I generally maintain lively interactions with the occult, the mysterious, and the spooky year round (blame Lilith in Scorpio in my natal chart, not to mention Aries in 8th house), but when Samhain rolls around, of course these things take more of a precedence. And that extends to books! I reached out to a dazzling […]
Author: Joy Waller
A Final Spark of Magic from John Francis Cross
When John Francis Cross passed away two weeks ago, on Sept. 10, 2022, after a lengthy battle with cancer, I was heartbroken for a number of reasons. Primarily it was the loss of my friend: a companion with whom to roam enchanted urban rivers; to exchange colorful postcards and handwritten letters, even though we lived […]
Luciferina: 4 Minutes of Light vs. Dark
This is the most fun I’ve had in ages — making a short film based on one of my recent poems, “Luciferina”! The poem was motivated by the idea of starlight, and how living in the neon paradise of Tokyo means we can’t always see the stars at night. But then I realized that I […]
The Making of Umoja: There Is No Monolith
I will not lie: it is slightly intimidating to interview two individuals as beautiful as Biankah Bailey and Marcellus Nealy, co-editors of “Umoja: Black Diaspora Edition”, the latest trailblazing offering from ToPoJo Excursions. Fortunately, we do it over Zoom, which makes it just a tiny bit easier to keep my cool. On the screen, Marcellus […]
Witch Way Podcast Appearance
It was such a delight to chatter about writing and Tarot with Tokyo’s dazzling High Priestess of Magickal Words herself: Ms. Sorcha! She popped my podcast cherry and it was just as fun as I’d always dreamed. The full moon in Cancer, turning local writers into rock stars, writing one poem a month for all […]
JOHN FRANCIS CROSS: I Enjoy Meeting You And Talking
There is something extraordinary about having a conversation with John Francis Cross. I’ve had the pleasure in a variety of locations over the years: A seedy, incense-and-cigarette-smoke-infused basement bar in Ikenoue A rooftop café in Sangenjaya Along the banks of several inner-city rivers A vast, Parisian-style underground coffee shop in Shinjuku, with elegant china and […]
January Poetry Challenge 2022
The New Year is almost upon us! I religiously set resolutions every January 1st, and most of them fall to the wayside as the weeks and months go by. I find that my goals are more likely to be achieved if I keep them simmering close to the top of my consciousness and do one […]
Jeffrey Johnson Interview: The Irresistible Pull of Moonlight, Flamenco, & Noam Chomsky’s Brain
Meeting Jeffrey Johnson on the street in Setagaya on a sunny afternoon in October, you’d be forgiven for assuming he’s a moderately normal, well-adjusted man. He sports a neatly trimmed goatee and is dressed in the quietly suave manner befitting a professor of literature at Sophia University: well-fitted jeans, a black T-shirt, spotless white sneakers. […]
Tokyo Poetry Journal Vol. 10: Park Launch!
It was wonderful to see all these beautiful faces in Yoyogi Park on Saturday, proudly hoisting Vol. 10 of a journal that’s near and dear to my heart! Great readings and performances from Jordan A. Smith, Oshima Takeo, Taylor Mignon, Todd Silverstein, Mat Chiappe, Ryan Dzelzkalns, Zoria Petkoska, Simon Scott, Steven Karl, and others. Plus, […]
5 Spectacular Books for Creative Inspiration
My favorite thing about creativity is the way it feeds on itself. Great works of art—actually, any works of art—blast themselves into humanity, get absorbed by humanity, and then sit back and watch in amazement as humanity can’t help but create more art in response. I adore cycles like this. And while I absorb creativity […]