tee hee...

I don't remember posing for this poem. damn that "other" Christopher Cunningham...

in actual publication news, my little NEXT EXIT book from KSE is scheduled for October 20th release. lemme know if you want one. support the small presses of the world where blisters and time clocks are more real than grant money and tenure...

speaking of small presses, check out sunnyoutside's David and Anna, fresh new Buffalo...ers. good photo of Dave's recent output too.

big news..

over at the GPP Blog; the GPP is now an even more all-inclusive organization.

also, I love Annie Menebroker's book Tiny Teeth. thanks, Annie for sending it to me. you people out there should buy it, mostly for poems like this:

Deadly Cure

why do you deny yourself
being alive?

the steady drone of bees
spills out of your eyes

you are a worker
educated to caution
conservative as a bow-tie

who has told you
this is the way of the world?
who has drawn the map?

nightly I dream of magic
and its invasion

only to find the world
has discovered another vaccine


man that's some good shit. I also got Doug Draime and Misti Rainwater-Lite's edition of Next Exit from KSE and it's a fine bit of work, especially the poems that center on Texas, and the poem about Big Sur (which is a monster, I think by Doug). great stuff and well worth four or five bucks (and pick up Bill's Norwich Unveiled while you're at it, a moving long poem, full of fantastic images and strong lines, with stylistic echoes of Jeffers...).

hey, check out Father Luke, a new GPP Operative and generally interesting motherfucker.

this on Kerouac is a good read.

Nate Graziano is going to appear on New Hampshire Public Radio today talking about his sunnyoutside book. tune in and support one of the very best writers working today.

more later...

litz...

just heard back from Bill Shute at KSE; he'd asked me for about eight poems to look over for his Next Exit series, a very interesting regular issuance from the press where two poets are paired together with each contributing four poems of "place," poems of location; the series has featured writers like Doug Draime, Misti Rainwater-Lites, and most recently the pairing of Zachary C. Bush and Brad Kohler in Next Exit #4. so I turned up the Ennio Morricone and the Calexico, cracked my knuckles, wrung ten clipped bursts from the machine and sent em off. it turns out Bill thinks the ten poems work well together, so they'll appear in a solo edition of Next Exit, #5, due out sometime between now and Thanksgiving. many thanks to Bill for thinking enough of my stuff to spread it around in the world. I'll post more when the time draws nearer, but in the meantime, check out Next Exit #4 from KSE or sample any of their other titles (Berriozabal is in that group, with a great chapbook of verse)...

also, speaking of ZCB, if you like, you can check out a review I wrote for a book by the prolific Zachary C. Bush.

just in...

the newest Blue Collar Review and there are some really fine poems in this issue from poets like John Grey, Michael Estabrook, Robert Edwards and others. the poem "Truth Is.." is worth the price of admission alone (though you can read it on the site by clicking "THIS YEARS WINNER" below the CONTEST button. I got one poem by the editors, and as it was writ in response to the entirety of the Katrina debacle, and the "anniversary" just passed, I thought I'd post it:

good job, everyone

as we pat ourselves
on our backs
each time
we give anything away,

more is being
taken from
us
than
we
care to know.


cunningham
07

pick up a copy; it's working class writing at its finest.

I also got the new BOGG, a magazine I forgot I subscribed to quite a long while back. I'd say about a quarter or more of the mag is 'experimental' poetry or visual poetry, not really my cup of tea, but some of it is pretty good, especially the featured poet, Ann Menebroker (a great writer and solid GPP Member ta boot).

ahhh, phish...

goddamn how I miss this band sometimes. I saw way more of them than I should have, and in 1997 in particular I saw some exceptional shows all over the country. these guys are masters of their instruments, can improvise like mind-readers, and rarely let the phans down. I would bet you've never heard a version of Hendrix's "Isabella" like this (at about 4:45 it gets real funky, and you should probably ignore Trey's "dancing"):



I tried to find a vid that showcased the mind-blowing light work of Chris Kuroda, their light guy. his work was as much a part of the show as the music. this vid was shot at Big Cypress, Fla. on NYE 2000, where the band played from around 10:30 pm until about 7:30 am straight thru. nonstop. one of the most magical musical experiences ever. this is the last ten minutes of a sick "2001: Also Sprach Zarathustra" shot from the "taper's section" behind the soundboard, and the video, while not great, gives a good idea of what it was like:



and finally, something completely different:



it's good to remind ourselves, thru whatever means of joy we seek, that the human animal is sometimes capable of more than savagery; that we do, in fact, dance.

RIP joe...

this is the music that helps me live, makes it possible. the two albums In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew are the cornerstones of every poem I write. if you don't have The Complete In A Silent Way you MUST purchase it. or hell, email me and I'll get you a copy.

goodbye, Joe, and thanks

blushing...

I don't know who the hell he's talking about, but I do sincerely appreciate the kind words. I'm glad to belong to that lineup of poets, and hope to help Bill keep spreading the word.

lit shiz...

I just heard from Bill Shute of Kendra Steiner Editions and he's invited me to send some poems for his chapbook series Next Exit. Bill's press has a fine roster of poets including my buddy Luis C. Berriozabal, the passionate new kid Zachary C. Bush and Doug Draime among others, along with a punk rock DIY aesthetic in his production values. Bill is a believer in getting poetry out into the world and into the hands of readers, and really cares about the word. you should check out his catalog and try a few on for size; I highly recommend the LCB chap as an entry point.

also, the GPP Reader will be out soon, it is being finalized and printed, and there are only around 50 copies left for reservation. get a copy before they're gone, you won't be sorry.

lastly, if there is anyone out there who hasn't purchased a copy of Flowers In The Shadow Of The Storm, there are only a few copies left of the handpainted edition (you can also get it here, here, and here), and if a second edition is printed, they will have totally different covers without the special touches. check it out, it's a fine example of an incredibly well made book (and if you already have, leave a review at the Amazon link above and help David sell em all). and even if you don't buy my stuff, help support Independent Publishers like sunnyoutside with cash, and get some great books in the process.

ugh...

sometimes I hate the mentality of the small press almost as much as university slush pile exclusionary garbage.

not everyone is trying to get one over on you. some of us genuinely believe in art.

that is all.