Holding a gun to my head, a kid with a black stocking over his face demands I hand over my cassette radio. The kid is flanked by another standing behind him, a stocking covering his head, too. My best friend Lan is only a few feet away.
I am fifteen; Lan is one year younger. …continue…
“I visited the elderly gentleman who called himself Dr. Gustav Mahler, of 22, Woodside Grove, Hanford, Stoke-on-Trent, only twice.”
So begins Jonathan Taylor’s remarkable short story of musical obsession—the first classical music fiction Coral Press has published. Enjoy.
…continue…
Jazzophilia
I love not a man
but a sound. I hear it in the back of Smalls
rocking with my rosé, tasting sevens
in the dark as it all grows redder and golder. …continue…
Mix the Old with the New
At the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, black
people joyfully bob their heads while Benita shouts
He’s awesome and holds out the microphone. …continue…
Wondering how to explore the combination of music and literature? Many bookstores offer a selection of records and CD’s that can provide a great soundtrack to your latest read, or sections of books on different artists and musical eras. Find a combined book/record store near you, and email info at coralpress.com to add your local store to our catalogue!
—Compiled by Mai Tran …continue…