Author Archives: John Biscello

About John Biscello

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, writer, poet, performer, and playwright, John Biscello, has lived in the high-desert grunge-wonderland of Taos, New Mexico since 2001. He is the author of four novels, Broken Land, a Brooklyn Tale, Raking the Dust, Nocturne Variations, and No Man’s Brooklyn; a collection of stories, Freeze Tag, two poetry collections, Arclight and Moonglow on Mercy Street; and a fable, The Jackdaw and the Doll, illustrated by Izumi Yokoyama. He also adapted classic fables, which were paired with the vintage illustrations of artist, Paul Bransom, for the collection: Once Upon a Time, Classic Fables Reimagined. His produced, full-length plays include: LOBSTERS ON ICE, ADAGIO FOR STRAYS, THE BEST MEDICINE, ZEITGEIST, U.S.A., and WEREWOLVES DON’T WALTZ.

Bela Tarr

Posted on January 6, 2026 by John Biscello

A nod and farewell to master Hungarian auteur, Bela Tarr (July 21st 1955 to January 6th 2026) who brought the barbiturate art of “slow cinema” to a whole other level of gravity and existential molasses. His seven-and-a-half hour magnum opus … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, photography, Poetry, Press, Prose | Tagged bela tarr, film, hungarian cinema, Prose, satantango, slow cinema, tribute | Leave a comment

After Hours

Posted on December 22, 2025 by John Biscello

Lenny Bruce, seated on a rickety stool, cigarette dangling from his lips, slumping forward, shoulders slack. His mouth puckers, jumping his cigarette to attention, as he draws in fiercely, then exhales a series of bluish halos that float and … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose | Tagged after hours, comedy, lenny bruce, life after death, night gig, pardon, pardon me, pigeon, satire, social scalpel, story, Surrealism | Leave a comment

A Brief History of Love

Posted on December 22, 2025 by John Biscello

Here, her mother said, pressing something into her palm. A phantom tack. A concentrated pinch. Something sharp breaking skin and spreading heat. She looked down. Her palm now tattooed with a tangle of dark glyphs, a concert of … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose | Tagged bond, daughter, history, love, mother, Poetry, Prose, story | Leave a comment

Zuzu’s Petals

Posted on December 21, 2025 by John Biscello

A father’s pocket, containing secret petals— the meaning of love.

Posted in Artwork, Cinema, photography, Poetry, Prose | Tagged Cinema, ephemera, father and daughter, grace, haiku, it's a wonderful life, love, petals, Poetry | Leave a comment

Hymn

Posted on December 21, 2025 by John Biscello

We are here, but briefly,shadows of candle-lightdancing between dust and choir,day and night,so consider todaya good dayto begin, or to continueunwrapping yourself,and giving you to you as a gift,your soul rightfully taggedas both receiver and sender,in what constitutesa wild embracing … Continue reading →

Posted in Artwork, Cinema, photography, Poetry, Prose, Uncategorized | Tagged celebration, chaplin, gift, holidays, poem, Poetry, snow, soul, spirit, xmas | Leave a comment

What We Talk About When We Talk About Time

Posted on December 19, 2025 by John Biscello

1. The hem of her dress had caught his eye. Yours was an eye waiting to be caught, she’d say, later, much later, a drizzle of girlishness in her voice. The dress was a form-fitting red dress … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose, Uncategorized | Tagged bond, coupling, love, Prose, psychic, recursive, return trip, story, time, words | Leave a comment

Way Station

Posted on December 19, 2025 by John Biscello

I am waiting. There I am, see me, waiting on the train station platform. I am waiting for my train. It is a specific train that I am waiting for. When a train begins pulling into the station, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose, Uncategorized | Tagged existential, fragment, metamorphosis, Prose, station, story, train, travel, waiting, writing | Leave a comment

Event Horizon

Posted on December 18, 2025 by John Biscello

Two upcoming events in Los Angeles for The Last Furies. The weekend literary mini-tour will include: Sat., January 17th at 7pm at Reverie Bookstand (1519 W. Sunset Blvd) Sun., January 18th at 2pm at Lucky 13 Micro-Gallery (391 Coronado Ave., … Continue reading →

Posted in Artwork, Audio, Books, Cinema, photography, Poetry, Press, Prose, Publications, Theater, Uncategorized, Video | Tagged artmaking, Books, indie art, indie publishing, los angeles, novel, photography, Reading, Spoken Word, story, storytelling, sunset boulevard, Surrealism, visual art, words | Leave a comment

Matroyshka

Posted on December 16, 2025 by John Biscello

He often reflected, while writing, upon himself, writing: reflecting another. Who he was, who he was not. Absence and presence locked in intimate simultaneity, a cogent pairing. Who is this Other, writing? And does he reflect upon me? Why … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose | Tagged existential, identity, matroyshka, nesting, Prose, speculative, words, writing, written | Leave a comment

Crumbs

Posted on December 16, 2025 by John Biscello

That’s him , yeah. That’s right, every day, from late morning to dusk, he sits on that bench and waits for her. I don’t know who she was. His love who left him. Or died. Disappeared. There are all … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Prose | Tagged bench, loneliness, love, melancholy, old man, park, Prose, sadness, story, witness | Leave a comment