generally sincere & tolerantly mad
· R L · [he :: they] is a writer of poetry & prose—but poorly committed to definitions of genre. He's also an editor, sometime academic, & champion of all things peculiar & kind. They hold a Specialist B.A. (Hon.) in English, with a minor in Paradigms & Archetypes, & MA in English Languages & Literatures. Following the recent pandemic, disability related issues led to his leaving doctoral studies, ABD—but doesn't feel particularly sad about it. He's currently pursing an MFA at the Bennington Writing Seminars.
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He has an unusual talent for thinking in & around critical theory; is an unapologetic fan the fantastical; literal or figurative space; & art derived from dreams. They're also an irreverent specialist in American modernism, & thinks you're doing a magnificent job of being yourself.​​
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the imperative to be heard
·As someone who has written throughout their adult life, · R L · has accumulated experience working in a variety of contexts over the years, in different parts of the world. Most of that writing has concentrated in and around the Arts—but it's only recently that his focus has shifted to his own creative work, full time. Critical and persuasive prose are modes of writing close to their heart—but their first love has always been poetry. This is what's led him to specialize in poetry at Bennington. Some of their their most recent publications are listed below.
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As a neurodivergent, queer, and disabled creative, the obstacles · R L · has encountered throughout his life have led to making some difficult choices and concessions with regards to how they live. Concerns relating to chronic illness have produced additional, non-negotiable restrictions and concerns. In recent years, · R L · has dedicated more of their energy towards advocacy, fighting for better representation, and establishing more authentic spaces for neurodivergent, disabled, mentally ill, and cognitively challenged artists to work and be heard on their own terms. Even with the incremental gains in recent years, he finds awareness regarding marginalized experience is regularly absented from cultural discourse—and important voices are consequently denied the opportunity to thrive.
This has led · R L · to found the poetry journal APROSEXIA LIT—create a certain kind of online space he didn't otherwise see available for emerging divergent and disabled poets—as the arts has a difficult time accommodating these (fequently peculiar) artists who are very much a part of the community. Neurotypical and able-bodied curators and editors can fail disabled and divergent creatives in ways they don't necessarily think of—artists are frequently expected to succeed when they translate more common experience into striking or uncommon terms. For large proportion of the disabled community, what's common to experience can be radically different from the start. APROSEXIA aims to celebrate that radical difference from the start.​​​​​​​
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Recent Publications :: poetry
“upon the return from the ATM,” junq magazine. 3, Nov. 2024.
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“always and still, leagues above,” Impossible Archetype. 16, Aug, 2024.
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“My Suburbia Was a Woodland,” The Rising Phoenix Review. Jan, 2024
[provided with narration]
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“Frost,” Eunoia Review. Dec, 2023.
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“And the Sea Brags of its Shells,” Haven Spec. 11. Nov, 2023.
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“Are Bright Things to Pray For,” Impossible Archetype, 14. Aug, 2023.
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“Five Characters ” & “Hurt // 2,” The Rumen. Jul, 2023.
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“Between Tours: for Ron,” Ron's Last Hurrah. Apr, 2023.
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A Few Important Epigrams from · R L · s World
Some people merely want to do a certain thing, or think they’d be quite good at it; others need to to it to survive. The latter are the ones I consider the artists. Not personally being compelled by anything I wonder if those who are so compelled have been given a gift or a curse.
Colin Buckeridge,
Supporter &
Dearly Departed Friend
The Agnyett
“I love this shore that drew your feet
to me; washed your shoulders;
beached your raft of bones.”
For any number of years (and it may be better not to count them up), · R L · s been making progress on a large-scale worldbuilding project—a place to house a considerable backlog of neglected stories and self-realized characters that have, on the whole, been living (rent free) in within his rude & persistent imagination. The tripartite-extant (which is also known as the Agnyett) is the ultimate result. The extant is now at that point, where there's not much else to do about it than provide it with a breath of life. It's a different sort of storytelling than they've been occupied with the last long while—but there may be hope for these untold speculative stories yet. It would certainly make a number of impatient characters quite happy—even if many of them are unaware of the troubling times ahead.
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