Rosemary Tonks was a feted poet, trenchant reviewer and literary socialite. And then she 'disappeared'. Following her death last month, Neil Astley traces her extraordinary storyThe "disappearance" of the poet Rosemary Tonks in the 1970s was one of the literary world's most tantalising mysteries. Bizarre theories abounded as to her whereabouts if she was still alive. As the poet Brian Patten put it in a BBC radio feature about her in 2009, she "evaporated into air like the Cheshire cat". One contributor imagined her living in Cuba, "smoking cigars in a doorway". Other commentators over the years have made her into a nun; consigned her to a sect; had her communing with the ghost of Charles Baudelaire; or put her in a shed at the bottom of someone's garden. For some reason, these mythmakers always required her to be living in poverty.Having tried to visit her myself, 10 years ago, I knew all these theories to be far from the truth. But out of respect for her declared wish, maintained by her family, that she should be left in peace, I kept her address and situation secret. Tonks died last month at the age of 85 (all the existing records had her as four years younger). She had indeed been living as a near-recluse but out of choice, quite comfortable in her circumstances. Even so, she remained restless in spirit, defiantly independent and quite alone in her continuing search for God, for she was ever alert to the "brainwashing", manipulative tendencies in the religious... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rosemary Tonks was a feted poet, trenchant reviewer and literary socialite. And then she 'disappeared'. Following her death last month, Neil Astley traces her extraordinary storyThe "disappearance" of the poet Rosemary Tonks in the 1970s was one of the literary world's most tantalising... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lit Hub is pleased to announce a new books, published in cooperation with the Library of Congress and edited by the twenty-fourth Poet Laureate of the United States, a collection of poems reflecting on “our relationship to the natural world by fifty of our most celebrated contemporary writers.”... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-06 14:00:57 UTC ]
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He was a founder of Hanging Loose Press, which started as a loose-page poetry journal and became a book publisher as well. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-03-31 21:53:23 UTC ]
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Journalist Sasha Vasilyuk’s debut novel Your Presence Is Mandatory is a poignant look at the reverberating effects of war through the story of a Ukrainian World War II veteran’s struggle to hide a damaging secret for the sake of his family. Vasilyuk’s book begins with death—the first chapter... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2024-04-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Ayodele "WordSlanger" Nzinga, honored for her theater innovation, is co-editing a bilingual anthology with Oso Perezoso Press, launched by indie publisher J.K. Fowler. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A nonprofit that distributed books for many of the country’s small presses has closed, and the fallout could affect the publishing industry in ways both big and small. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2024-04-17 09:03:54 UTC ]
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Are utopias becoming a trend in fiction during this dystopian era? The debut novel from Phillip B. Williams, 'Ours,' embraces magic without ignoring reality. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-24 11:09:13 UTC ]
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A February 7 group reading at City Lights Books amplified the voice of Gazan poet Mosab Abu Toha and benefited the Middle East Children's Alliance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-08 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Without even the slightest sentimentality about it, Laird Hunt's new book, 'Float Up, Sing Down,' provides an elegy for a lost generation. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-02-07 17:33:54 UTC ]
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The following is excerpted from Cold Crematorium:Reporting from the Land of Auschwitz, József Debreczeni’s firsthand account of his deportation to Auschwitz, from Hungary, in May 1944. * The long train, comprised of low boxcars with German insignia, was grinding to a halt. “We’re stopping,” the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-01-25 09:53:48 UTC ]
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Generous Press, a new imprint of indie Row House Publishing devoted to romance with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and disability-focused content, will mark its debut with 'Someplace Generous: An Inclusive Romance Anthology' in May. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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On Dec. 12, California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick talks about life on the road at the L.A. Times Book Club. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-12 20:24:33 UTC ]
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Governments and outside organizations can do a lot to preserve collections when disaster is looming. Even so, a part of human identity is erased with each library bombed. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-12-12 11:00:34 UTC ]
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Poet, Translator, Mirror: A Conversation with Miho Kinnas, by Renee H. Shea Interviews [email protected] Tue, 12/05/2023 - 15:32 Two-time Pushcart Prize nominee Miho Kinnas recently published Waiting for Sunset to Bury Red Camellias, her third book... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2023-12-05 21:32:32 UTC ]
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After Mosab Abu Toha was detained by the Israeli Defense Forces on November 19, organizations including PEN International and his publisher, City Lights, called for his protection and release. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, who celebrates the state in "My California," joins the L.A. Times Book Club on Dec. 12. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-16 18:48:29 UTC ]
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After nearly 40 years as a professor, he began a new career writing poems and translating classics. He won a National Book Award when he was 86. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-11-11 18:29:17 UTC ]
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