Mud Luscious Press, the esteemed small press and progenitor of the imprints Nephew and Blue Square, is in financial trouble. Please check out this post for more information and buy a book or two from them. I highly recommend I Am a Very Productive Entrepreneur by Mathias Svalina, When All Our Days Are Numbered by Sasha Fletcher, and fuckscapes by Sean Kilpatrick.

In case you haven’t already noticed, PEN’s Poetry Relay Series continues. Here’s the latest installment, featuring Matthew Zapruder. Stay tuned for more of the relay on the PEN Blog.

Cathy Park Hong’s poetry is always original, imaginative, and world-warping. Here’s an amazing new poem from Cathy, called “Engines Within the Throne,” from Poets.org.

Sarah Manguso, one of my favorite writers, has some thoughtful advice for young writers over at the FSG Blog, Work in Progress. Here’s what Manguso has to say about friends:

Friends. Avoid all messy and needy people including family; they threaten your work. You may believe your messy life supplies material, but it in fact distracts you from understanding that material, and until you understand it, it is useless to you. Don’t confuse users, hangers-on, or idols with friends. If a former friend asks you why you don’t have time to see him or her anymore, say your existing responsibilities have made it impossible to socialize as much as you used to. Cutting someone out with no explanation is an insult that will come around.

Listen to Walt Whitman Award-winning author Matt Rasmussen talk about his forthcoming book of poetry, Black Aperture, at Minnesota Public Radio.

And finally, your guide to “Rocks on a Table.