Collected Works in Contemporary Prose and Art https://thebrusselsreview.com https://thebrusselsreview.com/submissions https://shop.thebrusselsreview.com #TBR #poetry #fiction #nonfiction #art #photographyhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lr5xhwvni22wSet in Northern Thailand, this immersive narrative explores a young traveler’s descent into Muay Thai training, where through violence and the discipline of repetition, a bruised body and restless mind find unexpected clarity. #TBR #Thailand #MuayThai https://thebrusselsreview.com/micaela-edelson/unleashing-rage/09 Jun 2025 08:28 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lr5xhwvni22whttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lr4udbsjk222First episode of Call to the Editor We speak with Ximena Maldonado Sánchez, a Mexican artist whose desert-inspired landscapes burn with memory and heat. From Brussels to Athens, her work resists easy reading—it watches you back. #calltotheeditor #art #ximenamaldonadosánchez #mexicanart #brussels https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QO6NpqjeefjIGMwiobEt408 Jun 2025 21:59 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lr4udbsjk222https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lr443k2qts2sTwo poems trace the quiet collision of inner and outer worlds: one through the sensory hush of a child's late-summer retreat, the other through the philosophical pull of erasure and ancient language. #poetry #childhood #nature #memory #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/daniel-sofaer/uprooting-cubit/08 Jun 2025 14:45 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lr443k2qts2shttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lqzw2ydys22iThrough a cascading series of lyrical inversions, Never too Late explores the mutable borders between sorrow and strength, fear and awakening, memory and rebirth. #TBR #poetry #resilience #spirituality #transformation https://thebrusselsreview.com/ramzi-albert-rihani/never-too-late/07 Jun 2025 17:52 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqzw2ydys22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lqwmcinkkk25#Ximena_Maldonado_Sánchez’s landscapes are not depictions but emanations—deserts that remember heat, speak in glare, and shimmer with chemical memory. Hallucinogenic and radioactive. #TBR #painting #contemporaryart #LatinAmericanart #landscape https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/the-paintings-of-ximena-maldonado-sanchez-hot/06 Jun 2025 10:19 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqwmcinkkk25https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lqtypc2n5c2cIn this sharp and uncanny parable of the afterlife, a man’s casual dismissal of medical advice turns metaphysical when he dies of a heart attack—and wakes to a cosmic guide cloaked in familiar forms. #fiction #magicalrealism #afterlife #workingclass #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/jonathan-d-scott/a-grain-of-salt/05 Jun 2025 09:23 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqtypc2n5c2chttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lqppwfwxjk2rA quiet witness behind glass, the speaker captures a world of both tenderness and brutality. #TBR #poetry #urbanlife #existentialism #observationaldrawing https://thebrusselsreview.com/ifunanya-georgia-ezeano/spectator-2/03 Jun 2025 16:35 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqppwfwxjk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lqmvz2msjk2xTBR Dark, edited by Femke van Son, gathers literary fiction that veers into the uncanny and speculative. These stories explore fractured identity, mechanized memory, and psychological rupture. #TBR #literaryfiction #speculativefiction #TBRDarkhttps://thebrusselsreview.com/admin/introducing-tbr-dark https://thebrusselsreview.com/admin/introducing-tbr-dark/02 Jun 2025 13:46 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqmvz2msjk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lqhuyxmeb22z#HopeJoseph writes against extinction—of butterflies, of soil, of fireflies, of youth itself. Rooted in the textures of #Ekiti, this lyrical essay gathers records of life before they fade. #TBR #essays #nostalgia #climatechange #Nigeria #Memory https://thebrusselsreview.com/hope-joseph/read-and-be-young-again/31 May 2025 13:45 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqhuyxmeb22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lq65b26ayk2nIf writing a standard bio feels awkward and you crave some poetry in it, write it in the first person. Speaking of yourself in the third person makes you sound like Trump. #bio #writingabio27 May 2025 16:46 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lq65b26ayk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lpygdjmgfk2rGhayath Almadhoun’s I Have Brought You a Severed Hand is a searing poetic indictment of war, exile, and complicity. @dritankici.bsky.social #TBR #poetry #translation #Syria #Europe https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/ghayath-almadhoun-europe-we-love-your-art-and-hate-your-bombs/25 May 2025 10:12 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpygdjmgfk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lpvuww45rc2r📢 Writers: A non-temporary bio is not a promo. ✅ Name, origin, languages, profession, education, major publications. 🚫 No blurbs, no “explores identity,” no “my latest book…” Keep it timeless. Think passport, not pitch.24 May 2025 09:56 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpvuww45rc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lph6zieblc2dAtomic legacy meets personal reckoning in a collection that speaks through pain, memory, and the quiet defiance of survival. #TBR #poetry #war #Oppenheimer #redemption #motherhood Cover art by Mia Felić https://thebrusselsreview.com/colleen-s-harris/ash-psalms/18 May 2025 13:46 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lph6zieblc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lpfu3wwruk2hTelevised absurdity, Eurovision is revealed as both camp spectacle and geopolitical masquerade. From Australia's "migrating" to Europe to the politics of absence. Hills are... Was that a man? #TBR #essays #Eurovision #popculture #geopolitics #satire https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/eurovision-2025/18 May 2025 00:58 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpfu3wwruk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lpdywxsjds22What makes a story unforgettable? Our editor articulates a triadic framework that dissects the anatomy of enduring narratives and elements that grant stories their lasting power. #TBR #storytelling #narrativetheory #literarycriticism @dritankici.bsky.social https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/the-three-xs-of-a-great-story-extraordinary-exclusive-extendable/17 May 2025 07:19 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lpdywxsjds22https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lovwpscfgk2tIn this gently obsessive, unsparing account of near-meetings with Paul and Ringo, Szabolcs Benedek explores the ecstasy of fandom and the quiet grief of distance. Translated from Hungarian by Dóra Emma Esze. #music #TheBeatles #Vienna #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/szabolcs-benedek/day-tripper/11 May 2025 17:02 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lovwpscfgk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lovurbtgw22zn The Only Summer and My Shell, the poet offers a quiet disassembly of beauty, longing, and self-deception. These pieces unfold with lyrical restraint, questioning meaning as artifice and love as undoing. #Poetry #Writing #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/zilin-wu/summer/11 May 2025 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lovurbtgw22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lodd7rmt6s2oThe failure of the Green Transition is not logistical or political, but linguistic. By framing climate action in the language of disruption—transition, sacrifice, loss—we’ve seeded public resistance. @dritankici.bsky.social #ClimateChange #greentransition #EU https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/why-the-green-transition-is-already-lost/04 May 2025 07:25 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lodd7rmt6s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lobw42lrmk2vFrom glacial tea rooms to cicada-split heat, traverse the southern terrain of Tasmania in vivid, sensory layers, through memory and dreams. Cover art by #SantaZukker #Poetry #Nature #Writing #Tasmania #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/ben-walter/wandering/03 May 2025 17:58 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lobw42lrmk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lo3z2z5o722lFrom the Siege of Yorktown to the halls of Congress, an Unknown Soldier chronicles the haunting continuum of American warfare. How many more final battles can there be? #Literature #History #Writing #Democracy #Veterans #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/william-h-swartz/the-unknown-soldier-1781/01 May 2025 09:35 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo3z2z5o722lhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lnppafxvn225David Newkirk reflects on the quiet strength and deep beauty of introversion, honoring the unseen worlds that shape thoughtful lives. Cover by Kathy Bruce, Beauty, collage, private collection #TBR #Essays #Writing #Psychology #Literature https://thebrusselsreview.com/david-newkirk/quiet-lives/26 Apr 2025 12:07 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnppafxvn225https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lnphj7gzqs26A luminous meditation on intimacy and the quiet revelations of morning light. "Together" captures the tender nearness between bodies, the sacredness of presence, and the almost-miraculous grace found in simple gestures. #Poetry #Literature #Writing #Reading #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/kevin-macalan/together/26 Apr 2025 09:49 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnphj7gzqs26https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lnkjdz4llc26Christopher Kenneally documents the slow erasure of rural Breton life with care and clarity. A stunning tribute to local resistance, cultural identity, and small communities caught in global tides. #France #BretonLife #EUImpact #Rurallife #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/christopher-kenneally/brittany-1991-watching-the-old-world-fade/24 Apr 2025 10:39 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnkjdz4llc26https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lnf7hhpqlk2cA messy, furious, feminist howl against generational gaslighting, trauma buried under kitsch, and the lie of “he didn’t mean it.” Happy, Texas digs deep and doesn’t flinch. #TBR #SurvivorVoice #SystemicAbuse #QueerNarrative #PopArtPain #bartplantenga https://thebrusselsreview.com/bart-plantenga/happy-texas-the-town-without-a-frown/22 Apr 2025 07:58 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnf7hhpqlk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lndgb2cxhc2rThe Game confronts the horror of living in systems that exploit trauma, twist identity, and commodify desire. A harrowing take on psychological captivity. #DismantleTheSystem #MentalHealthMatters #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/jeff-l-oliver/the-game/21 Apr 2025 14:55 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lndgb2cxhc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lnddvd62uc27Mostafa Taleb’s About That Magic Circle transcends genre—it’s a sonic meditation on unity, rooted in mystic Persian poetry and reimagined with a global ensemble. Music as soulcraft, music as justice. #TBR #PersianClassical @patricktenbrink.bsky.social https://thebrusselsreview.com/patrick-ten-brink/about-that-magic-circle/21 Apr 2025 14:12 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnddvd62uc27https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lnaknq32i22bThis editorial by @dritankici.bsky.social lays out a vision for essays that challenge, question, and engage—especially on gender, politics, history, and more. A thoughtful reminder of why nonfiction matters. #TBR #EssayWriting https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/on-the-nonfiction-i-want-to-read/20 Apr 2025 11:35 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnaknq32i22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3ln5xdm5kl223“Too Soon” speaks to the violence of beauty standards and the silent grief women carry in the face of time. We deserve better than this fleeting currency. #TBR #Poetry #Aging #BodyImage https://thebrusselsreview.com/frank-c-modica/too-soon/19 Apr 2025 10:44 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3ln5xdm5kl223https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lmplecadsc22This critique unpacks how first-person writing often centers privilege, avoids empathy, and mimics the individualism of capitalist culture. It’s time to deconstruct the “I.” #TBR #NarrativeJustice #DecenterTheSelf https://thebrusselsreview.com/dritan-kici/the-first-person-voice-of-the-inexperienced-and-the-narcissist/13 Apr 2025 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmplecadsc22https://bsky.app/profile/thebrusselsreview.bsky.social/post/3lmp7crv7us2qA border-crossing poem about resisting safety narratives and pursuing art. What does it mean to abandon the “sensible” path? This piece speaks for those who refuse to stay home. #poetry #illusions #resistance #TBR https://thebrusselsreview.com/l-lois/a-little-birdie-told-me/13 Apr 2025 13:57 +0000at://did:plc:dlodedofnupkxeuioppyprmj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmp7crv7us2q