NEWS
“The revelation that stuns”: An Interview with Lesley Nneka Arimah
Lesley Nneka Arimah was born in the UK and grew up in Nigeria and wherever else her father was stationed for work. Her stories have been honored with a National Magazine Award, a Commonwealth Short Story Prize , the Caine Prize and an O. Henry Award. Her work has...
“Empire works to disenchant us”: An Interview with Kaveh Akbar
Kaveh Akbar's poems appear in the New Yorker, New York Times, Paris Review, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere. He is the author of two poetry collections: Pilgrim Bell (Graywolf 2021) and Calling a Wolf a Wolf (Alice James 2017), in addition to a chapbook, Portrait...
“The clearest path toward truth”: An Interview with Melissa Faliveno
Melissa Faliveno is the author of the novel Hemlock and the essay collection Tomboyland, named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR, New York Public Library, Oprah Magazine, Electric Literature, and Debutiful, and recipient of a 2021 Award for Outstanding Literary Achievement...
“…time as a kind of language … allows me to organize the logic of a story.”: An Interview with Shastri Akella, author of “Reva Speaks a New Dialect”
Shastri Akella (he/they) is a queer migrant of color who is neurodivergent and comes from a working class background. Their debut novel, The Sea Elephants, was published in 2023 by Flatiron Books (USA) and Penguin (India). It is a queer bildungsroman set in 90s India....
“I very much hope to become some kind of fungus or moss when I die…” An Interview with Mariah Gese, Author of “Mold Vincit Omnia”
"I very much hope to become some kind of fungus or moss when I die..." An Interview with Mariah Gese, Author of "Mold Vincit Omnia" Mariah Gese is an artist and writer from a haunted swamp in New York. They received their MFA from Indiana University, where they were...
“when she does hit it, she hits it out of the park”: An Interview with Exquisite Armantè, author of “Ulta Receipt”
Exquisite Armantè is a writer planted in Atlanta, cultivated at Louisiana State University, and transplanted to an MFA program at Oklahoma State University. Her work has been featured in Taypedia, Scrawl Place, Hobart Pulp, and forthcoming at Black Warrior Review. You...
Exclusive Online Feature: “Ulta Receipt” by Exquisite Armantè
"Ulta Receipt" by Exquisite Armantè is featured in the forthcoming Black Warrior Review issue 51.1, which is scheduled to hit shelves this month! We’re thrilled to showcase the full-color version of Exquisite’s work here online, highlighting the vivid detail and...
“that idea of the shimmering moment”: A Conversation with Kelly Lenox, author of “After a Guided Meditation on Self-Confidence”
Kelly Lenox (The Brightest Rock, 2017) writes poetry and prose in Oregon. Her work appears in Poetry Daily, Cold Mountain, RHINO, EcoTheo Review and elsewhere in the U.S. and Europe. She is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, with an MFA from Vermont College...
Exclusive Online Feature: “After a Guided Meditation on Self-Confidence” by Kelly Lenox
Kelly Lenox's fantastic nonfiction piece, "After a Guided Meditation on Self-Confidence," was published in BWR's fiftieth issue (50.1), in January of 2024. Read more about Kelly & her writing below! Kelly Lenox (The Brightest Rock, 2017) writes poetry and...
“new ways of imagining”: An Interview with Writer & Academic Intan Paramaditha
Intan Paramaditha is the author of The Wandering, a novel on the politics of travel in a choose-your-own adventure format, and a feminist horror story collection Apple and Knife. Both were translated from Indonesian to English by Stephen J. Epstein and published by...