Blog Archives
Words Are Powerful
WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING. is a collection of poetic meditations delivered in short verses, reflections, and fragments resembling journal entries. What inspired you to write this particular collection of poems?
Words to Think. Or to Sing. was created to connect pop music lovers, curious minds, thoughtful people, and poetic souls through sonorous art, right from its earliest stage. Music artists usually keep their process mostly private while creating, maybe occasionally sharing some behind-the-scenes after everything is ready and available to stream. I wanted to offer a glimpse into my mind and soul from the beginning of the story in an original, special manner instead, and thought that poetic parts of my pop songs in progress, paired with little insights about their meanings, would be a great way to introduce myself.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in putting together this poetry collection?
This publication actually consists of lyric excerpts from pop songs I plan to release one at a time, so it can’t be considered a traditional, classic poetry collection. Modern poetry felt like the closest category to classify it. The biggest challenge lay exactly in this multifaceted nature. Although my songwriting style in general could be described as minimalistic, poetic, and relatable, I had to choose which passages worked well as stand-alone excerpts that could best support this concept of teasing songs while inspiring self-reflection and conversations through selected snippets.
How do you approach writing about deeply personal or emotional topics?
When something catches my attention longer than usual, whether positive or not, I often start to play with words to describe what the situation means to me. It feels like processing or closure, which then, when explored further, can become tuneful. From there, some of these ideas might turn into song concepts, lyric excerpts, and one day, songs to stream. In doing so, I like to use deep but accessible metaphors which come from living life with an open heart and mind. That is my biggest inspiration. For instance, in the excerpt called VANISH, which is about unfulfilled, fading written promises, you can find a delicate interplay between light and rain symbolizing the alternating moments of healing or relief and the recurring storm inside. While both sunlight and tempests consume that piece of paper keeping those promises present and alive, time passes and the words fade as the mind finds its peace. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I hope you will get the chance to read it and maybe one day, even sing some of your favorite lines together with me at the top of our lungs. I think it’s a pretty cool perspective to know that the book is not the end, but just the beginning. Other authors write sequels. I do songs and artistic multimedia concepts from the shared fragments of this work.
How has this collection changed you as a writer, or what did you learn about yourself through writing it?
Deciding to curate and publish this book first, instead of following the usual song-release model, is another testament that I’m not the type for those rushed rides the industry is used to, nor to support a fast-food art approach. That’s why I’m inviting everyone interested to join me in this unique evolving music journey instead. Words are powerful, and if set to music, they become even more memorable and emotional. I want them to linger a little longer and deeply connect with those resonating with all this. Music has always been profoundly meaningful and empowering to me. I would be more than glad and truly honored to become a long-time companion to the readers.
Author Links: GoodReads | Websites
Not with the words, not with the melody, but with a feeling.
Becoming a vision, becoming lines, becoming a complete piece of sonorous truth meant to be shared to unite people who resonate with it.
A mystical, fascinating process you can now be part of.
INTENSIA, a new heartfelt, poetic singer songwriter likely to belong with your favorite pop music companions, is turning the traditional release model upside down, inviting you to look into her soul and mind before anyone else.
Be among the first to witness this spark before her distinctive voice echoes through the world. This unique approach offers an unprecedented glimpse into evolving art, so you can feel and enjoy the essence of her songs before they are even complete.
Dive into this curated collection of lyric excerpts and emotional snapshots from pop songs in progress. Each piece stands on its own as a modern, poetic message, paired with brief reflections about the meaning or emotions behind the words.
It is more than something to read. It is a space to pause, reflect, and connect, with room for your thoughts and reflections too. Write what moves you, what you feel, what you dream. This book and its songs to be are meant to accompany you wherever you go.
For even more space to express yourself, the companion notebook PLACE TO THINK. OR TO WRITE. (ISBN 978-3-911445-02-3) is available as a dedicated space.
WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING. out 26 June 2025 on Amazon. Paperback (ISBN 978-3-911445-00-9), eBook (ISBN 978-3-911445-01-6).
Join INTENSIA’s free Intense Inside Club at http://www.intensia.music and discover this special music developing experience as it unfolds, where connection begins as songs come to life.
#intensiawords
WORDS TO THINK. OR TO SING.
Intensia’s Words to Think. Or to Sing. is a collection of poetic meditations that bounce between philosophy, humor, identity, and raw emotion. Structured as a notebook of short verses, reflections, and fleeting thoughts, the book offers a tapestry of lyrical fragments that read like journal entries or inner monologues caught mid-thought. It doesn’t follow a clear narrative. Instead, it invites the reader to wander, pause, laugh, and ponder. The voice shifts freely, sometimes abstract, sometimes punchy, often surprising. At its heart, this book is a dance between the silly and the sacred, the vulnerable and the absurd.
I enjoyed how unfiltered it all felt. There’s this wild honesty in the way the author jumps from introspective sadness to cheeky self-mockery. One line made me laugh. Another hit me hard. And somehow, they sat right next to each other like old friends. I love when a book doesn’t try to be tidy. This one doesn’t even pretend. It’s messy in a good way. It feels like real thought, like someone actually thinking on the page instead of crafting perfect poetry. That made it feel alive. The kind of alive that’s a little chaotic and a little beautiful.
Some bits felt so random I had to reread them three times to decide if they meant something. And I liked that feeling, though I imagine it could drive other readers nuts. There’s no clear plot, no through-line, and the tone switches gears fast. I personally enjoy that kind of unpredictability. It reminded me of flipping through a notebook someone left behind on a park bench, strange, funny, haunting, and kind of thrilling.
I’d recommend this book to people who like their literature weird and personal and a little rough around the edges. If you’re into poetry that feels more like a whisper or a smirk than a polished performance, you’ll probably love this. Artists, songwriters, or anyone who finds inspiration in broken lines and passing moods will find gold in here.
Pages: 104 | ASIN : B0F9RR5TK9
Wonderment
Animals are Great is a playful, rhythmic children’s picture book, structured like a song, that invites young readers on an imaginative journey through the animal kingdom. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration started with a silly song that was interactive for children. We wanted to explore different parts of the voice by using animal sounds and thought it would be fun to have Animals Are Great as a book that kids could read and listen to at the same time.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
We are real-life musicians and teachers. Teaching kids voice and movement while pretending to be an animal is a great way to explore different parts of their voice.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
“Walking through the woods thinking all the time, animals are great, they really blow my mind. Some are furry, some are big, and some are kind of small, animals, oh animals, I like them all.” We love the silliness of this verse and the wonderment it creates.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
We are actually working on 2 more sing-along books — I Love That Train and No More Sugar. Also, we are excited to share that the audio track for Animals Are Great is available on Spotify, iTunes, etc. as a single. I Love That Train and No More Sugar song tracks will also be available when the books come out.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Amazon
Literary Titan Book Award: Nonfiction
The Literary Titan Book Award recognizes outstanding nonfiction books that demonstrate exceptional quality in writing, research, and presentation. This award is dedicated to authors who excel in creating informative, enlightening, and engaging works that offer valuable insights. Recipients of this award are commended for their ability to transform complex topics into accessible and compelling narratives that captivate readers and enhance our understanding.
Award Recipients
Mythical Creatures: The Worldbuilding Guide to Korean Fantasy by Huck Kahng
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
Jazz Crazy
A Guide to Jazz in Japan maps out the complex, pulsing scene of Japanese jazz with detailed entries on clubs, musicians, jam spots, and the culture that surrounds them. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I’ve spent a lot of time at jazz clubs in Tokyo and Yokohama and have always found it fascinating. After writing for various publications, including my own website, I wanted to consolidate the most important information, opinions, and recommendations to share with others. It’s an exciting world, and a side of Japanese culture that most people usually don’t experience. I also find it a real contrast with some other parts of Japanese arts, but in very interesting ways. For me, it’s a culmination of my writing and reporting over many years, as well as my passion for not just jazz, but music in general.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I wanted to share how big the jazz scene is. I focused mainly on Tokyo and Yokohama, but the whole of Japan is quite jazz-crazy. I always thought the jazz scene would gradually disappear as people stayed home to watch TV. I worried the pandemic would wipe out the clubs. However, overall, it has been resilient and is at its most vibrant ever now. I also wanted to show how the character of the jazz scene has changed. It used to be for whiskey-drinking, cigarette-smoking salarymen, but now jazz clubs are filled with all kinds of people, all ages, various interests. Having more women musicians is another significant change. And all the players are better than ever. Japanese culture can sometimes seem imitatively creative, and jazz is certainly an African American invention. However, Japanese jazz improvisation shows a deeply creative spirit that surprises me every time I see it in action.
What makes the jazz scene unique in Japan compared to other countries?
It’s bigger. I’ve been to many large cities around the world, and all of them have a jazz scene, but Tokyo and Yokohama have over a hundred clubs with live jazz every evening. The scale is immense. There are also numerous local neighborhood clubs, which you’d mainly go to if you live close by. Distances are large in Tokyo, too, so having a club near the station where you live is welcome. There is tremendous variation, with all styles and forms of jazz represented in different clubs. Many of them are very inventive, while others are progressive, and a core group remains very traditional. That makes for a great mix and great variety on any given evening. Japanese culture has a traditional undertwo to it, so that forms of expression, music, art, cuisine, film, or whatever, have staying power. Luckily, that applies to jazz too, so you often hear very traditional jazz. However, younger players, and some of the stalwarts from the 1960s, play very cutting-edge jazz. It’s that tension that makes it unique.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
I think the book serves as a guidebook, but it’s also filled with observations about the relationship between jazz and Japanese culture. Even if you’re not visiting, there’s a lot in there. As an observer and writer for so many years, there are many things I love here, a few I really can’t stand, but a lot more I find fascinating. I hope the book will provide visitors with an opportunity to explore beyond the usual tourist spots (which are often great, albeit crowded at times) and gain a deeper understanding of the culture from a different perspective. I want readers to understand the creative spirit that’s packed inside Japanese jazz. It’s an interesting side of Japan that’s not exactly hidden, but wonderful to discover.
Author Links: GoodReads | X | Facebook | Website Author | Website Book
With bonus essays on Japan’s unique jazz history, culture, and community, A Guide to Jazz in Japan helps you explore and understand one of the largest and most vibrant jazz scenes in the world. From hip backstreet clubs to talented musicians, the practical information and informed suggestions help make your trip—or your life—in Japan more interesting, fun, informed—and jazzier.
A Guide to Jazz in Japan
Michael Pronko’s A Guide to Jazz in Japan is more than just a directory of Tokyo’s jazz clubs—it’s a love letter to a city’s hidden rhythm. The book maps out the complex, pulsing scene of Japanese jazz with detailed entries on clubs, musicians, jam spots, and the culture that surrounds them. It’s part guidebook, part memoir, and part cultural essay, told with the warmth of someone who’s not only observed this world for decades but been deeply moved by it. From intimate back-alley venues in Kichijoji to storied mainstays like Shinjuku’s Pit Inn, Pronko captures the flavor of a scene that lives in shadows, thrives in basements, and beats with an energy all its own.
What struck me most was the clarity and sincerity of Pronko’s voice. He doesn’t write from a distance. He writes like someone who’s spent years leaning on club counters, sipping whisky, letting drums and saxophones rattle his bones. The descriptions of venues are vivid, practical, and full of soul. There’s no marketing gloss here. He tells you when a club’s cramped, when the food’s just okay, when you’ll need to duck past the bassist to get in. That honesty makes the whole book feel trustworthy. His passion for the music and the people who play it bubbles through every sentence.
But it’s the cultural insight that really elevates the book. Pronko dives deep into why jazz has taken root in Japan in such a powerful way—how the quiet devotion of its fans mirrors the precision of the music, how musicians practice and play with a kind of reverent intensity, how clubs have become sanctuaries of expression in a society that prizes decorum. The essays toward the end of the book, especially those on the history of jazz in Japan and its fit within the broader cultural landscape, are fascinating. He writes with affection, but not blind admiration. He notes the silences, the exclusions, the places still hidden from outsiders. It’s generous and sharp all at once.
I’d recommend A Guide to Jazz in Japan to anyone curious about music, travel, or Japanese culture. Jazz lovers will find it invaluable, like a backstage pass to a thriving, undersung world. But even if you’ve never set foot in a club, you’ll find something to love here. The writing sings, the details spark, and the emotion lingers. This is a guidebook, yes, but it’s also a beautiful meditation on place, passion, and the way music makes a foreign land feel like home.
Pages: 358 | ASIN : B0DZZCSXVM
Collective Memories
Last of the Pops is the story of a rising musician who vanishes and leaves behind a timeless body of work that inspires and unites long after his mysterious disappearance. Where did the idea for this book come from?
Music is something that has really shaped a lot of aspects of my life, from helping me understand the world and connect with it, to shaping the relationships I form with people, even my writing process leans heavily on music. I build out soundtracks to help me set the tone and in some cases even get inside characters’ heads. But despite it being such a big part of my life, I’ve actually never written about music – it’s always just something that’s tangentially connected to what I write about. So, with Last of the Pops, I really wanted to dive in and explore my connection to music, and how a lot of different people connect to it.
Like, if you think about your favorite songs, they can be very personal things. You have this history tied to them, whether it’s some kind of emotional response or memory, but at the same time, these songs are a shared cultural experience. The songs don’t exist just for you (even if they can feel like that). So they end up carrying with them the collective memories of all the people who listen to them over the years. And I really wanted to play with what that could mean – especially now – at a time when streaming and the internet has made it so that pretty much all music is literally right at our fingertips.
What inspired you to take this story to the next level and create a graphic novel?
Last of the Pops really became a graphic novel for a couple of reasons. For starters, comics have always been kind of my default when it comes to writing. Most of my books are graphic novels. But, when I sat down to write Last of the Pops, I didn’t know what it was going to be. Initially I just really loved the name Last of the Pops, as a take on the old Top of the Pops show. I couldn’t believe no one had used it before and I just really wanted to be the one who did. So for a long time, I just had a Google Doc titled Last of the Pops on my phone and I’d jot down different ideas or musings about music. Every once in a while I’d go back to it and see if anything jumped out at me. For a long time, it was just a bunch of ideas. Over time though, I started to see different characters taking shape – different personalities in bits and pieces. And the more I started to hone in on that, the more a story started to build up. It wasn’t a clean narrative though, in a way it was taking shape more like an epistolary novel. All these ideas could be different character’s journal entries and you could piece together the story within the context of the letter.
As I worked on that though, I realized the book was missing something. It was a book about music, a book about the personal soundtrack to all these different people’s lives. In a way, it was like a mix tape I was writing, but there were no actual songs or lyrics. That’s when I realized why not play with that idea a little. I started thinking about all those old music videos where they were basically mini-movies with the song playing in the background and you had these two different experiences: the visual storytelling and the lyrical storytelling. It seemed like it would be something fun to try with sequential artwork. Each scene could be like a music video with part of the story playing out in the panels of the comics, with the other part told through these different narrative devices – like journal entries or podcast transcripts, interviews, letters – all the standard epistolary storytelling devices.
I tried doing some research on this kind of thing, find examples of stories that have merged sequential and epistolary storytelling, and with the exception of a few single-issue comics, it hasn’t really been done before. Especially not as a full-length graphic novel (though if anyone knows of any examples, I’m open to being proven wrong). But this just made me want to try it out even more – to see if it was possible. As it turned out, the format really clicked. Getting to play with these two different storytelling methods helped bring the story together in a totally unexpected way – especially exploring the harmony and dissonance between them – how sometimes they were completely aligned in what they were telling the reader, and sometimes not – it ended up adding a new layer to the entire storytelling experience that was so much fun to work with, and added to the musicality of the book using harmony and dissonance the same way a songwriter might.
The images in this novel are fantastic. Can you share with us a little about your collaboration with illustrators Dr. Demus and Dapit Jamur?
Sure! Initially, it was just Dr. Demus and I. We found each other online and I really loved his art style. It was completely his own, yet it had elements of all these great comic artists like Jamie Hewlett, Dan Hipp, the Hernandez brothers – all these artists who had done comics about music in the past. Which I thought would be a nice homage.
His style worked perfectly for the book, but as we were going through it, we couldn’t crack what to do with the one character, Penny. Everything I did for her felt forced and didn’t fit her character. It wasn’t till I took a step back and thought about where she was in the story. She’s closed off, she’s stuck in this situation she doesn’t want to be in. She’s not really going to open up. She wouldn’t be the type to keep a diary or be writing letters to someone. But she’s an artist, and artists keep a sketchbook.
Once we realized this, it really opened up opportunities for us to tell her story in a very different way. I always refer to the sections of the book as the instrumental tracks, cause they’re no narrative like the other chapters. But we figured, some we’re already doing something different but her, we could switch things up and give Penny a style all her own to really let her stand out. That’s when we found Dapit. His artwork really brought a new level to the book. Penny was a seventeen-year-old wannabe street artist, and his style really brought her voice to life. It also opened the door for us to think about instances where maybe we could stretch the form a bit more – like the email newsletters from 45s on Main that helped to tell the part of the story we didn’t even think to include in the beginning but really helps add this very different layer to the mythos of Skylar Chase both in how we’re able to think about him and his music, but also I’m how it’s presented to the reader.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
At the moment, I’m teaming up again with S. Atzeni for a new anthology Disco Fries & Scenic Drives which is the third volume in the Life in the Garden State series we created to celebrate the untold stories about our home state of New Jersey. New Jersey is one of those places that often gets pigeonholed into very specific perspectives. But as people who have lived here all our lives, there’s something special about New Jersey. It’s completely one-of-a-kind while at the same time being incredibly universal and relatable to people from all over. So this anthology is designed to celebrate that. We’ll finish accepting submissions at the end of June and then the book will be hitting shelves in October.
After that, I have a new graphic novella I’ve just started writing for Read Furiously’s One ‘n Done series. It’s still in the very early stages, but it’s inspired by the band Good Luck who recorded two different versions of the same song on their album Into Lake Griffy. They’re both about stars falling from the sky with the same lyrics and chord progressions. But done in different styles with different singers. It’s not about the band or the songs though, but takes inspiration from some of the lyrics and more importantly, how there are two very different versions of the song. That one will take some time to get going though, so details on that are forthcoming. But I’m excited about it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
2025 Winner – Firebird International Book Awards for Comics and Graphic Novels
Not many people noticed the day the airwaves went silent. Thousands of radio stations across the country powered down for the last time. Twenty years on, even fewer noticed the day the towers came back to life, broadcasting on repeat, a handful of songs that don’t exist.
An experiment in sequential and epostolary storytelling, Wilson, Demus, Paratone, and Jamit present the soundtrack of a wannabe podcaster, a teen graffitti artist and her estranged brother, a former disc jockey, the newest owner of a vinyl legacy, and a tortured singer on the cusp of greatness.
Last of the Pops
Skylar Chase. A rising musician on the brink of stardom, until he vanished without a trace. Legally declared dead a decade later, his disappearance remains one of music’s great unsolved mysteries. Yet his limited body of work didn’t fade into obscurity. Instead, it evolved into legend. Even while he was still alive, his songs hinted at something timeless. Long after he was gone, they continued to inspire, to unite, to heal. Through melody, he created a legacy that outlived him, a legacy rooted in the enduring, transformative power of music.
Last of the Pops is a stunning collaborative graphic novel written by Adam Wilson, with illustrations by Dr. Demus, Dapit Jamus, and Erika Paratore. Subtitled A Mixtape for the Death of Radio, the book operates on multiple levels. At first glance, it’s a meditation on the fleeting nature of technology and how innovation renders even the most revolutionary ideas obsolete. But dig deeper, and it reveals a much more intimate reflection on the emotional resonance of music and the invisible threads it weaves between people.
Centered on the mythos of the fictional Skylar Chase, the story unfolds through a constellation of characters whose lives, at first seemingly disconnected, begin to intersect in unexpected, profound ways. What begins as individual narratives coalesces into a larger, more intricate tapestry. The pacing is deliberate, the writing precise, and the structure artfully cyclical, bringing the reader back to where it all began, but with renewed clarity.
True to the spirit of a mixtape, the novel is eclectic and layered. It blends poetic introspection with visual storytelling, balancing narrative complexity with emotional sincerity. At its heart, it’s about family, identity, belonging, and, above all, the shared experience of sound. Each chapter shifts perspective, and with it, both the visual and written style adapt accordingly. This shifting framework gives the book a dynamic rhythm, mirroring the diverse influences that shape each character’s journey.
More than just a tribute to music, Last of the Pops is a dialogue between artist and audience. It explores the deep, often invisible impact musicians have on the lives of their listeners. The artwork throughout amplifies this emotional depth, enhancing the tone of each scene with thoughtful variation and artistic flair. The visual transitions are not just aesthetic choices; they reflect the evolving inner worlds of the characters.
As a lifelong believer in music’s power to connect, heal, and transform, I found Last of the Pops to be a deeply moving experience. The narrative avoided sentimentality, instead grounding its emotional moments in authenticity. What I expected to be a series of fragmented vignettes emerged as a unified, resonant story. That cohesion made all the difference.
This graphic novel isn’t just about the mysterious Skylar Chase. It’s about all of us, the ways we connect, the memories we hold in song, and the legacies we carry forward through the art we love.
Pages: 234 | ISBN : 978-1960869081
