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Straight Up | Jan Herman

Arts, Media & Culture News with 'tude

Early Reviews Are In
Book Launch in Brooklyn: ‘The Midnight Special’

June 25, 2026 by Jan Herman Leave a Comment

 The Observer says Colin Asher’s The Midnight Special will “transform” the way you see art. Booklist calls it “mesmerizing.” Publisher’s Weekly likes it, and so does The Houston Press; also Alex Gershman dives deep into the book on his YouTube Channel; Maurice Chammah drills down on Ike White, one of the book’s featured musicians, in a discussion with Asher at The Marshall Project; Henry Carrigan in his Reading Room column at No Depression (about roots music & culture) calls it “riveting … judicious and incisive,” and both Vol 1. Brooklyn and Town & Country recommend it.  More reviews to come . . .

The book launch will feature The Cambia Collective, a band that performs music written by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists. The Collective has appeared in New York City at the Cutting Room, Cell Theater, DiMenna Center, and Abraham House, as well as in Westchester County at Green Ossining’s Earth Day Festival and the Sing Sing Prison Museum’s UNSUNG conversation series. There will also be an open bar.

Filed Under: books, Literature, main, Music, News

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Jan Herman

When not listening to Bach or Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdes, or dancing to salsa, I like to play jazz piano -- but only in the privacy of my own mind.
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About

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Several books of poems have been published in recent years by Moloko Print, Statdlichter Presse, Phantom Outlaw Editions, and Cold Turkey … [Read More...]

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The agenda is just what it says: news of arts, media & culture delivered with attitude. Or as Rock Hudson once said in a movie: "Man is the only … [Read More...]

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