Spring Reading: David James Brock

April 25, 2018

We asked MFA alumni publishing books this spring what they’re reading, and what they'd recommend. Here are Dave Brock's current picks:

"I'm in a bit of a phase of trying to read things that I don't normally read. This is after a couple of years of pretty much reading only sci-fi, poetry, and fiction with the hopes that some of it would mind transfer into Ten-Headed Alien.

I've been relying on a lot of recommendations from people for graphic novels and comics, knowing that's a big gap in my reading. At this very moment, I'm reading X-Men: the Dark Phoenix Saga, which came out in 1980, and I realize to a lot of people, this is like saying you're just hearing 'Thriller' for the first time.

Speaking of thrillers, also something I wish I read more of, I'm deep into Nathan Ripley's (Naben Ruthnum's) Find You in the Dark with Elisabeth de Mariaffi's Hysteria screaming at me 'next!' from the small pile of books on my desk. And there's just so much great poetry coming out this spring, that I know my 'what I'm reading' is about to massively inflate. I'm particularly looking forward to Caroline Szpak's debut Slinky Naive."

Dave's new collection of poetry, Ten Headed Alien, is published by Wolsak & Wynn's Buckrider Books imprint. The Toronto launch event for W&W's spring releases will be at the Gladstone Hotel on May 8 at 7pm.

Information on future scheduled readings across the country can be found at: davidjamesbrock.com/events