To Anacreon in Heaven by Graham Foust

 
To Anacreon in Heaven by Graham Foust. Minus A Press, 2010, perfectbound in an edition of 200 copies.

"Oh say it's just before brunch in America," can you see it? Mimosas maybe. We are loving music, our shiny loving empire of music. Who knew Foust had such range?


Some author/press links:
Graham Foust.
Minus A Press.
(No website that I know of for Barbara Freeman's Press; this links to Michael Cross's blog, which has a [smart] note on the book and the press.)
Designed by Jeff Clark aka Quemadura.

heart badly buried by five shovels by Hugh Thomas

heart badly buried by five shovels by Hugh Thomas. Supernova Tadpole Editions, 2009, 4"x4" stapled chapbook.

Reminds me of White Night Wedding—Iceland, birds, "smoked fish"—plus Mlinko's breezy internationalism, & romance ("Laura monotonous, / Laura like water"). But mostly I see white wet islands. Arresting.

Some author/press links:
Hugh Thomas.
Supernova Tadpole Editions.
which is a project of
Paper Kite Press.

My Oakland by Charles Legere

My Oakland by Charles Legere. Deep Oakland Editions, 2009 (and ongoing), e-chapbook.

[Review culled from my introduction for Charlie @ last week's Holloway Reading.]

The problem is perspective
broken surfaces

“a plaster statue / of myself,"

gradations of represent

of place of people of numbers
within numbers of language

a Frankenstein’s demography
impossible poetry.

Some author/press links:
Charles Legere.
Deep Oakland Editions.

Goodnight Voice by Dana Ward

Goodnight Voice by Dana Ward. House Press, 2008, stitched chapbook.

Three words I need: community, rap, emotion. “I can’t feel my face / but would have you still feel it.” Dana Weezy’s feeling feeling, dares enough to care about us.

Some author/press links:

Dana Ward.

House Press.

X (Angel City) by Joseph Lease

X (Angel City) by Joseph Lease. Sacrifice Press, 2010, stapled chapbook with turkey factory.

“Try this: property is death,” we try & yell together; “Dear You,” have a reason to try; so much “Raw // Dawn” in thin pages; “Try this: / Try anything:”

Some author/press links:
Joseph Lease.
Sacrifice Press. I'll say this once: don't front on Sacrifice.

Art is War by Anne Boyer

Art is War by Anne Boyer. Mitzvah Chaps, 2008, stitched chapbook with coupon endsheets.

How to say enough? “Difficult Ways to Publish Poetry” is a fucking brick house. “Collect hair from living poets. Alphabetize hair. Spin hair into thread.” It’s humbling. We should talk.

Some author/press links:
Anne Boyer.
Mitzvah Chaps. (Yes, they are awesome.)
her The Romance of Happy Workers is here. I'd like to take this time to say I am jealous of every single one of her titles. She is the queen of titles.

Excerpts from camera obscura by erica lewis

Excerpts from camera obscura by erica lewis with illustrations by Mark Stephen Finein. Etherdome, 2009, stapled chapbook with cool cloudy metallic endsheets.

In the gone color of the subsequent BlazeVOX edition these grayscales seem hushed, uncertain of openings, aching to “translate the light we see into density,” small words body to body.

Some author/press links:
erica lewis.
Etherdome.
The BlazeVOX edition of camera obscura is here and here.

Rules for Drinking Forties by Rodney Koeneke

Rules for Drinking Forties by Rodney Koeneke. Cy Press, 2009, stitched chapbook avec vellum.

“you simply cannot see my humanism,” maybe because it’s so quick—jump-twitch “EMU MEAT” to empurpled rivers to slow odes to friends. Rule #1—“The adventure isn’t over.” Cheers, amigos.

Some author/press links:
Rodney Koeneke.
Cy Press.

Uncle Chen's Oriental Slapstick by Chris Chen

Uncle Chen’s Oriental Slapstick by Chris Chen. Incidental Press, 2000, stapled chapbook with foraged cover.


“[There was a break in the historical record]”—returns as “is” unbracketed, time’s space, Tu Fu and his Emperor. “Little children, the history lesson is boring.” I miss Chris’s poetry.

Some author/press links:

Chris Chen.

Incidental Press—not sure about this one. Any help, folks in the internet?

The Bodily Struggle by Ferreira Gullar (translated by Chris Daniels)

The Bodily Struggle by Ferreira Gullar (translated by Chris Daniels). Grand Quiskadee America, 2008, stapled (chap?)book.

Here is anti-colonial poetry that "promises to set the country on fire.” Guilt is useless because "Suffering has / no value at all / It doesn't light a halo / around your head ...".


-Gene Tanta

Some author/press links:
Ferreira Gullar.
Chris Daniels. (As explain'd by John Latta.)
Chris Daniels talks to Kent Johnson about translation.
Gene Tanta.


[I believe The Bodily Struggle is Gullar's first book; not sure if this version takes on the whole thing, or...? -DTG]

NOT TIME by Lauren Levin

NOT TIME by Lauren Levin. Boxwood Editions, 2009, stitched chapbook.

"Time creates weight at the point / from which it issues." In Levin's dreamily rearranging perspective, a weightless heft pervades—calmly airy, dense as trees. Unfixing fixed points, to breathe.

Some author/press links:
Lauren Levin.
Boxwood Editions.
[Boxwood and Lauren deserve big praise for this book—it's a work of art.]

Mrs. Maybe #3

Mrs. Maybe #3, 2010. Heartbreachingly beautiful letterpressed and stapled journal. 

Irony's in my community like a rot; Maybe's loveliest when it's not. Schlegel shines—"In a field carved into flowers / The beautiful become unnerving—"—damn, Rob, damn. Props.

Some author/journal links:
Mrs. Maybe. 
Mrs. Maybe's blog.
Lauren Levin (editor).
Catherine Meng (editor).
Jared Stanley (editor).
Brandon Brown.
Sara Larsen.
Julian T. Brolaski.
Lindsey Bolt.
K. Silem Mohammed.
Rob Schlegel.
CA Conrad.
Judith Goldman.
David Highsmith.
Sara Mumolo.
Nada Gordon.
Jon Davis.
Amber DiPietra.
Dana Ward.

Having just typed that list, I just need to give a brief shout out to the Mrs. Maybe eds. for the awesomeness of that crowd. Well assembled! Maybe is yet another reason we Bay Areans have to brush off our collective shoulders.

Cannot Exist #3

Cannot Exist #3, 2008, photocopied & stapled journal.

The journal pulsing thoughtfully, Killian's generous title poem sez "In Orono a sun melting prettiness insured I cannot exist without / dreaming of green men"—pulsing like pulsars c. 1967.

Some author/press links:
Cannot Exist. 
Andy Gricevich (editor).
Alex Burford.
Mark Cunningham.
Carrie Etter.
Lawrence Giffin.
William Gillespie.
Kevin Killian.
Mark Lamoureux.
Bonnie Jean Michalski.
Sheila E. Murphy.
Andy Nicholson.
Dirk Stratton.

Gaha Noas Zorge (Babes of the Abyss Become Friendly) by Jesse Glass

Gaha Noas Zorge (Babes of the Abyss Become Friendly) by Jesse Glass. New Sins Press (Publisher's Choice Award), 2010, perfectbound 8.5 x 11" chap(?)book.

Edited scrying sessions (1659) as source + crystal skull = pastiche or simulacrum of early modern psycho-occult experiments. "The fire within doth weve," sometimes lovely, but toward what tapestry? Language?

Some author/press links:
Jesse Glass.
New Sins Press.

Lovejoy by Phoebe Wayne

Lovejoy by Phoebe Wayne. c_L books, 2010, letterpressed & stitched chapbook.


We all think about preservation—of self, art, cities, ecosystems, humanity. Phoebe Wayne does this beautifully & thoughtfully. "Salvage included / wrapping in cardboard for the demolition." Things worth saving.


Some author/press links:
Phoebe Wayne.
c_L Press (or, well, Spare Room, which is one of James Yeary's Portland-based activities, along with c_L. I don't think c_L has a website...?).
Lovejoy photos.

Tout Va Bien by Suzanne Stein

[Pic gone skinny]

Tout Va Bien by Suzanne Stein. Self-published 2005 (TAXT before TAXT), stapled chapbook.

Much has been said. Performance gone paper c. 2005. A beginning. An end: "VICTORY to that which is in all our hearts." Theory of The Bay's present: sincerity & optimism?

Some author/press links:
Suzanne Stein.
OOP TAXT @ Deep Oakland.

Meteoric Flowers by Elizabeth Willis

Meteoric Flowers by Elizabeth Willis. Atticus Finch press, 2004, letterpressed & stapled chapbook.

"Aeon Flux: June" by Clover and "Meteoric Flowers" made me want to write achingly beautiful prose poems. For a long time I tried. I love this book—its "pear-like wonder."

Some author/press links:
Elizabeth Willis.
Gold stars for Michael Cross & his Atticus Finch. If only all publishers & presses were so fine.

Abraham Lincoln #2

 Abraham Lincoln #2, Fall-Winter 2007-2008, stapled journal.


Mad Flarfish; capital of excess; more. One word per poet or pair:

"penetrated"
beautiful.

linty
Holocaust
genitals
Chinese.

inflatable
gerbils
Beautiful
rhinocerotic
whoop-ass
nano-gaseous
design:

Carness"
comrades
CODE.

beguiling
surplus


Some author/journal links:
Abraham Lincoln.
In order of words quoted:
Rod Smith.
Rita Dahl.
Cathy Eisenhower.
Benjamin Friedlander.
Brandon Brown.
Tim Yu. (As a langpo scholar, I have to plug Tim's book here—best of the recent lot of thinking on their work.)
Mel Nichols.
Tao Lin.
Kevin Killian.
Lanny Quarles.
Mitch Highfill.
Maria Damon.
Joseph Massey & Jess Mynes.
Patrick Durgin.
Linh Dinh.
Christina Strong.
Rachel Zolf.
Nada Gordon. (Hey Nada—stay permeable. The poets out here in the ether are sending you strength.)

The Lack Of by Joseph Massey

The Lack Of by Joseph Massey. Nasturtium Press, 2009, letterpressed and stitched chapbook.


Best of 2009 sez Steve Fame. Requires quiet sitting in such small space, an imagination of lingering I envy. Massey's tiny poems "fill the hollow / of the day." What grace.

Some author/press links:
Joseph Massey.
Ron Silliman calls Massey a "precisionist."
Steven Fama is his real name—but Steve Fame sounds rad! And his blog is rad too.
Nasturtium Press.

Taiga, Issue T

Taiga, Issue T, Summer 2008, stapled journal.

Is paling, is blue-grey, has feathers.  Is “[a]n architecture of smoke,” is “best viewed on a clear day,” is quiet. “[I]n fading grandeur,” “ghost tours.” Does it still exist? Donno.

Some journal links:

This one's not easy to track. Brooklyn Copeland sent it to me. Talk to her.

Spy Wednesday by David Brazil

Spy Wednesday by David Brazil. TAXT press, 2009, stapled chapbook.

“To know our catastrophe entails
a knowing of the failing of an
imagination…”

So the affect workers imagine, fight cops, take notes. Oakland is alive, Brazil is alive, TAXT matters.

Some author/press links:
David Brazil.
TAXT press.

whomeanswhat by Lars Palm.

whomeanswhat by Lars Palm. Sacrifice Press, 2010, stapled chapbook.

"& the steady beat" is the best part; some interesting reversals (e.g. “lifted shop”). Occasional apparently; sign says chap’s free (go Sacrifice). “& start reading political essays”—good call, yo.

Some author/press links:
Lars Palm.
Sacrifice Press.

Poetry is not / Enough. by Brian Ang, Joseph Atkins, Tiffany Denman, & Jeanine Webb.

Poetry is not / Enough. by Brian Ang, Joseph Atkins, Tiffany Denman, & Jeanine Webb. Self-published pamphlet, 2010, stapled.

It begins “The linguistic construction of post-capitalist hegemony.” No attribution until the end; big energy. Shapes of attempted motion. I doubt this is post-capital, but I’m glad for the thinking.

Some author links:
Brian Ang.
Joseph Atkins.
Tiffany Denman.
Jeanine Webb.

The 30 Word Review 30-Word Mission Statement

Because I read a lot, and write too much already. Because 30 words will never be too many. Because much of the best poetry isn’t perfect bound & doesn’t get reviewed.