Well, it's the week of Mike's birthday in the month of Ad Hominem's birthday, so the time's ripe for reflecting. Twenty-five days old and we're not doing too bad. We've been blessed with poems from Andrew McFadyen-Ketchum, Jeanne Larsen, and Brittany Mason, not to mention a short story by Eleanor Levine, all of whom are artists that have been through their knocks and have much more prestigious necks of the woods in which to showcase their work. We are humbled and grateful!

And then, of course, there's Paul Curreri. If you can imagine picking your favorite song on the radio and e-mailing someone saying, "Hey, wanna chat?" only to have them actually write back, well, it's almost surreal now that I think of it.

And we're just getting started. Michael Keenan will grace us with his poem, "The First Autumn" this Wednesday, closing out October and making one helluva opening month. So thanks to all of you for your support, for your likes/diggs/reddits etc, for putting up with my constant facebook updates, and, well, for being you. There are simply too many wonderful artists out there that simply don't get enough attention, and for our small part, we'll do what we can to keep the word out and alive.

If you happen to be in the DC area tonight, there's no better time to check out Sabbath Night in the Church of the Piranha. Edward Falco, the author, will be sticking around after the show to chat for a while. It's going to be a good time!

Today, acclaimed poet Jeanne Larsen releases her latest endeavor, Why We Make Gardens, a collection of poems that Molly Peacock lauds as both “luscious” and “incisive,” and R. H. W. Dillard describes not only as clever and wise, but as gardens in which “to wander again and again with wonder and renewal.”

Of course, here at Ad Hominem we immediately noticed that many of the poems were just plain sexy. The collection contains a poem called “Garden of Sex II.” Interpret that as you will.

Along the way, Jeanne Larsen explores the full depth of the human (botanical?) experience: creation, and compromise, and triumph, and shopping malls. And she explores it all through beautiful, meticulous language. And there are two sex garden poems. Two of them.

Read "Paradise Garden"

If I were able to go to see Sabbath Night in the Church of the Piranha, I'd definitely consider going October 22. The reason? Ed will be there, after the show, to talk a little about the play. More information about this event can be found here.


In other news, it looks like I'm going to be able to send someone up to review the performance. More on this, soon.

Edward Falco writes amazing, character-driven fiction that just happens to be some of my favorite work, and sometimes that fiction is brought to life on the stage. It just so happens that Sabbath Night in the Church of the Piranha is playing now at the Waddell Theater in Sterling, VA, so if you happen to be in the neighborhood, I promise it's worth your time to go check it out.

http://www.goldstar.com/events/sterling-va/sabbath-night-in-the-church-of-the-piranha.html

Ad Hominem has found its look (it's v.1 look, at least) and will officially launch at the end of the week.