Considering the emergence of the blog and poster campaign, What Would Lynne Tillman Do?, 12th Street thought it apropos to pose just that- in terms of writing. Here is what the preeminent author and New School […]
Archive
The Intrepid
The Intrepid All he cares about are the jets Buh-buh-buh-buh Pow! Pow! Man Down! Because he is a boy He knows nothing Of the dilemma I imagine a way To explain History through […]
Who’s Your Audience? A Profile of John Reed
As part of our profile series on the Riggio: Writing and Democracy community, 12th Street asked John Reed, New School faculty member, “Who’s your audience?” His response was both frank in content and compelling in form. […]
On the Language of Poetry: A Conversation with Tina Chang
TINA CHANG was raised in New York City. Brooklyn Poet Laureate, she is the author of the poetry collections Half-Lit Houses (2004) and Of Gods & Strangers (2011). She is co-editor of the anthology Language for a New Century: […]
Who’s Your Audience? A Profile of Ted Kerr
Amy looked up from her friend’s shoulder, whipping snot and tears from her face—laughing. “See what I mean, friends, and critics, what more could I want.”
Postcards From a Week in New York City
With President Barack Obama getting a second lease in The White House, it was a historical week for the whole nation. But with over sixty houses burning in Breezy Point and the subways flooded, it […]
Will Hermes: The Sounds of New York 1973-77
“Disco’s death was always a hoax; the sort of club-oriented dance music shaped by the New York scene now dominates pop around the world, and hip-hop’s influence goes without saying.”
12th Street Gallery: Stephanie Leone
Stephanie Leone is a third-year BA/FA student studying Fiction Writing at Lang and Communication Design at Parsons. If she had her way, Stephanie would write and illustrate children’s books and hyper-realistic novels. Her style is hard to define because she is still searching for it, but she hopes it looks loose, illustrative, and fantastical all at once.”
A Conversation with Dana Spiotta
The work itself, once I begin, tends to become obsession with the language world of my characters. When I figure out how they use language, I discover what my book is about.
12th Street Gallery: Maximilian Mueller
[singlepic id=54 w=700 h=1200 float=center] Maximilian Mueller is from the Washington D.C area and now lives in New York’s East Village. A second year Product Design candidate at Parsons, he has been developing his painting […]
The Village Spacemaker
The geography of a place is grounded, however fleetingly by physical structures, and waiting for a kinetic kick-start by the people in it to open it up into becoming a space.
A Simple Survey
When there’s a knock on the door it’s hard not to answer it. Leaving a possibility open always gnaws at the back of my consciousness…
Review: Picasso Black and White
Picasso never had a “black and white” period. These paintings only represent the two poles scattered throughout the various movements of his art. His return and re-return to black and white exemplifies a principle Picasso held dear.
So It Goes
What separated him from any other writer I had ever read is his undeniable honesty, his childlike perspective on the world; and how we, as citizens of a chaotic country, develop mental callouses that prevent us from admitting our flaws and insecurities.
Productive Patience by Steve Tuck
The industry is against me; they’re only about sales and regurgitating the same garbage! It’s not recycling if it’s still trash!
The Art of Lies
It helps to know what is true and the truth is a slippery fish. What is truth exactly and how do we know it when we see it? Is there a core area somewhere in the center of an idea in which the truth resides? Or is it spread thin like a pancake, a layer wrapped around detritus and filling, the clutter of living? Can anyone have it?
Caught in the Grey Area
When my mom complained he’d just take his pack of Marlboro Reds into the garage. But this didn’t keep us away. My dad barely spent any time home and when he did we were determined to follow him everywhere. Besides, he was usually doing something interesting that we didn’t want to miss like scaling a fish or gutting a freshly caught squid.
A Bubbling Conundrum
“Better appreciate it while you can!” said the old man while he added salt to his popcorn.
The friendly stranger was referring to the massive 32 oz. cup I was filling to the brim with Coca-Cola. My date and I were about to watch a three-hour long epic movie and it was decided that an epic amount of snacks were needed to go along with it. We had bought the large soda/large popcorn combo to share.
“Uhg, I know it,” I said. I shook my head disapprovingly, emphasizing my exasperation at the situation. The old man put down the extra sodium with a slight shake in his hands and flashed me a big yellow toothy grin.
Distractions
Brownface was a term altogether unfamiliar to me. I grappled for comprehension. The closest term I had available to use as a reference was Blackface. But that couldn’t be true, right? Yes, Governor Mitt Romney was appearing on a staple Latin-American television network, Univison. And yes, at first glance, the hue of his face appeared to be darker. But did Governor Romney really use make up to appear relatable to a Latino audience?
Subway Ladybug
The subway stop at 181st Street was an odd place to see a ladybug. She boarded the train and flew directly to perch on the edge of my upended book. I stayed very still, staring at the shiny red and black of her wings, while she rested there. After a few minutes I gently moved the book into a flat position on my lap, and she obliged me by crawling over the lip and onto the surface. I put my hand in front of her for protection against any jostling that might shake her.
“You confused evasion and artistic tact”
Then in intermittent peeks, needled through the brick enclave saturated, as a stop-motion cartoon i saw him, my Uncle puffy like wild, overgrown mushrooms bruised magenta bloc sleepless caverns, now filled lined the bridge of […]