MP3 OF ANDREW DEMCAK READING @ MOE'S BOOKS BERKELEY, CA 06/09/09

Moe's Books has added MP3 audio of my poetry reading with Garry Lambrev to their archives. If you missed the reading, it was a wonderful night of poetry, if I do say so myself (short, too.) This reading was part of my book tour promoting Zero Summer.

ANDREW DEMCAK READING AT MOE'S BOOKS 06/09/09

WHAT DO AMAZON CUSTOMERS BUY FROM ANDREW DEMCAK

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	56% buy Zero Summer 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) $16.00
	44% buy the item featured on this page: Catching Tigers in Red Weather 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) $13.95

SUNY BUFFALO BUYS COPY OF ZERO SUMMER

According to WorldCat.org, SUNY at Buffalo has just bought a copy of Zero Summer. It's so nice that all the universities are making the right choice and buying my books. Ya know?

ZERO SUMMER AT SUNY BUFFALO

ANDREW DEMCAK SAYS BUY KAYA OAKES NEW BOOK

I met Kaya Oakes in grad school at St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA (as featured in The New Yorker as an outstanding MFA program, so there) in 1995. She is one of the smartest, drollest, most talented poet/writer that I am privileged to call my friend. Please buy her new book, Slanted and Enchanted, The Evolution of Indie Culture.

BUY SLANTED AND ENCHANTED

AMAZON CREATES AN AUTHOR PAGE FOR ANDREW DEMCAK

Amazon.com in their inimitable wisdom have created an "Author Page" for me and my work, perhaps because my sales ranking has risen on my books there. Check it out by clicking the link below.

ANDREW DEMCAK AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

ZERO SUMMER'S AMAZON.COM SALES RANK SOARS

ZERO SUMMER BY ANDREW DEMCAK: Amazon.com Sales Rank: #601,427 in Books (Sunday 21, 2009)

This might seem like a huge number, but Amazon's ranking system goes all the way down to #9,000,000. Zero Summer's sale ranking is right along side Randall Mann, D. A. Powell, and Brenda Hillman's new one.

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PURCHASES ZERO SUMMER BY ANDREW DEMCAK

Princeton University has acquired a copy of Zero Summer (and it's already checked out.)  Yay!

ZERO SUMMER AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

ANDREW DEMCAK READS @ MOE'S BOOKS BERKELEY, CA 06/09/09 7:30PM

Hi All,

If you are in the SF BAY AREA on TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2009 7:30p, why not pop by Moe's Books, Berkeley and hear Garry Lambrev and me read our poetry? I will be reading from my new book, Zero Summer (BlazeVOX [books] NY 2009) as well as some newer work. I'd love to see you there!

-Andrew

Readings and Events at Moe's

Moe's literary events began as a weekly poetry reading called Monday@Moe's. Over the years Moe's Books has become one of the premier Bay Area venues to hear novelists, poets, activists, and scholars read from their works. We archive our events in audio and video files that can be accessed from our webpage.

Unless otherwise mentioned, all events begin at 7:30pm.

Upcoming events:

Tuesday, June 9th, 7:30p: Andrew Demcak and Garrett Lambrev

Andrew Demcak is an award-winning poet whose poetry has been widely published and anthologized, and whose books have been featured at The Best American Poetry and Oranges & Sardines. His latest book, Zero Summer, was published by BlazeVOX [Books], NY, 2009. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Lambda Award, Thom Gunn Poetry Award, both theCalifornia and Northern California Book Awards, Best of the Web, and others. He has an M. F. A. in English/Creative Writing from St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA , where he studied with Robert Hass, Brenda Hillman, Michael Palmer, Carol Snow, Frank Bidart, Gary Snyder, Charles Wright, and Sharon Olds. Andrew is also a member of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, where he studied with Galway Kinnell, Richard Howard, and Lucille Clifton. His poems, including Young Man With iPod (Poetry Midwest, #13), are taught at Ohio State University as part of both its English 110.02 class, "The Genius and the Madman," and in its "American Poetry Since 1945" class. At the age of 23, Andrew published his first chapbook, The Psalms (Big 23 Press), which was favorably reviewed by Dr. Clifton Snider in the Small Press Review (issue 226, vol. 23, no. 11.)

Garrett "Garry" Lambrev started writing poems as a rite of puberty and hasn't stopped yet. Following his graduation from Peoples Temple in 1976, he joined the Cloud House movement in SF, engendered by Kush, and began reading on the streets and in the parks of Berkeley with fellow poets Clif Ross and Bob Rivera as The Rosa Luxemburg-Dorothy Day Cultural Brigade, coming to rest each Friday afternoon in the mini plaza in front of Cody's. Though he's published only intermittently over the last few decades, mostly in small and ephemeral literary magazines, early last year Berkeley's Beatitude Press published his first book length work, Dogstar and Poems from Other Planets: 1964-1989. He is presently completing a second collection, Galaxies Inside the Heart: 1990-2009 from which he will also be reading.

--
http://www.andrewdemcak.com
http://www.ad1968.blogspot.com

ANDREW DEMCAK READS @ BOOKS INC SF

Here's the link to my reading at Books Inc. SF from April 21st, 2009.  It was a wonderful, well-attended reading.  Listen to the MP3 audio here:

ANDREW DEMCAK READS AT BOOKS INC SF 04/21/09

ANDREW DEMCAK IN TWITTER POETS OCHO #24

Open publication - Free publishing - More mipoesias

ANDREW DEMCAK SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY

 

Prop 8 supporters may have won the battle here in California.  

But, mark my words; they will not win the war!

ANDREW DEMCAK NEW POEM @ LISTENLIGHT #19

I have a new poem "The Living" in the newest issue of ListenLight #19.  It's from my forthcoming book of poetry, A Single Hurt Color.  It's a beautiful issue.  Check it out at by clicking the link below.

LISTENLIGHT

3 MORE UNIVERSITIES BOUGHT ZERO SUMMER BY ANDREW DEMCAK

According to OCLC's WorldCat, The University of Arizona, The University of Maryland, and Indiana University have all just recently purchased my book Zero Summer for their permanent collections.  This is great because it took over a year before the Ivy League Universities began buying Catching Tigers in Red Weather.  Zero Summer has only been out since Feb 2009.

ZERO SUMMER INFO ON WORLDCAT

BONUS ZERO SUMMER TRIVIA:

NEW BLURB ON AMAZON.COM FOR ZERO SUMMER:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignite to a Color, May 16, 2009 By  J. Wahlgren "j paris" (boston) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Demcak's language swoops the reader into a new world where otherwise bland objects & people become colorful. Sex is a common topic for Demcak whose chapter of the book "Between melting & freezing..." (from T.S. Eliot) warms the room to body temperature & puts the reader in limbo with his warm images. These poems are "ignited to a color" & reiterate the poet's reason for writing: mainly, keeping us on our toes about reality. Demcak blooms here in Zero Summer & his subject matter, from drug addiction to sex to natural occurrence (death, etc.) communicates itself through simple structures & origins & possesses an internal play on words. Demcak has weaved himself into the quilt of modern poetry with this release.

5.0 out of 5 stars

ANDREW DEMCAK ONE OF 40 POETS ON TWITTER

FROM COLLIN KELLEY'S BLOG:

Last week, Mashable.com listed 100 writers who are active on Twitter. Guess who they totally left out? Yep, poets. Laurel Snyder, a fantastic poet, got a mention, but because of her writing for young adults and children. I know many of you aren't on Twitter, don't want to be on Twitter, don't understand the purpose of Twitter, etc. Basically, Twitter is micro-blogging 140 characters at a time. It works on the same basis as Facebook updates, but is faster and more convenient. You can post "tweets" from your computer, your mobile phone, etc. 

I've got more than 600 folks following my stream and more join every day. I didn't get it either when I joined last summer, but I do now. Twitter's strength, for me, is supplying quick and useful links and news I can use. If you'll remember, it was Twitter that broke the news that Amazon had de-ranked GLBT books and made it a hot news item. 

As a poet and soon-to-be-novelist, I've found Twitter to be helpful. So, because Mashable couldn't or wouldn't, here's a list of 40 poets who are active on Twitter. A few caveats for this list: I only included the poet if they've updated in the last couple of months. Use it or delete it is my motto. I'm sure I've missed some folks. Please note them in the comments and I will update the list.

Karen Head: @poetphd

Jackie Sheeler: @jsheeler

Laurel Snyder: @laurelsnyder

Didi Menendez: @mipoesias

Charles Jensen: @chasjens

Amena Brown: @amenabee

Montgomery Maxton: @montmaxton

Kate Evans: @kateevanswriter

Karen Wurl: @kittenofpower

Dustin Brookshire: @dbrookshire

Andrew Demcak: @andrewdemcak

Ron Silliman: @ronsilliman

Christopher Hennessy: @outsider_lines

Nancy Devine: @nancydevine

Robert Lee Brewer: @robertleebrewer

Matthew Hittinger: @mhittinger

Christine Swint: @yoginipoet

Oliver de la Paz: @Oliver_delaPaz

Zinta Aistars: @zintaaistars

Tara Betts: @tarabetts

Pris Campbell: @pris2000

Nic Sebastian: @verylikeawhale

Mary Biddinger: @marybid

Deborah Ager: @clickwisdom

Rosemary Nissen-Wade: @snakypoet

Emily Lloyd: @elloyd74

Jon Goode: @jongoode

Emily Benton: @emilyabenton

Cheryl Snell: @cherylsnell

Shann Palmer: @shannpalmer

Daniel Nester: @danielnester

JS van Buskirk: @JSvanBuskirk

Jilly Dybka: @jilly

Vanessa Daou: @vanessadaou

Anne Haines: @annehaines

Amy King: @amyhappens

Stacie Boschma: @stacieboschma

Christian Bok: @christianbok

Ivy Alvarez: @ivyalvarez

Collin Kelley: @collinkelley

ANDREW DEMCAK PINK NARCISSUS & NARCISSUS RESISTS

FROM MATTHEW HITTINGER'S BLOG:

Narcissus Resists and Pink Narcissus

Around the time Narcissus Resists was released poet Andrew Demcak wrote his five-part poem sequence Pink Narcissus in response to the 1971 James Bidgood film (which I also reference in Narcissus Resists).  Andrew was kind enough to dedicate his poem to me in celebration of the release of Narcissus Resists (very sweet Andrew, thank you!).

You can read Andrew's mini e-chap HERE.  (Yes, that's me on the cover, a painting courtesy of the very talented Didi Menendez who published both our projects).

Grady Harp was also kind enough to review Andrew's project:

Demcak has approached Hittinger's superb work much the way music composers pay homage to colleagues, e.g. Brahms' 'Variations on a Theme by Haydn', Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini', among others. In doing so he enriches our experience with Hittinger's work while continuing to prove his own important standing as a poet unafraid to explore shrouded psyches. An excellent accomplishment and an exciting poetic response to a current colleague! And it is stunningly set off by the art of Didi Menendez who also published this fine work. 

Click HERE to read the whole review.

Friday, April 10, 2009

ANDREW DEMCAK @ BOOKS INC. 4/21/09

Yay!  Prime real estate in the front window of Books Inc. in the Castro!  Both of my books, Catching Tigers in Red Weather and Zero Summer.
Check out those Tigers!  It's sort of a Demcak altar.
Yes, I am really here.  It's a Facebook thing.
Buy new my book Zero Summer!
I can read with my eyes shut!

I am showing off my new collagen lips.
Peter's iPhone photos.  I like that soft-focus quality.

Thanks to everyone who came to see me read at Books Inc. in the Castro 04/21/09, and everyone who couldn't come but sent his/her best wishes.

ZERO SUMMER OUTRANKS BIBLE ON AMAZON.COM

Things are looking up for LGBTQ authors on Amazon.com after the censorship scandal. Currently at Amazon.com my book of poetry, Zero Summer, has a higher sales ranking than this Russian Orthodox Bible.  Zero Summer's ranking is #1,652,942 compared to the hefty #4,202,120 sales raking of the Bible.

ANDREW DEMCAK'S FIRST REJECTION FROM THE NEW YORKER!

to : Andrew Demcak date:  Fri, Apr 3, 2009 at 11:06 AM subject : Re: Poetry Submission from Andrew Demcak mailed-by : newyorker.com

We regret that we are unable to use the enclosed material. Intriguing, but not quite TNY.  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to consider it.  Best of luck placing it elsewhere.

The Editors

MAJOR INFLUENCE ON ANDREW DEMCAK'S POETRY

Piet Mondrian (1872 - 1944)

Excerpts from Mondrian's essay Plastic Art & Pure Plastic Art, which first appeared in 1937 in the British journal Circle. 

 

"Although Art is fundamentally everywhere and always the same, nevertheless two main human inclinations, diametrically opposed to each other, appear in its many and varied expressions. One aims at the direct creation of universal beauty, the other at the esthetic expression on oneself, in other words, of that which one thins and experiences. The first aims at representing reality objectively, the second subjectively. Thus we see in every work of figurative art the desire, objectively to represent beauty, solely through form and color, in mutually balanced relations, and, at the same time, an attempt to express that which these forms, colors, and relations arouse in us. The latter attempt must of necessity result in an individual expression which veils the pure representation of beauty."

"The laws which in the culture of art have become more and more determinate are the great hidden laws of nature which art establishes in its own fashion. It is necessary to stress the facts that these laws are more or less hidden behind the superficial aspects of nature. Abstract art is therefore opposed to a natural representation of things. But it is not opposed to nature as is generally thought. It is opposed to the raw primitive animal nature of man, but is one with true human nature. It is opposed to the conventional laws created during the culture of the particular form but it is one with the laws of the culture of pure relationships.
      First and foremost there is the fundamental law of dynamic equilibrium which is opposed to the static equilibrium necessitated by the particular form.
      The important task then of all art is to destroy the static equilibrium by establishing a dynamic one. Non-figurative art demands an attempt of what is a consequence of this task, the destruction of particular form and the construction of a rhythm of mutual relations, of mutual forms or free lines. We must bear in mind, however, a distinction between these two forms of equilibrium in order to avoid confusion; for when we speak of equilibrium pure and simple we may be for, and at the same time against, a balance in the work of art."

"In order that art may be really abstract, in other words, that it should not represent relations with the natural aspect of things, the law of the denaturalization of matter is of fundamental importance. In painting, the primary color that is as pure as possible realizes this abstraction of natural color. But color is, in the present state of technique, also the best means for denaturalizing matter in the realm of abstract constructions in three dimensions; technical means are as a rule insufficient."

"According to our laws, it is a great mistake to believe that one is practicing non-figurative art by merely achieving neutral forms or free lines and determinate relations. For in composing these forms one runs the risk of a figurative creation, that is to say one or more particular forms.
      Non-figurative art is created by establishing a dynamic rhythm of determinate mutual relations which excludes the formation of any particular form. We note thus, that to destroy particular form is only to do more consistently what all art has done."

"In general, people have not realized that one can express our very essence through neutral constructive elements; that is to say, we can express the essence of art. The essence of art of course in not often sought. As a rule, individualist human nature is so predominant, that the expression of the essence of art through a rhythm of lines, colors, and relationships appears insufficient. Recently, even a great artist has declared that 'complete indifference to the subject leads to an incomplete form of art.'
      But everybody agrees that art is only a problem of plastics. What good then is a subject? It is to be understand that one would need a subject to expound something named 'Spiritual riches, human sentiments and thoughts.' Obviously, all this is individual and needs particular forms. But at the root of these sentiments and thoughts there is one thought and one sentiment: those do not easily define themselves and have no need of analogous forms in which to express themselves. It is here that neutral plastic means are demanded.
      For pure art then, the subject can never be an additional value, it is the line, the color, and their relations which must 'bring into play the whole sensual and intellectual register of the inner life...,' not the subject. Both in abstract art and in naturalistic art color expresses itself 'in accordance with the form by which it is determined,' and in all art it is the artists task to make forms and colors living and capable of arousing emotion. If he makes art into an 'algebraic equation' that is no argument against the art, it only proves that he is not an artist."

"It is therefore a mistake to suppose that a non-figurative work comes out of the unconscious, which is a collection of individual and pre-natal memories. We repeat that it comes from pure intuition, which is at the basis of the subjective-objective dualism.
      It is, however, wrong to think that the non-figurative artist finds impressions and emotions received from the outside useless, and regards it even as necessary to fight against them. On the contrary, all that the non-figurative artist receives from the outside is not only useful but indispensable, because it arouses in him the desire to creative that which he only vaguely feels and which he could never represent in a true manner without the contact with visible reality and with the life which surrounds him. 
...
That which distinguishes him from the figurative artist is the fact that in his creations he frees himself from individual sentiments and from particular impressions which he receives from outside, and that he breaks loose from the domination of the individual inclination within him.
      It is therefore equally wrong to think that the non-figurative artist creates through 'the pure intention of his mechanical process,' that he makes 'calculated abstractions,' and that he wishes to 'suppress sentiment not only in himself but also in the spectator.' It is a mistake to think that he retires completely into his system. That which is regarded as a system is nothing but constant obedience to the laws of pure plastics, to necessity, which art demands from him. It is thus clear that he has not become a mechanic, but that the progress of science, of technique, of machinery, of life as a whole, has only made him into a living machine, capable of realizing in a pure manner the essence of art. In this way, he is in his creation sufficiently neutral, that nothing of himself or outside of him can prevent him from establishing that which is universal. Certainly his art is art for art's sake ... for the sake of the art which is form and content at one and the same time." 

Broadway Boogie Woogie, o/c, 1942-1943,  Museum of Modern Art, New York Image courtesy of Mark Harden's Artchive

ANDREW DEMCAK NOW A SEARCH OPTION ON GOOGLE

I did a Google search on my name today.  I was surprised that by the forth letter of my last name Google had found me in its drop-down window.  Andrew Demc... is all you need.

Google Me

2 NEW REVIEWS FOR ANDREW DEMCAK @ AMAZON.COM

An "R. Fields" posted two new reviews of my books on Amazon.com:

About Catching Tigers in Red Weather:

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Form Follows Function, March 30, 2009

By	R. Fields - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection of poetry shows that Andrew Demcak is not afraid to tackle forms. Each poem in this collection is identical: 6 couplets, 10 syllable lines, and varying rhyme schemes. I see why this work has been compared so often to Berryman's "Dream Songs." The poems dance around with their language. I heard a radio interview with Demcak where he talked about his cut-up technique. It's very innovative. This is just about as powerful a collection as any poet's first book can be: full of heart and masterfully controlled technique.

About Zero Summer:

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, creative, poetry colllection, March 30, 2009 By  R. Fields - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I bough this book at a friend's recommendation. It is superb! What a talent. I like Randall Mann's work, too, but sometimes his forms seem a little bit too clever and evasive. Andrew Demcak's poems have both formal control and heart. A great collection from an emerging American poet.

ANDREW DEMCAK READS AT BOOKS INC SF 04/21/09 7:00PM

Here's the POSTER for my poetry reading on April 21st, 2009, 7:00pm at Books Inc in SF (Castro).

ANDREW DEMCAK INTERVIEW UP @ ELIMAE 03/09

J. Michael Wahlgren of Gold Wake Press takes me to the mat about my books, style, editing- even the degree of my perception.  The complete interview is up on Cooper Renner's e-journal, elimae.  Read it here:

ANDREW DEMCAK INTERVIEW @ ELIMAE

ANDREW DEMCAK @ GOODREAD'S NEWSLETTER

Here's the link to the Goodread's Newsletter where my poem, "Handhold (for a Zygote)" is the featured, winning poem.

GOODREADS NEWSLETTER

ANDREW DEMCAK 3 POEMS @ UNMOVEABLE FEAST

I have three poems that you haven't read at Susan Kirby-Smith's e-Zine, "Unmoveable Feast."

UNMOVEABLE FEAST

ANDREW DEMCAK WINS GOODREAD'S NEWSLETTER POETRY CONTEST 03/03/09

GOODREADS MARCH NEWSLETTER TOP FIVE FINALISTS' POEMS -- PLEASE SELECT ONE! 

Click here to see the five poems!

A girl named Scuba by David Baratier

 

  42 votes 17.5%

My Piano by Mark Bonica

 

  53 votes 22.1%

Sorrow by Didi Menendez

 

  49 votes 20.4%

Handhold (for a Zygote) by Andrew Demcak

 

  67 votes 27.9%

body tree by Nanette Rayman-Rivera

 

  29 votes 12.1%

240 total votes

Voting ended on: March 3rd

(You go, Zygote!)

PINK NARCISSUS BY ANDREW DEMCAK FROM GOSS 183

MiPOesias & GOSS 183 just published my mini-chapbook, Pink Narcissus.  The poem is about the 1971 film which is considered to be the first American "gay" art film.  If you notice a similarity between the model on the cover of Pink Narcissus  and the poet Matthew Hittinger, they are one in the same.  Pink Narcissus is dedicated to Matthew and in honor of the publication of his new chapbook, Narcissus Resists.  

PINK NARCISSUS

GRADY HARP'S REVIEW OF ANDREW DEMCAK'S 672 HOURS @ ORANGES & SARDINES

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2009

Andrew Demcak's 672 HOURS reviewed by Grady Harp

This brief but pungent collection of five poems may be an isolated work reflecting the thoughts experienced in 672 hours (or 28 days) the standard course of drug and alcohol rehabilitation. Or it may be an excerpt from a yet to be released larger collection of poems by American poet Andrew Demcak. And again, it may be reportage from the author’s personal experience or simply another crown in the intuitive mind of one of our most interesting poets writing today. But here it is, 672 HOURS, as a chapbook and to attempt to ignore the power and depth of involvement in these poems is impossible.

Demcak’s alchemy with words is present in everything he writes and he seems at his best when writing about topics or situations or submerged feelings/prior pains few other poets dare touch. And Demcak has the courage to make these danger zones like personal revelations. Reading the five works here creates the sense of beginning with the psychotic delusions or mind alterations of the admitted patient still imaging strange visual input stimulated by toxins and ending with a suggestion of incipient recovery. In the first poem there are descriptions of ordinary things turned extraordinary and yet he ends that poem with the insight ‘I have no time, nor acquaintance with health.’

In the second poem our observer shares his perception of his cellmate, blurred with the realities of detoxification. By the third poem we are beginning to see his pre-morbid state that began his descent into rehab.

‘He threw me out like wine glasses flying.
Now, my sad jacket hangs there on a hook,
a fine silver corkscrew in its pocket.
We drank waist-deep, handed our fat livers,
the coronation of local drunkards
with daily liquors…..’

And in poem IV memory begins to focus: 

‘A blazing kiss, my lover who put me here.
My tidy partner
Who revisits his checkbook,….’

Until in the last poem the harsh reality of our patient’s place suggests acceptance and insight:

‘Alcoholics collected, made public,
a display of bottled fetuses.’

Once again Andrew Demcak, with the briefest, almost haiku amount of space, manages to sweep us away to places strange yet familiar. Whether reporting or imagining, these poems are electrifying and offer further proof that Andrew Demcak is an artist of importance.

Review by Grady Harp

PRAISE FOR ANDREW DEMCAK @ THE FURNACE REVIEW

February 16, 2009

Andrew Demcak, whose work appeared in our Fall 2007 issue, seems to be all over the place these days–and that’s a very good thing. He’s promoting his book, Zero Summer, which was just picked up in paperback by Amazon.com. He was featured on the Joe Milford Poetry Show; you can listen to him reading his recent work in their archives. And his chapbook 672 Hours was noted as a favorite by Emma Trelles atThe Best American Poetry. Congratulations on your many successes, Andrew! We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Posted by thefurnacereview
Filed in February 2009

Thank you, Ciara et al at The Furnace Review- you guys are wonderful!- Andrew

ANDREW DEMCAK READS ON THE JOE MILFORD SHOW - LISTEN HERE!

Here's the link to the archive of my interview and poetry reading on The Joe Milford Internet Radio Show.  As a special BONUS I world premiered my chapbook 672 Hours which has never been read aloud in public!

ANDREW DEMCAK ON THE JOE MILFORD SHOW

672 HOURS BY ANDREW DEMCAK AT THE BEST AMERICAN POETRY

fROM tHE BEST AMERICAN POETRY BLOG:

FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Big Love, Little Books [by Emma Trelles]

   

I've been pretty smitten with chapbooks as of late. They are, for the most part, so lovely to look at, so meaty to hold. I especially admire all the effort put into the original artwork, the linen covers, the pages layed out at night on living room computers. Fonts with names like spells or the creatures who cast them: Garamond, Trebuchet, Zapf Humanist, and Medusa. I love how chapbooks are stapled/glued/stitched together, or how POD services have gifted the littlest of presses with the power to put more chaps out into the world. Good, I say. We need them.

In his blog at Pecan Grove Press, Palmer Hall describes the best of chapbooks as  "excellent short stories or like a one-person art exhibit at which each painting informs the next and the one before." I also like to think of them as a rocking E.P., something yourfavorite band might put out between full length records just so you can hear what they're up to.

In his survey on chapbook history, Noah Eli Gordon says the term chapbook most likely came from the rogue peddlers that sold them (and sundry bits) while travelling through towns in the 16th through 19th centuries. Chapmen could frequently be found "bedding in barns, fleeing from dogs, and fending off thefts from other road scoundrels. Yet the visit of a chapman to a rural village, though tinged with suspicion, was a welcome occasion, as he provided many with their sole link to the rest of world, both in his wares and his gossip, a kind of Johnny Appleseed of early literary education."

Booksellers as outlaws. Sounds sort of...sexy.  

Here's a list of chapbooks well worth the read. If anyone has their own picks they'd like to share, please post them.

I Give You this Ghost, by Jesse Millner.        Pudding House Publications

Bud Break at Mango House, by Jen Karetnick.Portlandia Group

First Things to Hand, by Robert Pinsky.

Sarabande Books

 

A Merciful Bed, by Lisa Glatt & David Hernandez.Pearl Editions

 

Behind Our Memories, by Michael Hettich.

Adastra Press

 

Narcissus Resists, by Matthew Hittinger.

GOSS 183

 

Jane-in-the-Box, by Rita Maria Martinez.

March Street Press

 

Hesitant Commitments, by Pris Campbell. Lummox Press

 

The Night Tito Trinidad KO'ed Ricardo Mayorga, by Kevin A. Gonzalez.Momotombo Press

 

257 More Reasons to Have Sex, by Denise Duhamel & Sandy McIntosh.Otoliths

 

Passage to America, by Elisa Albo. March Street Press

 

This Is What Happened In Our Other Life, by Achy Obejas. A Midsummer Night's Press

 

672 Hours, (e-chap) by Andrew Demcak. Gold Wake Press

 

Mangrovia, by Campbell McGrath. Short Line Editions

 

Superman, by Dorianne Laux. Red Dragonfly Press

 

Visionware, by Caridad McCormick. Finishing Line Press

Posted by Emma Trelles on February 13, 2009 at 12:06 PM in Book Recommendations

ZERO SUMMER BY ANDREW DEMCAK AVAILABLE FROM BLAZEVOX [BOOKS], NY

Even Morrissey wants a copy of Zero Summer:

http://www.blazevox.org/bk-ad.htm

ZERO SUMMER BY ANDREW DEMCAK IS UP ON AMAZON.COM

My new book, Zero Summer, is now up on Amazon.  

ZERO SUMMER @ AMAZON