Autumn 2026

Masterson Hegel was born with big old lobster claws in place of hands.  “Woe is me,” cried his mother when she saw what had befallen him. “My son has been…

Though the following might at first appear to be an alternative history fantasy, these are actual historical documents, though condensed. In 1752 Jemima Wilkinson, eighth of twelve children, was born…

I’m driving west through the Lincoln Tunnel when I sense there’s someone in the back seat of my car. A glance in the rear view mirror confirms it. A dragon…

Akhmatova’s Rosary was published in March of 1914; Russia entered World War One five months later, in August. As Akhmatova herself would later observe, it was the Great War, not…

Released in 1971 . . . for years, this album was cherished by crate diggers. Now, the music has been brought back into circulation . . . It is the…

I thought I wanted this job. I make thrice as much as the Chief of Surgery the next highest paid townie. A bit ironic because when I was chipped he…

How did you get involved with Russian? It was a matter of feminism. I was trying to find women poets who I could admire without reservation, I’d studied Latin in…

You have a substack called “Psychic Courtyardism?” What is that? Before social media, I used to put on klezmer shows with friends and for each show I would try to…

The Therigatha, “Songs of the Elder Nuns,” is the earliest collection of poetry which was written by women in India, and indeed is one of the earliest such anthologies in…

“Only children can see them,” the mother told her son while tucking him into bed. “Who?” asked the little boy. “Why, the Shadow Children of course,” she said, pulling the…

We reviewed Th. Metzger’s book, Strong Songs of the Dead, here. It may be purchased from Amazon here 96 You’ve been involved in Sacred Harp (A.K.A. shape note) singing for…

These poems are translated from Agustini’s 1907 book, El Libro Blanco, which appeared when she was twenty-one. She shows a Rimbaud-like precocity, easily matching the most sophisticated creations of Europe’s…

Esteemed Sir, Permit me, if you will, to recall our recent discourse at Paillard’s, where your gracious interest in the humble collection of treasures at my residence, namely, the venerable…