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Matthew Nisinson

@mnisinson.bsky.social
438 followers 738 following 442 posts

(He/him) poet/bureaucrat with poems out in Bullshit Lit, en*gendered lit, Los Angeles Review, Novus Literary, Southern Humanities Review, and others. Currently working on a deep dive project focused on Catullus 85. On Instagram as lepidum_novum_libellum

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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“the absolute wrong thing in this perpetual time of global violence, war, famine,”
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I’ve been keeping a notebook of quotes from what I read for about 10 years now. I find the practice really helpful as a deliberate practice, an aid to memory, and a way to track my thoughts over time. This quote I copied out from Bo-Young Kim feels particularly apt as I mature as a parent.
Handwritten notecard resting on a black notebook on a brown wood tabletop. Notecard says

That day you swore to yourself: “I will not tell kids that they’re living their best years. I will NOT say that young people are all the same, or that it’s all just part of growing up. Maybe every other adult will say those things, but not me. I’m going to be a grown-up who knows how indifferent, cowardly, and foolish such words are.”

From ‘Between Zero and One’ a short story by the Korean author Bo-Young Kim, translated by Eunhae Jo and Melissa Mei-Lin Chan, and included in the collection of Bo-Young Kim’s short stories, On the Origin of Species and Other Stories
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Thank you @dahosek.bsky.social ! Catullus 85 has been following me everywhere the last few years. If you liked the versions in Hanging Loose Press you can find more from the manuscript in a few other journals, linked on my website nisinson.wordpress.com/2024/02/25/s...
nisinson.wordpress.com
Select Publications
POEMS Apparent, Southern Humanities Review, Volume 57 No. 4 – in print edition Villanelle Origin Story published in Novus Literary’s 5th Anniversary Digital Edition World Trade the Past…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I love Romare Bearden’s Odyssey series, and the excellent book of Bearden inspired poetry that is Bearden’s Odyssey: Poets Respond to the Art of Romare Bearden edited by Kwame Dawes
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Thinking about recording a video reading one of my poems. Curious, what would you want to hear me read?
nisinson.wordpress.com
Select Publications
POEMS Apparent, Southern Humanities Review, Volume 57 No. 4 – in print edition Villanelle Origin Story published in Novus Literary’s 5th Anniversary Digital Edition World Trade the Past…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
5 books for this summer: 1. Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers - Frank X. Walker 2. The Legend of Auntie Po - Shing Yin Khor 3. The Last of the Wine - Mary Renault 4. Another Day of Life - Ryszard Kapuscinski, translation: William Brand and Katarzyna Mroczkowska-Brand 5. Oreo - Fran Ross
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I love curated lists of book recommendations, but the purported purposes of the lists can be irritating. I don’t think there’s any such thing as a “must read” to be well read, for the summer, to understand the present situation, to appreciate 250 years of US history, etc. but there can be a vibe.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
A friend gave me a copy of Sharon Olds’ Balladz. It’s my first time reading Olds and I’m really enjoying her work. This morning, this poem, New Year’s Song, really struck me – a beautiful sense of frailty and renewal and gratitude to carry one into the future.
Text on a page reading:

New Year's Song
The next morning, when I remembered that I get to keep my thumb,
they do not need to go in and break it again, to set it,
and as for the peripheral neuropathy in my extremities, the numbness, the tingling...
I very much do not want
to lose my feet-and it came to me
I love my feet.
Life is a gift, a gift given by no one—given by nothing, as something may be a gift of nothing, and of the everything that nestles unknown in nothing. For a moment the core of my life was not desire, but the knowledge of my unearned luck.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
I got curious and picked up a bottle of Da’Bomb hot sauce. I had a theory, because I find theHot Ones’ Last Dab sauces to be pleasantly hot, that Da’Bomb might be hotter than them, but slower to build. It’s not, and the overpowering aftertaste of mint is REALLY off putting.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Really appreciate the thoughtful messages from folks about publishing. You can find links to a few of my published Catullus 85 poems, and a short interview, on my website. nisinson.wordpress.com/2024/02/25/s... Any favorite nontraditional translations? I love hearing about what others are doing!
nisinson.wordpress.com
Select Publications
POEMS Apparent, Southern Humanities Review, Volume 57 No. 4 – in print edition Villanelle Origin Story published in Novus Literary’s 5th Anniversary Digital Edition World Trade the Past…
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NPR @npr.org · 27/02/2026
With a little help from his Sinners co-star Miles Caton, the near-nonagenarian legend gives the Tiny Desk a history lesson in the blues. n.pr/4tPjN7o
n.pr
Buddy Guy: Tiny Desk Concert
With a little help from his Sinners co-star Miles Caton, the near-nonagenarian legend gives the Tiny Desk a history lesson in the blues.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Hey poetry bluesky, I’ve been querying my manuscript exploding Catullus 85 into 85 different translation variations for a little while now. Any tips for publishers (or agents?) that might be interested in a less traditional translation project?
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
And why is it that the people who do this often seem to be the first to tell you how empathetic they are?
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
I have made some changes to my regular format with my monthly round-up for January, now up on my blog. Aiming for more of a long form synthesis of a more focused selection of poems and other works. Let me know what you think! nisinson.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/j...
nisinson.wordpress.com
January 2026 Round-Up
In my November 2025 Round-Up I talked about revising the format of these monthly round-ups, and I’m kicking that off with this January round-up. The bulleted lists of links, even with my brief resp…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Immensely honored to have my Catullus 85 translations nominated by @haydensferryreview.bsky.social !!
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
I have made some changes to my regular format with my monthly round-up for January, now up on my blog. Aiming for more of a long form synthesis of a more focused selection of poems and other works. Let me know what you think! nisinson.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/j...
nisinson.wordpress.com
January 2026 Round-Up
In my November 2025 Round-Up I talked about revising the format of these monthly round-ups, and I’m kicking that off with this January round-up. The bulleted lists of links, even with my brief resp…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Immensely honored to have my Catullus 85 translations nominated by @haydensferryreview.bsky.social !!
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Poetry folks, can you recommend me some good essays/criticism about the works of Claude McKay?
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
My review of Mary Jo Bang’s translation of Paradiso is up now @therumpus.net !!! Check it out!
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The Rumpus @therumpus.net · 22/11/2025
“Bang’s translation honors Dante’s goal to support a broad readership, while her detailed notes convey the depth of scholarship and understanding that position her to do so.” Matthew Nisinson (@mnisinson.bsky.social) reviews Mary Jo Bang's translation of Dante's Paradiso. ➡️ buff.ly/De6vEvk
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
My review of Mary Jo Bang’s translation of Paradiso is up now @therumpus.net !!! Check it out!
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
My October Round-Up is a little late but finally up on my blog. It’s got poetry, translation, art, and some music. I’ve included brief thoughts on each work. Let me know your favorites and if anything I shared makes you think of something else I should read.
nisinson.wordpress.com
October 2025 Round-Up
This Round-Up has been sitting in a half-finished limbo for the past two weeks, my apologies for the delay. Looking back at last year, there seems to be something about October/November that makes …
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
My September post is up on the blog. It was a weird September, with a lot to think about. A lot of great poetry, art and thinking from some brilliant people, paired with some of my humble thoughts. Also a good photo of my cat. What art stood out to you in September?
nisinson.wordpress.com
September 2025 Round-Up
September has been a month of contemplation and recharge for me, I made significant headway on a number of books that I’ve been reading more slowly over the course of the year, as I try to balance …
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
My September post is up on the blog. It was a weird September, with a lot to think about. A lot of great poetry, art and thinking from some brilliant people, paired with some of my humble thoughts. Also a good photo of my cat. What art stood out to you in September?
nisinson.wordpress.com
September 2025 Round-Up
September has been a month of contemplation and recharge for me, I made significant headway on a number of books that I’ve been reading more slowly over the course of the year, as I try to balance …
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
August 2025 Round-Up is finally live on my blog! Check it out for links to great poems and art that I read in August. Let me know if you have recommendations for me, too!
nisinson.wordpress.com
August 2025 Round-Up
Photo by Matthew Nisinson Once again, summer is almost over as we head into September and a new school year. This is the time of year I often find myself thinking about how endless summer felt to m…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
August 2025 Round-Up is finally live on my blog! Check it out for links to great poems and art that I read in August. Let me know if you have recommendations for me, too!
nisinson.wordpress.com
August 2025 Round-Up
Photo by Matthew Nisinson Once again, summer is almost over as we head into September and a new school year. This is the time of year I often find myself thinking about how endless summer felt to m…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
I just attended this fantastic panel on the politics of translation @brooklyninstitute.bsky.social . Really great listening to @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social Lynn Kozak and James Redfield discuss their approaches to translation with Lauren K. Wolfe! www.youtube.com/live/Rdr1KLz...
youtube.com
The Politics of Translation
YouTube video by The Brooklyn Institute for Social Research
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Recommend me some reads for what summer remains!
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Great thread with a strong applicability to literature considered to be part of any canon, not just SFF. Also, these books are there to inform YOUR individual taste. As a reader, you’ll grow a personal canon, evolving over time. That’s good, don’t let others tell you who you must be.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
My round-up for July is up on my blog, a lot of great poetry, writing and art that I recommend, with some extended thoughts about much of it, particularly translation. Would love to hear what art has moved you lately, let me know! nisinson.wordpress.com/2025/08/03/j...
nisinson.wordpress.com
July 2025 Round-Up
Photo by Matthew Nisinson I find myself looking back on a pretty productive first half of July, with a lot of family stuff, from the perspective of the tedious ill-health that characterized the sec…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
My round-up for July is up on my blog, a lot of great poetry, writing and art that I recommend, with some extended thoughts about much of it, particularly translation. Would love to hear what art has moved you lately, let me know! nisinson.wordpress.com/2025/08/03/j...
nisinson.wordpress.com
July 2025 Round-Up
Photo by Matthew Nisinson I find myself looking back on a pretty productive first half of July, with a lot of family stuff, from the perspective of the tedious ill-health that characterized the sec…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 26/07/2025
My wife surprised me with a copy of @aestallings.bsky.social translation of The Battle between the Frogs and the Mice, a perfect gift. Stallings’ translation flows wonderfully. I love the persona of the scholar A. Nony Mouse. Grant Silverstein’s illustrations make a fantastic addition to the poem.
A book on a gray sofa and orange fox pillow next to a napping white and black cat. The book is The BATTLE between the FROGS and the MICE - A TINY HOMERIC EPIC: A New Translation by A. E. STALLINGS
Illustrations by GRANT SILVERSTEIN
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
So far, gotten two rejections, but one of them included some kind words about how engaging my subject matter and approach are. Calling it a win
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Whirlwind trip to the poetry festival has been completed. Great to see all the poets, and pick up more poetry books to add to my overburdened ‘to read’ shelf. Now enjoying the modern miracle of air conditioning
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Who else is at NYC Poetry Festival today?
Selfie of Matthew Nisinson in a pink t-shirt under a blue and white striped shirt
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
Starting to send out queries for my Catullus 85 manuscript. I’m doing my best to overcome the desire to make the perfect query and thus never query until it’s perfect. They can’t say “yes” if you don’t ask, I remind myself, as I worry they can’t say “no” until I ask, either.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
June 2025 Round-Up is posted to my blog, featuring some great poetry, writing, and other art that I experienced in June! What did you love in June? nisinson.wordpress.com/2025/07/03/j...
nisinson.wordpress.com
June 2025 Round-Up
Selfie by Matthew Nisinson And suddenly 2025 is half over. June was a hot month, and an eventful month (haven’t they all been? How relaxing would an uneventful month be? Can you picture it? Maybe u…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Ancient Exchanges journal of literary translations of ancient texts just put put their latest issue, Beyond, which includes 7 versions of Catullus 85 from my Catullus 85 manuscript! Check them out (and the rest of this amazing issue!) here exchanges.uiowa.edu/axbeyond-nis... #ancientbluesky #poetry
exchanges.uiowa.edu
AX25: centered Versions of Catullus 85 — Exchanges
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Aôthen Magazine @aothenmagazine.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Hi! We're Aôthen, a magazine that publishes a wide range of work on the ancient Mediterranean. We aim to make classics more accessible for all through creative expression. You can read our previous issues & learn more about us here: buff.ly/3gjRWQG
buff.ly
Aôthen Magazine
A literary magazine devoted to the world of classics.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Relatedly, can anyone recommend guidance on the process of querying publishers for poetry/translation manuscripts?
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Ancient Exchanges journal of literary translations of ancient texts just put put their latest issue, Beyond, which includes 7 versions of Catullus 85 from my Catullus 85 manuscript! Check them out (and the rest of this amazing issue!) here exchanges.uiowa.edu/axbeyond-nis... #ancientbluesky #poetry
exchanges.uiowa.edu
AX25: centered Versions of Catullus 85 — Exchanges
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Long thread featuring a request for info about translation of propaganda, Akiko’s role as propagandist, and the role that creative or experimental translation might play on the subject.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
I found this book about 10 years ago, Travels in Manchuria and Mongolia: a feminist poet from Japan encounters prewar China by Yosano Akiko, translated by Joshua A. Fogel. Been thinking about it a lot recently, and looking for more on Akiko’s role as propagandist, suggestions welcome!
Travels in Manchura and Mongolia: a feminist poet from Japan encounters prewar China by Yosano Akiko, translated by Joshua A. Fogel
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Michael Pham fled Vietnam at the age of 13. He was named bishop of San Diego a month ago. Today, he stood watch at a courthouse: ICE agents were “standing there covered with masks as we walked toward the courtroom. Eventually the agents scattered and went away” timesofsandiego.com/life/2025/06...
timesofsandiego.com
ICE agents scatter as SD Bishop Pham, other clergy visit immigration court
"Our presence made a difference," one priest said, quoting an immigration lawyer saying their client was given more time to prepare for another hearing.
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Throwing it out there, any interesting recent writing out there about Augustus’ Res Gestae? Scholarly or otherwise #ancientbluesky #augustus
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
The kid version of Chappell Roan’s Hot to Go is a little weird
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
New post up on my blog! nisinson.wordpress.com/2025/06/06/m...
nisinson.wordpress.com
May 2025 Round-Up
Selfie by Matthew Nisinson May brought sunlight and flowers and warmth, at least enough to really emphasize the rain and cold that returned, not to be forgotten. It has been a busy month and exciti…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
New post up on my blog! nisinson.wordpress.com/2025/06/06/m...
nisinson.wordpress.com
May 2025 Round-Up
Selfie by Matthew Nisinson May brought sunlight and flowers and warmth, at least enough to really emphasize the rain and cold that returned, not to be forgotten. It has been a busy month and exciti…
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Matthew Nisinson @mnisinson.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
I did an interview with @haydensferryreview.bsky.social to talk about the two translations they published from my Catullus 85 manuscript in Issue 76, it was such a pleasure to sit with translation editor Brandon Blue’s thoughtful questions
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