Issue 43
-
Global Voices: A conversation with Iranian poet Ali Asadollahi
by LIT Translation Editor J.P. Apruzzese
Introduction
For more than two decades, Iranian poet, translator, and editor Ali Asadollahi has been quietly expanding the possibilities of contemporary Persian poetry. The author of six poetry collections, he has written across free verse, haiku, visual poetry, and other experimental forms, guided by a restless commitment to exploration rather than any single aesthetic program. Alongside his own work, he has devoted himself to translation, introducing contemporary world poetry to Persian readers while helping bring Persian literature into conversation with audiences beyond Iran.
-
The Bronx, 1961
art by Stephen Ground
by Shana Ritter
The street is sheen heat flickers
off the sidewalks, we skip
to avoid cracks not wanting
to break any backs. Shouts
of ringolevio, echo off brick
squat six story buildings.
In the shade girls doubledutch chanting
I know something I won’t tell
three little monkeys in a peanut shell
on the corner another group surrounds
one girl bouncing a Spalding, singing
A my name is Alice and, raises her legs
above the ball back and forth
in graceful arcs through the alphabet. -
5 poems
art by Greta Rosso
by Greta Rosso
Translated from the Italian by Michael ChangPoem 1
Querce, betulle, l’uomo del furgone. Stanotte ho sognato uova in realtà l’applicazione del telefono dice che ho sognato pochissimo comunque dal cartone mancavano due uova mi chiedevo chi le avesse prese, mangiate, cucinate perché insomma io no. L’aria è talmente calda da portarmi via in un’estate composta di certezze e incertezze minuziosamente separate oggi che non categorizzo ma affronto solo se in caso penso che l’ordine mi abbia fatto accettare il disordine e viceversa. -
Three Models of a Completely Empty Notebook
art by Suzana Stojanović
by Marushka Rose Grogan
Section 1: Introduction
For years, I’ve sensed my life colliding with the snapped-string signs
That used to tieAtoms, you, and me.
The first thing you must know is that this book is completely empty
It’s the only way I was able to keep it allOrganized
The first thing you must know is that these pages are now full.
-
Blue Angel Jets Oversee a Florida Pool Party
art by Andrew Velazquez
by Courtney Hitson
The Fort Lauderdale Air Show’s slated to start in 13 minutes. A mom, almost not-frowning, poses sculptures of fruit: her striated shell of a hollowed watermelon becomes a shark’s gaping maw stuffed with grapes. A pineapple turns to an owl, complete with cross-sectioned, orange-slices of eyes and leaves divvied into flanks. Teenagers selfie their faces into whimsical pouts, as if yard gnomes flirting with sentience. Adorable and invasive parakeets spectate the scene from a perimeter of unlit tiki torches. They are gossipy rascals,
-
Nectar
art by Stephen Ground
by Catherine Buck
We met at the place where water plunged over ground, where everyone met in song and story and so it seemed a fitting place for a rendezvous of our own.
You found me seated on the boulder. When the rains came hardest they’d coat the surface slick, so I always checked the skies to confirm I was in no danger. That day, the rock was dry and the sun directly overhead. My feet waited flat on the stone and I could feel the beginnings of a burn.
