The Latest In Poetry, Philosophy, & Animals

Just a few updates from the three main areas of my life these days:

Poetry: I've got a new-ish poem in the brand new journal, American Chordata. It's called STORIES (II) and is dedicated to Mark Strand. You can find it on page 87 of the e-journal.

I've also been rereading Anna Akhmatova's work, with a new enthusiasm. Here's an excerpt:

Philosophy: There's a fantastic new book out on suicide by Simon Critchley. Gorgeously written, it explores the philosophical, literary, and political climate surrounding the notion of suicide, and weaves together so many different perspectives and factoids. I was really happy to help research and collect some of the material for the project.

Animals: Still writing up a storm each day at The Dodo, and loving it. Some of the most challenging and satisfying pieces from recent weeks were on horse-racing, on a grand jury's decision not to try an animal cruelty case that I'd been following closely, a personal essay/ode on my cat Brioche, a program that gives retired racehorses and prisoners a second chance, and a piece on how animal advocates cope with the difficult images they see and the stories they hear everyday.

With love, from Brooklyn.