This fragment, first discovered among Bean Newton’s notebooks dated 1994-1995, represent the poet’s early attempts to (re)visit European pagan mythology in a somewhat straightforward way while peering through the lens of late 20th Century popular culture. While he later abandoned this project, the kinetic movement between subjects characteristic of his later poems (1996-1998) are already Continue reading

–EW Wilder This year’s Purewater University PostModernVillage Conference represented, like so many things in 2023, a “return to normal,” reminding all of us of how terrible “normal” actually is. The conference, held as was usual in the Purewater University Student Capital Accumulation (formerly the Student Union, until a wealthy industrialist donor objected), was plagued by Continue reading

by Lael Ewy I am an idiot.  This is not an insult. No denigration of self-esteem is implied in this case; like others, of course, I do have many good reasons to despise myself, but those reasons have little to do with my own idiocy.  Because I am an idiot, though, it took me decades Continue reading

by S. Oterica Coli Zamboni Buttfinger was named after an ice-surfacing machine, which wasn’t so bad by itself, and so he let it slide, but because he came from a long, proud line of Buttfingers, he found he could not do anything whatsoever about his last name. A combination of paradox, bullying, and lassitude led Continue reading

by E.G. Wonsktein 1. The funeral-goer. On his lapel, an orchid. His suit, agreeably black, the margins of his trim form, from toe to top, cut with awful symmetry. Temples grey, his shave close, the funeral-goer smiles warm and wan, not broadly; shakes hands, just enough firmness to reassure, just long enough to kiss the Continue reading

by Rita D. Costello I, too, sing America –Langston Hughes (after Walt Whitman), “Epilogue” (1926)America why are your libraries full of tears? –Allen Ginsberg, “America” (1956) America, I listen to 1920s/30s/40s folk music and recognize all the same issues. You are still slaying black boysand shorting wages.But I wonder how you slaughtered the unionsthen a source Continue reading

Fragmentary Geniusby E.W. Wilder It was never clear if Bean Newton’s “fragments” were intentional or not. Newton, known for embracing of postmodern pastiche, may have created these works to intentionally appear unfinished, a sort of absurdist nod to the Japanese concept of wabi sabi. It is just as likely, though, that the unfinished work is merely Continue reading