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.