The Witness: Slavery in 19th Century Carroll County, Maryland is available for download here.

This book is a guide to the subject of slavery in Carroll County, Maryland as reflected in the antebellum newspapers published in Westminster, the county seat. The first section presents a miscellany of full newspaper accounts regarding the “Peculiar Institution.” The second part consists of the trial records of Rebecca McCormick, the first person to be executed in Carroll County. These records were pieced together by the author from both the American Sentinel and the Carroll County Democrat. The third, and most extensive, section offers a series of abstracts of international, national, and local articles on slavery culled from 19th century Carroll County newspapers. Some cases of domestic violence are also documented in this book. Meant to be a platform for future research, The Witness not only is a key to the newspaper holdings at the Historical Society of Carroll County, and to a lesser extent the Maryland State Archives, but is an interesting read in and of itself. The appended list of names will make this book an invaluable tool for historians and genealogists alike.

Praise for Glass’s previous collection, Carroll County Newspaper Wars; Know-Nothings, Alms House Scandals and the Death of a Civil-War Editor:

“[Carroll County Newspaper Wars] is an important contribution to our knowledge of Maryland local history that opens a window on the usefulness of local newspapers as historical sources”

—Douglas P. McElrath
Curator, Marylandia & Rare Books
The University of Maryland Libraries

Jesse Glass, a former resident of Carroll County, holds advanced degrees in English from The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He currently teaches American Literature in the undergraduate and graduate schools at Meikai (Bright Sea) University, Shin-Urayasu, Japan.

Warning! Disturbing content!

The documents in this book reflect the prejudices of 19th century America and should be read with that context in mind. Neither the Historical Society of Carroll County, Maryland nor the compiler/editor advocate the views expressed in this material.

We here at Ahadada are pleased to offer you the Jesse Glass & Charles Krutzen collaboration featuring Mayakovski is Dead.

Ingvar Loco Nordin writes of this collaboration as simultaenously massive, distinguished, dense, and transparent:

[the] wall of sound sweeps the plains free of any loose debris from recent brainstorms or any subconscious litter that might have surfaced on the shores of the consciousness or its close vicinity.

Straight from the Ahadada Vaults, we present “Mayakovsky is Dead” a collaborative work featuring Jesse Glass and Malachi Scott Noegel. Recorded by Galivant Media in 1987 and posted with their permission.

It features the track, Apis — which is reprinted in its entirety here:

bq.. Apis

Bull with a serpent’s tale
I’ve seen you gallop silently
Above the shingle of the lake.
No fish swam near you
Out of fear, I suppose,
& I watched till I could not help
But breathe your element from need of life
& Cry your name
In languages I did not know: half spasm & half swoon.
You turned your wizened gaze upon me:
The muzzle of a drowned thing
& Keened a column of silver bubbles
That scummed the surface of the lake
& Like Osiris’ far-flung limbs
Coupled together in the dawn to make
One reposing flesh of iridescent domes.
That cruciform holder
Of crimson sky two booming crests
Will crash like cymbals
To a whispered shadow.
While beneath,
Ten fathoms down,
Black hooves roil vortices
Above a rusted bell.

p. Check out the newest addition to our site: The Audio page. Here you can check out tracks, create your own playlists, and stream the music and poetry you want!

An ongoing Mail Art call was made for artists to respond to Swedenborg’s 1714 plans for a crude monoplane. The exhibit is now up in our newly-formed Gallery; you can jump directly to the gallery by clicking here. Contributions from: Mark K. Cain, Clemente Padin, John M. Bennett, Gianni Simone, Jesse Glass, Pete Spence, Ella Joosten, Roberto Scala, Rose Garden, Shmuel, and Bernd Reichert. Check it out!

A collection of resources to contribute to the ongoing mapping of the international poetry landscape and the small press scene.