BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT

“Butler’s poems are thoughtful, well-crafted, and a pleasure to read.” — A.M. Juster

Darkly Bright Press is pleased to announce The Living Law, the first poetry collection from Jesse Keith Butler. Butler is an awarding-winning poet from Canada.

The book is scheduled for an early 2024 release. However, his work can be explored here.

NEW POETRY

Home by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

A Pecksniff Picture: The scene is illustrated by a picture showing Miss Pecksniff and Moddle on one side of the shop and Tom Pinch and his sister Ruth on the other. And I have always been puzzled by one of the inscriptions over the shop, which describes the proprietor as an “Upholder.”

BOOK UPDATE: WHAT DO WE KNOW? BY ARTHUR MACHEN – SOLD OUT

Douglas A. Anderson, the editor of Tales Before Tolkien and The Annotated Hobbit, has reviewed Mist and Mystery.

Jesse Keith Butler recently appeared on a podcast to speak about poetry and his upcoming volume from Darkly Bright Press.

NEW POETRY

The Self of the Myth-Made Man by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

A Recipe for the Historical Novel: Consider the purpose of the novel or romance called historical. Surely it is simply this: to give the reader the most vivid impression of the old times; to ravish him by a potent literary spell from the present into the past; to make him feel, if but for a moment, that the heavy weight of the centuries has been rolled away.

As of this posting, only three copies remain of the limited edition of What Do We Know? by Arthur Machen. The discounted preorder price has been extended through December 6^th.

NEW POETRY

A Metaphor by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

How Should We Spend Christmas?: Let us above all be unlike that wretched “Board of Guardians”—Guardians of the Poor, so strangely named—who cut off, or threatened to cut off the breakfast egg of the Workhouse children on Christmas Day last year, to help the children, as they said, to realise the gravity of the situation. By all means let us conceal the gravity of the situation from the children; we are no flaming angels to shut out little Adam and little Eve from Paradise.

MACHEN MISCELLANEA

Tripe de Luxe & Arthur Machen

A small number copies remain of the new limited edition book from Darkly Bright Press: What do We Know? Observations of the Strange and Unusual by Arthur Machen.

Purchase Now

Excerpts

NEW POETRY

The Master by Joshua Alan Sturgill

THE WEEKLY MACHEN

Are We Too Busy To Think: And so we get to the full meaning of the problem proposed: Are we too much occupied in wage-earning or in amusing ourselves to devote sufficient time to sublime speculation and systematic thought?

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.