Cosmic Beat, by Alexander Selimov

Poetry, chapbook, 28 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

In Cosmic Beat, Alexander Selimov takes readers on a raw journey through what it means to be human in today's chaotic world. These are expressions that pulse with life and emotion. From the alpine heights of the Caucasus to the urban streets of America they throb with the energy of transformation.

What makes this collection hit hard is Selimov's direct, unflinching approach to heavy subjects: mortality, discrimination, technology's impact, cycles of history, memory, loneliness. His voice has bite when it needs to, calling out the endless cycles we get trapped in. Even when writing about abstract concepts, his poems ground readers in concrete images: 'raindrops climbing skyward,' 'fingers bleeding,' 'milk-truck drivers and arms dealers,' 'zebra crossings dusted with footsteps.'

Cosmic Beat will dig deep with anyone who's ever felt like they don't quite fit the script, anyone who's watched everything speed up while that little voice asks if we're trading our souls for likes and notifications. Selimov isn't here to sell you some feel-good lines or hand you answers wrapped in a bow. What he's got is something rawer and more real: that electric recognition that you're not the only one awake at 3 AM wondering what the hell happened to authenticity. This is poetry for cats who know Instagram isn't real life, yet still believe—against all odds—that the right words at the right moment can cut through the noise and actually move something in this world.

Dr. Alexander Selimov is that rare breed of wordsmith who refuses to stay in his lane—poet, professor, songwriter, and cultural bridge-builder all rolled into one restless creative spirit. His verses flow effortlessly across linguistic borders, landing in English, Spanish, Russian, Azeri, and Chinese like a literary nomad mapping the human experience. The accolades keep stacking: a Silver Medal at the 2019 LIFFT Eurasian literary competition in Baku, the 2018 Victoria Urbano honorable mention in Chicago, and the coveted "Universal Ambassador of Culture" title from the Bolivian Association of Writers and Artists with UNESCO backing. His latest win as Poet of the Year at Thailand's Boao Festival in 2024 just confirms what insiders already knew—this cat's got serious range. Selimov's work digs deep into identity, memory, and the beautiful mess of cultural displacement, crafting what critics call "one of the most authentic voices in contemporary poetry." He's not just writing poems; he's channeling the zeitgeist of our globally connected wreckage of the world.