Author: rolliwrites

A Black Cloud Breathed

Hello, Friends.

I was feeling autumnal, so wrote you a pair of melancholy songs.

My cousin Nathan Pylypuk, who sings and plays a great deal better than I do, agreed to perform them live — in an abandoned church.

I really like the results, and invite you to have a listen — and read (the lyrics can be found in the video descriptions).

The first song is called “Our Hearts Were Full of Wine.”

The second song is “What We’re Coming To.”

There’s a third song, too. But it isn’t finished. Watch for it in a couple weeks.

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend, friends.

Note №1

While I’m not returning to Medium (i.e. posting original content), I’ve decided to share occasional news/updates about my creative life here.

Note №2

Have you listened to my new EP?

Note №3

Do you like stories, poems, cartoons, music — plus book giveaways and much, much more? Then you’ll love my free monthly newsletter.

Note №4

Only the nicest people on Earth buy me a coffee.

***FEATURED SINGLE***

Good news, friends.

“Can’t Keep Me Down Now,” a song I co-wrote with Brooklyn’s Doobie Duke Sims, has been selected as the week’s featured single by Sask Music, a Canadian music industry organization. You can listen to the track here.

“Can’t Keep Me Down Now” is from the EP Cahoots, available on Apple Music and other platforms.

I hope you like the song, friends. It pairs well with a hot cup of coffee. ☕

Note

Do you like stories, poems, cartoons, music — plus book giveaways and much, much more? Then you’ll love my free monthly newsletter.

💀When the Reaper Comes Along

🎵When the Reaper comes along,

he can take away my body –

but he can never take my song.🎵

My friend Duke Sims and I wrote you a song. “When the Reaper Comes Along” is the third and final track from our EP CAHOOTS, now streaming everywhere.

I hope you enjoy the song, friends.

What have you been up to?

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Note №1

Only the nicest people buy me a coffee.

Note №2

Subscribe to my free, monthly newsletter.

🎵 CAHOOTS! 🎵

Hello, Friends —

Some months ago, during the COVID-19 lockdown, I found myself both extremely bored and hungry — for a new challenge.

So I taught myself the basics of musical theory, and began writing songs.

Over the course of the summer, working remotely, I co-wrote the music and words of three songs with Brooklyn singer/songwriter Duke Sims, who sang/produced the finished tracks. The resulting EP, CAHOOTS, is now available worldwide.

Here’s the track listing:

1. Somebody Take Me Home (Duke Sims/Rolli) [Alternative Pop/Hip-Hop]

2. Can’t Keep Me Down Now (Duke Sims/Rolli) [Alternative Pop]

3. When the Reaper Comes Along (Duke Sims/Rolli) [Alternative Pop/Rock]

Cahoots is available on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes and other popular outlets. Check here for all the options.

I hope you enjoy my musical debut, friends.

What have you been up to?

NEWS: A Story (And a Poem) for Children!

Hello, Friends.

Just letting you know that my latest story for children, “One Gum Bubble,” has been published in Short Circuit. You can read it here – and find it in short story dispensers the world over.

My latest children’s poem, as well, was just published in Orbit. Peruse it below.

That’s all for now. I have lots of other stuff to share with you in the September issue of my free monthly newsletter. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so right here.

Cheers. ☕

Psst: buy me a coffee.

🔪 I Have a New Poem in Rattle Magazine

Hello, friends.

This is just a quick note to let you know that my new poem, “A wrong opinion,” is live over at Rattle. Check it out.

The poem was submitted to the magazine’s Poets Respond series. If you’re interested in submitting, too — they pay well and have a large readership — here are the guidelines:

Because of the nature of the traditional publication apparatus, poetry doesn’t often respond in a timely way to current events — but we think it could. To test this hypothesis, we’d like to try publishing a poem online each Sunday (if we receive any that we like) that responds to a news story or public event from the previous week, and has been written in the time since.

Selected poems will appear as the Sunday poem at Rattle.com, with occasional extra poems Tuesday or Thursday, which are fed to over 10,000 people via our RSS feed and daily email service. Poets will receive $100 and a complimentary subscription to the print magazine.

The deadline for each week is Friday at midnight PST. The poems must respond to news that occurred in the previous week, and have been written in the time since.

Include a brief explanation as to what the poem is about. Feel free to submit to this category as often as you’d like, even within the same week, and even if you have other general, tribute, or contest submissions pending.

Click here to access Rattle’s submissions portal.

Happy submitting, friends.

My most recent book is The Sea-Wave. Adopt a copy here.