How like a winter
A setting for Shakespeare’s sonnet ‘How like a winter’
Don't They Know It's the End of the World?
World-ending has long been a popular scenario for the future even before capitalism, with the apocalypse for example. However, the hopelessness that things will never change is what this is about—as we fall dependent on crisis capitalism, our awareness could make way for an apathetic witnessing of the end of the world.
Are we Living in Disneyland?
A shallow interpretation of our consumerism today maintains that we are all given an ‘illusion of choice’. Coca-Cola is Republican, and Pepsi is Democrat, with this key conceptualisation of politics as soft drinks pertaining that either choice is bad for you. However, it’s precisely that choice of substituting one product for another that, in turn, develops our identity from the culture of significance that holds us captive.
Still life with Surgical Mask
Still Life With Surgical Mask. 2020. Oil on canvas. 12 x 9 in. New York. Paul Joseph Vogeler.
Coincidence
Coincidences transform reality. They are the touchstones of fate, places where narratives begin or break down, symptoms of pre-destination or randomness, depending on your intellect.
Scavenger Love
In this age of unprecedented pet ownership, Deborah Thompson reflects on the mysterious origins of humanity’s oldest friend. This charming essay comes from her book Pretzel, Houdini & Olive (Red Hen Press).
Poets of Pennsylvania
I present a lyrical compendium from Pennsylvania, a state of poets. Wallace Stevens and Gertrude Stein both hail from Pennsylvania, and today we are going to listen to some contemporary poets that bring this region to life: Grosholz, Shara McCallum, Katie Hays, Meg Day, Robin Becker, Todd Davis, Sara Grossman, Lisa Mangini, and Katie Bode-Lang.
Should we Meet at the Crossroads, Keep Walking
They call me the Perambulator. Everything must have a name, and it fits, I can’t deny it, for each new dawn finds me trudging the cobbles, working the streams and pools. Nothing makes sense without movement; I’m cast and reconstructed in every hard-won step.
Memories
Memories,
Coiling round the mind like water snakes,
Poisonous and medicinal.
A Furious Oyster
What if Pablo Neruda met a giant, interdimensional oyster? What if Neruda could narrate the encounter from the afterlife, generating extra material for his autobiography? From this bizarre premise an intoxicating poetry is born. Read this extract from Jessica Sequeira’s innovative novel A Furious Oyster (Dostoyevsky Wannabe), a book that deserves reading and re-reading.
Individuation or Institution?
Individuality, creativity and the development of organised religion do not always sit comfortable together. How does one negotiate one’s spiritual path between the homogenizing tendencies of institutions and the often unstructured inspiration and rebellions of individual creativity? Rob Preece explores Buddhism, individual spirituality and religious institutions through the lens of Jungian psychology, and specifically the Puer Aerernus and Senex archetypes.
Mayka
Mayka, 35x50 mixto carton, 2020. Dima Damyanova.
Kristina Bruuk: Between Heaven and Helsinki
Bill Drummond reflects on the legend of the “missing” Finnish singer Kristina Bruuk, what she represents, both past and present, and how her life continues to fascinate, even as her music remains unreleased, or rare and hard to find.
An Interview with Nidia Hernández
Nidia Hernández is a leading figure in the world of Latin American poetics. Her radio show, La Maja Desnuda, has served as an archive for poets across continents and eras, and has survived censorship from the Maduro administration. She is also a vital part of Mercurius, introducing the magazine to wonderful poetry from the Americas, both the North and South. Read her interview with Jonny Lipshin.
As You Were
When he learns his father is dying, David Tromblay ponders what will become of the monster’s legacy and picks up a pen to set the story straight. As You Were (Dzanc Books) is the result.
La Noche Oscura (The Dark Night)
La Noche Oscura (The Dark Night) by Ariadna. An original song presented to the public for the first time by Mercurius Magazine.
A Brief Manifesto on Variety (For Dreamers, Poets and Tantric Artists)
Variety doesn’t exist just to appease Ennui; we each possess a psychic need to externalise inner forces, to find fresh images for buried depths.
Patience
Elliot’s an incredible observer, able to memorise and categorise in astonishing detail. He’s also an ideal friend, overflowing with compassion and warmth and fun. But he’s stuck, forced to spend his days in an empty corridor, either gazing out of the window at the birds in a tree or staring into a white wall – wherever the Catholic Sisters who run the ward have decided to park his wheelchair…. Read an excerpt from Toby Litt’s astonishing novel Patience (Galley Beggar Press), shortlisted for the 2020 Republic of Consciousness Award.
A Few Reasons to Celebrate
We form odd habits in times of strain. The early days of the pandemic were like those that follow heartbreak. The body wakes first, peaceful and unknowing. Then mind, that ancient film reel, starts its circuit. With a click and whir, news breaks: Pandemic. Stay at home.
Brian
Brian. 2020. Oil on canvas. 16 x 12 in. New York. Paul Joseph Vogeler.
The never-ending quest…
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