Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 13h

Wondering what we're looking for in our video essay submissions? M Freeman's "Like the Air" is a remarkable example! Watch the heart-wrenching video from Flight 23.3 now! 🎥 blackbird.vcu.edu/like-the-air//

Like the Air

blackbird.vcu.edu

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 2d

Read "Half an O of light" by Shira Dentz in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio! 🐦‍⬛

A black-and-white portrait of poet Shira Dentz, smiling outdoors with trees softly blurred in the background. She has long, curly light hair, glasses, and is wearing a dark top. A maroon border frames the image.

1

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 7d

A huge thank you to Weijia Pan for coming to accept his Levis Prize and give a reading from his prize-winning collection, Motherlands, published by Milkweed Editions. Swipe to see the beautiful broadsides made by our very own Kathleen Graber. This collection is one worth reading: cover to cover! 📖

Weijia Pan stands at a podium reading from his book Motherlands at VCU’s Levis Reading Prize Night. Behind him, a large screen displays: “VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, VCU Libraries. Motherlands, poems, Weijia Pan. Levis Reading Prize Night,” alongside his portrait and the book's cover art.

The cover of Motherlands by Weijia Pan. The artwork depicts a surreal mountainscape built from clustered buildings and electrical towers, shrouded in mist and fog. In the foreground, bare trees rise above rushing water while a flock of birds arcs through the sky.

A cream-colored broadside featuring an ink illustration of a bird’s nest with two eggs resting on branches and leaves. Below, a poem excerpt reads:
“The sparrows arrive with fresh worms / and twigs. The tangerine I nurture in my hands / will never hatch a bird. A bird / is a bird’s masterpiece.”
—Weijia Pan from Motherlands

Greg Donovan stands at a podium introducing Weijia Pan at VCU’s Levis Reading Prize Night. In the foreground, an audience member holds a broadside printed with green ginkgo leaves and Weijia Pan’s poem "Ultimatum." The poem's content reads:
“If I forget one character a day, / I will have forgotten Chinese / by the end of 2042. // Sooner or later I will forget / my quarrel with my father, / I will forget if / I ever wrote to you. // And the new language / I will have acquired / will not be the same / as the one that bit me.”

1

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 14d

We have officially opened our submissions for video essays and sound-based literature! Click "Submit to Blackbird" in our bio to read the full guidelines. We want your work!

A turquoise graphic with black text that reads, “The video essays we admire most employ language, image, and sound with equal craftsmanship and collective vision.” Above the text are two small image icons, and below are two illustrated ear icons with sound waves.

A turquoise graphic with black text that reads, “Sound-based literature is an original piece of writing that pairs a recorded voiceover with a musical composition or sound design score.” Above the text is a megaphone icon, and below is an open book icon.

1 3

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 15d

We want your creative nonfiction! You can find the link to submit in our bio. Swipe through these photos to read the kind of work we’re looking for, straight from Jesse Lacy, our Lead Nonfiction Editor!

Quote slide on an orange background. The text reads: “It excites me to read creative nonfiction pieces that directly and indirectly confront their genre and veracity, essays that question the nature of ‘truth’ and the way it appears on the page.” To the right, a small illustration of a person in green pants holding an oversized pencil.

Quote slide with text: “I want to read essays that wrestle with their containers. I want to read lyric essays, braided essays, hermit crab essays, essays with forms I couldn’t imagine before reading them.” Below is an illustration of a person in glasses sitting on the floor surrounded by books, reading.

Quote slide with text: “I’m eager to dig into an essay where the narrator converses with dead movie stars or their neighbor’s cat.” On the left is an illustration of a large blue hand holding a pencil; on the right, a small black cat peeking out of an orange box.

1 4

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 19d

We really shouldn't be surprised by her success anymore... but her poems still strike SUCH a chord. Always!

1

Reposted by Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts

Mary Peelen @ohmary.bsky.social · 22d

Diane Seuss working her genius in Blackbird:

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Read "In every religion, a purifying" by the legendary Diane Seuss in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 🐦‍⬛

blackbird.vcu.edu/in-every-rel...

A black-and-white portrait of Diane Seuss. She has long dark hair with bangs, wears dark eyeliner, and looks directly at the camera with a serious expression. The image is framed by a salmon-pink border.

A white graphic bordered in salmon pink featuring an excerpt from Diane Seuss’s poem "In every religion, a purifying." The excerpt reads:
“The rain came in multitudes, / in droves, like supplicants / to a holy place, almost // beautiful, as a shattered / windshield is beautiful, / especially when it rains.” At the bottom, text notes: Poetry / Blackbird v23n4, with a small blackbird silhouette.

1 1 6

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 19d

TOO. GOOD. !!!

1

Reposted by Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts

Megan McDermott (she/her) @megmcdermott92.bsky.social · 19d

"She peeks into my eyes long enough to say we did not do this to ourselves." 🔥

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 19d

Read "I Talked to My Cousin" by Angela Townsend in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 😊

blackbird.vcu.edu/i-talked-to-...

Quote graphic with a teal border featuring text from Angela Townsend’s nonfiction piece, "I Talked to My Cousin" in Blackbird v23n4. The excerpt reads:
“I am not the black sheep of this family, although I like to think I am. I am the accidental blueberry in their red velvet cake. They cancel out my vote fivefold. I have a tattoo. But let’s be real. My tattoo is two cats hugging.” The bottom text reads: Nonfiction / Blackbird v23n4 with a small blackbird silhouette.

Black-and-white portrait of Angela Townsend smiling, framed in teal. She has shoulder-length dark hair with bangs, wears butterfly earrings, and a polka-dotted top.

1 1 2

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 19d

Read "I Talked to My Cousin" by Angela Townsend in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 😊

blackbird.vcu.edu/i-talked-to-...

3

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

We have joined the conversation! Happy to be here 😊

1

Reposted by Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts

Jeremy Michael Reed @jeremymichaelreed.bsky.social · 23d

What’s better than @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social on BlueSky? A Diane Seuss poem to start them off.

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Read "In every religion, a purifying" by the legendary Diane Seuss in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 🐦‍⬛

blackbird.vcu.edu/in-every-rel...

1 2 5

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

We are so happy to have you on the team, Megan! 💘

1

Reposted by Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts

Megan McDermott (she/her) @megmcdermott92.bsky.social · 23d

Yay! I mentioned earlier that I am working on @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social this year & now they're on Bluesky! Follow for literary/artistic goodness.

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

New socials update... Blackbird is HERE! We are stoked to be making the switch to Bluesky, and we can't wait for you all to meet us here. We will be sharing some content today that we've had on the back burner, so be sure to scroll through our feed to find out what we've been up to recently!

1 1 6

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Read "The Light" by Jacob Griffin Hall in our latest Flight 23.4. 🤩 @jacobgriffinhall.bsky.social

blackbird.vcu.edu/the-light/

A white graphic bordered in turquoise featuring an excerpt from The Light by Jacob Griffin Hall. The poem reads:
“Like the suggestion of fire / I see the city’s lights now stretched / ahead of me I’ve always / imagined the apocalypse would come / with a hell of a view.”
At the bottom, text notes: Poetry / Blackbird Flight 23.4, with a small blackbird silhouette.

A black-and-white portrait of Jacob Griffin Hall wearing glasses and a dark button-up shirt, standing against a brick wall with one arm leaning casually. He looks toward the camera with a neutral expression. Blurred trees fill the background.

3

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Welcome, Rabeetah Hasnain! New leadership means a new era. ✨ Swipe to see what she is excited about for this year! Submit for future flights NOW!

A welcome graphic with a smiling portrait of Rabeetah Hasnain against a pink background. Bold text at the top reads: Welcome: Rabeetah Hasnain. A banner at the bottom says: Blackbird's New Managing Editor!

A mauve-toned graphic with text at the top: What are you excited about for Blackbird this year? Below, a quote from Rabeetah Hasnain reads:
“Blackbird thrives because of its people: an incredible team of readers, editors, and artists who seek work that’s alive on the page. I’m excited to unearth pieces that re-imagine the familiar, turn the universal intimate.” Illustrations of a hand writing in a book decorate the corners.

A mauve-toned graphic with a large circle and a thought bubble illustration. White text inside the circle features Rabeetah Hasnain’s words:
“I want writing that unsettles us, jolts us, confounds, and bewilders. I want to have epiphanies on paper, and I want to be reminded of the scent of an orange.”

4

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Read "faq 018318" by Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 😊

blackbird.vcu.edu/faq-018318//

A black-and-white portrait of Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi. He looks toward the camera with a slight smile. The image is framed by a salmon-pink border.

A white graphic bordered in salmon-pink featuring an excerpt from Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi’s "faq 018318." The excerpt reads:
“You say the feeling, sadness, does not seem appropriate, does not seem right. And yet you exist perfectly, and it is happening in the fibers and fluids of your existence, so why would it or should it be any different?”
At the bottom, text notes: Fiction / Blackbird v23n4, with a small blackbird silhouette.

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

An event completely open to the public, our annual Levis Prize Reading event is on September 25th! Come see our winner, Weijia Pan, read from his prize-winning collection, Motherlands. See you there! ☺️

Digital flyer for the Levis Prize Reading Night featuring poet Weijia Pan. The background shows a misty landscape with bare trees. Large text reads: Motherlands, poems, Weijia Pan. Bold black text below announces: “Levis Prize Reading Night, September 25, 7–8 p.m., Cabell Library Lecture Hall.” A circular portrait of Weijia Pan is on the right. Additional text explains that the Levis Reading Prize is presented by VCU’s MFA in Creative Writing Program in partnership with VCU Libraries, with sponsors including the VCU Department of English and College of Humanities and Sciences, and funding from the family of Larry Levis.

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

Read "In every religion, a purifying" by the legendary Diane Seuss in our latest Flight 23.4. Link in bio and below! 🐦‍⬛

blackbird.vcu.edu/in-every-rel...

10 27

Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts @blackbirdjournal.bsky.social · 23d

New socials update... Blackbird is HERE! We are stoked to be making the switch to Bluesky, and we can't wait for you all to meet us here. We will be sharing some content today that we've had on the back burner, so be sure to scroll through our feed to find out what we've been up to recently!

1 11