Hiatus

December 7th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

At the end of October, I received an email from my contact at Middlesex Lounge, the venue where Literary Firsts had taken place ever since it started back in 2010.

Due to a number of mitigating factors (mainly having to do with the construction that’s taking place in Central Square), Middlesex Lounge is cutting back their hours and no longer hosting non-club events. They were always really kind to me and to the series, so I know it wasn’t a decision they made lightly.

I’ve had a number of friends offer to look at new venues for the series, very kind offers, all. But since I’m neckdeep in work right now (my own writing, plus teaching, plus everything going on at Aforementioned), and because I want a space that combines theatricality and proximity (i.e., I don’t want the readers distanced from the audience, but I do want a place where I can dim the lights and create a mood that’s indicative of a performance), and because I don’t know of another venue like that in the Boston area, I’m putting the series on hiatus.

As soon as I’m able to find a comparable venue for Literary Firsts, I promise to bring it back. Until then, I’m really proud to have had a hand in making Boston’s literary community a little warmer and a little brighter.

Thanks to all the readers and the faithful audience members.

I hope to be back at it soon.

Fondly—

Carissa

 

Photos and videos from the Oct 13 reading

October 18th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Monday night’s reading was not to be missed. Dolan Morgan kicked us off with a surreal and hilarious excerpt from his recent collection, That’s When the Knives Come Down; Wesley Rothman shared some surprisingly sensual poems; Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich read a portion from her work-in-progress, featuring a slew of intriguingly dangerous characters; and Sam Cha read a delightfully masochistic confessional essay.

Just in case you couldn’t be there, you can still check out the photos below and the videos here.

Dolan Morgan reads from THAT'S WHEN THE KNIVES COME DOWN.

Dolan Morgan reads from THAT’S WHEN THE KNIVES COME DOWN.

Wesley Rothman reads some poems.

Wesley Rothman reads some poems.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich reads from her work-in-progress.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich reads from her work-in-progress.

Sam Cha reads his confessional essay.

Sam Cha reads his confessional essay.

A million thanks to the readers and everyone who came out. It was a fantastic evening and I can’t wait to see everyone in January!

TONIGHT

October 13th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Tonight’s the night!

Be there for Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich, Dolan Morgan, Wesley Rothman, and Sam Cha!

7pm at Middlesex Lounge!

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Sam Cha

September 12th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Sam Cha is pretending incredulity.

Sam Cha is pretending incredulity.

Sam Cha recently completed his MFA in poetry at UMass Boston, where he was the 2011 and 2012 recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize. He’s a poetry editor for Radius. His work (poems, essays, fiction, translations) can be found at Amethyst Arsenic, anderbo, apt, ASIA, Banipal, The Bakery, decomP, Gravel, Memorious, Paper Scissors, Printer’s Devil Review, and shufPoetry. Also, in two anthologies: Knocking at the Door: Poems About Approaching the Other, and The &Now Awards 2: The Best Innovative Writing. He lives and writes in Cambridge, MA.

Sam is the confessional reader for the October 13 reading.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

September 12th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich is whisperer to the wanderer and tamer of the misbegotten.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich is whisperer to the wanderer and tamer of the misbegotten.

Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The New York TimesIowa ReviewSalon, Oxford AmericanLos Angeles ReviewThe Rumpus, TriQuarterly, and many other publications. Alexandria was recently named a 2014 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. She earned her JD at Harvard Law School, where she focused on death penalty issues, and she also holds a BA in Sociology from Columbia University and an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Emerson College. She lives in Boston and teaches at Grub Street and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Alexandria is the essayist for the October 13 reading.

Dolan Morgan

September 12th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Dolan Morgan is the space between mathematics and eros.

Dolan Morgan is the space between mathematics and eros.

Dolan Morgan is the author of That’s When the Knives Come Down (Aforementioned Productions, 2014) and an editor at The Atlas Review. His work can be found in The Believer, The Lifted Brow, Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, apt, Pank, Field, The Collagist and elsewhere.

Dolan is the fiction writer for the October 13 reading.

Wesley Rothman

September 12th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Wesley Rothman is a systematic series of chance encounters.

Wesley Rothman‘s poems and criticism have appeared in 32 Poems, Crab Orchard Review, New England Review, PANK, Post Road,Prairie Schooner, Southeast Review, Vinyl, and The White Review, among other publications. He has worked with Copper Canyon Press, the Mass Poetry Festival, Ploughshares, NarrativeSalamander, and Tupelo Quarterly, and teaches writing and cultural literatures throughout Boston. Recent honors include a Pushcart Prize nomination and a Vermont Studio Center fellowship. He is nearing completion of first collection of poems, SUBWOOFER.

Wesley is the poet for the October 13 reading.

The October Literary Firsts roster!

August 24th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

I’m so excited for the next round of readers.

Can’t wait to see you there, Boston!

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Photos and videos from Tuesday night’s reading

July 25th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Tuesday evening’s Literary Firsts hit all the notes I want from a reading—it made me think, it made me laugh, it made me sigh. The readers were at the very top of their game, and I was thrilled to hear them share their work.

Thanks, as always, to Randolph Pfaff for handling the bulk of the recording duties, photo and video:

Amy Yelin reads her essay, "Once upon a Penis"

Amy Yelin reads her essay, “Once upon a Penis”

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Jeremy P. Bushnell reads from his novel-in-progress.

Nicole Terez Dutton reads from a manuscript of prose poems.

Nicole Terez Dutton reads from a manuscript of prose poems.

Daniel Evans Pritchard reads his confessional essay.

Daniel Evans Pritchard reads his confessional essay.

Thanks to everyone who made it out, especially (of course) Amy, Nicole, Jeremy, and Dan. And if you couldn’t make it, you can check out the videos here.

I hope to see you in October when we close out 2014 with our autumn reading—more details soon!

TONIGHT!

July 22nd, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

See you tonight at Middlesex Lounge for Jeremy P. Bushnell, Nicole Terez Dutton, Amy Yelin, and Daniel Evans Pritchard!

7pm, 315 Mass Ave: be there!

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