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.