I incorporated The Blue Velvet Review in 2024 after erroneously believing I could advertise an artistic outlet named Tony Hentai Magazine in late 2023. I underestimated how mainstream the word "hentai" had become. Our algorithmic overlords are now, I guess, very familiar with the term? I was immediately flagged and shadow-banned from a few websites. Various locales around Providence didn't appreciate my pamphleteering. The venture required an immediate rebirth.

In any case, the intent of BVR was and is to distribute my probabilistic texts (modal poems) and the works of people I know and respect and love, who don't receive the adulation they deserve. Some of my favorite art is created by people I know, but there's no machine actively working to disseminate their voices. I view Blue Velvet Review as that machine.

The pervading ethos of this institution is rooted in TS Eliot's quote about Pound insisting on the poet's study of music (source: Ezra Pound: His Metric And Poetry). But, more realistically, Blue Velvet Review is simply a cut-out for the shifting artistic caprice of myself and my co-conspirators.

This is a poetry magazine. Probably. But it's also a record label rooted in experimental audiobooks. It's a multifaceted tribute to the timeless art of Bobby Vinton. It's a spoken word event planning platform. And also a propaganda campaign for contemporary hentai.

Contact: bluevelvetreview [at] gmail [dot] com