Several times a month we connect with our contributors showing where they have been, where they are now, and what’s up for the future.
Name: Brian Baumgart
Title of Pieces Published in Sweet: Rules for Loving Right (chapbook); “What Happened on the Nine O’ Clock News,” “Rules for Loving Right,” “49th Mailing to Colin Firth- A Sestina,” and “Incomplete Metamorphosis“
Issue: 1.1, 5.1, 8.1, ad 12.3
You can find Brian in Minnesota, both teaching at North Hennepin Community College and going to as many Timberwolves games as time and money allow. Find out more about Brian on his website and be sure to check out this fantastic interview.
Find Him
Blue Sky
What are some major accomplishments you have had since your Sweet publication?
While I’ve completed a pair of (unpublished) full-length manuscripts, I’ve continued to publish in literary magazines, and in Dec 2024, my newest chapbook, Cold Is Cold Is Cold was published by Bottlecap Press.
Can you tell us about a current/ongoing project that you’re excited about?
One of my manuscripts-in-progress that keeps me up at night is a collection of epistolary semi-sonnets called Songs [Sonnets] for Terrorists, a number of which have been published and can be found out in the wild. I’m also pumped that this poem was published: How to Teach English Composition at a Community College Near Minneapolis, or How I Teach English Composition at a Community College Near Minneapolis, or How I Imagine I Teach English Composition at a Community College Near Minneapolis, or How I Dream I Teach English Composition at a Community College Near Minneapolis
Who is your favorite author?
This is tough, but I’ll read anything Hanif Abdurraqib writes.
What is your favorite poem/essay/book?
Kiese Laymon’s Heavy
What inspires you to write?
Sounds and life.
What are you reading right now?
A number of things (I’m an overlapping reader), but today I just began Zoe Schlanger’s The Light Eaters
What is your favorite sweet?
This is too much pressure!
Challenge accepted! How about a sweet you can make in your Instant Pot (pressure cooker)? This New York Cheesecake is just one of the desserts you can make.
Thank you, Brian, for taking the time to reconnect with us again! It’s always great to hear from you. Congratulations on your chap book. We look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
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