Dear Fellow Travelers,
While Metapsychosis forges ahead, the Cosmos seagoing ship that accompanies it has been refitted and relaunched. As a member of both crews, this has been both exhilerating and trepidating. The list of tasks that needed to be accomplished has been daunting, but we are beginning to gather some head of steam. From our financials through to our publishing efforts, of which Metapsychosis is but one arm, everything has had to be rethought and restructured. Not the least of which has been ensuring the passengers from the old ship (essentially many of you, dear readers!) are invited to clamber onto the new. This is an ongoing effort, and will allow us to open the decks to newcomers.
Metapsychosis , if we are to maintain the metaphor, is a kind of tugboat guiding the larger ship on its way. I have always loved tugboats, with their characteristic shape and workhorse capabilities. And the image honors the hard work of the team that produces Metapsychosis every week.
So some of the news this week concerns the everyday work of the journal, while the efforts devoted to the larger entity show through around the edges. Among these efforts note the presence of an ongoing discussion on the Infinite Conversations about the visions of the future of Cosmos. It is also worth mentioning that the editorial team for Metapsychosis has begun to work on the development of a ten-year commemorative print edition of the journal. If folks have thoughts or ideas about what past content they would like to see featured in such a document, now is the time to share this.
Acousmatic Crossings Continues Its Vibes
Our most recent instalment in our experimental music series, curated by editor Michael Eisenberg. is “Acousmatic Visions, Plunderphonic Crimes”, featuring two artists, Natasha Barrett and David Kerman. Natasha Barrett presents us with a piece called “Industrial Revelations”, originally developed in 2001 but recently remastered using modern technology. As a science fiction writer, I find the introduction referring to the idea of “jacking in” to a computer network via electronics embedded under the skin not only evocative but also resonating with our current reading of Samuel Delany’s Nova, which introduced such ideas to the world (and which we will be discussing in the Delany group, see below, in two weeks). The music itself offers an 11 minute journey through a kind of cavity space with sounds that remind one of earlier industries, hammering or the movement of liquids. A delight.
David Kerman’s contribution is “The Diva and the Dog”, which combines, unexpectedly, Maria Callas singing Bizet’s “Carmen” with excerpts from Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog”. The piece is short but decisive, and perhaps leads us to think about the fusion not just of the sounds but also the cultures from which the sounds emerged.
Reading Group Devoted to Samuel R. Delany
In the ongoing discussions taking place within our reading group devoted to the fiction of Samuel R. Delany, one of science fiction’s most visionary and formally adventurous writers, we have extended our discussion of The Einstein Intersection by another week and are undertaking the reading of Nova for a session in two weeks. The Einstein Intersection breaks with the earlier works we had been reading in a new direction, exploring the idea of difference in a world where the norm is no longer the norm. Interweaving mythology and violence with trickster-like shenanigans, the book takes us into unexpected dimensions of the human soul. Come and join us, Tuesdays at 3:30 pm Eastern. Discovering or revisiting these novels through each others’ eyes has been a real gift. Currently we are small in number but the discussions are as deep as one could desire!
Register here to join us. All are welcome to participate free for the first three sessions, after which you can decide whether to continue as a Metapsychosis Subscriber (Patron) or Cosmos Co-op Supporting Member. No one will be turned away for lack of funds—if you need support, please reach out to us.
Some Recent Highlights
The winter period (summer if you are below the belt!) has been tumultuous in the world, but we here at Metapsychosis and Cosmos have been busy. Here are some highlights:
The Ayahuasca Experience — An initiatory experience into spiritual awakening in a remote location in the Andes, told by Trey S. The text is rooted in a profound experience of the body, itself an element often neglected in spiritual explorations. In addition to the text itself, note the wonderful images curator Brian George has found to complement the piece.
The Stuntman Probably Broke His Neck: An Interview with Douglas Rushkoff — Chase Griffin pursues his Plasmate interview series with this conversation with media influencer Douglas Rushkoff. The interview begins with an exploration of the broader implications involved in finding a drill to help afix a painting to the wall and then moves from this into a discussion of social media more generally, touching on topics such as Judaism, the Enlightenment and even AI. A tour de force, as always with Chase’s interviews.
And here are older topics to consider as well:
On Hitchcock’s Vertigo: Jungian Alchemy — Devon Hansen reads Vertigo as a trans allegory and alchemical working, where Scottie’s vertigo mirrors the dizzying experience of dysphoria. This is Part 1 of a three-part series exploring queer synchronicity and the nature of gender; the Introduction was previously published, and Parts 2 and 3 are coming soon.
Somnambulating the Singularity — Cat Celebrezze’s mind-bending philosophical essay tracks how “the singularity” has morphed from mathematical tool to sci-fi prophecy to end-times mythology. Rather than sleepwalking toward AI apocalypse, Celebrezze invites us to become “weird historians,” tracking the ghostly assemblages of our digitalis age and the psyche-physics that shapes our experience of time, space, and reality.
Alchemizing Exile — In this remarkable collaboration, Alexandra Rozenman and Brian George weave together visual art, autobiography, and poetic fragments. Rozenman inserts herself into the lives and studios of canonical painters, while George engages the psychic space around each artist’s work through cut-up process and philosophical meditation. Part 1 and Part 2 are live now; Parts 3 and 4 are coming soon.
Micro-Events, Macro-Ghosts: Theta and the Schaeffer Transmission — Another Acousmatic Crossings pairing: Daria Baiocchi’s Theta tracks sound as a living system negotiating entropy, while Wayne Mason’s two-minute Transmissions Psychiques uses scrap metal, radio, and a single oscillator to honor Pierre Schaeffer’s radical vision of musique concrète.
Trickster Signals and Dark Rooms: Two Paths Through Acousmatic Night — More experimental sound work exploring the boundaries between signal and noise, between the heard and the felt.
Coincidences, Red Herrings, Being: A Conversation with Richard Polt — Chase Griffin talks philosophy, phenomenology, and the surprising connections that structure our experience with philosopher Richard Polt. (Chase is also now the Caretaker of Ramble House, publisher of the legendary Harry Stephen Keeler—congratulations on the new gig!)
Moving With: A Review of Scivias Choreomaniae — This poetry review moves with remarkable grace between critical attention and lyric responsiveness. (From a purely poetic perspective, one of my favorite publications of the year.)
A Winter Night by a Lake — Doge Kamki’s three refractions of the same winter scene, each rendering transformed by a different emotional register: disgust, laughter, wonder.
Also not to be forgotten, Michael Eisenberg’s signal boost: A Winter Playlist for the Acousmatic.
Join Us as a Patron
Become a Metapsychosis Patron to access reading and writing groups (including the Delany group), exclusive events like Acousmatic diffusions (more coming this year), the full features of Infinite Conversations, and early releases of new work. Your support helps us continue publishing visionary voices and building creative community.
Your co-traveller,
Gennifrey Edwards
Associate Editor, Metapsychosis journal
@geoffreyjen_author, Tiktok; @geoffreyjenedwards, Instagram
