surveillance: close observation, especially of a suspected spy or criminal state: 1 the particular condition that someone or something is in at a specific time; [in singular] (a state) an agitated or anxious condition. 2 a nation or territory considered as an organized political… Read more »
White 1 resembling a surface reflecting sunlight without absorbing any of the visible rays; of the color of milk or fresh snow. 2 approaching such a color; pale esp. in the face. 3 less dark than other things of the same kind. Noise 1… Read more »
Kathleen McClung, recipient of the 2012 Rita Dove Poetry Award and author of Almost the Rowboat (Finishing Line Press 2013), will read at the Hygienic Art Galleries on Thursday, June 6 at 7pm. Kathleen writes across genres. Her poetry, fiction, and memoir appear… Read more »
Seraphemera Books and their Garbanzo Literary Journal (a handmade journal, full of the writings of forty-four authors from around the world), in conjunction with independent bookseller Byrd’s Books (Byrd’s Books is an advertiser on The Mercurial) and local coffeehouse Molten Java, are excited to… Read more »
real adjective actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed : Julius Caesar was a real person | a story drawing on real events | her many illnesses, real and imaginary. • used to emphasize the significance or… Read more »
On April 23, 25,000 volunteers from Berkeley to Boston and Sitka to Sarasota will give away half a million free books in more than 6,000 towns and cities across the country. World Book Night U.S. is an ambitious campaign to give thousands of… Read more »
small beer noun 1 chiefly Brit. a thing that is considered unimportant : even with $10,000 to invest, you are still small beer for most stockbrokers. 2 archaic weak beer. Small beer – another way to say no big deal, small potatoes, mole… Read more »
sequester verb [ trans. ] 1 isolate or hide away (someone or something) : Tiberius was sequestered on an island | the artist sequestered himself in his studio for two years. •2 take legal possession of (assets) until a debt has been paid or… Read more »
It’s always interesting when an instance of pop culture or slang cements itself into our dictionaries. Some recent notables include “f-bomb,” “man cave,” and “sexting.” Today’s Word of the Monday can be credited to A.A. Milne, the author of the 1920s Winnie-the-Pooh series. His lovable,… Read more »
Award-winning author Sergio Troncoso, the son of Mexican immigrants who grew up on the outskirts of El Paso, will speak at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Thursday, April 4. Troncoso draws on his life experience for many of his works – From This Wicked… Read more »
The nation’s third largest school system, Illinois’ Chicago Public Schools (CPS), seems to be in the news a lot these days. Because of budget issues, CPS has recently planned to shut down 61 school buildings, affecting more than 30,000 kids – mostly students in… Read more »
Howdy folks! I’ll be serving you up tasty Words of the Monday because your Monday is exactly one word short. Always. So we’re going to fix that with duct tape and dictionary.com, pal(s). The Word of the Monday is: xanadu noun. A… Read more »
“You sure it’s safe here?” Russel asked as the elevator doors pinched shut behind him and his son. Their well-dressed host turned and lifted his arm to indicate the wide hallway walled with polished oak and the opulent penthouse suite spread out beyond… Read more »
Oneiroparonomastician noun An Englishman writing about an Irishman, who was without doubt one of the great literary influences of the twentieth century, and all centuries for that matter, coined one of the more interesting words I’ve come across. “Oneiroparonomastician,” or “dream-pun-namer,” is… Read more »
Fang kept her hands low and steady, wondering if the martial arts or whatever she had done at to the guards and the men who had tried to take her would kick in. She didn’t feel any sudden impulses to whip around and chop… Read more »
British painter William Hogarth is known for being the most honest artist of 18th century. His depictions of so-called “modern moral subjects” were crude, yet nothing was capable of capturing the repugnant reality of East London in more vivid detail. Hogarth’s portrayal of the… Read more »
The Gaggle: How the Men You Know Will Help You Find the Love You Want, a self-help book on dating, relationships, and love by Jessica Massa, casts off traditional dating myths and lore by offering a guide on how to view and inhabit what… Read more »
For those of you that have forgotten or are too young to remember, MTV (formerly Music Television; they changed it to MTV a few years ago) was a network consisting almost solely of music videos, music-related programming, and not much else. As the many,… Read more »
Centuries ago, brewers discovered the potential of an unassuming flower growing on vines. Now, it’s nearly impossible to find a beer without hops, which is why Brewers Publications tapped beer and homebrewing expert Stan Hieronymus to pen For the Love of Hops: The Practical Guide to… Read more »
1. SURREALISM, MEXICAN HANGOVER CURES, AND CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SURREALIST POETRY Andre Breton said: “Existence is elsewhere.” He also said: “I believe in the pure Surrealist joy of the man who, forewarned that all others before him have failed, refuses to admit… Read more »
Seems distant to believe We grow anymore Just endure velvet Stars in a moonless night Write living Focus my energy for attitude To change to grow Vicious moments lost in time And I awake everyday On a mattress with no sheet In the soft… Read more »
A satirical work of fiction… SETTING – A Stamford dive bar during the day. AT RISE – Heavy metal band Pink Missile is auditioning for some city officials. The song is finishing up: “CONNECTICUT TO HOLLYWOOD, SO WHO WILL BE THERE?!?!?!?!” … Read more »
Hush. He is just a boy sitting in a cave. Round, a rough and dark pyrite. A crack in the entrance letting in a weak light. Jagged bits in the mineral wall glow matte, from black to the deepest undersea blue. The kind… Read more »
If you’re addicted to “Gangland” reruns, Under and Alone (2005) is the book for you. Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearems and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent William Queen tells the story of going undercover in the vicious SoCal Mongol biker gang, rising through the ranks to become a fully patched… Read more »
“We’re going to need some money if we expect to survive like this for more than a few days.” Sky held the cab’s yellow door open as Fang climbed out. “Since when did cabs get so expensive?” Fang glanced past him. The suburban… Read more »