Podcasts and poems and stuff

"Greater Tigray, extending roughly from Alexandria to Kampala..."

I discussed the Ethiopian conflict with Henok Elias and the Ukraine situation with Pete Quinones. The latter episode is more serious. The former is more intoxicated.

(Some of our readers may be “effective altruists”—have they ever considered that the real effective altruism would be contributing to, or even fighting for, the freedom-loving freedom fighters of the TPLF (Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front)—whose battle for democracy is, in a way, a battle for all humanity? Think about it, friends.)

And for those who like that sort of thing, more verse is over at Imperial Melodies… it’s probably not my best. But not my worst either.

Yes, all those who have submitted to the Passage Prize—I am reading your shit. It is good. Well, a surprising amount of it is good—I was planning to have to hold back the prize this year, in case no one sent in anything good. Even with only 400 entries, it already feels like I’m going to find three or even four poems I think are actually good.

I’m kidding, of course—a lot of them are actually good. We have talked about picking 20 or so finalists, which is an insane hit rate for a free open contest with a real prize…