In our afternoon reading: interviews with Colin Winnette, Joanna C. Valente, and Katherine Faw; and much more.
Five Writers, December Fifth: A Reading at Mellow Pages Library
To close out this year of events, we’re happy to be co-presenting a reading featuring a quintet of writers from all over the US (and, in one case, Iceland.) Reading will be: Sean Madigan Hoen Justin Taylor Katherine Faw Morris Amanda Shapiro Andri Magnason Daniella Gitlin will host. This event will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 5th. Mellow Pages Library is located at 56 Bogart Street in Brooklyn. Facebook RSVP here.
Afternoon Bites: NYRB Documentary, Sean Madigan Hoen Interviewed, Tony Molina, David Connerley Nahm’s Playlist, and More
News on the NYRB documentary, reviews that infuriated Hemingway, interviews with Tony Molina and Sean Madigan Hoen, music from Matmos, and more.
Minutiae, Michigan Punk, and the Memoir: A Conversation with Sean Madigan Hoen
Songs Only You Know, Sean Madigan Hoen’s first book, is the story of a harrowing period of his life, as his family imploded due to his father’s addiction and his sister’s depression. Hoen vividly describes the process of losing himself in obsessive behavior and cathartic live performances with his band. It’s a staggeringly powerful read. In person, Hoen is soft-spoken; we met at Greenpoint’s BÚÐIN and discussed the process of writing this memoir, hardcore in the 90s, Denis Johnson, and […]
Weekend Bites: Zweig and Exile, Colson Whitehead, A “Chickfactor” History, Sean Madigan Hoen, and More
An excerpt from Colson Whitehead’s new book, notes on Stefan Zweig, an interview with Adam Wilson, a history of Chickfactor, and more for your weekend reading.
#tobyreads: Harrowing Stories, Powerfully Told
The three books up for discussion this week are all, to one extent or another, abrasive. These are not always pleasant reads: whether recounting actual events or delving into the world of fiction, there are scenes to be found that can only be described as harrowing. Sean Madigan Hoen first landed on my radar over a decade ago, when I was editing a zine and reviewing a whole lot of hardcore records. His band at the time, Thoughts of Ionesco, […]
An Excerpt from Sean Madigan Hoen’s “Songs Only You Know”
Sean Madigan Hoen first came onto our radar over a decade ago, given his involvement in a number of Michigan-based hardcore bands. These days, he’s receiving acclaim for his memoir Songs Only You Know, due out next month on Soho Press. Jaimy Gordon had this to say about it: “If there is ruefulness, now, for the way he treated his body, his girlfriends, and his family, he wisely reprises in his book, in neon detail, the fever that once placed him […]