Arts Calling Jaime Alejandro Cruz

Weekly Shoutout:
Cruznotes is back! One email a month to bring you everything happening across the cruzfolio network, join Jaime's secret newsletter here: cruzfolio.com/cruznotes.

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Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling author Lee Upton! (www.leeupton.com)

About our guest: Lee Upton’s comic novel Tabitha, Get Up is forthcoming in May 2024. Another novel, a literary mystery, will be out in May 2025. Her books include her seventh collection of poetry, The Day Every Day Is (Saturnalia Books 2023), two short story collections, a novella, four books of literary criticism, and an essay collection. Her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, and Southern Review, as well as three editions of Best American Poetry. She is the recipient of the Pushcart Prize, the National Poetry Series Award, Poetry Society of America awards, the Miami University Novella Prize, the Open Book Award, the Saturnalia Book Prize, and other honors. www.leeupton.com

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Lee! All the best!

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TABITHA, GET UP is forthcoming May 22nd, 2024 from Sagging Meniscus Press, is now available for pre-order: https://bookshop.org/p/books/tabitha-get-up-lee-upton/21257767

ABOUT TABITHA, GET UP: Tabitha is a lonely fifty-year-old biographer who, in order to restore her self-respect and pay her rent, attempts to write two biographies simultaneously: one about an actor so famous his face is on the side of buses, and the other about a popular writer of children’s books recently outed as an author of erotic fiction. Is Tabitha ready to deal with interviewing an actor so handsome and charismatic she thinks he should be bottled and sprayed on belligerent people as a form of crowd control? Can she form a genuine friendship with a cult novelist who pressures her to compromise her values? While facing these and other challenges, Tabitha is bedeviled by memories of her long-ago divorce and the terrible wedding when, accidentally bumped on a balcony, she shot off into the shrubbery. Is it true, she wonders, that there’s probably a dead body beneath the floating rot of any marriage? When surrounded by pretentious beautiful people does it help to imagine their intestines are full of worms? Are champagne bubbles the devil’s air pockets? Is it ever too late to change your life—from the bottom up?

NOTICES:
“For starters, Lee Upton’s novel Tabitha, Get Up is funny—really, really funny. On top of that, narrator Tabitha’s clumsy, desperate, charming search for human connection—not to mention a paying gig—is also a serious look at whether it’s possible to bluff and hustle a life together. You’re going to love this book.”
—David Ebenbach, author of The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy

“Tabitha, Get Up is another remarkable book by the irrepressible Lee Upton, a novel that might remind you of the work of some of our finest living comic novelists—Elizabeth McCracken, Jincy Willett, Elizabeth McKenzie—but in the end is a book only Upton herself could have written. Its protagonist, Tabitha, is a glorious piece of work: a biographer with a feverish mind and a long list of antagonists and an indomitable spirit and an unforgettable voice and major money problems. I wouldn’t want anyone to live her life, but I very much want everyone to read her book. It’s Lee Upton’s best, funniest, and most ingenious work of fiction yet. Which is to say, it’s the best, funniest, most ingenious work of fiction you’ll read this year, and most other years, too.” —Brock Clarke, author of Who Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? and I, Grape

“There is no form of the novel. The novel has no form. The novel takes no form. The novel takes forms. It is a voracious form, the novel. Tabitha, Get Up, Lee Upton’s comely new novel, presents as a series of exquisite “Notes,” and thus a “Notebook,” a book of Notes, to self, to random others, to you who finds them. A compendium of memorandums makes up the meat of t

Weekly Shoutout: cruzfolio.com/now!

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Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling writer and editor C.M. Crockford! (www.cmcrockford.net)

About our guest: C.M. Crockford is the author of the full-length collection Birdsongs (Alien Buddha Press, 2024) as well as two chapbooks, Mark The Place (Thirty West Publishing, 2020) and Adore (Iron Lung Press, 2018). His essays, poetry, and fiction have been featured in The Cleveland Review of Books, Abducted Cow Magazine, CineSPEAK Journal, Vastarien, Serotonin Poetry, and Vast Chasm Magazine among many others. He also co-hosted The Barn: A Podcast About The Shield alongside Mason Maguire. Otherwise, Crockford reads crime fiction, collects punk badges and stim toys, and lives in Philadelphia with his cat Wally.

Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/cm_crockford/

https://twitter.com/cm_crockford

BIRDSONGS, now available from Alien Buddha Press:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CV5X9RCB/

ABOUT BIRDSONGS:
"Birdsongs: Poems 2020-2023" by C.M. Crockford is a mesmerizing collection that transcends the boundaries of language to immerse readers in a kaleidoscope of emotions. Crockford's evocative verses paint vibrant landscapes where desire, resilience, and nostalgia take flight like free-spirited birds. From the raw intensity of "Animal" to the reflective echoes of "Winter's Visit," this book invites you on a poetic journey through the intricate melodies of life. With each poem, Crockford unveils a world where nature, love, and societal reflections blend seamlessly, creating a symphony of words that resonate long after the final verse. "Birdsongs" is an enchanting testament to the power of poetry, capturing the essence of existence with a grace that is both timeless and profoundly relevant.

In Birdsongs, C.M. Crockford gives us poems that take flight—but expect turbulence. This collection soars through sweaty basements, punk bars, and the harsh realities of contemporary life. With accessible language and animalistic passion, readers will find that these poems “hum hungry energy” and trill with biting candor.

—Adam Gianforcaro, author of Every Living Day (Thirty West Publishing House, 2023)

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, C.M.! All the best!

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Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent.

Much love,

j

Weekly Shoutout: My Bad Poetry Podcast!

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Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling Court Ludwick! (www.courtlud.com).

About our guest:
Court Ludwick is the author of These Strange Bodies (ELJ Editions, 2024) and the founding editor-in-chief of Broken Antler Magazine. Her writing has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize, and can be found in Denver Quarterly, Stonecoast Review, Necessary Fiction, Oxford Magazine, Full House Literary, West Trade Review, and elsewhere. Court’s art has shown at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, and she has visual work forthcoming in Zaum Magazine, Bleating Thing Magazine, and body fluids. She is the recipient of a 2024 Sioux Falls Arts Council Artist Grant, and she has taught workshops on hybrid writing and experimental form, most recently for The Dakota Writing Project and Vermillion Literacy Project. Court has an MA from Texas Tech University and is a current PhD student at the University of South Dakota, where she teaches literature and composition. Find Court on socials @courtludwick. Find more of Court’s writing and art on www.courtlud.com.

Socials:
https://www.instagram.com/courtludwick

https://twitter.com/courtludwick

https://www.brokenantlermag.com

THESE STRANGE BODIES, A memoir-in-fragments, is forthcoming from ELJ Editions in September 2024: https://elj-editions.com/these-strange-bodies

About THESE STRANGE BODIES:
Court Ludwick’s These Strange Bodies is an intimate account of two tumultuous years and a clarifying dissection of how the female body exists in public and social spaces that are rooted in gendered and sexual violence. Composed of essays, prose poems, and the occasional experiment, this memoir-in-fragments navigates sexual assault, a mother’s arrest, a panic disorder diagnosis, a breakup, a stream of new lovers, a flirtation with stimulant drugs, and the ups and downs of trying to let it all go. As the collection grapples with memory’s fragmentary nature, past and present collide on the page. And as Ludwick charts the difficulty of filling in the gaps, threads blending cultural critique, human anatomy, poetry, and personal narrative expose the strange acts historically forced on bodies, the estrangement one can experience from their body, and the strangeness that is felt when trying to find a way through all this chaos, through all this strange.

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Court! All the best!

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Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent.

Much love,

j

Weekly Shoutout: Maria C. Palmer Arts Calling Episode 109!

Hi there,

Today I am so excited to be arts calling co-authors Maria C. Palmer & Ruthie Robbins!

About our guests:

Maria Costanzo Palmer is an author and grant writer. Growing up as the oldest child of an award-winning restaurateur, Maria unexpectedly became a daughter of the incarcerated. This experience ignited an interest in working for Get on the Bus, a nonprofit dedicated to uniting children with their incarcerated parents. A former host on L.A. Talk Radio, Maria was recently featured on Food and Beverage Magazine Live and has made a number of media appearances. You can find Maria on FB and IG @joecostanzoprimadonna and on Twitter @mariacpalmer. For more information, visit www.mariacpalmer.com.

Ruthie Robbins is an award-winning educator who worked for the Montour School District in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA, and for Johns Hopkins University Talent Development Secondary. Ruthie grew up in "The Rocks" but now teaches English Language Arts and music in Buffalo, New York. Best known as co-creator of a popular interdisciplinary unit for Pittsburgh's Kennywood Park, Ruthie is currently working on other books and is preparing to launch The Writing Factory Online, a comprehensive writing program for middle schools.

On the Rocks, now available: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C678ZVSV

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mariacpalmer

Maria and Ruthie: Thanks for this wonderful conversation! All the best!

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Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent.

Much love,

j

Weekly Shoutout: Arcade Bookshop Podcast!

What did you think of the episode? Send Jaime a message!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling author and coach Heather G. Marshall! (heathergmarshall.com)

About our Guest:
Heather G. Marshall is an adoptee, author, speaker, teacher, coach, and traveler. Her short fiction has been published in a variety of journals, including Black Middens: New Writing Scotland, and Quarried, an anthology of the best of three decades of Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel. Her first novel, The Thorn Tree, released in 2014 (MP Publishing). Her TED talk, “Letting Go of Expectations,” centers around her adoption and reunion. Originally from Scotland, Heather is currently based in Massachusetts. heathergmarshall.com

WHEN THE OCEAN FLIES, now available from Vine Leaves Press!
https://bookshop.org/p/books/when-the-ocean-flies-heather-g-marshall/20885419

About WHEN THE OCEAN FLIES:
An email from a stranger tells Alison Earley that her natural father, whom she has known for only six years, has died suddenly. What begins as a short trip back to Scotland for a funeral soon becomes a journey that puts adoption, sexuality, and identity on a collision course as Alison finds herself caught between the life and family she has so carefully constructed on one continent and the family from which she was taken on another. Shunned by her father's family, reunited with her natural mother, and reconnected with a long-lost love, Alison finds herself trying to shepherd her youngest child towards college while questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. When her natural mother uncovers a series of letters written to Alison from the grandmother she never knew, resurrecting the stories of generations of women-stories long buried by patriarchal rule-Alison realizes that she must find the courage to face and reveal the secrets of her own past. At what cost, though? And who and what will be left in the aftermath?
When the Ocean Flies explores the pain of separation and abuse, and the power of love to heal even over huge gaps in time and geographical distance.

Letting Go of Expectations, Heather's Ted Talk, now available here:
https://heathergmarshall.com/books-and-writing/letting-go-of-expectations/

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Heather! All the best!

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Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent. Much love,

j

https://artscalling.com

Weekly Shoutout: Arcade Bookshop Podcast!

What did you think of the episode? Send Jaime a message!

Hi there,

Today I am excited to be arts calling singer/songwriter Sam Chue! washingtonesrecords.com

About our Guest: Sam Chue, local outsider singer-songwriter plays a mix of his newest songs and a few tunes from the past. He has been playing original music in Bellingham and out of his car throughout the i-90 corridor since 2007 and he brings a refreshing spin to the folk genre.

Naegle Fowleri (IG @naeglefowleri) is the bassist and sometimes singer of the virtual band, howling brave. Listen to the episode to learn more about this mystery.

Washingtones Records is a Bellingham, Washington-based independent record label that goes the extra mile to empower artists that deserve a bigger audience. Sam Chue and Tim Mechling started Washingtones out of necessity. After a few releases of their own, they discovered a serious and surprising lack of music reviews, features, representation and media for independent artists. We’re dedicated to bringing physical and digital media to the northwest of the northwest. Independent music deserves your undivided attention. We always fight for the underdog.

Instagram: @washingtonesrecords | Facebook: @washingtonesrecords | YouTube: @WashingtonesRecords | TikTok @washingtonesrecords

Thanks for this wonderful conversation, Sam! All the best!

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Arts Calling is produced by Jaime Alejandro (cruzfolio.com). If you like the show: leave a review, or share it with someone who's starting their creative journey! Your support truly makes a difference! Go make a dent. Much love,

j

https://artscalling.com