iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Two new old poems! These are HELLA old. Don’t even remember when they were first written, but even the old stuff deserves a home if it’s from the heart. Thanks Lalitamba for unearthing these for the world to read. 🌅

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Friends, for the time being, I’m making all my books pay-what-you-want & donating 100% of the funds received to humanitarian aid for Iran & Lebanon. I’ll also match the amounts with my own donations. More context… The artwork for Mystic Orchards is by an Iranian-American artist. I aways viewed… 🧵1/3

Four books displayed on a bookshelf:
Palm Lines by Jonathan Koven
Below Torrential Hill by Jonathan Koven
Mystic Orchards by Jonathan Koven
Spark Bird by Jonathan Koven, Daniel DeRock, and Julian Shendelman

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David Hutcheon @hutchie.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

The Analog Africa label has spent 20 years bringing us African scream contests, cosmic sounds of Cape Verde, Brazilian western soundtracks and Beninese vodou, now @mojomagazine.bsky.social wants to know your pick of their releases. Hit me with the what and the why and let's make this definitive.

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I'm Gary Suarez of CABBAGES @imgarysuarez.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Keep in mind, as #MWE coincides with Black History Month, please be sure to include albums by Black artists in your picks. That has always been one of the exercise's core tenets, and I promise you will find some new favorites in doing so.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Anyone who still needs albums to listen to this month for #MWE (music writers exercise), check my sprawling list of recs. For those seeking out international music across the decades—ALL genres represented.

1960s
* Alfredo Linares – El pito (1967)
* Houston & Dorsey - At the World’s Most Famous Beach (1968)
* Evie Sands – Any Way That You Want Me (1969)
* Kevin Ayers – Joy of a Toy (1969)
* Gal Costa – Gal Costa (1969)

1970s
* Amon Düül II – Yeti (1970)
* Chico Buarque – Construção (1971)
* Annette Peacock – I’m the One (1972)
* Syreeta – Syreeta (1972)
* Congregacion – Viene… (1972)
* Milton Nascimento & Lô Borges – Clube da Esquina(1972)
* Brigitte Fontaine – Brigitte Fontaine est… (1973)
* Josipa Lisac – Dnevnik Jedne Ljubavi (1973)
* Antonio Smith – Ven seamos más (1974)
* El Sindykato – Vuelve a Tu País (1974)
* Niemen – Aerolit (1975)
* Invisible – El Jardín de los Presentes (1976)
* Mirtha Defilpo & Litto Nebbia – Canciones para Perdedores (1976)
* Brian Eno – Before and After Science (1977)

1970s cont.

* Marie et les garçons – 1977 / 1979
* Haruomi Hosono – Paraiso (1978)
* Ferkat Al Ard – Oghneya (1978)
* Kourosh Yaghmaei – Back from the Brink (material 1973–1979)

1980s
* Burning Spear - Hail H.I.M. (1980)
* Harald Grosskopf - Synthesist (1980)
* Felt – Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty (1981)
* Akiko Yano – ただいま。 (1981)
* COLORED MUSIC – S/T (1981)
* CHAKRA – さてこそ (1981)
* Lizzy Mercier Descloux – Mambo Nassau (1981)
* Mathématiques Modernes – Les visiteurs du soir(1981)
* Bobby Frank Brown - Prayers of a One Man Band (1982)
* A Certain Ratio – Sextet (1982)
* Aragon – S/T (1985)
* Trobecove Krušne Peći – S Mukom Žvaču Trubadurov Vrat (1985)
* The Sugarcubes – Life’s Too Good (1988)
* The Chills – Kaleidoscope World (1989)

1980s cont.

* Panoramics – Bugie Colorate (1989)
* Mari Boine – Gula Gula (1989)

1990s
* James Chimombe & The Huchi Band – Jemedza(1990)
* David Kilgour – Here Come the Cars (1991)
* Mishio Ogawa – 4 to 3 (1991)
* Riverside – One (1992)
* Garnett Silk - Gold (1993)
* Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 – Strangers from the Universe (1994)
* The Innocence Mission – Glow (1995)
* Miki Nakatani – 食物連鎖 (1996)
* Cornelius – Fantasma (1998)
* Esther Orafim – האוסף הכפול (1998)
* Hugo Moraga – Evidencias (1998)
* Xiomara Fortuna – Kumbajei (1999)

2000s
* Kuusumun Profeetta – Kukin kaappiaan selässään kantaa (2001)
* Aimee Mann – Lost in Space (2002)
* Malian Musicians & Damon Albarn – Mali Music(2002)
* Vincent Nguini - Traveler (2007)
* Jean Grae & Blue Sky Black Death – Jean Grae: The Evil Jeanius (2008)

2010s
* The-Dream – Love King (2010)
* Aníbal Velásquez y Su Conjunto – Mambo Loco(reissued 2010)
* Akua Naru – The Journey Aflame (2011)
* Jeremih – Late Nights with Jeremih mixtape (2012)
* Rim Banna – Revelation of Ecstasy and Rebellion(2013)
* Tanya Tagaq - Animism (2014)
* Balam Acab - Child Death (2015)
* Conan Osiris – Adoro Bolos (2017)

2020s
* Arrange – The World Is Racing (2021)
* ASADI & Erfan – NUR (2022)
* Ansambl Mileta Petrovića – Veseli Romi (reissued 2022)
* Raja Kirik - Phantasmagoria of Jathilan (2023)
* Fievel Is Glauque – Rong Weicknes (2024)
* Yasmine Hamdan – I Remember I Forget (2025)
* Dogo Niga – Gono (2025)

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

#MWE Album 1 Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990) A triumphant, openhearted plea for justice. Silence and space breathe alongside textured art-pop and folk elegies. O'Connor's voice is a healing balm, mourning a corrupt world. Feels a bit like a blend of Mazzy Star and Sade.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Hi there, skyfam. I’ve been lurking here this whole time, but now it’s my time to shine. February is #MWE (Music Writers Exercise) and I’ll be listening to a ton of good stuff and posting reviews here and IG again. Will be starting early so keep an eye out!

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LGBTQ Shrink @drronholt.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

This is a welcoming account. 🏳️‍⚧️

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Jeff Weiss @passionweiss.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

RIP D'Angelo, the greatest singer since Marvin departed. Who took the grit & attitude of hip-hop & alchemized it into angelic voodoo. He condensed the human condition - sex, suffering, addiction, love, oppression - into pure transcendence. A comet emitting blinding light & soul.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Hey Skyfam. It’s my birthday and there’s nothing I would love more than selling a few of my books today. I have four, so take your pick! You can get them here: linktr.ee/jonathankoven

linktr.ee

jonathankoven | Instagram | Linktree

Linktree. Make your link do more.

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Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Write for your worst reader. But to upset them.

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brendan @schlage.town · 09/06/2025

tbh bluesky has exactly the same problem as twitter — needs more people committed to the shortform poetic arts; to wielding the platform to catalyze meaningful work & prosocial ends; to uplifting and multiplying the positive forces of others…

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Zoe TunnHELL ➡️ NYCC @zoewithasword.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

I feel like most of my followers know this but because I see a lot of cis folks who have a specific blind spot for it: This includes the theme park. I don't care if you want Butterbeer or want to get a wand or are already there so why not just walk in. It's all Her. Everything with the name is Her.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Thrilled this piece found a home! Check out our collaborative poem, as inspired by Guglielmo Alberto Nacci’s beautiful, obscure painting below ⬇️

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Hi new followers! Just a quick intro: I’m a writer based in Philly with four books out right now, two poetry books and two literary fiction novels. Grab a copy of one of them here: linktr.ee/jonathankoven! Currently working on a big fiction project with multiple timelines and POVs 📚

linktr.ee

jonathankoven | Instagram | Linktree

Linktree. Make your link do more.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Honored to have this new duplex poem included in the ‘24 Featured Poets Anthology by @moonstonearts.bsky.social! This is my first piece to be published (outside of a collection) after almost two years 🥰

Ramble for Thirst
by Jonathan Koven

My tongue sips gold from your spine tonight.
Syrup squalls, cleanse my taste like rain.

Streets clean, rain sweetens the eyes.
Is it enough to ask: river mouth or door?

Nothing to mask: river mouth a door,
and I should be mere salt of the earth.

And I should salt slush of your snow,
whisper easy fires to sink so soft within.

Scarlet and lucent, fire whispers within,
and pleasure, a mountain screaming.

And pleasure, a mountain screaming,
stoked starlight trembling in valley water.

Stars for light, lips stroke the trembling water.
My tongue drinks gold from your spine tonight.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

It’s been so hard to feel motivated to write lately. Asking my fellow poets and authors here… What’s keeping you going? How do you beat the fatigue?

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Gabino Iglesias @gabino.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Your monthly reminder: Keep writing. When no one cares, persist. When things appear to be crumbling, keep at it. When it's difficult, push through. When you feel alone, listen to the stories in your blood. Just write. The world needs your stories.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

No Lynch tribute is extremely disappointing.

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Ruven @ruvenmusic.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

¡ Today’s Album ! Litto Nebbia - Bazar de los Milagros (1976) Soaring synth solos, magical modulations, impassioned vox—an immersive, enchanting joyride drifting from Earth to space. Intro to “Bituca” hits me in my soul! Glad I listened to the bonus version. I fear the Discogs grail. #MWE Day 27

vampisoul.bandcamp.com

Bazar de los milagros, by Litto Nebbia

8 track album

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sklutecase @sklute.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

#MWE day 21 Woo - When The Past Arrives filial duo reenters an ambient dreamscape left off in ‘81 as if time traveling. dual guitars glisten. arpeggiators gurgle, syndrums pop and tick, cloudcap synths hover. the structures still play between apprehension and ease, the payoffs soar even higher.

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Michael Snydel @snydel.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

#MWE Day 25: Delicate skeletons of techno/(micro)house structured around ambient waves. Percussion is barely there, but those plinks and faint pulses etch something closer to grooves. Recalls Voight, but the texture is harsher but always carefully crafted in artisanal, aqueous shapes.

Huerco S. - For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) (2016): B+
Favorites: Lifeblood, On the Embankment, Promises of Fertility

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

As I read George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda, I’m so glad that books like this exist, where sentences wind and turn and sing and change before your eyes. A single sentence holds so, so much. Always wish for more books today to spare room for sentences to dance and breathe. It’s how I wish my books to be.

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Matthew @mattypotty.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Day 25 Jorge Ben Jor - Jorge Ben A very wonderful time. Another beautiful Brazilian record that's just pure joy to listen to. The guitar work is excellent, he has a fantastic voice and while I cannot understand the words it feels like a pure album #mwe

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Rupa Jogani @rjogani.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Day 25: Like a piano being plucked beneath a winter forest canopy, it feels like Ashikawa pulled the melodies straight from the air. Peaceful and gorgeous, the ambient textures of 'Still Way' have one foot in the distant past and the other keeping one firmly planted in the ever-changing moment. #MWE

Satoshi Ashikawa's album cover of 'Still Way' (1982). A photograph of a black and white tree taken from the ground is divided in two, with the album title in the center.

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Hailey, It Happens @haileyithappens.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

#20. Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim - Elis & Tom (1974) Different than I was expecting. Less samba and more orchestrated balladry, but she’s got the voice for it and Jobim’s work is always sophisticated and exquisitely tasteful. Plus “Águas de março” is always welcome. An easy win. #MWE

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Ben Sailer @bensailer.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

I've been aware of The American Analog Set for years but never spent much time checking them. Lots of lo-fi layering that's too experimental for pop but expands outside the generic indie rock that got popular after they broke up. Maybe ahead of their time? #MWE open.spotify.com/album/1l1uLr...

open.spotify.com

Know By Heart

The American Analog Set · Album · 2001 · 12 songs

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TA Inskeep (they/them) @tainskeep.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

#MWE 2/12 Ray Barretto, Acid (1968): His first Fania record is a classic for good reason: this is some hot-ass music. Like much boogaloo (and its child salsa), it’s incessant percussion, incredible trumpet riffs & not-alot lyrics, perfect for dancing. & his congas! This band is *so* well-oiled.

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Justin Anderson-Weber @jlweber.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

#MWE Day 12 Chanel Beads draws inspiration from dreamy experimental drone and tries to combine it with a bit of pop and rock. At just 27 minutes, it feels over before the record establishes solid footing. Feels more like a proof of concept and a promise of more to come.

The cover of "Your Day Will Come" by Chanel Beads.

A black and white image of an oil painting. A crowd stands on a beach at night. They appear to be from the early 1900s. The men wear black, the women wear white and have hats and bonnets. There's a wooden boat visible on the shore. They could be waiting for the Titanic or something.

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Evan Barnes @evanbarnes.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Day 12: Surprised it took me this long to hear Method Man's debut. No surprise I loved the dusty, dark production from RZA. Wild hearing the original "All I Need" before Mary J jumped on it. Meth always hits for me as a rapper but while Tical is great, I still like Wu's 95 records better. #MWE

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HumbleRodentia @humblerodentia.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

Ethel Cain - Perverts [2025] #mwe Brilliant record. Really epic scale. Drone, ambient, experimental, post-rock. Personal but not limited to one pov. Vastness but w/ sincere and earnest vox, no gap b/w performance and emotion. Plenty space b/w sonic locations tho, no fast traveling here.

Ethel Cain - Perverts [2025]

Image is black and white, the left third is black background either a gray semicircle that looks like smoke or a wrought iron handle. Right two thirds is a scene of a hunched figure with long straight hair draped over their face, wearing a dark cloak, standing across from a dim lantern on an ornate end table. It's daytime but the white curtains are drawn. The scene is unnerving.

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Pamela Haskell @plynn.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

#MWE day 1 (it’s day 8 but whatever The worst part of #MWE is revealing your shameful blind spots. This hits all the points of a classic soul album - huge voice, harmonies, raw emotion and groove - and then added hip hop to reinvent the whole genre.

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I'm Gary Suarez of CABBAGES @imgarysuarez.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Need a coffee/smoke break from the doom & gloom of politics on this app? Try clicking the #MWE hashtag and check out which albums people are listening to for the first time.

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David C @awnothimagain.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

#MWE Day 6 Simply put, one of the prettiest albums I’ve ever heard. Enamored with her voice and the way she creates a choir effect by layering it on several songs. Love the wind and string arrangements and the Baroque melodies at play here, which all support such sharp songwriting. Just incredible.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

#MWE Day 1 Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana (2013) Fantastic indie rock with crunchy 90’s inspired riffs, reaching into grunge & math-rock territory at times. Bombastic drums, dark witty lyrics with a great vocalist… Whole thing rules. A bit embarrassed I’ve never heard this before.

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Matthew @mattypotty.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Day 1 Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai Stunning album here. It certainly doesn't stay in one lane, and has overall a very cinematic feel. The opener quite spacy despite being largely acoustic. Even with ALOT going on instrumentally it was too much, in fact it was perfectly put together. #MWE

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I'm Gary Suarez of CABBAGES @imgarysuarez.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Day 1: Transcendent, ecstatic explorations of electronic synthesis that diverge from then-contemporary pop’s keyboard abuse, bolstered by a singular voice that not infrequently bursts through the shimmer with enlightenment to share. #MWE

Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Keyboard Fantasies [1986]

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

#MWE Looking forward to tomorrow! I have extra because I’m sure I’ll double-up some days. I’ll try to go in order but I’ll probably skip around a bit.

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

Friends, I’m gonna try to post here more. Soon, I'm participating in February’s Music Writers Exercise—listening to one full album I’ve never heard every day next month and sharing my reactions tagged with #MWE. Anyone have any album recs for me, something I’d enjoy and haven’t heard? Any genre!

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Hi friends 👋. Yes, I’m on this app, though I honestly doubt I’ll use it frequently enough to have good reason to be here. Just making my presence known while folks shift over their social media. Mainly on IG, so please find me there!

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 16/10/2023

Mystic Orchards came out last week! Order your copy at kelsaybooks.com/products/mys...! ✨

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 13/10/2023

Last blurb to share! Dearest thanks to literary giant Joseph Fasano for the praise. Honored to have his support! 🥰 MYSTIC ORCHARDS is out NOW! Order your copy at kelsaybooks.com/products/mys... ✨

What are readers saying about Mystic Orchards?

“Make rivers flow / out of my mouth,” Jonathan Koven asks of the blank page, and his poetry answers with a beautiful deluge of visions, of dreams, of the great and ancient things. Here are poems that go their own way. Here are poems that “cross state lines to reach you.” Here, refreshingly, are poems that know how to be both a story and a song.
—Joseph Fasano, author of The Swallows of Lunetto

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Jonathan Koven @jonathankoven.bsky.social · 11/10/2023

Mystic Orchards comes out in JUST TWO DAYS!!! (10/13)

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