writing
-
Five underground albums that got me through 2025

I had more than one person tell me that 2025 was a tough year for them. Whether it be socially, politically, or just several external factors that were weighing on their mind, it was not an easy year to separate the art from whatever else was going on in the world. It also doesn’t help…
-
REVIEW — ‘Canticle’ by Janet Rich Edwards

We are living in a period swamped with literary fiction. The stocked shelves of bookstores and BookTok doom-scrolling all point to its dominance, specifically in the cult of superiority fostered through its dry intellectual engagement riddled with irony and realism. To be a cool and well-rounded reader is to be a reader of “lit fic.” …
-
In conversation with Billy Carrión: pushing toward ‘Higher Standards’

Billy Carrión grew up in a family of singers. With his father being a salsa singer, Carrión was constantly surrounded by music; not just Latin, but a little bit of everything. This allowed him to become well-rounded, to fall in love with Jazz through passion. Jazz holds a universal conversation on the stage and is…
-
RiverJAM Music hosts thrilling line-up at Songs & Stories concert series

On Jan. 9, RiverJAM Music hosted yet another sold-out night as part of their Listening Room: Songs & Stories intimate concert series in Red Bank, NJ. Fronted by English singer-songwriter James Maddock, Reagan Richards and Gordon Brown of Williams Honor, and the legendary guitarist Ricky Byrd, the night was pleasantly filled with both philanthropy and…
-
In conversation with Ron Gallo: honesty over expectation

Ron Gallo never set out to be a musician. In fact, picking up a guitar came without much intention at all. “I can’t say there really was much of a passion to play guitar,” he admits. “I kind of just thought it was a thing I should have.” “I think the thing I was most…
-
In conversation with Michael Klam: an inside look at the San Diego Poetry Annual

San Diego, known for its weather, tourist attractions, and beaches, is also the home of a vibrant and creative community: San Diego Poetry Annual. Bill Harding, an author, novelist, and poet, started the San Diego Poetry Annual in 2005. The first publication invited poets and writers from all around San Diego, serving as a community effort to publish as many writers as possible in the annual. “Bill Harding is really the driving force; he put together a team of editors over the…
