The folks at Re-Imagine Magazine were kind enough to publish this essay I wrote about the ways our higher-education system fosters, accelerates but also complicates our abilities to communicate clearly about the issues we find meaningful.
Click here to check it out.
Followers of Liquid Ink, no matter where they find themselves on the planet, can tune in to WGN today, November 10th, at 22:00 CST (GMT -6) to hear me on After Hours with (Chicago radio legend) Rick Kogan. WGN Radio is 720 AM local to Chicago, or you can live stream the station at this link.
I’ll be joined by Kate Wisel, author of Driving in Cars with Homeless Men, described on the book jacket as a love letter to women moving through violence.
Driving in Cars with Homeless Men is available anywhere books are sold. If you happen to be in Chicago, City Lit Books in Logan Square currently has it on the shelf.
Given the topics of Relief by Execution (domestic violence, fascism, genocide and identity collapse) and Kate’s theme of violence against women, this should make for a provocative hour of radio.
Photo of Rick Kogan from the Chicago Help Initiative.
Here’s a link to my October 26th appearance on the Flabby Hoffman Show. I’m at the 3:06:00 mark.
This is Que4 Radio, whose Ukrainian Village, Chicago studios rest in the second floor of a warehouse building. I got to talk to Flabby about, among other things, my favorite Joaquin Phoenix role, PTSD treatment, and my usual topic of collapsing identity.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chicago literary celebrity Ben Tanzer this past Tuesday at the famous Billy Goat tavern. We discussed racism, anti-Semitism, refugee culture, victim mentality, perpetration of atrocities, acts of resistance and paths to convalescence.
The result is this podcast. Hope you’ll check it out.
Photo by Ben Tanzer.
Chicagoans and weekend travelers, be aware: my book launch party is this Saturday, Oct 12th, at 7:00 PM at Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago. The evening will feature Eastern European snacks, a cash bar, and a brief discussion about the process that led to the composition of Relief by Execution. In addition, it will feature the art and music of the absolutely brilliant Constance Volk.
Connie is a painter, illustrator, singer and multi-instrumentalist. She bends boundaries some of us don’t even perceive, and remains among the most open-minded and versatile artists I’ve ever met. Check out her website here.
Her paintings straddle the boundaries of form and chaos, often blending the two into spaces where the line between these apparent poles becomes irrelevant to the experience of the art. I love these paintings:
She’s also a stunningly precise and powerful musician.
Here she is playing flute with Ensemble Del Niente.
Georg Friedrich Haas: In Vain (Ensemble Dal Niente, 02/28/13) from Ensemble Dal Niente on Vimeo.
Here she is singing lead vocals for Vicarious Tool, a Tool tribute band (that uses an electric violin instead of a guitar):
Connie will have recordings and paintings for sale, and she’ll be providing live music for the duration of the evening. I’m sure we’ll hear some fusion between Bach and Slayer, probably played on flute.
Come join us!
I published a pair of essays this week. Along with the launch of my memoir, this equals the highest concentration of new Gint Aras material ever published over the course of a 72-hour period. If you share this news with merchants, you’ll get a coupon for 10% off your next purchase of potatoes. Just say the code “Gint” the next time you’re buying a bag.
LitReactor published this piece about the value a writer can find while digging in dirt. It’s titled Want to Be Radical? Be Sincere. Check it out.
Vilnius Review published this satire about Lithuanian identity. It’s kind of magazine-specific, and uses all sorts of words only Lithuanians will get. However, if you’re interested in questions of diaspora or ethnic identity, you’ll get the point. It’s called Embracing the Beauty of Being Fake. I hope you’ll read and share.
This is a photo of Mexican Amber, just because:
Photo from Wikipedia.
My memoir, Relief by Execution: A Visit to Mauthausen, is now available anywhere book are sold. You can buy it directly from the publisher’s website, or you can order it from your favorite bookstore. The launch party is Saturday, October 12th at 7:00 at Volumes Bookcafe, 1474 N Milwaukee, Chicago, IL.
I hope you’ll check out and share the trailer for the book.
