Books by Meghan Jenkins: An Appreciation

By Mark Aldrich
crabs with sandcastle dreams
inch toward me on the shore
— “Sandcastle Dreams,” Meghan Jenkins, Sail Wet
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The six books that Meghan Jenkins has published so far offer six different aspects to her artistry and several different facets of her personality: three volumes of poems, two volumes of advice that carefully tread a line between genuine pointers to life and misanthropic humor, and a work of fiction.

“Good Night, Good Morning, I Love You,” the title of a poem that gives one collection its name, caught my eye first with its verbal playfulness: what if we had a friend named “Good Morning” that we said good night to?
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Spotlight On: Kunal C. Arora

By Mark Aldrich
[Editor’s Note: Meghan Jenkins would like to direct your attention to some stand-up comedians, comics, and performers that she has seen and loves. This series of profiles and Q&As is her way of saying about some performers, “I don’t know how this person hasn’t blown up yet, so if we can help get them some attention with MeghaZine, let’s do that.”

One of the first stand-ups that both Meghan and I thought of for this feature is Kunal C. Arora, a NYC-based stand-up whose Salt of the Earth Tour commences today, April 1, and continues through the month. Catch him if you can:

Kunal C. Arora. Photo copyright Will DeVito.

Salt of the Earth Tour w/ Dennis Rooney
Brokerage Comedy Club, April 1-2—Ticket Info
Sandman Comedy Club, April 6— Ticket Info
Getaway Comedy, April 8—Ticket Info
Beauty Parlor Comedy, April 9— Ticket Info
We give you now some of the comedy of Kunal C. Arora and an exclusive chat between him and our editor-in-chief, me.—Mark]
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Vote for Meghan for ‘Miss Jetset’

By Mark Aldrich

Meghan’s fans can vote for her to be a cover model here: Free Daily Vote for Meghan Jenkins in the Miss Jetset Cover Model Contest!—Mark]

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Our own Meghan Jenkins was nominated for Jetset Magazine’s annual cover model competition for 2022, and readers of this website are invited to vote for her each day.

Meghan is a writer, comedian, performer, podcaster, Instagram influencer, music composer and producer, painter, and set designer. She is also a self-starter who continues to assemble a team of writers and performers—including me—for a variety of projects through the use of every social media platform available.
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Me and Mr. Claus

By Mark Aldrich

I know Santa Claus, which I know sounds like a tall tale …

I do not remember the moment I learned that the many Misters and Missuses Claus that we encountered in person or saw on TV were “not real”; the fact that there was no “a-ha” moment leads me to assume that I never bought the story anyway. Maybe so, maybe not.

There is at least one photo of my sister and me in a “portrait with Santa,” and I remember the typical session: I knew, just knew, that this fellow was not Santa and I did not feel betrayed by this. I did not know why he claimed to be Santa. I knew it was a guy overheating indoors in a snowsuit for reasons related to “things grown-ups do.” It did not make much sense to me, to be a grown-up who wore a snowsuit indoors, but I did not envy adults the many things that they did, said, claimed, acted as if, and always eventually emphatically insisted made sense despite the absence of any evidence of sense.
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An Almost-Ghost Story

By Mark Aldrich
[Editor’s Note: Meghan Jenkins, Panda, AldraMark, and all of us here at MeghaZine bring you a soon-to-be Halloween classic from our editor, Mark Aldrich.]

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One Halloween night, in 1979, I was allowed to venture on foot, in costume, and not accompanied by adults. I was 10. (Hold that thought for a second, please, while I address my mom: What!?!)

The Martin Prosperity Institute released what it called its third “annual survey” of Halloween in America back in 2013. The Institute did not produce a fourth or any subsequent sequel to this seminal study of all things creepy, ghostly, and scary, and in 2019, the MPI itself closed up shop altogether. My hometown broke it, I believe, which I will explain.

The Institute’s 2013 in-depth look at the field of Halloween enjoyment, a study not seriously undertaken by most people older than eight, led to many national news articles that expressed shock at its conclusion, which was this: the best place for Halloween in the United States of America is Poughkeepsie, New York.

If this was true in 2013, it may very well be true tonight, Halloween Eve 2021.
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