AT PEACH:

After​ ​reading​ ​Carmen​ ​E.​ ​Brady’s​ ​​debut​ ​full-length​ ​collection​ ​of​ ​poetry,​ ​​s​omeday​ ​i’m​ ​going​ ​to​ ​be so​ ​so​ ​happy​ ​​(2fast2house)​,​ ​we​ ​are​ ​thrilled​ ​to​ ​have​ ​published​ ​three​ ​of​ ​her​ ​poems​ ​from​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of journal​ ​entries​ ​at​ ​Peach.​ ​The​ ​entries​ ​are​ ​written​ ​in​ ​the​ ​style​ ​of​ ​fleeting​ ​thoughts,​ ​but​ ​when pieced​ ​together,​ ​create​ ​the​ ​beautifully​ ​hopeless​ ​tone​ ​of​ ​a​ ​journal.​ ​In​ ​“May​ ​9,​ ​2017,”​ ​Brady shamelessly​ ​questions​ ​her​ ​identity,​ ​and​ ​reveals​ ​that​ ​she​ ​still​ ​does​ ​not​ ​fully​ ​understand​ ​who​ ​she was​ ​or​ ​is.​ ​She​ ​writes,​ ​“I​ ​am​ ​still​ ​building​ ​the​ ​full​ ​mythology​ ​of​ ​me,”​ ​which​ ​has​ ​stuck​ ​with​ ​me​ ​since the​ ​first​ ​time​ ​I​ ​read​ ​it.

IN​ ​PRINT:
One​ ​Day​ ​We’ll​ ​All​ ​Be​ ​Dead​ ​and​ ​None​ ​of​ ​This​ ​Will​ ​Matter​ ​​by​ ​Scaachi​ ​Koul​ ​(essays)

Picador,​ ​2017

I​ ​first​ ​heard​ ​of​ ​Scaachi​ ​Koul​ ​because​ ​of​ ​her​ ​hilarious​ ​Twitter​ ​presence​ ​(@Scaachi)​ ​and​ ​columns for​ ​Buzzfeed.​ ​For​ ​reference,​ ​the​ ​night​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Mayweather/McGregor​ ​bout​ ​she​ ​tweeted,​ ​“w​hat​ ​if mayweather​ ​and​ ​mcgregor​ ​both​ ​spontaneously​ ​combust​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time/​ ​then​ ​I​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the winner.”​ ​​Then​ ​when​ ​I​ ​learned​ ​she’d​ ​written​ ​a​ ​book​ ​of​ ​essays,​ ​I​ ​couldn’t​ ​wait​ ​to​ ​get​ ​my​ ​hands​ ​on a​ ​copy.​ ​Koul’s​ ​debut​ ​collection​ ​of​ ​essays​ ​​One​ ​Day​ ​We’ll​ ​All​ ​Be​ ​Dead​ ​and​ ​None​ ​of​ ​This​ ​Will Matter​ ​​candidly​ ​confronts​ ​issues​ ​of​ ​sexism​ ​and​ ​racism,​ ​while​ ​managing​ ​to​ ​read​ ​as​ ​effortlessly lighthearted.​ ​​In​ ​particular,​ ​“A​ ​Good​ ​Egg”​ ​confronts​ ​the​ ​loss​ ​of​ ​a​ ​friendship​ ​with​ ​a​ ​man​ ​named Jeff​ ​over​ ​alcoholism.​ ​She​ ​frankly​ ​describes​ ​his​ ​alcoholism​ ​and​ ​an​ ​encounter​ ​involving​ ​assault while​ ​he​ ​was​ ​intoxicated,​ ​and​ ​goes​ ​on​ ​to​ ​describe​ ​her​ ​own​ ​experience​ ​with​ ​alcohol​ ​as​ ​a​ ​woman, college​ ​student,​ ​and​ ​child​ ​of​ ​immigrant​ ​parents.​ ​“But​ ​girls​ ​don’t​ ​get​ ​to​ ​drink​ ​like​ ​boys​ ​because boys​ ​do​ ​things​ ​to​ ​girls​ ​when​ ​they​ ​drink,”​ ​she​ ​writes.​ ​“It’s​ ​on​ ​her​ ​to​ ​not​ ​get​ ​so​ ​drunk​ ​she​ ​stops being​ ​fun​ ​and​ ​starts​ ​being​ ​a​ ​liability.”