Today we want to thank some of the literary advocates of 2014. By no means is this meant to be a definitive, complete, or authoritative list, but simply a selection of certain individuals that the Entropy community would like to spotlight for their efforts in advocating for literature, poetry, indie lit, small press culture, and/or experimental writing.
In no particular order:
1. Douglas Kearney. A name familiar to many, Douglas Kearney is a force to be reckoned with. His energy is abundant and perhaps never-ending. His enthusiasm for poetry and literature is unmatched, and he is, perhaps one of the most generous individuals on the scene. Website / NPR / Patter / Rumpus
2. Dorothea Lasky. Dorothea is a brilliant poet, but also an educator, editor, and one of those energetic bunnies that always seem to be bustling with enthusiasm. Of her writing, Tim Lockridge said, “Lasky, pushing aside the hip tendencies of our literary moment, writes from the place where poetry started: A genuine need to communicate emotion, to speak to our most human tendencies.” Website / Poetry is Not a Project / Twitter / LARB
3. Scott Esposito. Scott Esposito is involved in more projects than we can count (The Quarterly Conversation, Conversational Reading, Two Lines Press, Center for the Art of Translation). He’s a great essayist and critic, but also an untiring advocate for works in translation, great literature, film, criticism, and more. Twitter / The White Review / The Quarterly Conversation / Conversational Reading
4. Antena: Jen Hofer & John Pluecker. Jen Hofer and John Pluecker are both talented poets and translators, but their project Antena takes some of their interests to another level. They describe their project: “Antena is a language justice and language experimentation collaborative. Antena does writing, art- and book-making, translating, interpreting, and language justice. Antena views aesthetic practice as part and parcel of language justice work. Antena explores how critical views on language can help us to reimagine and rearticulate the worlds we inhabit.” Antena / Michigan Quarterly Review / Blaffer
5. TC Tolbert. Another one of those writers who somehow manages a writing life, a personal life, and then 17 other ones. He edits at Trickhouse & The Feminist Wire, is founder of transgender youth empowerment workshop series Made For Flight, co-editor (with Tim Trace Peterson) of Troubling the Line, the first-ever collection of poetry by trans and genderqueer writers, and Assistant Director at Casa Libre (founded by Kristen E. Nelson, whom we also love!). Website / Gephyromania / The Feminist Wire / Made for Flight
6. Cathy Park Hong. Cathy is an award-winning poet and writer. From an interview: “I think of political action as looking forward, whereas language in poetry, since it’s such a glacial process anyways, is an act of reflection rather than an instrument for forward-thinking change.” Website / Poetry Foundation / Lana Turner
7. Kevin Sampsell. Kevin Sampsell manages to occupy every side of writing as an editor, publisher, bookstore employee, author, and of course, advocate. Website / Future Tense Books / Twitter
8. Dena Rash Guzman. Dena is a fantastic champion for feminism and a general advocate for literature across Twitter, Facebook, Luna Luna Mag, & elsewhere. Twitter / Luna Luna / Ink Node
9. Chiwan Choi. Chiwan is a poet and major figure in the Los Angeles indie lit scene. Most recently, with this Writ Large Press partners Judeth Oden Choi, Peter Woods, and Jessica Ceballos, he coordinated the phenomenal, insane, and seemingly impossible project #90for90, a series of 90 literary events over 90 consecutive nights. Website / Writ Large Press / LA Weekly / Cultural Weekly
10. Porochista Khakpour. Porochista Khakpour is a critically acclaimed writer, novelist, and essaylist. This year saw the release of her second novel, The Last Illusion. Find all over the place, on the internet, and at festivals, readings, & events around the country. Website / The Last Illusion / Twitter
11. Dennis Cooper. Dennis Cooper undoubtedly continues to be a tremendous influence on younger writers. He continues to advocate heavily for the weird and the experimental at his literary blog. Blog / Website / Wikipedia / Paris Review
12. Diana Arterian. Diana is poet and editor (Noemi Press, Ricochet), and hugely energetic organizer of readings in LA and all-around literary advocate. Website / Ricochet / Noemi Press / Tumblr
13. Harold Abramowitz & Amanda Ackerman. The co-founders of Eohippus Labs, Harold & Amanda share their talents and energy with the literary community through countless curations, events, literary happenings, collaborations, and most recently, co-organized Open Press in Los Angeles with Les Figues Press, The Poetic Research Bureau, and Insert Blanc Press. Eohippus / Open Press / Amanda @ Harriet / Jacket2
14. CA Conrad. The author of numerous collections and energetic literary advocate who seems to constantly be floating from city-to-city spreading his love for poetry, Eileen Myles has written, “[CAConrad] always argues (from the inside of his poems) for a poetry of radical inclusivity while keeping a very queer shoulder to the wheel. His kind of queerness strikes me as nonpolarizing, not intentionally but because of the fullness of his exposition, a kind of gigantism that seems to me to be most deeply informed by love, and a tenderness for the ravages and tumult of existence.” Blog / Poets.org / Wave Books / (Soma)tic Poetry Rituals
15. Roxane Gay. Roxane Gay is perhaps a superhero, managing to write countless books, essays, articles and remain omnipresent online. A critical and necessary voice in the contemporary writing scene. Twitter / Website / Bad Feminist / The Butter
16. Gene Morgan & Blake Butler. The creators of an internet literary legacy. Thanks to Gene for his concentrated efforts managing HTMLGIANT and to Blake for his inspiration, plus the countless other ways his writing embeds itself on the internet. HTMLGIANT / Fanzine / BB @ Vice / Gene’s Twitter / Blake’s Twitter
17. Penina Roth. Penina Roth is a writer and literary enthusiast, and most recently the founder of the tremendous and diverse Franklin Park Reading Series in NY. Twitter / Franklin Park Reading Series / Forward / Brooklyn Based
18. Prageeta Sharma. A brilliant poet and thinker, and recently, co-organizer of the Thinking Its Presence: The Racial Imaginary, A Conference on Race, Creative Writing, & Literary Study. “Poems, Sharma asserts, are “places in which you can actually take ideas on, and figure out how they can be inhabited.” Poetry Foundation / Undergloom / Willow Springs / Thinking Its Presence / Jacket2
(As a side note, we also want to thank the many nominations for Entropy editors Michael Seidlinger and Janice Lee as literary advocates this year. We are grateful for the appreciation but in good conscience can’t include ourselves on this list. We love you all too. Now go eat some turkey/tofurkey/ham/cornbread/pumpkin pie!!!)
