The Weekly Atticus (04/28/2018)

Your Miraculous Oatmeal Brain | The Weekly Atticus

A recap of the week at Atticus Review, along with some extras.

Dear ,

There are two kinds of writer’s block: the kind where you can’t write because you’re feeling too uninspired to come up with a specific topic, and the kind where you can’t write because you have, like, sixty-two thousand topics roiling around inside your skull, charring that miraculous oatmeal we call a brain. I’ve been thinking about this lately because of my day job as a teacher. Just today, I was working with a student who has consistently had trouble with every single major paper I’ve assigned, especially when it comes to getting started. That’s not to say the student is lazy or apathetic; actually, she's very engaged. I’ve met with her probably a dozen times over the past few months, and for every paper assignment, we'll brainstorm together and she'll outline maybe a half-a-dozen perfectly feasible paper topics. But when it comes time to actually sit down and write, she still struggles with the same anxiety, unsure whether she’s chosen the best possible topic or argument, and worse, doubting that her perspective is even worth sharing in the first place.One thing I’ve tried to convey to her is that, contrary to how it might feel, this is a very, very good sign. I don’t know a single writer worth reading, or artist in general, who isn’t occasionally slowed or even stalled by the overwhelming archive of potential subject matter, ranging from political to personal, life-threatening to the mundane.  So much depends on switching off certain parts of your brain and just trusting your instincts—trusting them even though they might be flawed, might even be wrong. For writers, not writing is like being stranded in the desert. It doesn’t matter if you get lost; just start walking, boldly and with purpose, and get as far as you can before the sun goes down.In this Weekly Atticus, I'm excited we're sharing the second and third prize winning entries for our recent poetry contest judged by Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Stay tuned next week for our first-prize entry! Thanks for reading. We’re glad you’re here.

Michael MeyerhoferPoetry Editor

THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

FERAL TOWN by Adam Gustavson

CNF: CRAZY by Lita KurthThe latest in our series Superunknown: Stories About Songs"The singers of 'Crazy' were abject and admitted it. They clung desperately to impossible love, longed for someone incapable of appreciating them, castigated themselves for not being enough. And, I realize now, they showed a kind of courage, the courage to tell the inner truth as well as the outer truth, a courage I didn’t have."READ ON

FICTION: TRUST MEby Samuel Gee "If you saw him you’d think he was a car salesman or something; you’d never guess what he does on summer nights, what he’s done every night for the past two weeks. He doesn’t wear rubber boots or even gloves, just a cross pendant, and he doesn’t carry a knife, only a forked stick and the wood box."READ ON

BOOK REVIEW: DEATH IS REST, YOU IDIOTA Review of BONG-RIPPING BRIDES OF COUNT DROGADO, by Dave KReview by Bailey Drumm"...an unnerving adventure full of morbid curiosity...prepare for an obscure and unsettling journey."READ ON

FILM REVIEW: ALL BRAIN, NO HEARTA review of YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE from writer-director Lynne RamsayReview by Emily Moeck"For all of the film’s technical prowess, of which there is undoubtedly a clear abundance, You Were Never Really Here fails to leave a lasting impression."READ ON

2018 POETRY CONTEST: 2nd & 3rd Prizes!

THE TWINS IN SIVAN ARE NOT IDENTICALby Jane MedvedSecond Prize in our 2018 Poetry Contest"There was only one word to splitbetween us, so I chose cleavefor the sound of its halves..."READ ON

ODE TO INJECTION-SITE REACTIONSby Emily Rose Cole"My MS specialist says driving the needledeeper will lessen the rippling stingof you..."READ ON

SUPPORT ATTICUS!

When you

, at the Developer level and above, you'll get our Atticus Review Print Annual. 

You can also

.

We are funded entirely through voluntary contributions from writers and readers.