The American Cauldron
Sean MurphyAmerica has always been a cauldron of inconsistencies; so often in our history we’ve ended up with brilliance, tolerance, and progress only after every other option has been exhausted. We’re…
Original Poem: Howlin’ Wolf’s Harp
It was a huge thrill to have my poem "Billie Holiday's Deathbed" published (and nominated for a Pushcart Prize) by Decolonial Passage and I'm equally happy to see my new…
Here’s The Thing, at 40
In the early summer of 1982, two distinct entities from outer space infiltrated planet earth. One was a prehistoric creature with the ability to kill, then imitate its prey: it…
Jean-Louis Trintignant, Repose en Paix
Original photography by Jack Robinson. www.robinsonarchive.com Talk about a legend from the old school. Jean-Louis Trintignant was already a big screen hall of famer before I even knew about him,…
Original Poem: Hagler vs. Hearns, 1985
My thanks to the excellent journal 805 Lit + Art for publishing my poem Hagler and Hearns, 1985. I'm especially grateful because, let's face it, arguably the only thing more…
Ray Liotta: Goodbye To A Goodfella
Any appraisal of Ray Liotta must, of course, begin with Goodfellas. And it wasn’t even the role he was born to play; he had to earn it, had to convince…
The Centennial of Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus had many things to say, and he used his mouth, his pen, his fists, and mostly his music to say them. Of the myriad words that describe Mingus, passionate would…
RIP Bunny & Tabby, and Welcome to Eternity
This is incredibly sad news, but I choose to celebrate lives well and purposefully led, and the certainty that they will rest peacefully know their work on earth was done,…
William Hurt: The Complete Package
Sexy. Cerebral. Inscrutable. William Hurt, in part because he was perfect and in part because he remained impossible to pin down, was the thinking cinema fan’s god, always easy on…
The Blackened Blues LIVE: Poetry and Music with Sean Murphy and Quentin Walston
The Barns of Rose Hill partnered with 1455 Literary Arts for a special reading with Sean Murphy, who read from his new collection The Blackened Blues, accompanied by pianist Quentin…