Books

In “A Body in Motion,” Melissa Flores Anderson explores questions of identity, health and family while challenging the traditional form of narrative nonfiction.

With “The Patient Pushes Back,” the title piece “A Body in Motion” and “By the Numbers,” Flores Anderson examines health care, medical treatment of women and minorities, and body politics in three razor sharp essays that share vulnerable personal histories with just a touch of humor.

“Microfiche,” “Lemon,” “They Don’t Come Back” and “Another Scandinavian” expand into the lens of ethnic identity, family and motherhood with that same mix of soft and sharp edges.

“Multiverse Melissa” and “Bloom” are a perfect juxtaposition to close out the collection as the author imagines what her life could have been in the first before finding peace in who she is in the last.

"Clowning Around," a short story collection by Melissa Martini, invites readers into a whimsical world filled with eccentric characters and unique relationships. Published by JAKE, this collection comprises five pieces that delve into the lives of clowns and those entwined with them.

In "Blown Out Blush," Martini explores the intricate friendship and romantic undertones between Antoinetta and Madeleine, two circus clowns. "Clown Emoji & A Black Heart" takes readers on a journey through the peculiar love story of Kelsey and Mikey, revealing Mikey's unconventional daily choice of wearing clown facepaint.

"Something About The Ocean," a nominee for Best of the Net by Plork Press, delves into the relationship between a children's birthday clown named Ellie and the Rockford family, unraveling her unique bond with Mr. Rockford. "Clown Hunting" explores the mysterious and somewhat chilling world of clown hunting and a narrator entangled with their clown hunting brother, Jonah.

Closing the collection is "Sleeping With The Fishes," an exploration of family dynamics surrounding a clownfish adoption and a baby raccoon attending Thanksgiving. "Clowning Around" is a delightful assortment of short stories that captivates with its whimsy and emotional depth.

So.

This book was written on the Notes app on my phone over the course of twenty or so headaches. See, I get these awful headaches: for hours or days at a time, it feels like my face and my head are trying to burst apart from each other. It can get pretty bleak.

Meanwhile, everyday we are making the world an uglier, stupider, more horrible place to live, and the time we have left seems like it’s going to be short and bad. With that in mind but while trying to remain a hopeful sort, I’ve decided that it’s still worthwhile to make an effort. So, now I write even when I most vehemently didn’t feel like it: in the thrum and disquiet of chronic/repetitive pain. And that’s this book—a little weather balloon of guarded optimism into whatever is out there.

These are my headache poems: a disharmonious collection of things I see and think about during a fairly normal life in a medium-sized American city, written when I mostly feel at my worst. I hope you like them, but if you hate them, that’s okay, too. Either way, I love you, thanks for reading them, and if you ever see me out and can show me the receipt on your phone to prove that you bought the book, I’ll buy you a Guinness.

The world is such a wonderful, terrible place.

Published by JAKE, Poems of Color is an intimate exploration of the young Black Jamaican-American experience. Told with rawness and tenderness, the collection explores issues of police violence, slavery, and racial passing, among others. "i am imploring you to love" Willow urges their readers, which shines through in their writing -- a sober yet hopeful ode to the beauty of Black identity, through a clear-eyed acknowledging of suffering that nevertheless concludes with a firm commitment to Black self and community love.