Levi Bentley examines the complex melange of past, present and future in Alexis Pauline Gumbs’s book, “M Archive,” a work of speculative fiction that argues that Black feminist thought holds the “connection and knowledge and care of the earth and its people together through all time,” as Bentley says in their immersive review.
Read MoreWill language go on if and when we do not? How does one speak of the future in a doomed world? Here Levi Bentley reviews a new book of poetry by Cynthia Arrieu-King that ponders these questions and many more. Out December 14, 2018 from Radiator Press (Philly’s newest poetry press) “Futureless Languages” is rooted in close observation of our trying times. Read on and pick up the book for yourself this Friday!
Read MoreAs we head home to enjoy some quality food with family and friends, Artblog is proud to announce the cash prize winners and honorable mention recipients in this year’s New Art Writers Contest! Stay tuned for the articles, which we will publish in the coming weeks.
Read MoreEvery day, Artblog celebrates the DIY spirit of Philadelphia’s independently run art galleries and collectives. Today we’re excited to share an interview about that same spirit in our city’s poetry scene. Contributor Levi Bentley interviews fellow poet and local curator of the reading series, “Frank O’Hara’s Last Lover,” Jason Mitchell. This near-monthly reading series, named for the celebrated mid-century New York poet and art critic, who died in a tragic accident at age 40 in 1966, is all about bringing poets into direct contact and conversation with each-other. Read on, poetry lovers, artists and art lovers! P.S. We believe that poetry and art are siblings. They use different tools, but they both speak in metaphors and create “safe” spaces to explore complex and often controversial life issues. We love them both.
Read MoreThe Art Writing Contest deadline for applications is Midnight, Oct. 31. That’s Halloween, yo. Don’t party too hard. Type up your piece while sitting in your costume eating candy. You can handle it! Here’s a video with Artblog’s star Managing Editor, Imani Roach, talking about the nuts and bolts of applying and other aspects of the contest, like the $1,000 grand prize and two $250 second prizes! Below the video are details about how to apply and a link to the Google form for submitting your story/poem/review/essay/free-form writing.
Read MoreDo you have questions about the art writing contest? With the deadline fast approaching (Oct. 31, Midnight), we’d like to answer those questions. Join Imani Roach tomorrow as she fields your queries and gives you answers! Noon, Friday, Oct. 26, 2018. We love to talk. Come talk with us!
Read MoreOlivia Jia profiles two women who are deeply invested in local art criticism: writer Julia Clift and editor Samantha Mitchell. Both women are also artists in their own right, with serious studio practices and the multiple day jobs it takes to keep it all going. Here Jia speaks with them about the challenges associated with wearing multiple hats, and reflects on the vital service they provide to the Philadelphia arts community at large.
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