Watching the Stars, by Hard Ways: An Interview With DW Ardern

DW Ardern

There’s a kind of transcendental experience to be had while watching the skies; there’s also a lot of isolation that comes along with it. In his new book Master of Starlight, DW Ardern tells the story of Olivier, an astronomer who calls a Moroccan hotel home. Gradually, Ardern reveals the reasons for Olivier’s de facto exile at the same time as two important figures from his past re-enter his life. It’s an evocative, unpredictable character study, and I sat down with Ardern over coffee to learn more about it.

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Would You Like Some Tarot Cards With Your Graphic Novels?

Covenant cover

We’ve covered the sixth and final collection of LySandra Vuong’s Covenant in these (virtual) pages before. Publisher Oni Press recently announced that the crowdfunding/pre-order campaign for the aforementioned graphic novel has added a new stretch goal: Tarot cards illustrated by Vuong. Currently, six of the Major Arcana are in place as incentives; depending on how much money is pledged to the campaign, more may become available.

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Devin Kelly’s “Pilgrims” and the Joy of Annotation

Pilgrims

I have always highlighted and underlined sentences I like in books. Another writer once told me they loved reading after me because when they turned the page and saw something highlighted, it excited them. They knew a good sentence was coming. I don’t know if anyone would want to read my copy of Pilgrims by Devin Kelly, however. A little squiggle or star or swipe of yellow here and there isn’t a nuisance. But when damn near every sentence is marked up and circled with a yes! next to it, it becomes less charming and more like vandalism. 

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Memory, Art, and Evocation: On Lucy Sante’s “My Heart & I Agree”

My Heart and I Agree

There are five poems at the beginning of Lucy Sante’s third collection of short pieces. I knew she started out as a poet but had never read one. I saw references to chapbooks online that were long out of print. When I asked her if there would be a poetry book forthcoming, she said these were the only good ones. I don’t know if I believe that. Sante has always been a writer of musical sentences and in these five small pieces we get to hear that music untethered from narrative. It’s an unexpected treat, like a bit of dessert before the main course.

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Brad Neely on “Creased Comics” and the World of Absurdism

Creased Comics

Brad Neely’s body of work encompasses everything from absurdist comic books to a revisionist take on a certain early president; he’s also written about the life of Ulysses S. Grant. His latest book, Creased Comics, encompasses decades of his work; in the pages within, readers will find everything from feral leprecauns to an especially enthusiastic shark. I spoke with Neely about a range of topics, from Arkansas punk to his fondness for history.

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Saving the One You Couldn’t Save: On “Surviving Derrida: A Politics of Friendship with Avital Ronell in Six Parts”

Surviving Derrida

In recollections of her friendship with Kathy Acker, Avital Ronell writes, “Derrida locates in surviving the origin and essence of friendship. Not empirically or chronologically clocked but fundamental, the structure of surviving means that one of you will be left behind, responsible and responsive to the intemporal, irretrievably mute other.” 

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Announcing the Cover of Matthew Wong Foreman’s “Sunset at Lion Rock”

Wong Foreman and book cover

We’re pleased to debut the cover art for Matthew Wong Foreman’s forthcoming novel Sunset at Lion Rock, set to be published by 7.13 Books on September 15, 2026. The novel, set in Hong Kong in the early 21st century, follows a young man experiencing a dramatic change in his beliefs about religion and politics. The author explained the significance of the cover:

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