1.  CONGRATS to Sam Bailey and Fatimah Asghar for making the FORBES 30 Under 30 List for their Emmy nominated series Brown Girls!  Check out the entire list here:

2. Isobel O' Hare is taking celebrity apology statements and making erasure poems of them, and we are happy to also applaud their remixes:  

Fast Company article here!

3.  FR Poetry Editor Malcolm Friend has a new chapbook, mxd kd mixtape, and mayhaps you should pick it up directly from Glass Poetry here!
​

We here at the Watchtower do like Magnolia, but beyond that, we stand with Wil Gibson as he counts the ways.  Video taken at Union Square Slam, NYC, NY and posted by Erin Anastasia.

If you watch the CW series The Flash or are just a comic nerd in general, you will know of the concept of a multiverse. Parallel Earths, vibrating at different frequencies, but all existing within one space.  I would like to submit to you that after reading Nicole Homer’s first full-length poetry collection Pecking Order, that Homer may be the newest multiverse in existence.  There are many Nicoles in this book but they are all one Nicole Homer.  

You may best know Nicole from her Walking Dead recaps and other pop culture goodness over at Black Nerd Problems (including the only movie review show you’ll ever need, “Nicole and Omar Hate Everything”) and to discover her poetry is to pull up a seat at the Real Talk Table and be blown away by the sheer force of her honesty.  What is it like to be a mother? A black mother?  A black mother affected by colorism inside and outside of her home?  Poems like “Things Only A Black Mother Can Prepare You For” and “The Colorist” shed insight via story and dialogue in a way that is both compelling and unflinchingly honest.

Pecking Order is peppered with dialogues and monologues from many perspectives in the motherhood universe, specifically existing in Black American motherhood (“The Children Speak”, “Portrait of My Grammama on her Grammama’s Lap, Neither of Them Smiling”, and the acerbically perfect “The Woman Who Is Not The Nanny Answers At The Grocery Store Concerning The Evidently Mismatched Children In and around Her Cart”) via many voices threaded through the same family.  In “Townies”, Homer states “No one lives in The Town of Motherhood/ but me/ says every mother/ including me” and through these poems, we are given a tour of this town (which is many towns, which is many mothers, but only one--the multiverse of motherhood).

This tour is not always and often very deliberately not pretty.  “The Paper Trail” begins with the narrative:

In the driveway, the soft and squeaking toys and jagged gravel press into each other. In the kitchen, the dishes, dirty and chipped, are piled in the sink. The dining room the table is almost imaginary, under the crayons, pencils, papers...

And this kind of earnestness in the face of owning her role as a mother and woman and human continues on in addressing depression and fatigue in poems like “Threshold” “Hunger” and the succinct power of “Motherhood”:

Motherhood is like
                                                    being pecked
                               to death
                                                                                 by my
              favorite birds
                                                                                made from my
                                                                                body, torn
                         by beaks sharpened
                                                                               on the woman
                                                              I was
                                                                                when I slept more
                                                              or sang the song I stole
                                                                              out of
                                                              my mother’s mouth
 

And in poems like “How I Became A Mother Contemplating Loss”, the strength that lies beneath in all mothers is summed up by these lines:

That is the scariest thing:

that we do it anyway.  The blood, the screams, the milk.

The dynamics of Homer both being raised in and raising a multiracial family are addressed throughout the book, from outside perspectives like “Casual Racist” to inner monologues like “The Lottery”; in “Things I Want To Say To Rae Dawn Chong”, the poet to the actress:
     
 But you and Arnold in Commando. Oh, Rae, you two were unlikely and perfect and snapshot one-liner. You were the first people on TV that I understood. You had nothing in common. My father hated grits. My mother is from the south, Rae. Do you understand? What do the Chinese and Scottish or the Africans and the Canadians have in common except you?

For every question asked and examined throughout Pecking Order, family inevitably answers back, as in “When I Had Children With A White Person”:   

...in our house / we say family in both of our mouths with every tongue we have

Homer ends this collection with the poem “I Wish I Was More Mothers (after Brenda Shaunessy}” and as we are left with this wishlist anthem, we realize that these words vibrate at such a necessary frequency that, even if Nicole Homer doesn’t realize it, she is more mothers.  One and all.

      --Rob Sturma
​
Pecking Order is available from Write Bloody Publishing and from the author’s website at nicolehomer.com.

by Mikkel Snyder, Multimedia Editor

If I was asked to described Multiplex, a long running webcomic that spanned over 12 years, the simplest explanation is that it is a comic about a movie theater. However, that explanation doesn’t really do the series justice. Multiplex is about the workplace antic that Gordon McAlpin’s characters partake in as they work in a theater. It’s a romantic comedy, looking at how people change (or don’t) over time and find the people they need at the times they need to. It’s a critique on cinema, with movie reviews and commentary about trope. And at times, particularly during Multiplex: The Revenge, it’s corporate thriller with kinetic action sequences. But I suppose at its core, it’s a character study. McAlpin even concedes that in the preface of his newest book, he wanted to explore “the kind of changes that happen to people (and businesses and industries) not overnight but over the course of several years.”

Multiplex: The Revenge is the third print installment of the Multiplex webcomic. It’s a collection of Chapters 11-15 of the series, covering a period of time between March 2008 and March 2009. McAlpin’s introduction to the book serves as the perfect recap of Chapters 1-10, seamlessly introducing the cast of characters and their dynamics through evocative scenes that perfectly capture the core duo of Jason, the film critic archetype, and Kurt, the movie fanboy. While I fully recommend picking up Books 1 and 2, McAlpin takes great effort in making sure the series is accessible and you don’t experience continuity lockout, a common occurrence with any long running piece of media.

The book starts with Jason reaccelerating to life at the theater after he attempted to distance himself from the place due to his messy relationship with coworker Becky. Jason is not the most sympathetic character when we meet him. He is snarky, caustic, a bit of a know-it-all, and needs to be the right side of the argument to be happy. He is also one of the most relatable characters this mixed Filipino American has had the pleasure of reading in all of my pop culture consumption. Jason is largely situated from McAlpin’s own experiences, and in his annotations during the first chapter about the atheist Jason dating the very Christian Angie, we see Jason slowly taking steps in order to become a better person, and a journey that we see slowly unfold over the next chapters.

As the book continues, we also see the dynamics of the theater playout. We get an insider’s look into what the employees do after hours. We see the joy they take in dressing up for major theater releases and interacting with parents and adults. We see them in advanced screenings of film, and watching a wide ranges of movies from blockbusters to smaller indie joints. McAlpin says in his autobiography that he’s never worked in a movie theater, but you’d be easily forgiven given that amount of detail and evidence of research that he has put to make it feel like an authentic theater. You can feel McAlpin’s love of cinema in every panel; all of the jokes and criticism come from a place of wanting better media, of wanting better stories for everyone.

As the book continues, we also see one of the defining arcs of Multiplex unfold as Gretchen, a would-be journalist who is a bit confused between the difference of truthful news and sensationalism, throws wrenches into the theater through a combination of snitching, prying, and “reporting.” Her actions have massive ramifications throughout the book, but her character is less outright villainous and more overtly antagonistic. The actual big bads of the story find more subtle ways to interfere with our lovable ragtag bunch of misfits, and we see the seeds of future story arcs cleverly planted, and the final set piece is a perfect conclusion to this particular saga.

McAlpin’s style is visually stunning and unique. He manages to show a wide range of talent, as he alters his stylistic presentation to match the medium he is telling in. His crisp, elegant character design of the Multiplex staff stands in contrast to the flowing, kinetic black and white depictions of video games. His Mario Kart is one of my personal favorites. This collection effortlessly translates the single strips into a beautiful book, creating a much more active pacing, while still maintaining the punch necessary of individual jokes. 

Having been a fan of the original webcomic, I was/am really excited for the opportunity to share this with our FreezeRay fanbase. And if you’re a long term fan of the comic, the additional strips and commentary are more than worth that purchase. There is an authenticity and honesty in this story that is sometimes hard to find. But McAlpin manages to capture the cinematic year and create a cast of characters that feel familiar. Multiplex: The Revenge succeeds where many other period pieces fail. It is grounded in its present, but still remains timeless. Still remains truthful. If you are a fan of workplace comedies, of romantic comedies, of slice-of-life, of movies, of comics, I can pretty confidently say you’ll be a fan of Multiplex. McAlpin has created a diverse cast of characters, and you’ll be right at home.

Multiplex: The Revenge is available now.  And if you liked what you read, consider supporting Gordon McAlpin at his Patreon.

Welcome to the first episode of Broadcasts from the Watchtower, a FreezeRay free-for-all where we get extra passionate about our fandom. We kick off the first show with Rob Sturma talking to wrestling journalist extraordinaire The Lady J (The Lady J Says, Facelock Feministas, #pwgrrrlgang) about the glory that is pro wrestling fandom and what she's doing to champion independent and inclusive spaces in the professional wrestling community.
 
                                                                       Click on the purple links to learn more!

I used to say, pretty fervently, “escapism is my favorite coping mechanism.” However, recent events have made it painfully clear that we can’t just disengage with the world. We have to live in it daily and we have an obligation to make it better. As a mixed race cishet male, I work well in the current capitalistic system that we currently have in place, but the reality is that many of my friends are not and will not feel or be safe in the coming years. And there is work that needs to be done on a variety of levels.

I’m making a decisive change to my mantra. I’m going to be saying “pop culture is my favorite coping mechanism.” Because pop culture is truly indicative of the change we want to see in the world. Pop culture is grounded in the world. And now, it’s more important than ever to support the artistic work of queer and PoC communities. And now it’s more important than ever to make sure we are doing all we can to make sure their voice is heard in every medium.

So, here at FreezeRay Poetry and Press, we’ll be compiling a a list of queer and/or PoC content creators (and in a few cases, ones that actively promote Queer and PoC rights) that we have gathered over the last couple of weeks. The list is going to keep growing. But it’s a start. It’s a start.

This is not a comprehensive list, although we will update it regularly. This list is meant to be a starting point, a quick reference guide of sorts. We started this list based off a lot of google searches, friends’ and friends of friends’ recommendations, and random assortments of social media posts.

And you can find that list here.

So as we close out this <Insert Adjectives of Your Choice> year, take some time to look at some really cool content creators out there. With a special shoutout to Steenz and Ray Nadine, two really talented St. Louis artists who indirectly inspired the creation of this list.

One of my fave things about being a multi-media nerd is when someone else opens me up to a new nerd-thing I didn't know I needed to nerd about (like "Hamilton" or Florida Supercon Wrestling).  One of my fave things about poets is that they bring their nerd game to the next level by throwing down the words that make you care about the things they care about (like this journal, ahem).  So in this "Everybody's Throwing Down The Writing Gauntlet" month of November my man Gus Wood is beefing up his blog "Just The Nuggets" by opining on 30 recommendations in 30 Days.  He's already dropped science on Bobby McFerrin and The Wizard of Oz on Ice, Yahtzee Croshaw's video game reviews, and Busta Rhymes.  He's got a lot more days to enhance your nerd life, so follow along this month and may the YouTube rabbit holes you fall down be full of pillows and the beverage of your choice!

Just The Nuggets can be found here:
http://justthenuggets.ghost.io/

​--Rob Sturma

FreezeRay family member and Navigator of the Poetry Super Highway RICK LUPERT (who blessed us with his amazing ode to Leonard Nimoy from Issue #6) has now published a totally rad poem about his Lego Spaceship in Silver Birch Press' series "My Most Prized Possession"!  You can check it out HERE!  Anyone who has ever had their Lego heart busted over some busted Legos will feel this one!

From the author: 

"The poem was written out of the frustration, grief, and sadness of events this week (7/8). Between Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, Dallas...there has been ample need for reflection and expression on a personal level. Addressing the frustration of both observing such blatant terror, and having our grief silenced by those unaffected by it, brought me to a place of needing poetry to get my thoughts straight without having a to-the-death debate with everyone on social media. The Death Note metaphor came to mind while reading Lauren Bullock's 'Pokemon Go and Choosing the Blackest Joy'. I don't know if it was actually there in her writing, or was sparked indirectly (but either way, thanks to Lauren for the piece!), but the poem ended up being something I hope to share. For healing, sympathetic outrage and grief, for something other than dead-end despair. Hopefully something good can come from it. "

------

Shinigami Eyes

Death continues to court us.
Love-struck shinigami, its

is not an invited romance,
nothing in this melanin to misconstrue

as a spur in the side of its stalkership,
but its still us catching glances for the

aftereffects of its harassment.
Chest-wound...strange-weighted noose...

Maybe if we didn't lead Death on, boast
its favorite shade in the beauty given us,

in the magic pronounced by unbowing heads
and tongues 400 years

have yet to bleed the song from, maybe then
we wouldn't find ourselves forever addressed

the bullets and badges
straight laying us out like speed bumps.

Maybe then, expiration dates wouldn't hang
their haunting promises overhead for those

with the right eyes to see, and to feel
like mouths devouring our insides. We

have begun to walk assuming each
one fear-gnashed traffic stop away from those

ghosts becoming zeroes.

How many breathless black bodies did it take
for Misa's bargain to wet our eyes

with this more horrible vision?
Our eyes are the only reminders we need that

those who look like us are little more than prey,
that those most responsible for our protection

are increasingly knife and fork at our necks,
and that those tick-tick-tick-ticks

we know to gloat overhead
will never be proof enough for people

who've already decided the guilt of the dead.

--Rodney Wilder