This Week's Writing 7/3/25

politics, art, poetry, misery

Gusgus looking kind of freaked out by the fence is how I felt this week.

Here’s what I wrote this week.

Politics

Tillis’ retirement is an ominous sign for the GOP. (Public Notice)

Democrats are attacking Mamdani using the fascist playbook. (EIH)

Cultural Criticism

A review of an art show on the outsider art of Chicago immigrants. (Observer.com)

Cumbrae Stewart, Toulouse-Lautrec, and disability and queerness in art. (EIH)

Kenneth Koch takes an axe to William Carlos Williams. (Splice Today)

Switchblade Sisters and teen feminist revolution. (EIH)

The 20 best films of the 21st century. (EIH)

Poetry

A podcast on my chapbook, The Sentient Flock, In Simpler and Sexier Times (Bainbridge Press)

Little eulogy. (Synchronized Chaos)

For HDC

Grief is a stupid thing.
I grieve that you’re not here to grieve
all the corpses in the water.
All the corpses we’ve built out of laws
that say you don’t belong.

Surreal imprecations. (Five Fleas)

Cut It Out, Robert

I really think that’s disgusting.
Why don’t
you get out of there
and start
singing along to Steely Dan.

The major dudes
turn over the garbage cans
and skitter off into
the prudent bourgeoisie.

With all their committees.

And an ominous haiku. (Five Fleas)

in my head
bird song
stops