave open to the critic what work s/he would like to analyze here are some titles that we currently have available or would like to have featured–
1
POETRY
Wild Flight, Christine Rhein, Texas Tech University Press
Little Venus, Carla Drysdale, Tightrope Books
Petals of Zero, Andrew Zawacki, Talisman House
The Intricated Soul: New & Selected Poems, Sherod Santos, WW Norton
Bear Country, Dana Sonnenschein, NFSPS Press
Five Kingdoms, Kelle Groom, Anhinga Press
Ground Forces, Paul Allen, Salmon Poetry
Your Heart and How It Works, JoAnn Balingit, Spire Press (chpbk)
Dialect of a Skirt, Erica Miriam Fabri, Hanging Loose Press
Inside Bone There’s Always Marrow, Rachel Mallino, Maverick Duck Press
Save the Last Dance, Gerald Stern, WW Norton
Stars of the Night Communte, Ana Bozicevic, Tarpaulin Sky Press
Blessings and Curses, Anne Whitehouse, Poetic Matrix Press
Hunger All Inside (chpbk), Marie Gauthier, Finishing Line Press
I’ll Tell What I Saw, Dante, trans. Robert Pinsky, Images by Michael Mazur, Sarabande Books
In the Architecture of Bone, Alan Semerdjian, Genpop Books
An Algebra, Don Bogan, University of Chicago Press
The Phoenix Gone, The Terrace Empty, Marilyn Chin, Milkweed Editions
The Raindrop’s Gospel: The Trials of St. Jerome and St. Paula, A Novel in Verse, Maurya Simon, Elixir PRess
Demon Love, Liz Rosenberg, Mammoth Books
Cool Auditor, Ray Gonzalez, BOA Editions
Talking Diamonds, Linda Nemec Foster, New Issues Press
Days Like This Are Necessary: New & Selected Poems, Walter Bargen, BkMk Press
Van Gogh in Poems, Carol Dine, The Bitter Oleander Press
Cadenzas by Needle Light, Paul b. Roth, Cypress Books
Infinite Beginnings, Lucyna Prostko, Bright Hill Press
Horsegod: Collected Poems, Robert Bagg, iUniverse
Skunk Night Sonnets, Daniel Waters, Bright Hill Press (chpbk)
The Lily Poems, Liz Rosenberg, Bright Hill Press (chpbk)
The Wooden Bowl, Sharon Ruetenik, Bright Hill Press (chpbk)e
Haywire, Rachel Contreni Flynn, Bright Hill Press (chpbk)
Supposing, For Instance, Here in the Space-Time Continuum, John Pursley III, Apprentice House (chpbk)
My Father’s Speech, Katherine Cottle, Apprentice House (chpbk)
Epiphany School, Chris Green, Mayapple Press
The Last 4 Things, Kate Greenstreet, Ahsahta Press
Song of a Living Room, Brigitte Byrd, Ahsahta Press
Unmentionables, Beth Ann Fennelly, WW Norton
Woman Reading to the Sea, Lisa Williams, WW Norton
Disappears in the Rain, Matthew Thorburn, Parlor City Press (chapbook)
Dead End Road, Richard Wink, BeWrite Books (PDF copy)
Seasons of Lotus, Season of Bone, Matthew Shenoda, BOA Editions
Waste, Thierry Brunet, BlazeVOX Books
The Odds of Being, Daneen Wardrop, Silverfish Review Press
Hush Sessions, Kristi Maxwell, Saturnalia Books
Tsim Tsum, Sabrina Orah Mark, Saturnalia Books
Possessing Yourself, Tim Kahl, Cutom Words
Names, Marilyn Hacker, WW Norton
Lucifer at the Starlite, Kim Addonizio, WW Norton
Triangles of Light, James Hoggard, Wings Press
Their Backs to the Sea, Margaret Randall, Wings Press
At the Threshold of Alchemy, John Amen, Presa Press
Platos de Sal, Matthew Hittinger, Seven Kitchens Press
Fort Red Border, Kiki Petrosino, Sarabande Books
Psyche’s Weathers, Cynthia Atkins, Custom Words
Demosthenes’ Legacy, Jonathan Monroe, ahadada books
Nota Bene Eiswein, Eileen Tabios, ahadada books
Oulipoems 2, Philip Terry, ahadada books
Prisoner of the Swifts, Judith Skillman, ahadada books
Poor Manners (chpbk), Adam Halbur, ahadada books
When Performers Swim, the Dice are Case (chpbk), Judy Katz-Levine, ahadada books
Long Corridor (chp bk), Lisa Sewell, Seven Kitchens Press
The Kilroy Sonata, Louis Phillips, World Audience Publishers
Find Out What Everybody Will Have and Don’t Forge the Boys in the Back Room (chp bk), Louis Phillips
Winter Tenor, Kevin Goodan, Alice James Books
Right Brain’s Bloomin’ Again, Al Beck, Bookdogger Press
Carpe Needs a New Diem, Al Beck, Bookdogger Press
Beloved on the Earth, eds. Jim Perlman; Deborah Cooper; Mara Hart; Pamela Mittlefehldt, Holy Cow! Press
Heart’s Migration, Linda Rodriguez, Tia Chucha Press
Torched Verse Ends, Steven D. Schroeder, BlazeVox Books
Drinks at the Stand-Up Tragedy Club, Jim Crenner, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Press
Steerage, Bert Stern, Ibbetson Street Press
Quaternity, Scott Glassman & Sheila E. Murphy, Otoliths
Days of Destruction: Selected Poems, Gary Beck, Skive Magazine Press (pdf copy)
Demographics, Bob Heman, Quale Press (pdf copy)
Horse Dance Underwater, Helena Mesa, Cleveland State University Poetry Center
Jambandbootleg, Paul Siegell, A-Head Publishing
The Man With His Back to the Room, Roger Aplon, Barracuda Press
Landscape with Silos, Deborah Bogen, Texas Review Press
Sincerest Flatteries, Kurt Brown, Tupelo Press
Magdalene & the Mermaids, Elizabeth Kate Switaj, Paper Kite Press
The Curvature of Blue, Lucille Lang Day, Cervena Barva Press
A Million in Prizes, Justin Marks, New Issues
The Tangled Line, Tod Marshall, Canarium Books
Carta Marina, Ann Fisher-Wirth, Wings Press
Scape, Joshua Harmon, Black Ocean
Stroke, Sidney Wade, Persea Books
The Spoils, Ted Mathys, Coffee House Press
Bathe in it or sleep, Kim Triedman, Main Street Rag (chpbk)
Lip, Kathy Fagan, Eastern Washington University Press
The Heat of What Comes, Joel Peckham, Pecan Grove Press
Green Rain, May Orovan, Poets Wear Prada (Chpbook)
Heavenly Bodies, Richard Marx Weinraub, Poets Wear Prada (Chpbook)
Phased, George Held, Poets Wear Prada (Chpbook)
Grandpa’s Wine, Gil Fagiani, Poets Wear Prada (Chpbook)
Swatches, Erik La Prade, Poets Wear Prada (Chpbook)
How to Make a Mummy, Mike Smith, WordTech Communication
New & Selected Poems: 1975-2005, Robert Ronnow, The Barnwood Press
As the World Burns, Ken Waldman, Ridgeway Press
Conditions & Cures, Ken Waldman, Steel Toe Books
And Shadow Remained, Ken Waldman, Pavement Saw Press
The Secret Visitor’s Guide, Ken Waldman, Wings Press
2
FICTION
Toad’s Museum of Freaks and Wonders, Goldie Goldbloom, New Issues
The Failure Six, Shane Jones, Fugue State Press
Cairo Swan Song, Mekkawi Said, trans. Adam Talib, American University in Cairo Press
A Dog with No Tail, Hamdi Abu Golayyel, trans. Robin Moger, American University in Cairo Press
Ablutions, Patrick DeWitt, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
We Are All Zimbabweans Now, James Kilgore, Umuzi
Papa Sartre, Ali Bader, trans. Aida Bamia, American University in Cairo Press
Before the Throne, Naguib Mahfouz, trans. Raymond Stock, American University in Cairo Press
The Wind Thief, Martha Engber, Alondra Press
In an Uncharted Country: Stories, Clifford Garstang, Press 53
Other Resort Cities: Stories, Tod Goldberg, OV Books
Hanah’s Paradise, Ligia Rave, New Door Books
Strays and Other Stories, Shawn Rohrbach, Sabellapress (PDF copy)
The Rage of Achilles, Terence Hawkins, Casperian Books
The Man Who Loved Rilke, Eric Torgersen, March Street Press
American Soma, Savannah Schroll Guz, So New Publishing
Mastering the Dream, Kelly Lydick, Second Story Books
Emily Green & Me, Kathryn White, Umuzi
Algeria’s Way, Alex Smith, Umuzi
Maryam’s Maze, Mansoura Ez Eldin, trans. Paul Stakey, American University in Cairo Press
The Theocrat, Bensalem Himmich, trans. Roger Allen, American University in Cairo Press
The Heron, Ibrahim Aslan, trans, Elliott Colla, American University in Cairo Press
Reconsidering Happiness, Sherrie Flick, Bison Books
Fences, Ben Brooks, Fugue State Press
John the Revelator, Peter Murphy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
…and Beefheart Saved Craig, Jefferson Hansen, BlazeVox Books
The Creepy Girl & Other Stories, Janet Mitchell, Starcherone Books
The Street of Night, Lucia Guerra, trans. Richard Cunningham & Lucia Guerra, Garnet
The Fall of the Black-Eyed Night, Sean Badal, Umuzi
A Change of Tongue, Antjie Krog, Random House
The Incredible Double, Owen Hill, PM Press
Tender Graces, Kathryn Magendie, Bell Bridge Books
Dirty Little Angels, Chris Tusa, University of West Alabama (pdf copy)
Nine Ten Again: Stories, Phil Condon, Elixir Press
Finale, Paul A. Toth, Raw Dog Screaming Press
Intimacies, Roger Aplon, Barracuda Press
Barcelona Diary, Roger Aplon/Victor Batalle, Barracuda Press
North Arrow, Dennis Barone, Quale Press
Milagro Lane, Jay Brandon, Wings Press
The Witching Voice, Arnold Johnston, Wings Press
Listen: Twenty-Nine Short Conversations, Corey Mesler, Brown Paper Publishing
Listen…Volume 1: Death, Sir Pierre
A Survey of My Failures This Far, Gabriel Chad Boyer, Mutab
Meat Eaters & Plant Eaters, Jessica Treat, BOA Editions
Questionstruck, William Walsh, Keyhole Press
Wife Shopping, Steven Wingate, Mariner Books
Artificial Rats and Electric Cats, Robert Masterson, Camber Press
The Crane, Halim Barakat, trans. Bassam Frangieh & Roger Allen, American University in Cairo Press
3
NON-FICTION
Life is More Beautiful than Paradise: A Jihadist’s Own Story, Khaled al-Berry, trans. Humphrey Davies, American University in Cairo Press
Delirious Milton, Gordon Teskey, Harvard University Press
Are You Famous?, Ken Waldman, Catalyst Book Press
Strange Terrain: A Poetry Handbook for the Reluctant Reader, Alice B. Fogel, Hobblebush
Nasty, Brutish, & Long, Ira Rosofsky, Avery
Harbingers of Books to Come, Dave Oliphant, Wings Press
Afterimages: A Family Memoir, Carol Ascher, Holmes & Meier
Under the Dome: Walks with Paul Celan, Jean Daive, trans. Rosmarie Waldrop, Burning Deck
Books & Rough Business, Tullio Pironti, trans. John Domini, Red Hen Press
In the House of Silence: Autobiographical Essays by Arab Women Writers, ed. Fadia Faqir, Garnet
Review Copies can be sent to this address:
Gently Read Literature
c/o Daniel Casey
129 York St., 7G
New Haven, CT 06511



7 responses so far ↓
Stephen Poleskie // May 7, 2009 at 8:47 pm |
I would be interested in doing a review of Shane Jones’ LIGHT BOXES. From what I have read the Civil War Balloonist Thaddeus Lowe features large in this book. I am the author of THE BALLOONIST; The Story of T.S.C. Lowe, Inventor, Scientist, Magician, and Father of the U.S. Air Force, ISBN 978-1-929490-27-1, Frederic C. Beil, Savannah, 2007. This is the only book on Lowe published in the last forty years.
Mark Pawlak // June 2, 2009 at 11:08 am |
We at HL just received your June issue. Your critical review blog is nw to us. Please take a look at our online atalog. If you’d like to see review copies of any of our nw titles, just let me know which ones are of interest and i’ll end them to you.
Mark Pawlak
Co-editot/publisher
magicpoet01 // June 3, 2009 at 8:28 am |
Are you interested in Australian Poetry books for review?
Can we review your poetry books ?
Friendly Street Poets Inc. produces an annual Reader & a NEW POETS Volume (containing 3 New poets) In alternate years, we publish a SINGLE POET Volume. We are the lomgest running poetry reading group in the southern hemisphere and have been publishing for 34 years; in recent years ,with WAKEFIELD PRESS.
You can look at our site : friendlystreetpoets.org.au, or contact me, the Convenor, Maggie Emmett (published as M.L.Emmett) at my personal email: magicpoet01@gmail.
Gloria Mindock // June 3, 2009 at 6:35 pm |
I would like to thank Mark Lamoureux for his review of four of the chapbooks that Cervena Barva Press has published. I am so grateful to him.
Thank you Daniel for publishing them in “Gently Read Literature.”
This is really wonderful. I know the authors will be happy to see this too.
Thanks again,
Gloria
editor@cervenabarvapress.com
Travis Macdonald // June 9, 2009 at 1:36 am |
Daniel-
Really wonderful site you’ve established here. Just an amazing resource! I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve taken the liberty of sending along a copy of my book (The O Mission Repo, Fact-Simile Editions, 2008) for possible review on GRL. Whether or not it warrants consideration, I sincerely hope you enjoy it.
I have also taken the liberty of providing a link to your site on http://www.fact-simile.com. If there’s any chance we might join our friends and peers on your home page, it would be greatly appreciated!
Best Regards,
Travis Macdonald
Fact-Simile Editions
http://www.fact-simile.com
travis@fact-simile.com
Rane Arroyo // July 8, 2009 at 9:59 pm |
Thanks for sharing your site. I appreciate the passion and intelligence of fellow writers. We don’t often get to say aloud how we are appreciative of discovering new writers or re-discovering established writers until reviews like the ones presented here. Gracias. Rane Arroyo
Robert S. King // August 7, 2009 at 12:08 pm |
It’s nice to see a place for serious reviews. I wish you good luck in this endeavor. Now for my own sales pitch: FutureCycle Press has just released two poetry titles, No Loneliness by Temple Cone and Beyond the Bones by Neil Carpathios. The former title is the winner of our 2009 FutureCycle Poetry Book Prize. The latter was a finalist in that competition.
If anyone is seriously interested in reviewing either or both of these titles, please contact me.
Robert S. King
Director & Editor-in-Chief
FutureCycle Press