"The Venn diagram is just breathtaking, the connections are just wild. It’s one of my favorite things in life, the way our lives pass one another, how our stories hook up .... and back again ... .”

Fatima's Cafe in Worcester is almost the definition of a “hidden gem”: The bulk of its clientele are either locals who know, or African food aficionados who will drive out of their way for an hour or two to hit the modest, almost inconspicuous little restaurant.

"The shooting of 'Walking Dead: Dead City' here was definitely good for the local visual arts economy, as several actors and crew members of the show purchased work by local artists at the 'Delirium' art exhibition curated by Juniper Rag Oct. 27 through Nov. 1 at the Jean McDonough Arts Center."

Oct. 29 marked the opening night of the fifth annual "Edgar Allan Poe Double Header," held at the BrickBox Theatre and at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. Scanlon enacted two of Poe's most familiar short stories, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado."

A few things to do in the Worcester area in the week ahead ...

The Nephesh Theatre production of "Without An Evil Eye" will have its English-language premiere on Oct. 26 at Congregation B'nai Shalom in Westborough with Ben Shimon live on stage.

Step inside the Salem Museum of Torture, a strange calm prevails. Moving quietly along the dark, narrow halls, the walls drowned in a suitably blood-like crimson, the sounds of sacred music and prayer sealing an almost meditative atmosphere.

“Together," says O'Brien, in a statement, "the team set out not only to add beauty through public art and lighting, but to transform this space in a way that brought deeper meaning and connection to the neighborhood.”

This week in Worcester Magazine, we present our first ever Digital Battle of the Bands, featuring some of the regions favorite current musical acts! Visit the story on the @worcestermagazine.bsky.social website, listen to tracks and vote for your favorites!

“Everybody, all at the same time got an alert on their phones and everybody was looking at each other, saying ‘What?’ because we don't normally get tornadoes on the East Coast, and certainly not here,” Blair said. “Then they told us that we all should seek shelter, so we did.”

The theme for this year's Queer AF is "Ethereal Beings," and this may be the organization's largest show yet, with more than 80 models and a headlining performance by "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season Three winner Raja Gemini, along with a tribute to veteran Worcester drag queen Lady Sabrina.

A lovely new flyer for the inaugural "How Journalism Works" panel discussion at @worcesterpubliclibrary. I am BEYOND excited to see this series come to life, and I really couldn't imagine a better group for the inaugural panel. Hope to see you there!

Today in Worcesteria: "'Community' is a thing with a strange gravity. It causes us to orbit one another, each of us affected by the repercussions of our actions, almost invisibly. This isn’t something we get much choice in. It’s simply a function of breathing the same air."

I had a nice little chat with Irena Kaci for Pulse Magazine's story on the Worcester Music Awards: "I don’t actually play music. Famously, I can’t play an instrument or sing a note to save my life"

"Writing is a weird life. You can go a long time — decades really — scribbling away with only the slimmest idea if anyone is really reading or paying attention, and then you get these moments when it’s suddenly clear that people were indeed paying attention. It’s a humbling experience.”

"It was a bit of a surprise March 19 when – no sooner had the Art in the Park news broken – a press release from the City Manager’s office offered a bit of light for the beleaguered festivals which have long been the city’s soul."

I put out a short-notice call to see if anyone wanted to join me at the Worcester Public Library to read excerpts from books commonly banned & challenged in the United States. Thanks to Shaun Connolly, Halliday Nelson, Rafael Acevedo and Nick Fox being willing to jump in!

A couple of my stories have appeared on the USA Today website over the past couple years, but my involvement with the Restaurants of the Year project is, I believe, my first byline in print in the paper. You can read capsule reviews of Bocado and all 44 restaurants featured in the project here!

Also, here's five Central Mass. restaurants we wish could also be on the list!

ICYMI: My write up of Bocado making USA Today's Restaurants of the Year!

A while back, I collected a bit more than a decade's worth of loose essays, blog posts and other literary ephemera into a makeshift ebook called, "Feel Like Failure, Every Time." It even had an awesome introduction by Mindy Nettifee. In any case, it's available on Amazon right now for 99 cents!

We made it through the end of January! Another week #InTheBooks! Read the recap at writing.hallidaynelson.com/reading-reca... This week I got to The Future by Naomi Alderman and Suffer For This by Victor D. Infante

Hey, Connecticut! I'll be down there Sunday, Feb. 9, with Paul Szlosek reading for Slightly Off Beat Poets! There's an open reading that I'm told is already filling up fast so, drop Robert Eugene Perry a line if you want to be on it. All told, this looks like a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Hi all! My amazing wife, Lea Deschenes, will be reading on Zoom for Rick Lupert and the Cobalt Presents series! You're really not going to want to miss this one!

My interview with Tresha Faye Haefner is online now! We had a great time talking about "Suffer For This" and a whole bunch of other things! It was a great time!

What is Love to a Poet?: Tresha Faye Haefner discusses the opening section of "Suffer For This" fhttps://open.substack.com/pub/thepoetrysalonstack/p/what-is-love-to-a-poet?r=73uwu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

The wildfires in Los Angeles have been overwhelming. These are the worst ones in my memory, and they're breaking my prodigal Californian heart. If you're looking for ways to help, here's a list of legitimate organizations who are directly involved in fighting the fires and dealing with its effects.

In Worcesteria: "I’d just spent the past hour driving around the city, taking photos and trying to get a grasp on where it is as we start 2025. I’d come to no conclusions, but sitting there in the cold, chowing on a hot dog and watching young people enjoy themselves, an idea came to me."

“There’s a lot of openness and interest and access,” said Sloat, of his conversations with local arts organizations and other nonprofits, “Which is not the story in Boston or New York ... Worcester arts provide a lot of opportunities.”

I have a couple events coming up for The Poetry Salon. One writing workshop, and a reading with G. Murray Thomas. Find out more at The Poetry Salon's Substack page: thepoetrysalonstack.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

The 2nd of Jaimes Palacio's triptych of videos he made from my California readings for "Suffer For This." This one is pretty much most of the Los Angeles show at The Book Jewel. Featuring readings by @leadeschenes.com, Beth Marquez, Eric Morago, Amélie Frank and our wonderful host, Rick Lupert!

Watched Part 1 of Jaimes Palacio's triptych of videos from my SoCal book release readings, and am genuinely blown away by the care and thought he puts into these things. I am blessed to have such a talented friend who was willing to put this much time and energy into these videos.

I asked a number of local booksellers for recommendations. Here's what they sent us. Let's just say, their enthusiasm shows!

"Suffer For This" has been up on Amazon for ages, and we've basically pretended it wasn't there. It's better for both authors and publishers to order books from the publisher, if possible. But ... there are some holidays that involve gift-giving coming up, so if you need it quick, happy holidays! 😎

I like dredging this one up at the holidays. so if you're looking for some local music to spice up your holiday playlist, here are a few suggestions, including The Deadites, Niki Luparelli and Ruby Rose Fox & Eddie Japan!

TONIGHT!!! The release part for my book, 'Suffer For This' 6 p.m. at The White Room! Special guest performances by James Keyes, Oliver de la Paz, Lea Deschenes, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Jenith Charpentier, Karen Elizabeth Sharpe, Joe Fusco Jr and Laura DiCaronimo! Hosted by the amazing Joslyn Fox!

Sunday! Release party for "Suffer For This," at The White Room, presented by Bedlam Books and hosted by Joslyn Fox! Featuring performances @oliverdelapaz.bsky.social, James Keyes, Lea Deschenes, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Jenith Charpentier, Karen Sharpe, Joe Fusco Jr. and Laura DiCaronimo, and more

A nice little video of me reading the first section of "Suffer For This" at the Ugly Mug Café in Orange, California!

I find it odd to be on the other side of the interview, especially when talking about a book like "Suffer For This," which is more emotionally-driven then plot-driven. But Craig Semon and I had a great conversation about the book, and he did a great job of catching what I was trying to get at.

Hi all. Thanks for all the Bluesky requests! I'm trying to catch up with them, and since it seems to be picking up, I'll likely be more active on this social media site than I've been previously!

My intent was to humanize the dehumanized, which is something that is, for migrants, an ever-greater need than ever, given the dehumanizing rhetoric of the world today. Poetry humanizes, can provide the kind of intimate human details so often missing when we talk about political or social issues.”

"To me, stART has always been Worcester in a microcosm: Its best face forward, reveling in joy and creativity and a modicum of mania. It is, in a lot of ways, Worcester the way a lot of people see it, me included."

I'm absolutely delighted to have my poems "Gravity and a Constellation of Graves," "Once There Was Fire" and "Leaving the Country of Regrets" in the inaugural issue of The Cawnpore! Thank you to editor Kritika Singh and the online magazine's brilliant designers!

Well, this got even BETTER.

"We are in for a fight," said Congressman Jim McGovern, warning of Republican efforts to curtail LGBTQ rights along with women's reproductive rights. "We assume that they can't turn back the clocks, but that's exactly what they're trying to do."

"They say treat your body like a temple. I treated mine like an amusement park." Comic Lenny Clarke opens up about a life-threatening health crisis, and an upcoming show set for July 11 at Tuckerman Hall.

“I’m really, really excited to play the show. We haven’t been up to Massachusetts in quite a long time, so it’ll be our first time back in a while." Kyle Smith set for May 11 concert at Electric Haze.

A few things to do in the week ahead in the Worcester area ...

The band played its first show as Berm last year, and on May 3, it released its first project, the six-track EP “some passable ghost.” “It feels like we each have our own creative vision and there's no need to compete,” singer-songwriter Dan Lambert said.

"Adorable young Neo is super serious in pictures but such a happy boy in person. Neo has plenty of energy and a good-natured personality, and has become a hit at Worcester Animal Rescue League, where he awaits adoption."