Colin Dickey

Experience the thrilling and innovative exploration of an emptied New York City, launched during the pandemic lockdown of 2020. Delve into the uncanny time warp created by the absence of the dominant class and explore the public spaces made vibrant by New Yorkers left behind. In this unforgettable year, the streets belonged to eccentric artists, passionate activists, and everyday New Yorkers who had been pushed to the margins for too long. Join author and social critic Jeremiah Moss in a historic explosion of activism, resistance, and spontaneity as he discovers an intoxicating freedom in a city transformed. Feral City offers valuable insight into the way public space and the spaces inside us are controlled and can be set free.

"White Magic" by Elissa Washuta takes readers on a journey through her life as a Native woman grappling with addiction, abuse, PTSD, and finding love and meaning without the escape of intoxication. Through a collection of essays, Washuta weaves together stories from her forebears with cultural artifacts from her life to explore questions of cultural inheritance and the particular danger she faces as a Native woman under colonial rule. Discover the real spirits and powers her dispossessed and discarded ancestors knew in this powerful and captivating book.

"The Sobbing School" is a thought-provoking poetry collection that challenges representations of black history and contemporary black experience. Joshua Bennett's mesmerizing debut examines life and the interiority of individuals who are often overlooked in society. Using figures as diverse as Bobby Brown, Martin Heidegger, and performance artist Henry Box Brown, Bennett showcases a world beyond what we are socialized to see value in and emphasizes the importance of exploring alternative ways of thinking.

"Fire on the Water" by Lenora Warren explores representations of shipboard mutiny and insurrection in late 18th- and early 19th-century literature from an abolitionist and slave violence perspective. The book centers on the experiences of five black sailors who inspired or found resonance within fiction: Olaudah Equiano, Denmark Vesey, Joseph Cinqué, Madison Washington, and Washington Goode. By examining both well-known and lesser-known texts and figures, Warren reveals the complexity of literary engagement with the politics of slave violence.