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A new collection that is a testament to the power of poetry as a vehicle for introspection, social commentary, and artistic expression. With its evocative verses and resonant themes, American Equations in Black Classical Music invites readers on a transformative journey through the melodic landscapes of jazz, the analytical realms of economics, the intricacies of American life. While making room for the speculative, to allow one's imagination to begin to continue to draw from past lessons/innovations to hack future portals for these traditions to breathe new lives. A poet known for her work as MoorMother, Ayewa poems hold that same power. In the poetic tradition of jazz & protest poetry of the 60’s and 70’s, Ayewa continues to question systems and make connections between the historical and the present. In the tradition of her artistic group Black Quantum Futurism, Ayewa’s poems speak to the communal survival mechanisms and temporal technologies that Black musicians and artistic communities have developed, uncovered, reconfigured to combat temporal oppression and reclaim our time. American Equations is an intricate interplay of history, society, and the human condition illuminates the stark realities and poignant struggles of the past and present. From the vibrant jazz culture to the pressing economic disparities, from racial equations to the melancholic strains of blues, and from the enduring legacy of black classical music to the profound impact of time and speculation, these poems delve deep into the interconnections and entanglements that shape our world.

¿Everyone is fascinated by crime.¿ ¿When you look at the history of song, romantic love songs may be the dominant mode of songwriting, but second would probably be songs involving crime¿murder ballads, political protest songs;  crime is a major theme in all songwriting,¿ says Harper Simon.He offers a new and expansive contribution to this legacy with Meditations on Crime, an ambitious multi-media project that includes an album he produced of musical collaborations with a sweeping range of contributors (Julia Holter, Gang Gang Dance, King Khan, the Sun Ra Arkestra) and a book he edited featuring essays by such notables as Miranda July, Hooman Majd, and Jerry Stahl, alongside artwork from giants like Cindy Sherman, Tracey Emin, Julian Schnabel, and Raymond Pettibon.The genesis of Meditations on Crime came in 2016 as the confluence of several ideas. Simon was interested in collaborating with musicians he knew and admired, to create a vinyl LP with an accompanying book¿"a beautiful physical object to stand outside the digital world.¿ Given what America was going through during that particular election year, though, he also thought it was a time that called for something more politically charged.Meditations on Crime¿if you get down to it, crime is politics and politics is crime, so crime can go a lot of different ways. It seemed to be a way of approaching the moment that was a little more subtle and left space to explore.¿The songs were developed in a variety of ways: Sometimes Simon sent his collaborators guitar tracks or demos he was working on and had them write over that, sometimes he collaborated on lyrics. On the Sun Ra Arkestra track, he composed  melodic themes and went to the group¿s home base of Philadelphia with the legendary producer Hal Willner, where they fleshed out two songs (Willner passed away in 2020 from Covid; ¿to have that creative moment with him makes it really touching for me,¿ says Simon.As he reached out to more musicians (¿I kind of just went with my gut, and one person led to the next¿), Simon retained a consistent backing band for most of the tracks to keep some cohesion. He played most of the guitars, with Paz Lenchantin from the Pixies on bass and Carla Azar, who has played with everyone from Jack White to PJ Harvey to The Who, on drums, as well as members of Ariel Pink¿s band and Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeah¿s.For the book, Simon points to ¿On Crime,¿ the essay by Nigerian novelist and poet Ben Okri, as a central piece. ¿It almost felt like an introduction because it was so philosophical,¿ he says. ¿It really set the tone and the book started to become less political and more interesting. Once that tone was set, you could go to this beautiful essay on war crimes by Janine di Giovanni, the famous foreign correspondent. You could see it go to a humorous piece by Jerry Stahl or an interview with Kenneth Anger. Wayne Kramer from the MC5 has a foundation called Jail Guitar Doors that brings musical instruments and songwriting to prisoners, and has spent time in prison himself, so I thought he would have an interesting perspective.¿

In Making Art in Prison: Survival and Resistance, Janie Paul introduces readers to the culture and aesthetics of prison art communities, and shares heart wrenching, poignant, and often surprisingly humorous artists’ narratives. The United States is the most incarcerating nation in the world. More than two million people are locked behind bars, where they endure the degradation and violence of a dehumanizing system. But in prisons around the country, incarcerated people have regained their dignity by creating objects of beauty, meaning, and value. These powerful stories and images upend the manufactured stereotypes of those living in prison, imparting a real human dimension—a critical step in the movement to end mass incarceration.  For 27 years, Paul has traveled throughout Michigan to meet artists and select work for the project she co-founded: The Annual Exhibitions of Artists in Michigan Prisons, an initiative of the Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan. Pedagogical as well as curatorial, the project has provided crucial validation for the artists. Making Prison Art features over 200 images of their extraordinary work.  Delving deeply into the ways in which incarcerated artists create meaning through their artistic practice, Paul explains how the making, sharing, and formation of artistic friendships within prisons can constitute acts of resistance against the violence and banality of prison life. Most of the artists did not make art before coming to prison. Their accomplishments show that art making need not be a privilege of the few, but is rather a basic human need, and in these circumstances, a necessary means of survival. Making Art in Prison reveals—through the eyes of the artists who have lived through it—what mass incarceration looks and feels like in the United States. It reveals the ways in which they keep their humanity intact; it invites us to reflect on our own humanity and the problem of living in a country that incarcerates more of its population than any other nation in the world. It also invites us to look closely at the images and appreciate the richness of life and luminosity emerging from the darkest corner of our country.

In a Pickle is a warmly told children's tale about a precocious little boy and his schoolyard predicament. It is delightful in its simplicity yet enchanting in the way it mischievously unfolds. The title quandary involves a classic case of bullying, yet is elevated with a clever solution and ends on a touching bon mot. Bright and warm watercolor illustrations are a visual treat throughout, on par with vintage children's books of yore. In a Pickle is both a classic and modern tale. It is for any reader looking to be enchanted by a plucky little boy and his clever dad. With your purchase of In A Pickle, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Horizons National, whose mission is to close gaps of opportunity and access for students in under-resourced communities and empower choice-filled lives.

Holy Doors, Mandy Kahn’s third collection of poems, is a lyrical, luminous, and highly spiritual journey exploring meditation, prayer, the afterlife, the poet’s love of peace, and the ever-accessibility of grace. It is also a record of what life is like as our spiritual nature begins to live more fully in the body. Each of Kahn’s poems begins with earnest inquiry and ends with an ecstatic moment of communion with the part of the self that is connected to all things.A poet working within the traditions of the form, Kahn calls upon formal devices, such as iambic pentameter, slant rhyme, and end rhyme, but in so soft and deft a manner that one almost doesn’t notice the musicality so prevalent in the work. Kahn’s technical skill makes tradition feel suddenly fresh, soft, casual, and alive.With Holy Doors, we’re watching a poet both seeking—and finding—the holy in the everyday. The poems in the collection suggest then that the holy need not be pursued—it need only be noticed. Doors to ecstatic experience, as Kahn reminds us, are everywhere.