Darkly Bright Press is pleased to present a new collection of rare material from the Apostle of Wonder: What Do We Know? Observations of the Strange and Unusual by Arthur Machen. The limited edition is now available for preorder at a discounted rate: Purchase the Book.

For the Curious Reader, we offer some excerpts: The More Mysteries the Better.

NEW POETRY

Lifted by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

My Country Lane and My Critics: So it seems to me that if we are to go logically; then, logically, we go to nothing in particular. Our journey by the most level, ordered, unadventurous highway becomes as purposeless as the laziest wandering along the wandering, shady lane. With this difference; that the latter progress is pleasant and delightful, while the former is disagreeable and detestable.

An excellent essay on an ancient feast by Arthur Machen

NOW AVAILABLE: This new fine art poster by Claire Brandenburg is created in small batches and features her poetic and visual talent. Great for gift giving.

NEW POETRY

Waiting for the Echo: a poetic dialogue from Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

The Roll of the Drums: I was once at St. Paul’s, at some service for the dead. We heard many noble things, the notes of great music. And at the end, the rubric on the service, paper directed us to stand. We stood and listened, and looked perplexed. Then there was a faint sense as is the air were troubled, as it there were a beating and fluttering of mighty wings, high in the mist of the dome. A sense more than a sound; but it grew and swelled, and so increased and prevailed that it became the roll of the drums introducing the Dead March. And then ten thousand wept—at this ruffle on stout parchment.

NEW POETRY

About The Thing Lost by Joshua Alan Sturgill

Listen to Jesse Keith Butler read his award-winning poem.

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

Growing Comfort of Dress: My opinions on the subject of comfort are well known; I don’t believe in it as a panacea for human woes; I don’t believe that material goods in themselves will make any man happy; I do believe that the divine discomfort of adventure is a sovran medicine for all who can proscribe it to themselves. But note the phrase, “the divine discomfort of adventure.” The divinity that resides in desperate enterprises and explorations of the unknown is altogether wanting to the process of dressing for dinner.

This past weekend, our favorite bookstore celebrated its 35^th anniversary. A new book, That Which Is True: A Celebration of Eight Day Books, is now available and is highly recommended. It features work by Warren Farha, Joshua Alan Sturgill and many others. You may even find Arthur Machen in its pages!

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

The “Shadow” of Christmas in the Book World: Christmas throws a very long shadow before it. True; it comes but once a year, but in the world of books, at all events, its influence begins to be felt in the last days of September, and now in October the reviewer’s bookshelf might well be garlanded with holly and mistletoe.

NEW POETRY

Scape by Joshua Alan Sturgill

Still by Linda Lobmeyer

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

Glimpses of Ireland: It is an old and sound observation that the popular writer is he who expresses that which most people have felt but have not uttered—even to themselves. We read some moral or psychological aphorism, and we say, “How true that is! And how odd that I should never have thought of it!”

Clues to Wisdom: Later Writings by Arthur Machen: In an excellent essay, Dale Nelson explores the later work of Arthur Machen, a period often overlooked and misunderstood, and discovers traditional wisdom and mythopoeic beauty.

NEW POETRY

The Olivet Prescription by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

The Language of the Future: And on my shelf of odd volumes I have just found a little book which may revolutionise human speech as the aeroplane will doubtless revolutionise human locomotion. I see the coming of a new language which will be to our present utterance as the swiftest shorthand is to a child’s copybook text.

NEW POETRY

The Asters in Joshua Alan Sturgill

“Raven Steals the Salmon” by Benjamin Rozonoyer

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

The Personal Element in Criticism: The bringing in of the personal element into criticism is always irritating. Some people say that Shelley wrote such beautiful poetry that he could treat his wife as he pleased; other people say that Shelley was such a bad man that they won’t read his poetry. Each point of view is purely impertinent; if Shelley had been a Borgia I should still praise his verse; and the fact that a man possesses genius gives him no license to behave like a cad and a blackguard.

NEW POETRY

A Brief Reply from Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

A Town of Long Ago: It may not be generally known that there is a wonderful old town in the heart of London. Modern streets, grey and commonplace, surrounded it on all sides; there are underground stations at its very gates; the taxi-cab glides and fleets under its walls.

Next month, the Eighth Day Institute will be exploring the work of Dorothy L. Sayers at the 9th Annual Inklings Festival. Keynote speaker Lesley-Anne Dyer Williams will speak on the great authoress and her influence. Register soon. The Annual Walking Tour is highly recommended.

NEW POETRY

Kong Ming Cooperates With The Tao by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

The Nonsense of Shakespeare: So far, good; but I think we may go farther, and declare that Shakespeare could only utter supreme sense—that is, the highest poetry, because he had this faculty of uttering supreme nonsense.

Deacon Nicholas Kotar, Dean of St. Basil Writers’ Workshop, is offering a new course for beginning writers: Motivating Your Lazy Characters. Early bird admissions closes soon. Kotar is a noted fantasy author who seeks to encourage a new generation of “future Inklings.”

NEW POETRY

Our Freedom to the Altar by Joshua Alan Sturgill

A Drinking Song by Benjamin Rozonoyer

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

My Wandering Week, Part V: We wound in and out among the valleys, green with rich pasture lands, with bowery apple-orchards on the hillside; with clear streams. Here were sweet scented, hanging woods rising to a sheer height above the road, here the entrance to more secret valleys, to more hidden thickets, here, suddenly, abrupt, tremendous, the huge round dome of a vast hill swelled in its vault toward the sky.

MACHEN MISCELLANEA

The 3 Best Novels Since 1900