The Weekly Atticus

This Week at Atticus Review

A recap of the week's writing at Atticus Review. Intro by Christopher Linforth.

During January, the Atticus Review website received close to 40,000 views. We're thrilled that so many of you visited the site and read the work of our writers. This past week we heard that one of our former contributors, José A. Alcantara, republished his Atticus Review poem, "Straw Man," in his new book. Atticus Review has published poetry since its beginning, and this week I'd like to introduce you to our longstanding Poetry Editor. Michael Meyerhofer has published several books of poetry and fiction, including Ragged Eden (Glass Lyre Press, 2019) and What To Do If You're Buried Alive (Split Lip Press, 2015). Some of his recent poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Missouri Review, and the American Journal of Poetry.I chatted to Michael this week about what he looks for in poetry submissions. Michael said, "There are probably as many poetic styles out there as there are poets, but whenever someone asks me what my personal aesthetic is, I find myself thinking of two different answers. One is, 'Imagine your work being read in a melodramatic Saturday Night Live parody voice. If it still sounds good, and honest in some way you can't quite pin down, it's good.' The other answer comes from when I used to teach a creative writing class, and for some reason, a lot of the students were aspiring screenwriters. They kept trying to make their poems all about lofty abstractions and philosophical/political musing and big morals of the story (same thing I did in their place) but I kept telling them, 'Think of a short film. Focus on image. The poem is the camera lens, showing us what we need to see.'" Michael and Assistant Editor Amber look forward to reading your submissions during this reading period. On the website this week, Eliot Li's flash "Guangxi56" charts the relationship of a son and his Chinese mother living in contemporary America. In creative nonfiction, Judy Sandler's "We Go Home" also explores the difficult nuances of a mother-son relationship. Roy Bentley's "Al Capone Offers Instruction in How to Love," meanwhile, offers a humorous re-imagining of a rarely seen part of Al Capone's life. Lastly, using a self-made soundtrack, artist and singer Stephen Cohen, in his multimedia piece "The Closing List," documents the closing of shops and restaurants in the age of Covid. Finally, over at The Attic, Atticus founder Dan Cafaro writes about the reinvention of his press after being out of the game for a few years. You can still submit full-length manuscripts for Dan to consider today. Until next week, thanks so much for reading. Christopher LinforthEditor-in-Chief

THIS WEEK AT ATTICUS

NEW FROM THE ATTIC

UNLOCKED, UNLOADED, AND READY FOR THE BARE POSSIBILITIESbyDan Cafaro"There will be no erring on the side of caution. No overthinking the optics. No recourse for the indecisive. This is the wilderness."

FICTION

GUANGXI56byEliot Li"She unwrapped a pig kidney and placed it on a stool beside her easel. The next trip she brought home a cow’s heart. The viscera she painted glistened with hyperrealism, a sort of fetishism for the grotesque that filled me with curiosity."

POETRY

AL CAPONE OFFERS INSTRUCTION IN HOW TO LOVEbyRoy Bentley"I’ll love you like the hitter who gets all his money up front.You love me like that and we’ll be tough to get the drop on."

CREATIVE NONFICTION

WE GO HOMEbyJudy Sandler"But my little son, wrapped up in an anxiety attack, runs. His head bobs between stalks of wheat. Finally, he hunches over, heaving in sobs."

MIXED MEDIATHE CLOSING LISTbyStephen CohenStephen Cohen is a performing artist, singer/songwriter, composer, visual artist and author who creates original art in a variety of mediums.READ ON

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