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This Week’s Expert Picks

While it is not a regular (if there is such a thing) book of poetics, Dana Gioia's Can Poetry Matter? is a profound and important book for those who appreciate poetry and those looking to appreciate more. In 1991, Dana Gioia's provocative essay "Can Poetry Matter?" was published in the Atlantic Monthly, and received more public response than any other piece in the magazine's history. In his book, Gioia more fully addressed the question: Is there a place for poetry to be part of modern American mainstream culture? Ten years later, the debate is as lively and heated as ever. Adam Kirsch of The New York Sun praised the book as “Undoubtedly one of the most important American books of poetry criticism of the last 50 years.” And I can't agree more. Any person, poet or otherwise, should buy and read this book immediately. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections.

I dove into another classic this week and not just because it has a dog in it.

Just kidding! That was 100% why I chose this book, hello? Have you ever seen an Alaskan sled dog? Cute AF!

Anyway, basically, Buck, this adorable fucking, fluffy, sled-Husky, well, he is just chilling in the Yukon, and everyone everyone starts freaking out about gold.

Gold! Gold! Gold!

Well, how are they gonna get this gold? Right? Like you’d think they’d plan ahead a little but they just kinda showed up. Well, it turns out that they need this one specific kinda sled dog to pull their little sled carts or whatever because it’s the 1890’s and cars aren’t a thing yet and horses are useless at those temperatures.

So, naturally, Buck, being that specific kinda dog, is in high demand.

So someone just steals him and makes him fight the other dogs in the wild to be the top dog or something.

Like, um, kinda like on the chef shows when Gordon Ramsey emotionally abuses the people without GED’s until they make the one kinda macaroni and cheese with the crumbles that makes it gourmet?

You know what I mean.

Okay, what was I saying?

Oh yeah! This has a dog in it so obviously 100/100. An absolutely great read. You gotta get this one next. LAW

Lauren is more of a writer than a reader and many, many, many people aren’t sure which is more concerning.

I know some people will never touch nonfiction or books that look like they're 900 pages (it's only 344) but I have to recommend this book to all (US) Americans.

Battle For The Marble Palace is a masterpiece of US socio-political history. Michael Bobelian impressed me and endeared himself to me with his first book Children Of Armenia and in this grander endeavor he employs the same narrative structure that makes the book read almost like a novel. Bobelian has an uncanny ability in both of his books to give the reader hope for a different ending, despite reading (meticulously researched) history.

The chapters are arranged in such a way that the narrative builds intrigue and tension with references to contemporary events that are not only helpful (to me, a reader who wasn't alive for the Eisenhower, Johnson, or Nixon administrations) but also enrich the narrative and the general thesis of the book: these events came to dictate how our judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government not just interact with each other, but how they function in their own rights.

Bobelian is nimble with his prose, uses humor and parallels to construct a three dimensional environment that allows the reader to fully understand how and why each signifying event in the Supreme Court's history (between Eisenhower and Nixon) came to happen. He builds suspense and moves the story in real time.

This is one of the most difficult books I've read in a long time time but I feel enriched as a person for it. I want to engage more with US history and follow Bobelian's journalism more closely.

The sole flaw I can find in the piece is that the margins are tiny.

Bonus: 130+ pages of references, notes, bibliography, etc. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

This is the first Ottessa Moshfegh (such a cool name) I’ve read, despite having a number of her works on my to be read list. Homesick for Another World is a collection of fourteen short stories, covering self-deception across a spectrum of individuals representing the human condition.

Moshfegh’s writing could be described as a literary grotesque. She depicts these reprehensible characters with such merit and blam. It's why I love Bukowski, he highlights the lowlights of people, the squalor type of existence. Showcasing people in the periphery of society, ignoring societal normalcy for a unique existence that people often don’t get to see. Her characters in these short stories all strive to connect to others or another world in which they are excluded.

As I mentioned, I love her writing but I think I would prefer it in a novel format as opposed to this collection of stories (obviously a personal preference). Her novel Eileen which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and was a short-lister for the 2016 Man Booker has been on my read list for a while. I look forward to checking out more of her work, and I recall David Sedaris mentioning liking her writing, and who doesn’t love David? Ottessa infuses the outrageous with compassion and I can’t wait to read more of her work. CJH

Callahan J. Herrig is a writer from Iowa. He is here to tell you more about nothing and less about everything. He owns CallahanCreative.

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This Week’s Expert Picks

Okay, FULL DISCLOSURE, I thought this one was called ‘The Virgins’ but it is, in fact, titled ‘The Virginians’, however I am pretty sure those could very easily be interchangeable.

Also, I gotta be honest. Not an enjoyable read. Thackeray, you’re a bore. Sorry. This is historical British fiction which when you combine those three nouns automatically equals ‘painful to the eyes’.

Basically, some closeted guy is trying to hook up with an older and classier broad, as the British are apt to do, and his twin grandsons are raising hell, and he just decides to enlist in the Army during the American War of Independence and he takes the revolutionary side. Oh, but then get this: His brother is a British Officer and he can’t really fight his own flesh and blood so he just quits.

What a non-story. Like the majority of all British Literature. Ugh. I’m soooooooo happy I wasted this week diving into this “classic”.

Tally-ho, Motherfuckers. LW

Lauren is a writer and author of a number of titles. She is also owner and proprietor of The Secret Bookstore, Paradisiac Publishing and publisher of The Gaslamp Quarterly.

The Fall of America: Poems of These States, 1965–1971 is a collection of poetry by Allen Ginsberg, published by City Lights in 1973, for which Ginsberg shared the annual U.S. National Book Award for Poetry. It is a spot-on group of grounded poems to tackle and tickle your heart and brain in this specific moment in time. Replete with thrills and condemnation, it is a special book to read and dissect in the foul year of forever, 2020. With a synergy between changes in America and the loss of friends with age and decay, each poem is a continuation towards fucking with your head in a gloriously modern way. This book will live forever, as it should, well beyond these terrible times and crimes, and I encourage all to read with bleeding but open eyes. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections. In his latest collaboration, he facilitated a poetry writing workshop in early 2019. Grammatical Siblings documents 8 weeks where 3 students became poets, 1 teacher found his purpose, and 4 people left as lifelong friends.

The first of the Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin and it is a fantastic start to a series. The plot is an intricate story that gets better the further you read. Jemisin has created a world of high fantasy and sci-fi with an original plot filled with detailed characters.

I will say, you need to get through the first 60-75 pages to become invested, understanding the world. Jemisin crafts a unique world with vivid characters and types of magic that take time to flesh out. Her use of second-person narrative structure in alternating sequences is very unique and something you don’t often see. This is a type of media that with a reread you will catch even more things than you do with an initial sit-through.

It is a tale of an alternate Earth called “The Stillness” which is plagued by constant seismic activity. This leads to near-extinction events called “Fifth Seasons” that keep everyone on edge. Past civilizations litter the planet, ruined cities, ‘stonelore’ handed down, and strange obelisks that float through the atmosphere that serve no apparent purpose. The book focuses on people with powers called orogenes who can start and stop earthquakes, along with other elemental powers. There are guardians who hold the orogenes accountable, because often orogens are hunted down to serve in the Fulcrum which is a training ground for the empire.

Many people are represented giving visibility to a lot of different versions of how a family can look and it’s importance, especially those you may not have been born into. Each chapter represents a different point of view. Essun, whose story is told in second-person narration, who travels with two mysterious people Hoa and Tonkee. Demaya, who is taken from her parents and brought to the Fulcrum (a type of training grounds). Syenite, who grew up at the Fulcrum is traveling with a companion Alabaster which explores their relationship.

Each book in this trilogy won a Hugo award which is an unheard-of achievement. The book creates a unique world filled with magic, action, suspense, and is an extremely rewarding read. I definitely understand why The Fifth Season won the Hugo, now I must find out why the other two of the trilogy are just as deserving. CJH

Callahan J. Herrig is a writer from Iowa. He is here to tell you more about nothing and less about everything. He owns CallahanCreative.

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall is a must-read by everyone who believes in equity. This is the game plan for the revolution and the play book for all who call ourselves the F-word. Kendall manages to gently work with an audience that may not want to hear what she has to say and she has created a masterpiece that we should reference until the fight is won. We owe it to the future to follow Kendall's advices, to read with humility, and to grow together. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

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This Week’s Expert Picks

Okay, I must admit, I am biased with this review, but I promise that if you check out the book you will attest to the magic. Last year, with the help of RAW Storytelling & RAW Made, I got to teach an amazing poetry class with amazing people. We took all of their poems and turned them into an incredible book, aptly titled Grammatical Siblings. Flowing with poems about the love/hate relationship with love itself, lingering doubt mixed with passion, falling down and getting back up, this collection has something for just about everyone. Re-reading it now, I am reminded and blown away at the powerful yet approachable poems there within. I couldn't be more proud of these poets. RB

A graphic anthology of obscure black history for children? Yes, please. Gill fills in lots of holes left by textbooks and historians from black American history. Each biography tells of an ordinary-amazing real person from American history who beat the odds. At once a history book and a push to the reader "Strange Fruit" encourages its readers to "free themselves" from the ropes binding them. Strange Fruit is well written, beautifully illustrated, and very important. Black history is hugely ignored and not well documented and Strange Fruit is a great starter books for kids to learn about important faces from American history. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

I won an advanced copy of this book earlier this year before its March release date and unfortunately finally got around to reading it! From the creators of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home is the 3rd novel set in the world of Night Vale. The first book Welcome to Night Vale and the second It Devours! delve more into the world of Night Vale. The Faceless Old Woman deals more with a specific character's back story with flashbacks until finally setting in modern-day Night Vale. This book works as a standalone book but you will get more out of it if you previously read the other 2 works or listened to the podcast.

The book focuses on, (you guessed it) the faceless old woman lurking in other’s lives, specifically someone named Craig whom you won’t understand why for most of the book. Much of the book is the old woman retelling the story of her life, tales of swash-buckling pirates, crime, and vengeance ala Count of Monte Cristo. The old woman eventually gets to the present day where we find out why she is faceless, long-living, and so obsessed with this Craig character! It definitely reads more like a novel though it does drag a bit. It’s compelling in areas and like the other preceding books, creative. CJH

Callahan J. Herrig is a writer from Iowa. He is here to tell you more about nothing and less about everything. He owns CallahanCreative.

I’m living in a beachside hostel so I am supposed to be discovering myself or having some kind of profound something or whatever right now, and one of the other houseguests is a Christian and has been encouraging me to read the Bible.

...and it’s like, okay. I’ll give it a try. Is it going to hurt? Is it going to burn me? I’ve done a series of things and events have occurred, should I wear gloves?

Anyway, I haven’t really read all that much yet so I’ll have to get back to you but so far it’s just a bunch of people making their lives way more difficult than they collectively need to be so I’m sure there are some parallels to be drawn there and applied or however they do it. LAW

Lauren is a humorist and owner of both The Secret Bookstore and Paradisiac Publishing. Grab a copy of her latest essay collection if you’re into essay collections and LOL’s.

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This Week’s Expert Picks

Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280 is a crime/mystery novel with an introspection of a psychopath’s mind. Thompson’s prose is exceptionally strong, I’ve read a number of his books and believe this to be his strongest. Thinking of when this book was written in 1964 is wild. The book utilizes subtle jokes to point out the racism, classism, and sexism of American society in the 1960s.

Much of his stories deal with people on the fringes of society, sociopaths and psychopaths, and rarely feature characters that are good. What Thompson often employs is a Hamlet-Esque trope of a sheriff presenting himself as a simpleton, harmless, always willing to help but in reality, is a methodical psychopath that manipulates people to his will and pulls off several murders.

Pop. 1280 is told first-person through unreliable narrator sheriff Nick Corey who appears as a small town amiable personality but is a stone-cold killer and manipulator. The book covers some of the problems that Nick deals with including his difficult marriage, local pimps, upcoming sheriff election, and several women that adore him. CJH

Callahan J. Herrig is a writer from Iowa. He is here to tell you more about nothing and less about everything. He owns CallahanCreative.

Obviously Christy Brown is mostly known for his autobiography My Left Foot, which was turned into a major motion picture with Daniel Day Lewis winning on Oscar for his role, but his poems have captivated the souls of Ireland and beyond for many years. The book captured my attention with its voice and cadence, as well as the themes of each page, each poem, each line, pounding into my heart like a hammer. This posthumous compilation comprises his three published volumes of poetry ["Come Softly to My Wake", "Background Music", and "Of Snails and Skylarks"], which is characterized by vigor and passion. Severely disabled, Christy Brown writes densely layered intimate glimpses into the human spirit and its drive to dream beyond physical boundaries. At a young age, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and learned how to draw and write using his left foot, but you would never know if you just picked up this book (which is what I did, at a bookstore in Midtown Manhattan, because I needed something to read on my lunch break) and dive into its poetic complexities combined with strife, strength, and romantic reaches of rich character. RB

Heller’s Catch-22 was the first novel I read cover-to-cover in school when I was supposed to read a novel cover-to-cover in school. I think it was my senior year in high school? It was also the last book I read cover-to-cover in school and I’ve since gone on to earn a Graduate Degree. In my defense, I like to think of myself as being somewhat efficient, not to mention somewhat of a juggler (metaphorically speaking), and if Cliffs Notes exist why waste time reading something word-for-word like Jane Eyre?

With that being said, this is one of the most hilarious books I have ever read (...although nothing will ever top Ellis’ American Psycho). Granted, it’s a dark humor, but I challenge anyone to find a more poignant commentary on society as it has been known to generally function to this day. And though I’ve not served even one second of Military Service nor am I necessarily affiliated with the US Military in any way, I cannot get enough Military and Government jokes (Exhibit A) and this title is chock full. Need a more compelling and topical reason? In light of recent events (*cough* THE PANDEMIC *cough*), I triple-dog-dare you to find me someone who cannot personally relate to this story’s protagonist at this point.

All in-depth analysis and commentaries aside (you simply aren’t worthy of that if you haven’t yet read this one, and if you have, you already know), this is a novel history buffs and great fiction readers alike will adore. You don’t have to have an encyclopedic knowledge of World War II. If you catch the Easter Eggs you’ll be blown out of the water, however, if you simply enjoy a quick-moving narrative, compelling characters and biting humor, you’ll more than appreciate this lively and award-winning read. LAW

Lauren is a humorist and owner of both The Secret Bookstore and Paradisiac Publishing. Grab a copy of her latest essay collection if you’re into essay collections and LOL’s.

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This Week’s Expert Picks

Refrigerator monologues by Catherynne M. Valente is a funny, irreverent, and necessary book that responds to the 70 year history of comic book heroes whose storylines are driven from the strange and untimely demises of their girlfriends. These are the stories of the "women in refrigerators" (thus named for an Green Lantern girlfriend who was killed as a plot device and stuffed in a refrigerator), told by each woman from the afterlife. It's funny, it's nerdy, it's clever. Valente knows her source material and captures the voices and stories perfectly. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

Saunders paints a grim reality of a near-future (or present) with murderous CEO’s, moral degradation, and a world run by those much more fortunate and self-absorbed rule. Prophitcsing a future society in which the meek mistreat one another and supersede our self-important beliefs to ignore our common morality. By creating this fictional world, Saunders is able to take readers away from the creeping dread of our world and explore it through a unique cast of eccentric and tarnished characters.

I’ve seen comparisons of Saunders to the likes of Kurt Vonnegut and David Foster Wallace which I can attest there are similarities. I’ve always admired author's ability to toe the line with satire and the everyday struggle of readers. Saunders re-examines the past to foreshadow the current future, illuminating that we all must keep open minds and hearts to coexist. His style is quite unique, hilarious at times and the next sentence can leave you uncomfortable because it resembles your everyday life. CJH

Callahan J. Herrig is a writer from Iowa. He is here to tell you more about nothing and less about everything. He owns CallahanCreative.

I bought this book in Minneapolis, at a wonderful bookstore, called Moon Palace. As I often do, when visiting new cities, browsing bookstores, I ask about local authors. The nice bookperson guided me to this book and I was immediately enthralled with Gretchen Marquette's fine lyrical slicing of words. Sometimes, when taking a gamble on a book recommendation it doesn't always pan out, but this one definitely did, and her words stick to the inside of your heart like sugar and glue. It is a rare and vulnerable yet visceral book that doesn't shy away from images of butchered animals. It asks the important question of why do we long for something, anything, the past, etc. Since buying it on that cold January evening in Minneapolis, I have re-read this book a few times, and it gets deeper within my future. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections.

Judd Apatow did it right. As a “comedy person” and filmmaker obviously interviewing the brightest and best in the field is the smartest networking you can possibly do for your career. I, myself, have been doing this exact thing for over a decade (check out a few of my interviews: Zack Kahn, Katherine Sweetman, and Tony White, just to name a few). As someone who has been writing comedic essays (example), scripts (example) and books (check ‘em out) for years this collection of interviews from the most respected names in comedy from one of my favorite filmmakers is not only a dream come true, but a book I actually read cover to cover.

...okay, mostly read. LAW

Lauren is a humorist and owner of both The Secret Bookstore and Paradisiac Publishing.

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$18.99 - Speaking of first wives, I think this is a metaphor but maybe a president’s involved. You’ll have to get a copy and read it to find out! Grab it

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This Week’s Expert Picks

I am generally opposed to recommending work by #DeadWhiteMen but this is a character I loved enough to get a tattoo of his (Rabo's) work.

I wanted to promote an Armenian writer for the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide this weekend, but this book is so so important to me that this is where I ended up.

Bluebeard is the (fictional) autobiography of (fictional) Armenian abstract impressionist painter Rabo Karabekian.

This book is a beautiful tribute to Armenian history and culture, yes, but what's more important to me?

Here's my GoodReads review:

This book makes me want to take full advantage of being alive. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

Sometimes, a book of poems pairs perfectly with the times world or a situation through which you are going. One of the first lines in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's Poetry As Insurgent Art reads: "The North Pole is not where it used to be." However you take that sapient sentence, it sure sounds like the world isn't right. The very next line after that is: "Manifest Destiny is no longer manifest." Talk about signs (and poetic lines) of the times.

As COVID19 rearranges our world, it's hard not to turn to art and poetry and creativity for solace; as a means to shout happiness or pound out anger. Lawrence Ferlinghetti has, in more than thirty books, been the poetic conscience of America. In Poetry As Insurgent Art, he offers his primer of what poetry is, could be, should be. Short and inspiring, this collection of remarks, aphorisms and exhortations about the powerful purpose of poetry began in the late 1950s, when Ferlinghetti was just coming into his own as a Beat poet and publisher of City Lights Books.

Poetry As Insurgent Art encourages writers of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds and futures, to discover the “dark spirit of earth and blood”. Read at your own risk. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections.

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This Week’s Expert Picks

Green Grass Running Water is a masterpiece of literature and culture. Thomas King tells many stories in this volume to create a reflection of native life in North America. Each story slowly, artfully combines to create the strongest plot I've ever read. The stories include repeated attempts to tell an accurate origin story, two contemporary characters as they navigate their lives both on and off the reservation, and four versions of First Woman as they adapt and evolve to fit the changing culture of North America. Beyond the plot, King includes symbolism so intricate and well-thought out that the book often rewards you for reading. The way the stories interlock is nuanced and builds steadily. the narrators are likeable and easy to read and the conflict is simultaneously grand and universal. This is maybe the best book of the 90s and Thomas King is one of the most gifted story tellers of our time. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

I bought this book a decade ago at the best bookstore in New York City, Strand, mainly because of the artwork, which was done by one of my favorite musicians, Devendra Banhart. Now, I regard this book as a seminal influence of my poetry and art. It is rare to snap up a book and grow with it over the years, finding new meaning with each of life's milestones. We Meet highlights Patchen’s more outlandish side and sensibilities, like fabrics stitched into a crazy quilt. Open to any page at random and find Patchen protesting, or telling simple yet beautiful tales of bedroom floors, or talking directly to the reader about nervous vines. This book begs for internal evolution, maybe reading a couple pages a year for the rest of your life. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections.

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Meet The Experts

Each and every week, in addition to the six Secret Bookstore picks, check out the resident genre experts and their choices for you.

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Ryan Buynak - Poetry

His Pick This Week: Acid for the Children by Flea

Born Michael Peter Balzary, in Australia, Flea (known as Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist and spiritual adviser) is a rocker who begins his memoir, Acid for the Children, waxing poetic about music and vulnerability and his “endless search to merge with infinite spirit”. As a poet myself, I was tasked with examining a book of poetry, however, I was already deeply invested in this book (completely taken aback by its soft humor and poetry magnetism). I am not even a huge Chili Peppers fan (I mean, I like them, but I have never seen them live). Poetry proudly shows up when you least expect it and I am glad it showed up in Flea's autobiography because it gave me a new found respect for him. Hell, he had a crazy life well before the Chili Peppers and he found a way to acknowledge it all without anger or humor, but with verse that more closely resembles poetry rather than straight-forward narrative. The book will disappoint RHCP heads looking for rock & roll war stories from the Peppers’ heyday, but Acid for the Children is an exceptional artist’s love story of family, friends, growing up, the groove, pushing the limits, and constantly learning. RB

Ryan Buynak is a rock & roll poet and the author of a number of poetry collections.

Sarah Elgatian - Literary Fiction & Essays

Her Pick This Week: They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib

I picked up this book because I saw Hanif Abdurraqib signing books at Mission Creek wearing a Ric Flair jacket and beautiful shoes. I thought, I would definitely like to know what he has to say. Thank God. Abdurraqib weaves with great nuance stories of concerts into narratives of bereavement which roll into race and survival. I get nervous with books I'm excited about that they will weaken and won't live up to the expectations they built up. This book got better as it went on, themes weaving and changing and weighing more and helping me carry its load. There is neither a more important nor better collection out there right now. SE

Sarah Elgatian is a writer living in Iowa. She currently spends her days in isolation wondering how long her hair will get before quarantine ends.

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