USEREVIEW 137: Beyond Good and Evil, There are Plants

USEREVIEW 137: Beyond Good and Evil, There are Plants

Jade Wallace traces a genealogy of philosophy and flora, in John Nyman‘s latest full-length poetry collection A Devil Every Day (Palimpsest Press, 2023). ISBN 978-1-990293-46-7  | 88 pp | $19.95 CAD — BUY Here #CAROUSELreviews#USEREVIEWEDNESDAY John Nyman’s sophomore poetry collection A Devil Every Day is a book preoccupied with contemporary incarnations of evil. Several of the poems in the book read like character studies of the Devil, as for instance ‘The Genuine Devil,’ where “The

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July 2023 Reviewer-in-Residence: John Nyman

July 2023 Reviewer-in-Residence: John Nyman

Introducing our July 2023 Reviewer-in-Residence: John Nyman is a poet, critic and book artist from Tkaronto / Toronto. He is the author of A Devil Every Day (Palimpsest Press, 2023), plus book works including an erasure of words and images from the Choose Your Own Adventure series of children’s books (Your Very Own) and a classic text of Lacanian psycho-analysis reprinted in a nearly illegible typeface (The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psycho-analysis: A Selection). Otherwise,

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USEREVIEW 093: Critical Pictures

USEREVIEW 093: Critical Pictures

How can a critic respond to Zane Koss‘ debut collection, Harbour Grids (Invisible Publishing, 2022), which, despite being “a long poem in four parts” is textually, and even visually, sparse, defined as much by absence as by presence? In this experimental review, John Nyman mirrors Koss’ terse and spatial form, in an attempt to approach the text on its own terms — to chart a route for readers through the breakwater and steer us clearly

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CAROUSEL 47 out now!

CAROUSEL 47 out now!

The spring 2022 issue of CAROUSEL is available to read for free at our website now! Spring 2022; released exclusively online Cover artwork + Design by Origin Obscure Featured Artist — Blaise Moritz Fiction — Catherine Austen— Hana Mason— Tusa Shea— T.L. Tomljanovic Poetry — Jeff William Acosta— Faiz Ahmad— Susie Berg— Anna Binkovitz— Domenico Capilongo— Jen Currin— Loisa Fenichell— John Focht— Hollay Ghadery— Robin Gow— Jessie Jones— Daniel Maluka— Emory Rose Conversations — Elee

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USEREVIEW 055: Blowing Up the Book

USEREVIEW 055: Blowing Up the Book

In this tone-hopping traditional review, John Nyman buoyantly takes on the task of facing Paolo Javier’s challenging, genre-blending, Juvenalian poetry-comics hybrid book O.B.B. (Nightboat Books, 2021) featuring art by Alexander Tarampi and Ernest Concepcion. ISBN 978-1-64362-072-5 | 280 pp | $22.95 USD — BUY Here #CAROUSELreviews#USEREVIEWEDNESDAY Many books begin with a question of subject: What is this book about?­ A few, however, demand that we start somewhere even more fundamental: What (even) is this book?

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CAROUSEL 45 out now!

CAROUSEL 45 out now!

The summer 2021 issue of CAROUSEL is available to read for free at our website now! Summer 2021; released exclusively online Cover artwork by Amy Friend Design by Origin Obscure Art Portolio — Amy Friend Fiction — Shaelin Bishop— Dawn Lo— Thaddeus Rutkowski— Isabelle Teo Poetry — Courtney Bates-Hardy— Gregory Betts— Kate Cayley— Natasha Kessler + Adam Day— Annick MacAskill— Jessi MacEachern— Mickey Mahan— Carol Harvey Steski— Bronwen Tate— Carl Watts— Yvonne CHAIN Response Poetry

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USEREVIEW 028: Loss for Words

USEREVIEW 028: Loss for Words

John Nyman parses, calculates and looks for linguistic solutions in this traditional review of Ian Williams’ poetry collection Word Problems (Coach House Books, 2020). ISBN: 978-1-552454145 | 96 pp | $21.95 CAD #CAROUSELreviews#USEREVIEWEDNESDAY Showcasing a wide range of formal experimentation, an obsession with the technical aspects of language and short, often sentimental lyrics voiced by everyperson speakers, Ian Williams’ poetry is driven by postmodern stylistic devices canonically linked to distancing an author’s identity from the

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From the Archive: John Nyman (CAROUSEL 38)

From the Archive: John Nyman (CAROUSEL 38)

JOHN NYMAN For My African Violet Between oscillation and explosion,an iris undone, your graceful fall a flick so swift unhingedand floating: sinkable, the thrust of piling upand the flutter of a tip of a feeler frenzied wanting.Let’s sally down my list: the measurable handshakes,a close furrow (grin to a parasite), chores,a strong caress sent to a friend like you, so in a bright timeI’ll blow further on. • • • Always look at me like

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CAROUSEL 44 — our first online issue — out now!

CAROUSEL 44 — our first online issue — out now!

The winter 2020 issue of CAROUSEL is available to read for free at our website now! Fall 2020; released exclusively online Cover artwork by Chet Bell Design by Origin Obscure Art Portolio — Chet Bell Fiction — Anne Baldo— Timothy DeLizza— Síle Englert— Jennifer McAuley Poetry — Renee Agatep— Anne Barngrover— Despy Boutris— Amee Nassrene Broumand— Conyer Clayton— James Collier— Mikayla Fawcett— Layla Flowers— Sean Madden— Caroline Misner— Kevin Stebner— Sneha Subramanian Kanta— John Sibley

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USEREVIEW 004: Living Violence

USEREVIEW 004: Living Violence

John Nyman follows the mine shafts of Klara du Plessis‘ book of poetry Hell Light Flesh (Palimpsest Press, Sep 2020) and reports back on the glistening subterranean horrors he finds there. This traditional review examines the unsettling juxtaposition of artistry and rationalism with the terrifying triad of patriarchy, violence and trauma. ISBN 978-1-989287521 | 130 pp | $18.95 CDN / $17.95 USD #CAROUSELreviews Enormous in scope yet sharply-defined in subject, Klara Du Plessis’ second full-length

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