Dennis Barone, Django Rheinhardt, Paul Wellstone, and more...

INTERVIEWS

The Writer as Discoverer: An Interview with Dennis Barone
Interviewed by Richard Deming
The author of numerous books of prose and poetry, Barone discusses the role of the author as discoverer, casting off in different directions in search for new ways of expression, but still rooted in a personal truth.

REVIEWS: NONFICTION

Restless Wave: My Life in Two Worlds
Ayako Ishigaki
In this rediscovered memoir, Ayako Ishigaki patiently narrates a mesmerizing bildungsroman, a quest to live a life of conscience where idealism and meaningful action unite. Reviewed by Sun Yung Shin

Django: The Life and Music of a Gypsy Legend
Michael Dregni
Jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt was as dazzling a player as could be imagined, and his life and work is amply celebrated in this new biography. Reviewed by Rick Canning

American Assassination: The Strange Death of Senator Paul Wellstone
Four Arrows and Jim Fetzer
Was the plane crash that killed Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone an accident, or was it the work of threatened right-wing forces? Read on and find out. Reviewed by Bradley E. Ayers

Cartographica Extraordinaire: The Historical Map Transformed
David Rumsey and Edith M. Punt
This extraordinary book offers a glimpse into the many treasures of the Rumsey Library, one of the most extensive collections of antique maps in the world. Reviewed by John Toren

Some of My Best Friends: Writings on Interracial Friendships
edited by Emily Bernard
This collection of essays acknowledges the many racial and cultural differences that weigh upon and sometimes break interracial friendships—while arguing that such difficulties often make these friendships worthwhile in the first place. Reviewed by Shannon Gibney

Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood
Jennifer Traig
At its strongest, the OCD detailed in this compelling memoir didn't just consist of the constant checking and hand washing, but became a deep religious fervor. Reviewed by Anitra Budd

REVIEWS: FICTION

Chopin's Move
& Piano
Jean Echenoz
With the recent publication of two new English translations of his work by the estimable Mark Polizzotti, the French author of ten acclaimed novels and winner of the Prix Goncourt stands ripe for further recognition in this country. Reviewed by Andrew Palmer

The Green Age of Asher Witherow
M. Allen Cunningham
Debut novelist Cunningham spins a deceptively simple tale of a brutal childhood in a language as delicate as lace. Reviewed by Kris Lawson

Riffs from New Id
William Zink
Released in the summer of 2004, this multi-genre collection focuses on the then-impending presidential election, using a variety of different literary methodologies to promote a liberal/progressive agenda. Reviewed by Justin Maxwell

Imported Breads: Literature of Cultural Exchange
edited by Phillip Sterling
In this exploration of academic life abroad, Fullbright scholars take readers deeper into distant destinations than most travelogues or tour books do. Reviewed by C. A. Tenz

REVIEWS: POETRY

Blackboards
Tomaz Salamun and Metka Krasovec
Tomaz Salamun has done it again! A new collection of poems with artwork by Metka Krasovec, and reviewed by, could it be, the author himself? Not really. Reviewed by John Bradley

The Memory Theater Burned
Damon Krukowski
In this compelling collection of prose poems by a noted rock musician, the seemingly confessional meditative mode may not be as autobiographical as it appears. Reviewed by Chris Stroffolino

March 18, 2003
Michael Lally
Lally's politically charged book-length poem breathes new life into the unanswered questions that have yet to be sufficiently addressed by a news media that ignores the news. Reviewed by Larry Sawyer

<More or Less Than> 1-100
MTC Cronin
This tenth collection by Australia's Cronin is among her most complex, introducing a multiplicity of seemingly dissociated discourses which flow in organic concord throughout the text. Reviewed by Richard Owens

REVIEWS: GRAPHIC NOVELS

Louis: Dreams Never Die
Múm / Hey / Metaphrog
Between its surreal illustrations and trippy vocabulary, Franco-Scottish duo Metaphrog's forays into what it terms "graphic fiction" offer something to savor and wonder at in each caption of its genre-busting works of art. Reviewed by Adam Hall

…AND COMICS CRITICISM

Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book
Gerard Jones
Uplifting the lowest rungs of popular culture, this lively history has a lot to say about the real-life characters who shaped an industry. Reviewed by Paul Buhle

R. Crumb: Conversations
Edited by D. K. Holm
The inclusion of R. Crumb in the Conversations with Comic Artists series indicates a new level of popular acceptance and critical legitimization for the godfather of underground comix. Reviewed by Todd Robert Petersen