Eileen R. Tabios is a poet working in multiple genres and in-between. She also loves books by writing, reading, publishing, critiquing, romancing and advocating for them. This blog will feature her bibliophilic activities with posts on current book engagements and links to her books and projects related to books.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

"THE AGE OF EMPIRE WAS NOT OBLITERATED, BUT MERELY MORPHED INTO THE AGE OF THE MULTINATIONALS"

I'd said that? I forgot! But I'm glad I'd said that!

One of the greatest compliments to a poem or poetry project is when they generate new poems from an inspired reader. So I can tell you about this wonderful review that THE CONNOISSEUR OF ALLEYS just received but, happily, I can share instead a new poem that it generated!

And what I also love about the "poem-review" by Joey Madia of New Mystics Reviews is how it hews so niftily to the spirit of the Murder, Death, Resurrection project that created the CONNOISSEUR -- specifically, per Joey's description: "the following is a poem formed from 27 lines taken from my 9 previous reviews of Tabios’ work (3 lines pulled from each). Using a combination of I Ching–inspired coin tossing and one of my own random generator algorithms that I use for my experimental prose projects, the lines have been reformed in what I hope will be both a testament to not only the form and substance of Tabios’ poetic tapestry as I have written about it over the years and a testament to Tabios’ ability to inspire and co-create from afar, through the power of her words and fearless pursuit of new forms to deliver them."

I naturally appreciate Joey's comments on my work but I am more WOWED by his approach which reveal his own artistry. I love that he found my work relevant to his.  You can see the entire review HERE at New Mystics Reviews, BookMasons and Literary Aficionado, but here's the poem the "reviewing" process created (with its clever non-punctuated end/opening):


“dieci da nove”


I forgot the hooks are finely barbed and grab you in the deepest places. I forgot each line begins with the phrase “I forgot” which was inspired by a Tom Beckett poem that began in the same manner. I forgot the condition of the artist and one’s Identity (geographically, sexually, psychologically) are key subjects in the considerable volume of work Tabios has created. I forgot poets have been either continually revising their poems (e.g., Whitman’s Leaves of Grass) or taking found texts, etc. to create works for a long time now… 

I forgot, if poetry, like all writing, is a form of autobiography, then the path to the Truth is lined with thorns and nails and broken glass, at the end of which are myriad locks. I forgot the riches to be mined are as endless as the possibilities emerging from Tabios herself. I forgot ancient wisdom says that once you find the moon, you no longer need the finger that points to it. I forgot that we, the Readers, are the locks into which the various and sundry keys are meant to enter. 

I forgot there is always counterpoint, yin and yang, light in dark. I forgot “The Color of a Scratch in Metal” and “The Fairy Child’s Prayer” are so beautiful, one could read them in meditation over and over, losing all sense of time and place and gaining new perspectives as doors are thrown wide. I forgot scores do not necessarily reflect Math aptitude, but a slew of other deficiencies in Communication. I forgot that the age of Empire was not overcome and obliterated, but merely morphed into the age of the Multinationals. 

I forgot Tabios is not only a talented wordsmith, and visual artist of language—she truly is an innovator. 

I forgot Dostoyevsky and Freud put forth the notion that it is impossible for an autobiography to reveal the Truth because of our penchant for self-delusion and both positive and negative exaggeration. I forgot the rich wordsmithed novels of the Victorian and Edwardian age, when books were thick and wordy because they were expensive and had to last the reader a good long while. I forgot how much I enjoy creating narrative from the nigredo of cultural reference and biographical minutiae. I forgot I’ve always admired Hunter S. Thompson and Sebastian Junger… 

I forgot Oscar Wilde said that the future of fiction is to “reveal the innermost workings of [wo]man’s soul”… then the coupling of reviewer and reviewed is an essential mechanism for opening the locks. I forgot the source material is reconstituted in exquisite couplets full of enjoyable word play and just the right amount of sexual zing to bring a nearly constant smile to one’s face. I forgot it is up to the reader to find unity in disparity; to be the catalyst in an alchemical transaction (a hieros gamos) that rises beyond Reality into the etheric realms where the nigredo of our art is born(e). 

I forgot many of the poems have no end punctuation, leaving the thought, the situation, the moment unfinished, as they so often are


Hola Tom Beckett! And how clever is that title that translates to "ten made from nine" (the 10th review from 9 prior reviews)!

In an earlier post at Literary Aficionado, Joey had said about my and certain others' works that we "create works that require the reader in relationship for them to reach full bloom. One cannot read their poems, nor review them, in a traditional way."I do believe this reviewer artist "got" my work! Thank you!



Thursday, July 21, 2016

WHOAH: MY FIRST BILINGUAL EDITION! And MY HOW TO DO SELECTED POEMS

Just sitting here minding my own business and then I receive the offer for what would be my first bilingual poetry edition! Well, Thank You, Universe!  So I'm delighted to share that said bilingual edition, with its English title,


will be coming out of Bibliotheca Universalis in Bucharest. Yes: my first bilingual edition will see my poems translated into Romanian! Like I said, this was an unexpected opportunity -- I wasn't exactly strategizing on how to get my poetry into Romania. But, nonetheless, I am honored to have my poems enter the distinguished Romanian culture.  

And thus I've been preparing a selection of poems that, it occurred to me after my first cut at the selections, could be a rehearsal for how I might choose what may be my favorites among the 25 million poems or so that I've written. 

Precisely because I'm prolific, I've to date only chosen to do "Selected Poems" project based on form -- also, this allows readers (if they care) to see if my work has expanded the parameters of that particular form, e.g. the prose poem addressed by THE THORN ROSARY and the list or catalog poem addressed by INVENT(ST)ORY. I also have a manuscript-in-progress, HIRAETH, of Selected Poems addressing the tercet.

But for the bilingual edition, I was asked to provide (among other things) 25 poems. So how to choose the 25 poems? I can't even do a one poem per book (my preference) approach as I've written more than 25 poetry collections.

As it turns out, the answer came fairly quickly to me. There's a particular element (for lack of a better way to put it) that some of my poems have more than others when those poems tap into some stream or vein of something ineffable. All I know is that I realize I was particularly "on" or beyond myself when I wrote those poems. 99.9% of the poems in REPRODUCTIONS OF THE EMPTY FLAGPOLE contain this element (perhaps that's why it sold out its first printing in less than six months). By extension, many of the poems in SUN STIGMATA which chisel out poems from the raw material of REPRODUCTIONS ... also bear this stigmata. So, for the 25 chosen poems, 10 come from REPRODUCTIONS, 11 from SUN STIGMATA, 1 from MENAGE A TROIS WITH THE 21ST CENTURY, and 3 from AMNESIA: SOMEBODY'S MEMOIR (listed in such order below).



As expected after I made my selections--and as another reason why I previously avoided Selecteds not based on form--I felt guilty: 'twas as if I had played favorites among my 25 million poems. I'll live. But, for now, here's my first ever selection of just ... favorites. I can't feature all the favorites since I'm limited to 25, but this exercise is certainly useful as it forces me for the first time to consider what I've liked the most from what I've written.  Finally, I know you're dying to know so here are the Favored Poems that will comprise I FORGOT ARS POETICA:


ETHOS
JADE
COME KNOCKING
AFTER 2 A.M.
PROFILES
GREY SURREPTITIOUSLY
EULOGY
THE WIRE SCULPTURE
THE FAIRY CHILD’S PRAYER
THE CONTROLLING AGENT
(ECLIPSE*
(PURITY
(COROLLA
(NOBILITY
(THE SECRET OF HER HAPPINESS
(MUSE POEM
(MUSTERING
(AMBER 
(MY STATEN ISLAND FERRY POEM
(RAPUNZEL ENRAPT
(AGAINST DISAPPEARANCE
(RETURNING THE BORROWED TONGUE
"LOOKING PAST THE BIRTH" (Gabriela Silang poem)
I Forgot the Language of Scars
I Forgot Eyes Widening to Pull In More of the World
I Forgot Ars Poetica

(*UPDATE: "(ECLIPSE" was left out of the book due to space considerations)

Last but not least, my first bilingual edition is in a language I would not have expected. I might have thought Spanish, one of the Filipino languages... But I appreciate this unexpected development for reflecting how I'm not a Pin@y in the U.S., but a Pin@y in the diaspora. As noted Filipino poet-novelist-artist Eric Gamalinda once said, "The history of the Philippines is the history of the world." Romania, here I come! How might you translate the ineffable?






Monday, July 18, 2016

CENTER FOR ART AND THOUGHT

It's Monday and I'm mailing out books! This package, I'm delighted to share, will be part of the goodies for a fabulous cause: Center for Art and Thought (CA+T), a nonprofit cultural and educational outreach organization. They have four central programs that bring artists, scholars and the general public together: (1) curated virtual exhibitions; (2) commissioned artwork by emerging artists; (3) a DIALOGUES series; (4) a virtual artist-in-residency. With Executive Director Sarita See (Associate Professor in Media and Cultural Studies at UC Riverside), they launched in August 2013, and just completed their seventh virtual exhibition, "Talking Bodies." Click on link for some fabulous and interesting work at their site!

I'm sending INVENT(ST)ORY, SUN STIGMATA, THE CONNOISSEUR OF ALLEYS and, yes, lurking amidst them are advance copies of AMNESIA: SOMEBODY'S MEMOIR which will be released in October.

[Info on books at my website; click on "Publications". Oh, and you can still order AMNESIA at a discounted pre-release sale over HERE.]

Sunday, July 17, 2016

THE UNBEARABLE SPLENDOR OF SUN YUNG SHIN



I’ve long thought that Sun Yung Shin is writing some of the most powerful poetry around … and her forthcoming UNBEARABLE SPLENDOR is my favorite yet! Look for this book—No. 145 on my LinkedIn Poetry Recommendations List—that’ll be released this October! 

Speaking of publications, here's 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
As played on Amazon’s Alexa: HAMILTON by Lin-Manuel Miranda (way cool)

*  UNBEARABLE SPLENDOR by Sun Yung Shin (radiance amidst darkness. LinkedInPoetry Recommendation (LPR) #245) 

A PICTURE OF EVERYONE I LOVE PASSES THROUGH ME with collages by Lynn Behrendt, text mixed by John Bloomberg-Rissman and remixed by Lynn Behrendt (Fabulous. LPR #243)

DIANOIA, poems by Michael Heller (powerful. LPR #241)

HI-DENSITY POLITICS, poems by Urayoan Noel (hot lucidities. LPR#242)

THE HAND HAS TWENTY-SEVEN BONES—: THESE HANDS IF NOT GODS by Natalie Diaz (charismatic eros. LPR #244)

SAINT PINK, poems by Mary Kasimor (lovely and well-crafted)

DIURNAL, poems by Jane Noritz-Nakagawa (elegantly-made)

DEBTS & LESSONS, poems by Lynn Xu (evocative)

STICK IT UP, poems by Paul David Adkins (powerful. Well done!)

THE DAY JUDGE SPENCER LEARNED THE POWER OF METAPHOR, poems by Cynthia Schwartzberg Edlow (wonderful and wonderfully-detailed)

15 CHINESE SILENCES, poems by Timothy Yu (fabulous!)

STRUCTURAL SUPPORT: POEMS FROM BELLADONNA’S STUDIO ASSISTANTS by Ana Paula, Angela Nichols, Brenna Lee, Julia Tolo, Masha Jennings, Phoebe Glick, Samaya Abdus-Salaam and Shaun Marie (based on these poems, the future of poetry is just fine Thank You Very Much!)

CHARLOTTE SONGS by Paul Pines (enchanting! Best father-daughter themed poetry collection I’ve read in a long while)

THE PALACE OF FLOWERS, poems by Gerry Grubbs

JOINING THE DOTS / UNITI PUNCTELE, poems by Monica Manolachi

*  THE TORTOISE OF HISTORY, poems by Anselm Hollo

*  MY SHAOLIN: A POEM OF STATEN ISLAND by Joel Lewis

*  WHAT THOUGHTS, poems by John Most

WHEN THEY HAVE SENSES, poems by Rosmarie Waldrop

BABETTE, poems by Sara Deniz Akant

THREE COLUMN TABLE, poems by Harold Abramowitz

 * THE GILLES POEM by Sabrina Calle

THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE, poems by Kate Colby

HANDBOOK FOR HANDS THAT ALTER AS WE HOLD THEM OUT, poems by Kate Schapira

IT’LL NEVER BE OVER FOR ME, poems by Mark Lamoreaux

PHANTOM PAINS OF MADNESS, poems by Noelle Kocot

HOPEFULLY, THE ISLAND, poems by Rachel Levitsky in collaboration with artist Susan Bee

ON SELF CARE, poems by Mahogany L. Browne

REAL LIFE: WITH VOICE AND RIGHTS, poems by Julie Carr

BLACK GIRL FLY, poems by Imani Cezanne

POWER BALLAD, poems by Sarah Gambito and art by Edward del Rosario

PROVIDENCE, poems by Megan Kaminski

JAMMIN’, poems by Erica Lewis

DIARY, poems by Yanyi Luo

RUSSIA IN 17 OBJECTS, poems by Julie Gard

HOW TO ASSEMBLE THE ANIMAL GLOBE, poems by Eleni Sikelianos and art by Christine Lee

EYEWITNESS, poems by Natalie Safir

THINGS DONE FOR THEMSELVES: PREVERBS, poems by George Quasha

GLOSSODELIA ATTRACT: PREVERBS, poems by George Quasha

AXIAL STONES: AN ART OF PRECARIOUS BALANCE, art monograph by George Quasha (a delight!)

PROPERTY OF SPACE, art monograph by Marc Gaba with essay by Raymond de Borja

FROM GRAFTON TO THE GUGGENHEIM, art monograph on Max Gimblett

THE ROMANCE OF SIAM: A POCKET GUIDE, a “subverted travel guide which interrogates the desire of white people to lose and reinvent themselves in Thailand” by Jai Arun Ravine

MAKING SPACE: A NOTEBOOK by Sandra Lim

IN ADVANCE OF THE BROKEN JUSTY, novel by John Olson (wortdurchschwommenen!)

THE HIT, novel by David Baldacci

THE TARGET, novel by David Baldacci

THE WIDOW, novel by Fiona Barton

THE DARK TIDE, novel by Andrew Cross

ORBIT, novel by John J. Nance

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR, novel by A.J. Banner

VINCIGUERRA, short stories by Elaine Castillo

FAST INTO THE NIGHT: A WOMAN, HER DOGS, AND THEIR JOURNEY NORTH ON THE IDITAROD TRAIL by Debbie Clarke Moderow

HUMANS OF NEW YORK, photography/interviews by Brandon Stanton

APARTMENT THERAPY by Maxwell Ryan and Janel Laban with photographs by Melanie Acevedo

THE NEW CHRISTMAS TREE by Carrie Brown with photographs by Paige Green


WINES
2007 Camaspelo Cayuse Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
1990 La Tour Blanche sauterne
Andre Robert champagne Grand Cru Reserve Brut
2002 Abreu Madrona Ranch       
2000 Dominio De Atauta Valdegatiles Ribera Del Duero
2010 Genevrieres Meursault Francois Mikulski
1997 Fox Creek Reserve Shiraz McLaren Vale
2002 Torbreck RunRig Barossa Valley
2005 Ch. Haut Bergey Pessac-Leognan
2009 Artadi Vinas De Gain Rioja
1970 Ch. Latour
1990 Ch. Raymond-Lafon Sauternes
2013 Duckhorn chardonnay NV
2011 Rombauer chardonnay Carneros
2004 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Premier Cru Fourchaume
1997 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Howell Mountain
Domaine Carneros Brut Rose
2012 Renteria pinot noir Russian River Valley
2013 Melville pinot noir Santa Rita Hills
2014 Dutch Henry chardonnay
2015 Dutch Henry rose
2012 Manni Nossing Sudtirol Eisacktaler
2003 Chapoutier L’Ermite Ermitage
2006 Hundred Acres NV
2013 Schramsberg Brut Rose
2015 Spottswoode Estate Vineyard sauvignon blanc
2015 Lail Vineyards Blueprint sauvignon blanc
2013 Chappellet Winery Dutton Ranch pinot noir
2008 Heitz Cellar Martha’s Vineyard cabernet
2010 Diamond Creek Vineyards Red Rock Terrace
2014 Robert Mondavi Winery Moscato d’Oro
2014 Stag’s Leap Arcadia Vineyard chardonnay
2013 Stag’s Leap FAY Vineyard estate cabernet
2013 Stag’s Leap S.L.V. Estate cabernet
2013 CASK 23 Estate cabernet
2014 Stag’s Leap Rancho Chimiles sauvignon blanc
2009 Altamura Negroamaro NV
2012 Altamura cabernet
2007 Araujo cabernet Eisele Vineyard NV
2015 B Cellars Rose of Cabernet
2013 B Cellars Dutton Ranch chardonnay
2012 B Cellars Blend 24 cabernet/sangiovese/petite sirah
2013 B Cellars Ehrlich cabernet
2014 B Cellars Atlast Peak barrel sample
2014 B Cellars pinot noir Russian River Manzana Vineyard
2013 B Cellars Missouri Hopper Cabernet Beckstoffer Vineyard
2013 B Cellars Dr. Crane Cabernet Beckstoffer Vineyard
2010 Merseault Genevrieres Francois Mikulski
2014 Rossi Wallace pinot noir NV
2013 Tra Vigne chardonnay
Krug champagne Brut NV
2007 Peter Michael Cuvee Indigene (magnum)
2002 Domaine Trapet Chambertin
2005 Colgin Cariad
1986 Chateau d’Yquem




Friday, July 15, 2016

A REVIEW FROM X-PERI!


Daniel Y. Harris and Irene Koronas have reviewed my latest book, THE CONNOISSEUR OF ALLEYS, for X-PERI. You can see the entire review HERE, but here's an excerpt:
“I forgot a mirrored face only partially owns its reflection….I forgot a long-haired woman exists, but outside the frame as has been reality for centuries.” 

         In this small excerpt, Eileen R. Tabios explores the objectification of women as the historian’s intrepid clichĂ©. Who will see past the body, past the skin, past the allure modeling itself for the pleasure of others? Of course, “outside the frame” we are reminded, “a mirrored face only partially owns its reflection.” The rest is owned by the strong poesis of voice, a voice tuned to the spirit of the ellipse. It contains a multitude of how we forget to remember, and in so doing fill forgetting with absence.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

BLACK RADISH BOOKS RECEIVES GR PUBLISHER'S PRIZE! And a CALL FOR REVIEWS!


Every now and then, Galatea Resurrects (or "GR") sponsors a "GR Publisher's Prize" to recognize certain poetry presses we feel are doing a great job. For the next issue, Issue No. 27, GR is pleased to announce that Black Radish Books has received its Publisher's Prize. You can go HERE for more information but, basically, if you write a review(s) for Issue No. 27 (deadline: Nov. 27, 2016), you can receive a copy of a single-author poetry collection from Black Radish Books' catalogue.  Congratulations Black Radish Books!

I hope this encourages some many of you to check out our list of available review copies HERE and participate in the next issue of Galatea Resurrects!

***

If only as a publisher, I have always loathed the idea of sending out poetry review copies, only to have them fall into some abyss (including the re-sale market). It's an expensive proposition for most poetry publishers. Being a list-lover, I've tried to track where Galatea Resurrects' review copies go. After 26 issues over ten years, I estimate that about 92.2% of Galatea Resurrects' review copies sent to potential  reviewers have been reviewed.

I suspect 92.2% is a high percentage. It undoubtedly reflects how Galatea Resurrects, or GR, operates, to wit, most reviewers choose which books they wish to review.

But that percentage is less than a hundred percent, and the 7.8% unreviewed books equates to nearly 150 titles that have been sent out (mostly at the request of reviewers) which have not been reviewed. I'm not criticizing anybody. Pre-Galatea Resurrects, I also have requested review copies and not been able to deliver.  

While I tell GR reviewers to return unreviewed copies to me so I can keep placing them, I don't push. Because there's always a chance they'll come through -- some reviewers came through five years after they received the books. And GR is okay with that since we don't focus on "recent" releases (as we believe Poetry is immortal).

This is a long preface to a request.  Perhaps some of the recipients of the "7.8%" unreviewed books may decide finally to write a review for the next issue, which will be the second and last 10th-Year-Anniversary Issue for Galatea Resurrects.

As I write this, I have about 9 reviews in the pipeline (excluding the "7.8%"). That would be a lame 10th-Year Anniversary Issue if that's all that will be printed. In the past, GR has seen two issues of more than a hundred projects reviewed. Let's make it thrice! Poetry, after all, is

B I G
!


***

Some of the world's best critics have written for Galatea Resurrects. But so have many more less-experienced reviewers, including first-time poetry reviewers and students. GR is open to everybody -- we feel anybody can have an opinion or feeling about poems. We are open to you all. If you care about Poetry, please feel encouraged and welcomed.