ARYA'S WRITING & READING BLOG

Punk Disco Bohemian is a literary transgressive novel and queer coming-of-age story set in 1970s Provincetown. Full of literary and musical allusions, it also celebrates literature, music and a unique time and place. This is an action-packed adventure about a young woman and the choices she makes to forge her independence in a gay mecca despite familial and societal obstacles.  Five-Star Customer Reviews : "Unsolicited review: Highly recommend this work. Read it in one sitting. The wild and evocative world of Provincetown in the 70s is expressed beautifully and clearly. Both challenging and lovely to be brought back into that time. Well worth the read. Great work Arya! Punk Disco Bohemian available in Google Play." Candyce Lucien Rusk, writer "...This is a fast-paced, finely wrought narrative that brought me an avalanche of cultural touchstones, which made me love the book even more. Jenkins is a master storyteller, from start to finish!" - Michelle M. Reale, Amaz...

She The Magazine whose motto and mission is "amplifying the voices of women" is featuring two of my poems, "Then," dedicated to my brother John, and "A Boy Must Grow Up," written in the wake of the recognition that so much violence committed by young males in America is not only a cultural and societal problem of the moment, but an ancestral and historical dilemma that affects the way we speak and act with one another and is reflected in every aspect of our lives.  She The Magazine is also featuring a profile/interview with me, so I feel very fortunate and pleased to be part of the mission of this outstanding, breakout project supporting women. Shout Out to She The Magazine layout artist (and poet), Aria Ligi, who invited me to contribute work to the magazine. Check it out:  https://shethemagazine.com/article/arya_f_jenkins She The Magazine points to women as a solution for the world's ills and is therefore a beacon of hope for us all.

 Here's an excerpt from a glowing review of Punk Disco Bohemian by Eileen Murphy in Cultural Daily: "Punk Disco Bohemian is a bold and important eyewitness account of the 1970s. In addition to being enlightening, it's fun to read. When I finished reading, I wanted more. I hope that Arya F. Jenkins is planning a sequel." It doesn't get much better than that! https://culturaldaily.com/review-punk-disco-bohemian-by-arya-f-jenkins/ An excerpt from my book included in the review: https://culturaldaily.com/excerpt-punk-disco-bohemian-by-arya-f-jenkins/ #like #follow #writer #reviews #bookreview #bloggerlife                                                                                                    ...

"Notes to the Ghost of a Suicide Now Nameless," a poem inspired by Heather Clark's monumental recently published biography, Red Comet , on the life and work of poet Sylvia Plath, is featured in Issue V of OyeDrum Magazine: https://oyedrum.com/notes-to-the-ghost-of-a-suicide-now-nameless-poem-by-arya-f-jenkins-larissa-boni/ "When (A Melody for Jazz)," a jazz-inspired poem, is featured in Jerry Jazz Musician, the premier online jazz zine: https://jerryjazzmusician.com/when-a-melody-for-jazz-a-poem-by-arya-f-jenkins/ "My Father's Country," a poem about my collage of feelings first arriving in the U.S. as a child, was featured in Hawaii Pacific Review, a gorgeous zine edited by Tyler MacMahon: https://hawaiipacificreview.org/tag/arya-f-jenkins/                                                              ...

My poem, "When (A Melody for Jazz)," is featured today in Jerry Jazz Musician and beautifully illustrated by Linda Murphy Marshall.  Jerry Jazz Musician is a fantastic zine celebrating jazz arts, music and culture and founded by Joe Maita. It has grown exponentially since my introduction to it in 2012, when my short story, "So What," won the 30th short fiction contest of the zine and was featured there. "So What" launches my short story collection, Blue Songs in An Open Key . Please read and follow Jerry Jazz Musician, the premier zine devoted to an important American tradition and art form. https://jerryjazzmusician.com/when-a-melody-for-jazz-a-poem-by-arya-f-jenkins/

The effects of violence in media on the American public is a loaded topic I have not been alone in considering for some time. My perspective is that of an avid consumer of literature and film, a poet and writer who is not mainstream, and someone who is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, which promotes mindfulness and peacefulness. These are the vantage points from which I come while examining my visceral, emotional and intellectual responses to violence via various media.  Monday through Sunday, any viewer can get their fill of blood and gore watching FBI, CSI, Law & Order, Dateline, and many other TV shows that feature true and imagined stories of killings and other atrocities. This is what we go to bed with folks. Bloody murder on our minds, filtering into our nervous system and dreams. In 2007, years before the Las Vegas or Orlando or Virginia Tech or Sandy Hook shootings, New Scientist reported that "by the time the U.S. child starts elementary school he or she will have ...

I'm so grateful to Neda Aria, a Thailand-based writer, artist, researcher and lecturer, for inviting me to do this interview about my writing and writing in general. Neda is a transgressive writer too and features fascinating profiles and essays on the subject of transgressive lit and art on her website. Anyone interesting in what underground writers are doing now should peruse and subscribe to www.nedaaria.info/blog. Enjoy!  https://www.nedaaria.info/post/writer-vs-writer-arya-f-jenkins