This is the unedited transcript of Dr. Cobb’s interview. The edited version is printed in the Long River Review’s physical copy. Dr. William Jelani Cobb is a nationally-known intellectual who has written books, essays, and anthologies on everything from the history of hip-hop to the Cold War to racism and…
An Interview with Carl Phillips, Poet and Professor by Sten Spinella (2016)
I only had 30 minutes to speak to poet Carl Phillips, which was just enough time to access his worldview, yet a woefully insufficient amount of time to truly get at the thickness of his poetry. It was by far the friendliest interview I have ever conducted. Phillips was flexible…
Summer Reading List for People Who Love to be Sad by Kate Monica
“’I don’t like happy people,’ Andrew said.” —Tao Lin, Eeeee Eee Eeeee Are you looking for a light summer read to perfectly complement a languorous afternoon on the beach working on your tan? Then this list probably isn’t a great fit. Just kidding. Sort of. You can read these books…
On Letting Go of Favorite Books by Rebecca Nelson
I have a bad habit of latching on to books that have had a great impact on me. There are shelves of books in my bedroom that I’ve read at least once, most of them three times or more. I also have a bookcase full of books I’ve never read,…
Make It A Big Deal: An Interview with Matvei Yankelevich by Carleton Whaley (2016)
Matvei Yankelevich is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Ugly Duckling Presse, which he started in the late 1990’s with a group of friends. He designs and edits books for UDP, curates the Eastern European Poets Series (since 2002), and co-edits 6×6 magazine (since 2000). He shares duties as UDP’s Co-Executive Director with…
An Interview with Novelist and Short Story Writer Laura van den Berg by Carleton Whaley (2016)
Laura van den Berg is a short story writer and novelist known for her collections What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us and The Isle of Youth, as well as her debut novel Find Me, which was listed as a “Best of 2015” by NPR,…
Exigency in Writing: CAConrad in Providence by Nicholas DiBenedetto
“A security guard asked, ‘What the fuck are YOU DOING?’ I replied, ‘I’M A POLLINATOR, I’M A POLLINATOR!!’” — CAConrad “Security Cameras and Flowers Dreaming the Elevation Allegiance” On the evening of Friday, April 22, I found myself driving a car full of undergraduates to Ada Books in Providence, Rhode…
On writing the teenage character by Asiya Haouchine
People give J.D. Salinger too much flak about his ability to write when it comes to Holden Caulfield of Salinger’s most famous novel, The Catcher in the Rye. When adults (and students) complain about Holden and discuss how annoying he is, I get why they might think that—Holden is whiny…
Deciphering DIAGRAM with Ander Monson by Allison McLellan and Alexandra Cichon (2016)
DIAGRAM is an online magazine that, as its name suggests, stands out in the unique use of obscure diagrams and schematics accompanying written works displayed in refreshing, innovative ways, including fiction, poetry, and comics. Although the magazine stands out by charging new ground, I find I cannot try to sum…
Revolutionizing Literature: Literary Magazines and the Digital Age by Alexandra Cichon
In the wee hours of the morning, with the DIAGRAM magazine tab open in my browser, I surf the magazine’s current issue, absorbing each pixel of avant-garde poems and clicking rapidly between diagrams. Besides my unequivocal love for the concept DIAGRAM pushes—“odd but good”— oozing from the crisp white and…