Notes From the Void

COVID, institutionalization, coming out, and Kurtz and Marlowe's relationship in Heart of Darkness are among many of the topics that Ollie Shane discusses in "Notes From the Void." Like in "Brute" by Emily Skaja, and fellow Wild Ink writer Johnny Francis Wolf's "Men Unlike Others", honesty and a painstakingly observant view of their subjects is what guides them through the work. Come for the transparency about mental health; stay for the numerous literary references.

Ollie Shane is a poet, undergraduate English major, and the number one tote bag carrier and iced coffee sipper in the Tri-State Area (Delaware and Pennsylvania).He is Autistic and their special interest revolves around literature (currently on 20th century literature (such as W. Somerset Maugham, who they're doing their thesis on) in conjunction with contemporary poets such as Danez Smith, sam sax, Franny Choi, Terrance Hayes, Mary Alice Daniel and others). Also, he is constantly looking for more poetry and prose recommendations.On a writerly note, they are the author of the chapbook I Do It So It Feels Like Hell (Bottlecap Press, 2022), and their work has been published in Thirty West's magazine AfterImages, Poetry As Promised, Palindrome Journal, and elsewhere. They also have a newsletter on Substack called Not Another Newsletter. To see more of their work, check him out on Instagram @aolshane and Chill Subs under olshane17.