Odds & ends (June)
Juneteenth Rogue Loon (tomorrow 6/19) at Unnameable Books in Brooklyn
This Friday, Friday, Friday — Juneteenth, in fact — aka TOMORROW, I’ll be hosting a Rogue Loon at Unnameable Books.
Guys’ Night, let’s call it: with poet, fiction writer (& Big Score poetry editor) Andres Cordoba; author of the novel Wings of Red, James W. Jennings (James and I were at Brooklyn College MFA together back in aught uh—aught, what was it? Younger, so much younger then); political reporter, prognosticator, and novelist, most recently of the ambitious Colossus, as well as founding editor of the The Metropolitan Review, Ross Barkan (maybe he’ll share something from behind-the-scenes about our mayor if we ask real nice); the best contemporary author I know at channeling polyphonic voices, Sidik Fofana, of the excellent story collection Stories from the Tenants Downstairs; king of the genre and the weird whose latest novel, Metallic Realms, could be billed as sci-fi world-building by way of Nabokov’s Pale Fire, and consummate host of the perpetual, online cocktail party of bookworld, yes, you know it, you love it, Counter Craft, Lincoln Michel; and finally, Rob Franklin, whose debut Great Black Hope featured some of the most exquisite prose I’ve read in a while (reminiscent of the one and only F. Scott, as I had the opportunity to tell him myself after a reading at TJ Byrnes a couple of months ago now).
Finally, because it is Guys’ Night, after all, we’ll have a performance by consummate Man’s Man, the Guys’ Guy, the Raconteur of Raconteurs… More Interesting than the World’s Most Interesting Man, More Dangerous in a Bar-Fight than Hemingway… He puts the ‘Sui’ in Sui Generis, and the Swing in Everybody’s Step… Of course, I could be talking about no one other than Glenn Blurton, whose Family Band will also be joining, and let’s hope everyone makes it out OK.
I spent a few days up in Vermont, near Middlebury, completing a new novel manuscript that I started up there, and that is set up there in a fictional version of Middlebury. Then, to a Bloomsday observance at Professor Shalom Goldman’s house, where a few revered former profs of mine, Stephen Donadio and John Elder, read, as did I, passages from the big book itself.
Shalom has some choice Cohen and Dylan posters keeping an eye on things.
My passage (so just, you know, imagine it in my voice, doing the voices):
From TELEMACHUS
You’re not a believer, are you? Haines asked. I mean, a believer in the narrow sense of the word. Creation from nothing and miracles and a personal God.
—There’s only one sense of the word, it seems to me, Stephen said.
Haines stopped to take out a smooth silver case in which twinkled a green stone. He sprang it open with his thumb and offered it.
—Thank you, Stephen said, taking a cigarette.
Haines helped himself and snapped the case to. He put it back in his sidepocket and took from his waistcoatpocket a nickel tinderbox, sprang it open too, and, having lit his cigarette, held the flaming spunk towards Stephen in the shell of his hands.
—Yes, of course, he said, as they went on again. Either you believe or you don’t, isn’t it? Personally I couldn’t stomach that idea of a personal God. You don’t stand for that, I suppose?
—You behold in me, Stephen said with grim displeasure, a horrible example of free thought.
He walked on, waiting to be spoken to, trailing his ashplant by his side. Its ferrule followed lightly on the path, squealing at his heels. My familiar, after me, calling, Steeeeeeeeeeeephen! A wavering line along the path. They will walk on it tonight, coming here in the dark. He wants that key. It is mine. I paid the rent. Now I eat his salt bread. Give him the key too. All. He will ask for it. That was in his eyes.
—After all, Haines began...
Stephen turned and saw that the cold gaze which had measured him was not all unkind.
—After all, I should think you are able to free yourself. You are your own master, it seems to me.
—I am a servant of two masters, Stephen said, an English and an Italian.
—Italian? Haines said.
A crazy queen, old and jealous. Kneel down before me.
—And a third, Stephen said, there is who wants me for odd jobs.
—Italian? Haines said again. What do you mean?
—The imperial British state, Stephen answered, his colour rising, and the holy Roman catholic and apostolic church.
Haines detached from his underlip some fibres of tobacco before he spoke.
—I can quite understand that, he said calmly. An Irishman must think like that, I daresay. We feel in England that we have treated you rather unfairly. It seems history is to blame.
Finally, this happened too.
record scratch freeze frame
You’re probably wondering how I got here.
Well? Has everything to do w a political campaign I feel fortunate to have volunteered on, Jack Schlossberg’s race (@jackuno ) to represent NY-12 in the US House of Rep. That’s Manhattan from ~14th St to ~96 St. As a writer/editor I spend untold hours sitting in front of a screen, so it’s almost always nice to get out there & speak w voters — which is how, roundabout, I ended up on stage at a recent Schlossberg rally.
Despite the tilt of most print media coverage (most all feeding off the Times), I’ve found the campaign to be one of good vibes & courageous stances (e.g. No PAC $$$ in one of the wealthiest districts in the country).
In the opposition there is Michael Bloomberg’s guy Micah Lasher & self-styled AI regulator + former Palantir point person to the first Trump admin Alex Bores. The Bores ppl, in particular, have run what I’d call a dirty campaign w social media astroturfing, which story I actually kind of broke here a few weeks ago. Despite not really being a political reporter. Or maybe I am one now… At least, moonlighting? Meanwhile, bona fide political reporters are in the past few days starting to break it open. See Jason Beeferman for Politico… Still waiting on whether New York Times’ Nick Fandos will pick up the thread too, or if he’s fully committed to booring w Bores, or turtling it out with Lasher, and their billionaire-backing.
What appears to have happened to this point is a Bores superPAC funded by Trump donor and Anthropic guy Chris Larsen fessed up to astroturfing support for Bores on social media. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, however. Given NY-12’s constituency, I’d have to think the first reporter who reveals whoever paid the troll who made the video of Schlossberg’s No Kings Day encounter would have a truly explosive story on their hands; the torrid, harassing comments that ensued (seemingly boosted by AI or astroturfed accounts), played specifically on questions of Jewish identity, and the fate of Israel/Gaza. Circumstantial evidence most definitely points to Bores’ supporters of one stripe or another. And? Alex Bores is in favor of uninterrupted support to Israel’s military, and he marched in the Israel Day Parade with genocide-inclined minister Bezalel Smotrich (don’t even really think that’s controversial to describe him that way: of the cabinet members working alongside Netanyahu, Smotrich has openly voiced his supremacist beliefs).
If you didn’t already see it, check out my short, closing argument interview with Jack here. And if you’re in NY-12? Vote.