Unknown Words With Matthew Anderson

The show is back. Found in close up in  Carmen Brady's poetry are the details we notice when we are disconnected from others. That's not to say her poems are always about disconnectedness, but that void of understanding appears as a character itself at times. The shape created by what we don't understand about one another, when we try and fail to communicate truthfully.  Carmen's poetry has appeared in Metatron, Potluck Mag, Little River Lit mag, Electric Cereal and elsewhere. Her chapbook Eating Alone at Chipotle was published by Bottlecap Press in 2015. You can follow her on Twitter at @therealcbrad   Music by Zhalih MUSH   If you would like to submit fiction, non-fiction, or poetry between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram

It has...been awhile. Sorry about that. But the show is not gone.  In this short episode, I am reading an essay of my own entitled "The Birthday Card Forgeries." I also speak for the first time about my sister and her autism and how I've been led to write more non-fiction.  The next full episode of the show will drop on April 3rd. I'll see you lovely people then. The contest I submitted this essay to is the Missouri Review's Miller Audio Prize. Check it out! You can listen to all the past winners and there are some great entries.  Music by MUSH ludwig danson   Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram

Family can be a strange thing. Both pieces by Sunny Bleckinger on today's show, one fiction and non-fiction, explore the complicated feelings that go hand in hand with having a complicated family. In the non-fiction piece he recounts meeting his father after being adopted and out of all contact for 20 years. In addition to their wobbly newfound relationship is the mystery of his mother, a person no one has seen since she kidnapped Sunny and his sister. In the fiction piece, a man does the reuniting for his estranged parents himself. In choosing to take in two very erratic people under one roof, the pressure on the man builds until he finally finds escape, soaring through the sky, as a duck. Literally. You can find Sunny's writing published in Word Riot and Monkeybicycle, as well as on his website. Check out his podcast for the IPRC entitled, The Staple.    Conversation Topics: writing, Amsterdam, literature, short stories, parenthood, kids, family, tennis, surrealism, massage therapy.  Music by Prism Palac

We have three stories today from writer/filmmaker, Annabel Graham. Her writing, when fictional and non-fictional, has a way of finding ghosts, a way of tracing their influence on our lives. These can be the spirits of lost loved ones, or the ominous presence of a landscape itself, both having the power to present the world to us in their liking. Her stories on today's show all share the ability, almost paradoxically, to be both mysterious and intimate, leaving the reader affected, but still slightly unsure just how it happened.    Her writing has appeared in Cosmonauts Avenue, Atticus Review, Cutbank Magazine, The Gallatin Review, Corium Magazine, and elsewhere.   Follow Annabel on twitter: @annabeleverest and check out her website.    Conversation Topics: Cannes Film Festival, short film, film making, writing, NYU, screenwriting, non-fiction, family, illness, LA, grief, mourning, personal writing.    Music Zhalih MUSH   If you would like to submit fiction, non-fiction, or poetry, between 1,000 and 4,000 word

Nkem Obi-Melekwe creates music under the name Mon Nobi. His songs are dreamy and surreal, sometimes psychedelic; they grow out of the calamity of everyday sounds. Nkem also has his roots in hip hop, and many of his songs oscillate in and out of that region of music. They can sometimes move from trip hop to fully ambient electronic and then into straight, old school beats. He's a young guy, but he's already carved out his own peculiar and ever developing style.  Conversation Topics: music, the South, Asheville, North Carolina, producing, sampling, collaborating, soundcloud, genres, playfulness, screamo, recording, cartoons, Adult Swim, Flying Lotus, Htrk, Phantogram, drawing.    Find his music at: soundcloud.com/monnobi monnobi.bandcamp.com   Follow him on Twitter: @nkemobm   Songs in order played: 1) What But A Blip on a Bell Curve 2) Lykmnd'd 3) Bread & Circuses 4) Houzcat 5) Iris 6) Dwyndwn 7) Why Am I Still Awake? 8) REM Rebound 9) MonoNoAware 10) The Koolaid   If you would like to submit fiction, non-

This is the first episode where we are catching up with a writer who has already been on the show and seeing where their projects have taken them, what new things they've finished, and where they're going now. We catch up today with Jeff Musillo, guest of episode #25. We talk about everything from the film in pre-production he is working on to his unfinished novel about the modern reincarnation of Jesus and his problematic life.  The next full episode, #30 with music artist Mon Nobi, will be here tomorrow. You can purchase Jeff's new novel, The Eternal Echo, on Amazon in both paperback and e-book formats.  See all of Jeff's paintings on his Instagram, @jmusillo Conversation Topics: writing, screenwriting, film, movies, inspiration, literature, Kurt Vonnegut, Darren Aronofsky, music, film scores, tone.    Music by Mon Nobi MUSH   If you'd like to submit fiction, non-fiction, or poetry to the show, between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show @unknownwordspod Facebo

It is one grand confession, one grand act of admitting love that the main character of today's story, Marlese, hopes will shift her life back toward the intimacy she once knew. But this confession is for a total stranger. On top of that, her friends are too busy making grilled cheese sandwiches by the dozens for some mysterious purpose to give much advice on love. J.P. Kemmick's story is one that has a premise of soap opera like obsession, but instead, his story takes a much more endearing, and funny turn. This story first appeared in J.P.'s collection of stories, Space City, USA. You can order a copy by emailing him at: orderspacecityusa@gmail.com His writing has appeared in Beechers, A Capella Zoo, Toad, Barrelhouse and elsewhere.    Conversation Topics: writing, moving, literature, reading, surrealism, fabulism, Portland, Karen Russell, female characters   All music by MUSH   If you would like to submit writing between 1,000 and 4,000 words, fiction, non-fiction or poetry, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@g

The flash fictions of Kendra Fortmeyer all share a magical realist quality and a melancholy, yet sometimes sweet, sense of humor. Hear three of her stories on today's episode, spread throughout our conversation that ranged from writing, the (imagined) Carolinas rivalry, Amy Bender, and stories from Kendra's dreams.  Her work has appeared in PANK, Monkeybicycle, The Toast, Five Quarterly and elsewhere. She edits fiction for Broad! Magazine.  Today's stories can be found at Wyvern Lit, People Holding, and Cheap Pop.    Topics: writing, literature, publishing, David Bowie, magical realism, surrealism, teaching, dreams, mermaids, apocalypse, flash fiction, storytelling, influence.    All music by MUSH   If you would like to submit writing, (fiction, non-fiction, or poetry) between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram  

In Mensah Demary's short story, a middle aged man who's left his marriage crumbling encounters a brazen, single young mother, and he begins to question even further what he actually wants.  "Butcher's Block" was first published in PANK magazine.  His fiction has also appeared in Metazen, Monkeybicycle,  and the Safety Pin Review among others. His non-fiction can be found in Salon, Thought Catalog, The Lit Pub and elsewhere.  Mensah is an associate editor with Catapult and the founding editor of Specter Magazine.  Follow him on Twitter @mensah4000   Conversation Topics: writing, literature, memoir, New York, Brooklyn, New Jersey, publishing, middle age, Roxane Gay, mentorship, Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts, non-fiction, essay.     Music by Mon Nobi MUSH   To submit fiction, non-fiction, and poetry between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show @unknownwordspod Facebook Instagram

Today's short story by playwright, Kenneth Hanes, deals with the relatively universal pain of seeing aging loved ones losing their memories and their recognition. However, for the main character of this story, who is a transwoman, this loss is magnified, for not only does her embittered father no longer recognize her, he has lost any understanding at all of who and how she is. Today's story first appeared in The Massachusetts Review.  Music by Ludwig Danson MUSH   If you would like to submit fiction, non-fiction, or poetry between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to the show: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram

Today we have two short stories from Jeff Musillo. They're each conversational, things you are overhearing or being directly told, or even confessed to. While each story centers on damaged men, one of them absurdly, hyperbolically so, they are each darkly funny. Jeff is the author of The Ease of Access, Can You See That Sound, and Snapshot Americana. His new novella, The States is published by Civil Coping Mechanisms and is available this Friday (11/13/2015).     Conversation topics: writing, Nickelodeon, TV, screenwriting, film, publishing, process, Brooklyn, Charles Bukowski, inspiration, learning, failure.    Music by Mon Nobi MUSH   If you would like to submit fiction, narrative non-fiction, or poetry, between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram

In today's short story, "Breakfast Inside the Beltway," a young woman meets an eccentric old southern man whose eccentricities hide a life of real tragedy. Yet, that is exactly what they have in common, for at least one small era in each of their lives.  Christine is a prolific fiction and non-fiction writer. Her writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Feminist Wire, Bustle, The Southeast Review, and elsewhere. She is the editor of Quail Bell Magazine.  Her writing as well as her film and visual artwork can be found at: wordsmithchristine.com   Conversation Topics: writing, literature, film, filmmaking, Stacey Steers, journalism, non-fiction, hustling, marriage, childhood, art.    Music by HXXS - ghettohexes.com MUSH   If you would like to submit fiction, non-fiction, or poetry to the show, between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram

The show will return on October 5th with #24 with Christine Stoddard. On this short announcement episode, you will find out where exactly I am and hear a flash fiction piece of my own.  Music by MUSH ludwig danson   Follow the show Twitter Facebook Instagram

The man behind the music of Lifeformed is Terrence Lee. He started out as a video game developer, but his training on the piano slowly pushed him toward creating the musical scores to the games he worked on. From there, Terrence has become a prolific electronic music artist, continually experimenting. His work has appeared on the show before, but in this episode you will get to hear his songs in full, along with the conversation I got to have with him in person.  You can find all of his music here, and learn about the videogame he scored, Dustforce.  You can also check out the documentary about the making of Double Fine's game Broken Age, which Terrence scored, here.   Conversation Topics: music, video games, electronic, programming, Midwest, Cincinnati, Portland, collaboration, creativity, inspiration.   Songs 0:00 - Cobalt Blue 7:03 - Sun Bleach 14:02 - Drown in Thirst 22:45 - Forgotten Tea 29:29 - Chloroplast Skin 40:55 - Warm Cobblestone 50:24 - Paper Pete 59:38 - Breadtime 1:02:20 - Sunquake   If you wou

Jessica is actually the very first poet, nonetheless female poet, that I ever spoke with about being on the show. Her episode is finally here. Her poetry arcs across the span of her life and loves. It is intimate, it is 1st person, it is inherently close to the chest, but available to be seen. Jessica has led an already storied life and she recounts it, in both her poetry and our conversation, earnestly and with humor, even in the face of tragedy. The poems on today's show appeared in Jessica's first book, The Last Exotic Petting Zoo, and her just released second collection, What Makes An Always.  Find out more about these books, as well as how to get your own at Tayen Lane Publishing.  Find out more about Jessica's scholarship fund here, and contact her for her writing expertise and services here.  Conversation Topics: poetry, writing, art, literature, Toni Morrison, reading, beginnings, novels, Oregon, race, racism, Cherokee, Native Americans, Indians, home, process, marriage, family, tradition, India, Char

Jessica Tyner's poem "Genetically Isolated Since the Ice Age."  It first appeared in her book, The Last Exotic Petting Zoo. You can purchase the book here. Her 2nd book, What Makes An Always, is also forthcoming from the same press, Tayen Lane Publishing.  More of her poetry and our conversation will be available tomorrow on episode #22.   Music by Zhalih Kidswaste   Follow the show Facebook Twitter Instagram

Jeanne Henry is the show's first female poet, and today we hear seven of her poems. On display is her ability to make the ordinary angles and objects of cities conscious and aware and judging. Her poetry is very rooted in its sense of place; it could be mistaken for a sense of doom, but the people in her poems seem aware of where they are and their dilemmas, and are striving to live beyond them.  Find more of Jeanne's work at: www.papermaw.wordpress.com Her poetry has appeared in Prick of the Spindle, Banango Street, Brickplight, Found Poetry Review, and the Josephine Quarterly among others.    Conversation Topics: NYC, New York, poetry, poems, writing, storytelling, moving, California, weather, mental illness, family, conversation, interview, art, reading, literature.    Intro & Outro music MUSH   Other music Ludwig Danson Kidswaste   If you would like to submit ficiton, non-fiction, poetry or other narrative writing between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the sh

Episode #21 with seven of Jeanne's poems as well as our conversation will be here Monday, the 8th.  Find more of Jeanne's work at www.papermaw.wordpress.com Follow her on twitter @papermaw   Music by MUSH - song = "Omnislash" Lifeformed - song = "Cobalt Blue"   If you would like to submit fiction, non-fiction, poetry or any other narrative writing to the show between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show Facebook Twitter Instagram

Nathan is the now show's 4th poet. His work is concerned with humanity's place in nature and what we mean to one another. In its examination of these broad and even ancient themes, it still manages to find the small and the personal, the concerns of the human.  Find more of Nathan's work at his website.  Find his music here and on his SoundCloud.  His poetry as appeared in Voicemail Poems, OCHO Journal, Potluck Magazine, Souvenir, and is forthcoming in Powderkeg Magazine and Big Big Wednesday.    The poems of today's show: 4:52 - Dismantled 12:36 - Unexplored Unexplored 18:40 - Sick Sense (Read by Nathan) 25:00 - A Black Rat 31:00 - Kindling (Read by Nathan) 37:25 - Fragrant Cloud   42:00 - Summon Summer Storms   Conversation Topics: writing, poetry, songwriting, literature, shaman, spirituality, religion, politics, being political, queer, inspiration, nature, environment.    Music by  ludwig danson Intro & Outro Themes by MUSH   If you would like to submit writing to the show between 1,000 and 4,000 word

More of Nathan's poetry can be found at his website. This poem, "I Speak Abyssal Animals," was originally published at Potluck Magazine. Seven more of Nathan's poems as well as our 35 minute conversation will be available Monday, the 18th.  You can follow Nathan on twitter @purry_ and hear the music he performs under the name Purrbot.    Muisc by ludwig danson Kidswaste   If you would like to submit fiction, non-fiction, or poetry between 1,000 and 4,000 words, send it to the show at: unknownwordspodcast@gmail.com   Follow the show Facebook Twitter  Instagram