BUYING POETRY

It's been interesting to read two of my recent poetry book purchases together: URSULA OR UNIVERSITY by Stephanie Young and BAN EN BANLIEU by Bhanu Kapil.  The tones and narrative references are very different, but the two have more in common with each other than not.  Anyway, here’s an update on moi Recently Bought Poetry List of books by poets or about poets/poetry. 

MANDARIN PRIMER by Rosmarie Waldrop

SEVEN FOR BOETTICHER & OTHER POEMS by Rodney Koeneke

TWO POEMS by Hugo Garcia Manriquez

URSULA OR UNIVERSITY by Stephanie Young

INCUBATION: A SPACE FOR MONSTERS by Bhanu Kapil

SCHIZOPHRENE by Bhanu Kapil

BAN EN BANLIEU by Bhanu Kapil

COLLECTED POEMS 1957-1982 by Wendell Berry

COOL DON’T LIVE HERE NO MORE: A LETTER TO SAN FRANCISCO by Tony Robles

LOVE AFTER THE RIOTS by Juan Felipe Herrera

SINGING AT THE GATES: SELECTED POEMS by Jimmy Santiago Baca

BOMBYONDER by Reb Livingston

AMERICAN SUBLIME by Elizabeth Alexander

SPAR by Karen Volkman

THE LAST INCANTATIONS by David Mura

ON THE CUSP OF A DANGEROUS YEAR by Lee Ann Roripaugh

POET IN ANDALUCIA by Nathalie Handal

THE CLOUD CORPORATION by Timothy Donnelly

DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION by Cathy Park Hong

ABOUT THAT BOOK REVIEWER NAMED "EILEEN TABIOS"

Maxwell Clark "reviews" me as a "reviewer" over at NOEMA.  This is so ... intriguing I'm going to to replicate the whole thing below. I suspect, if one cared to pay attention to something like this, certain of these implications and thoughts are/can be ... controversial. If one cared to pay attention...

About Eileen Tabios 

By Maxwell Clark 

Vaguely aware of Kierkegaard’s teachings on the obnoxious superfluity of book-reviewing, of how in the reading masses book-reviews lazily crowd out the more intensive and individual reading of their else merely attendant books, I offer a few remarks on Eileen Tabios. She is to me more of a vortex of transnational poetic societal relations, however fuzzily and ambiguously defined in their ever-shifting dimensions, than a poet unto herself. She curates the works of others exceedingly well. She reviews others books with such an easy command that it even sometimes astounds her reader. But for all of her glowing book-reviews, very many of which are deposited haphazardly into her own books, do her own books stand out with a like aura of serendipity when the reader is alone with them? Were I to ever answer this question, I would be stooping to the traditional forms of critical evaluation in the book-review canon. Instead, I leave the question hanging; the better to nag the otherwise ignorant of her corpus to answer for themselves. 

Eileen Tabios is of a genius that is hard to pin down in any one textual space, otherwise put. Her genius is more of that incessantly collective barrage of her own rapid-fire of texts, their wondrously delicate shepherding of her ambient poetic world, in so many micrologically specific ways. I don't mean to go against Kierkegaard's grain re: book-reviewing much, but perhaps in the unique case of Tabios's most luscious critical preenings, that most brusque but highly attentive sensitivity they achieve as contexts to otherwise unread texts, therein something of goodness and justice accrues. Perhaps, just maybe, her reviews are better than the books upon which they anchor as references to? Doubtless, I again cannot answer my own questionings. But hanging questions, as superlative luxuries in a way, I indulge myself with them herein. Perhaps the art of reviewing books needn't deteriorate the value of what they review, perhaps book-reviews may indeed even ennoble their otherwise mediocre reference materials? If such were ever to be the case, then assuredly Eileen Tabios would be exemplary of it.

Nota Bene: I don't assign myself poetry books to review.  I just try to read as widely as I can and then review whatever compels me to review them....

By the way, the article is illustrated by a flag.  Interesting, since I consider my flagpole to be empty ...

BOOK? CHECK!

My son wrote his first check this weekend.  For the purchase of a book:  The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt.  Yes, soon enough his checks will be for, I don't know, gum underwear CDs et al.  But may he never forget his right start to his checkbook: a book is worth paying for.

MEANWHILE, IN SWEDEN ...

So we all know that poetry book distribution sucks is a challenge.  Thus, I'm so pleased to share that here's a bookstore in Malmö that's carrying my books!  Thanks lars palm!  Here they are prior to being shelved:

UPON REVIEWING MY BLURBS...

This morning I wrote a blurb for Andrew Brenza's forthcoming--and it is fabulous!--poetry manuscript GOSSAMER LID.  After finishing the blurb, I looked at it and realized that perhaps I wouldn't have been able to be articulate over this particular work were it not for my persistent attempts at wide reading.  I'm not in academia, did not study poetry in school, and know what I know only through reading. (Not that I'm second-guessing my poetry education; I think reading is the best teacher for indie me.)

This made me go back to review the blurbs I've written in recent years; if you click HERE (and scroll down), you'll see a selection of blurbs I've written. There, too, I am reminded of certain blurbs that I only was able to write because, first, I read a lot.  For examples, the books by Anne Gorrick, Ric Carfagna, Christopher Stackhouse, and perhaps j/j hastain. I can recall, too, the struggle I experienced to write certain blurbs, e.g. on Nicholas Manning.  I also see an early blurb that I don't think was used (probably because, even as a blurb, it wasn't that good).

Anyway, it's unexpectedly fruitful for me to look at the blurbs -- being able to see a (critical) mass of them makes me think there's a possible art form here that I've been missing.  Must ponder this more ... and then undoubtedly engage.

*****

And, yes, I haven't forgotten about this Blurbed Book Project.  My attempts to write that book so far have only degenerated into false starts.  Not to worry: I'm persistent!

DUENDE FROM THE MDR POETRY GENERATOR

I think I've written less than a handful of poems so far this year, which is ironic as I'm on my way to seeing 2015 with three poetry collections and an experimental biography.  I'm happy for The MDR Poetry Generator for allowing me to be prolific while I nap!

And the latest poetry collection to come out of said Generator is

DUENDE IN THE ALLEYS

!  Thanks to lars palm and swirl editions for publishing it.  Finally, I can say I'm published in Sweden!  And cyberspace, of course ...

Petra Palm did the cover image and I'm grateful!  Hope you enjoy my latest poetry collection HERE which is covered by

ON MCCRARY'S GOLD

Delighted to have the chance to read a forthcoming book by Jim McCrary, THIS HERE (theenk books).  Here's blurb I provided (with aid of JBR, wink), which I hope gives an idea of the interesting and worthwhile nature of this book:

The obvious gold here include recollections of days with Burroughs, Corso, Acker, Dorn, Blackburn. Less obvious is how the whole reflects the times as they are when it’s likely that 2/3 of humans will be dead in a hundred years, that within the next 30 years there will no mammals in the wild larger than a rat, that the seas will be full of one celled animals and jellyfish, et al. Thus, do we stumble over lines like “Desires for public bombs that go bang on a screen / Then disappear, we think, and thank again for good” or “you better open up and see / you  can bet  in ti fada fada / gonna stand  up over the big / fence you got” or “Page three is lost / Page four is lost.”  Fortunately, there’s poetry here and there’s still a “Page five [that] is spell bound.”

And here's the rest of my latest Relished W(h)ines update of recently imbibed books and wines.  As ever, please note that in the Publications section, if you see an asterisk before the title, that means a review copy is available for Galatea Resurrects!  More info on that HERE. 

PUBLICATIONS

THIS HERE, poems by Jim McCrary (in manuscript form; see above blurb)

FLUTES AND TOMATOES: A MEMOIR WITH POEMS by Wade Stevens (smart. LinkedInPoetry Recommendation (LPR) #189)

THERE ARE WORDS, poems by Burt Kimmelman (just wonderful. LPR #184)

TO SEE THE EARTH, poems by Philip Metres (LPR #185)

PASSION, poem by Larry Kearney (ravishing. LPR #186)

WHAT I’VE STOLEN, WHAT I’VE EARNED, poems by Sherman Alexie (brilliantly diverse and discerning. LPR #187)

*  SONG X: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS by Patrick Pritchett (convincing—thus do I become a fan of this authentic poet. LPR #188)

I LIVE IN A HUT, poems by S.E. Smith (wonderful wonderful wonderful!!!)

*  SOUND/CHEST, poems by Amish Trivedi (energetic textual skitterings that are a pleasure to sound out)

*  COMPOS(T) MENTIS, poetry by Aaron Apps (prescient)

LEARNING ILOKANA, poems by Janice Sapigao (in manuscript. Very kewl)

ORGANIC FURNITURE CELLAR: WORKS ON PAPER 2002-2004, poems and poetics by Jessica Smith (it’s so nice when intelligence is lovely)

*  ORIGAMI HEART, poems by Andrea Bates (such a lovely vocabulary!)

*  WARDOLLY, poems by Elizabeth Treadwell (smart. Refreshing in its challenges)

*  FARTHER TRAVELER, “poetry, prose and other” by Ronaldo V. Wilson (Powerful self-awareness)

HOLLOW, poems by Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles, Translated from Filipino by Kristine Ong Muslim (in manuscript form)

*  THE COLLECTED POEMS OF JIM DINE, Edited by Vincent Katz

*  GRASS ROOTS: SELECTED POEMS by Xiang Yang, Trans. by John Balcom

*  THE COSMOPOLITAN, poems by Donna Stonecipher

*  BLUE HOLE, poems by Kate Colby

*  ERRANCITIES, poems by Quincy Troupe

*  A POETRY OF REMEMBRANCE: NEW AND REJECTED WORKS by Levi Romero

*  THE GILLES POEM: WINTER 2006 COLLECTION by Sabrina Calle

*  NEXUS OF EVIL: LATE FRAGMENTS 1-7, poems by Andre Spears

*  IN FORTUNE, poems in collaboration by Lauren Levin, Jared Stanley and Catherine Theis

*  THE SPOILS, poems by Ted Mathys

*  ROUGH, AND SAVAGE, poems by Sun Yung Shin

*  DOUBLE-EDGED, poems by Susan Terris

*  HOUGH & HELIS & WHERE & HERE & YOU, YOU, YOU, poems by Lea Graham

*  STUDY IN PAVILIONS AND SAFE ROOMS, poems by Paul Foster Johnson

*  SELFISH MONOLOGUES, poems by Andrew J. Jones

*  IN THIS ALONE IMPULSE, poems by Shya Scanlon

*  BECOMING WEATHER, poems by Chris Martin

*  CLEAR ALL THE REST OF THE WAY: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS 1987-2007 by Warren Woessner

*  TEA WITH OSIRIS, poems by Paul West

*  WHERE CURRENTS MEET, poems by Elizabeth Austen

*  EXPOSURE, poems by Carol Stevens Kner

*  IN TIME’S RIFT, poems by Ernst Meister, Trans. by Graham Foust and Samuel Frederick

*  IN THE SHADOW OF AL-ANDALUS, poems by Victor Hernandez Cruz

*  ISLE OF DOGS, poems by Sarah Suzor

*  THE WONDER BREAD YEARS, poems by Susan Terris

*  BLOCK PARTY by Susan Terris

*  THE SMALLEST WORKING PIECES, poems by Matthew Nienow

*  THE STORY WILL FIX YOU IT IS THERE OUTSIDE YOUR __ , poems by Emily Carr

*  TRAVELS OF A GWAI LO, poems by Diana Woodcock

*  POPULACE, poetry and portraits by Elizabeth Treadwell

CORNSTARCH FIGURINE, poems by Elizabeth Treadwell

LILYFOIL, poems by Elizabeth Treadwell

CHANTRY, poems by Elizabeth Treadwell

THE MILK BEES, poems by Elizabeth Treadwell

*  CONSULTATIONS WITH BRUJA JUANA, poems by Diana Alvarez

THIRSTING FOR PEACE IN A RAGING CENTURY, poems by Edward Sanders

LET’S NOT KEEP FIGHTING THE TROJAN WAR, poems by Edward Sanders

*  TRUTH OF MY SONGS: POEMS OF THE TROBAIRITZ, Trans. by Claudia Keelan

*  WITH APOLOGIES TO MICK JAGGER, OTHER GODS, AND ALL WOMEN, poems by Jane Rosenberg LaForge

{M}AGANDA MAGAZINE: CRITICAL MASS, literary and arts journal edited by Nicole Arca

THE SPIRIT OF THE SAINTS / EL ESPIRITU DE LOS SANTOS, 2015 literary and arts  journal of St. Helena High School, edited by Tigerlily Olea

*  MIXING TRACKS, short story chap by Jan Steckel

FIRE AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW, short stories by Shawn Vandor

*  ESSAY: A CRITICAL MEMOIR by Donald Revell

PARIS: A LOVE STORY, memoir by Kati Marton

WINES

2012 Gandia “Galizeus” Albarino Rias Baixas

2004 Clare Luce Abbey cabernet NV

1997 Noon Winery reserve cab

2012 Cercius

2011 Domaine Cabirau Serge & Nicolas

2010 Layer Cake cabernet

RE. HIV ... BECAUSE THE SHAPE OF THE WORLD IS A CIRCLE

HIV Here & Now is an interesting -- and important -- project curated by Michael H. Broder. It's presenting a Poem-a-Day Countdown to 35 years of AIDS on June 5, 2016. Today it presents"My Neighbor," a poem I wrote in 1996 (which would probably make it one of the first 25 poems I've ever writ) as it's on topic. I hope you read this, and the rest of the project as it unfolds. (Thanks Michael for including me.)

I'm wondering if this poem, too, is the first poem to appear online from my now out-of-print poetry chap, After the Egyptians Determined the Shape of the World is a Circle ... I love the story of this chap -- I never knew (and sorry not to be able to recall) the editors of this small press, Pometaphysics Publishing, in Maryland who published my first chap and first poetry collection ... If they stumble across this, I hope they read that I've never ceased feeling grateful to them and forever think of them with affection.

LOOKING FOR INNOVATIVE MANUSCRIPTS!

[FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS CALL]


I was recently honored to be asked by a wonderful press to join its editorial board.  In this role, I would be in a position to recommend manuscripts or writers to the press to consider for publication.  It's a worthwhile gig and I genuinely admire this press, such that I initially replied with an enthusiastic YES! to their invitation.  But this is one of those situations where I don't know yet about my capacity to find manuscripts or writers I'd recommend--specifically, recommend for this press which is interested in innovative poetry and hybrid work, as well as translations and collaborations.  So the press gave me permission to query my network (through this blog and other places) to see if I have enough material that would make it worth my time (and theirs) to formally join their board.

So, please consider this A GLOBAL CALL FOR INNOVATIVE WORK! 

You do not have to have the manuscript finished as you read this Call.  That is, you may have a draft or an idea that you think you could finalize into a manuscript you could send to me in the near future. If you are in this position and would be interested in submitting it for potential publication, you can email me at galateaten@gmail.com to inform me.

I am not looking for manuscripts at this stage.  I am simply looking for reasonable possibilities of such manuscripts being submitted to me for consideration sometime in the near future.  Email me replies like "Yes, I have a manuscript now" or "Yes, I could have a manuscript ready in _________ (fill in the time frame)."

The idea, again, is for me to anticipate that as a Board member, I will be able to follow up with a group of people who will have manuscripts for my review and which I might be able to recommend for publication. That'd be manuscripts that would fit the press' interest in innovative poetry and hybrid work, as well as translations and collaborations.

Call Email me!  Email me, too, if you have questions!  Let me know by the end of the month: June 30, 2015.

If we don't know (of) each other, feel free to include a bio.

Sincerely and with all Good Wishes to your Writing,

Eileen R. Tabios
galateaten@gmail.com

"IT BRIMS WITH USEFUL TABIOSITY"

To live poetry

instead of just marking

words on a page—

none of it too much

or too little

It is only what it is

and all of it is

perfectly pitched

For the record, while I've never paid attention to Adam Sandler, I do swear a lot. And that's about all I can muster, really, about this generous attention to AGAINST MISANTHROPY and my  "tabiosity" as it leaves me roiling in gratitude.  Thank you Allen Bramhall for your words about my "Poetry as a way of Life" at this new Mandala Web site, which also looks to have wonderful potential -- I look forward to following it!

Isn't that a gorgeous mandala?  I'm already flabbergasted by the review but to have it contextualized within "Mandala Web" is yummy icing.  You can check out Allen's engagement HERE, and it begins with

Eileen Tabios is a Filipino-American writer, editor, activist, and so forth. The so forth is crucial. Her integration of writing, editing, activating, and otherwise living a life of artistic, aesthetic, compassionate, and supportive acts defines a creative life that we could all learn from. Not to place her too high on the pedestal: she probably swears once in a while, or enjoys Adam Sandler movies.

I never thought I'd get to this place, where I begin and end a post with Adam Sandler:

Poetry: it'll take you places you'll never expect...