The Believer Deluxe Retro ClassyPak includes: the 2004 Visual Issue (Mike Mills, Guy Maddin, Raymond Pettibon, a DVD); the 2006 Music Issue (Calexico, the National, Paul Collins, Rick Moody, a CD); and the 2006 Visual Issue (Matthew Barney, Shelley Jackson, a removable stack of paintings by Kehinde Wiley affixed to the cover). All this for just $10. - - - -

To My Friend, the Christian Pop Star in Nashville. BY K. JUDITH MOWRER - - - -  Certain things shouldn't come between friends,  your letter begins. And by "things," I believe  you mean copyrighting my musical for yourself   without permission. You're right. My favorite pop  song says life's all about friendship. And for two weeks  you played the piano for our performances. Musical  notes are meant to be shared. Apparently, a musical  belongs not just to the writer but to the writer's friends  who play piano on opening night. Never mind the weeks  it took me to compose. Who, these days, would really believe   that a song costs the writer something? No—grab your pop  can, take a sip, and make some money for yourself  off melodies torn from my now cold hands. But I ask myself,   what happened to the friend who said, This musical  is all about you! And, just think, you can see your work pop  off the stage if you let me play the piano for you. Friends  sometimes change their minds, you're right. I believe  you changed yours when we ran two sold-out weeks  and grossed $8,000. When I wanted (weeks  later) to put the money in scholarships, you yourself  said, This is your musical, do whatever you believe  is best— But you couldn't stop shifting. The musical   took backstage while I moved to New York until (thank God for friends)   you moved to Nashville to become a Christian pop  star. Not even Christians wanted your pop  and you got that lean, hungry look working 50-hour weeks  at Starbucks. And you started talking to your friends  who breeze over copyright laws. And you thought to yourself,   I could claim this as my intellectual property since this musical  was played by my hands on those keys. Did you believe  what you said in your certified letter? Because I didn't believe  you. Your letter said, pop! I've prayed about this, and pop!   I've never felt more right about anything and pop! a musical  shouldn't come between Christians. It's been three weeks  since your letter, and if I could gloss over all this, make myself  forget songs born from sharpest loss because we're friends,   believe me, I would. The musical would be my godly gift. But I believe  firmly that God and all our friends who listen to Christian pop  will understand when I write back, weeks from now, Go fuck yourself.    MORE SESTINAS

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