NEW HAY(NA)KU REVIEW

I'm grateful to Neil Leadbeater who reviews my latest Marsh Hawk Press book, The In(ter)vention of the Hay(na)ku for The FilAm. As The FilAm prints an abbreviated version of his review Neil's original review is also up at the Marsh Hawk Press Blog.

HAY(NA)KU IN SCOTLAND!

World-traveler hay(na)ku thrives in Scotland. Neil Leadbeater becomes the second writer (after Stephen Nelson) to write hay(na)ku in that United Kingdom nation. I'm delighted to present some of them with this trio on the theme of sea shells!

A hay(na)ku of Sea Shells

Who can resist

a cache

of

shells washed up

on the

beach?

Single valves of

Senilia Senilis

at

Fadiouth in Senegal,

Turitella gastropods

in

a cove in

Costa Rica

or

limpets and clams

punctured with

holes

nearer to home

on Chesil

Beach.

Who can resist

a gift 

unwrapped

brought by waves

from the

sea?

Second hay(na)ku of Sea Shells

Who can resist

a hoard

of

shells: rayed mactra

and slipper

limpets,

rose petal tellins

strewn with

precision

out of a 

parting wave?

Banded

tulips on island

shores, sand

dollars 

exposed to the

sun, olives

sporting 

a glossy finish,

red calico 

scallops

with carrot cones 

and zebra 

arks,

species of wentletraps

the ultimate

prize.

Third hay(na)ku of Sea Shells

Beauty aside, they

are the

exoskeletons

of invertebrates, animals

without backbones,

that

came from the

sea: marine

molluscs

whose soft parts

have decomposed,

the

moulted shells of

crabs and

lobsters,

animals who had

a history,

lived

life, and were

unafraid to

be.

***

Neil Leadbeater is an author, essayist, poet and critic living in Edinburgh, Scotland. His short stories, articles and poems have been published widely in anthologies and journals both at home and abroad. His publications include Librettos for the Black Madonna (White Adder Press, 2011); The Worcester Fragments (Original Plus, 2013); The Loveliest Vein of Our Lives (Poetry Space, 2014), Finding the River Horse (Littoral Press, 2017) and Punching Cork Stoppers (Original Plus, 2018). His work has been translated into several languages.

FILIPINO-PILIPINZ DESKS

One of my favorite books is THE WRITER'S DESK edited by Jill Krementz which offers pictures of nearly 60 writers' desks.

However, not a single Filipino writer is included in the book, a flaw that inspired me to create this new project featuring writers' desks:

MGA MESA NG MGA MANUNULAT 

NA FILIPINO-PILIPINZ

If you are a Filipino-Pilipinz writer who would like to participate by sharing photos of your desk, contact Eileen at nalandaten at gmail dot com

This is your rare chance to be (e-)anthologized with Jose Rizal!

WE ARE IT for MARTHE REED

And here we go with my first 2020 poetry collection, an e-chap that I wish did not exist: WE ARE IT. I wish it did not exist as I would rather have Marthe Reed back in this life ... even as she lives forever in poetry. WE ARE IT is part of a moving collective homage put together by one of today's smartest and most effective poetry presses, Dusie. Mine takes off (as many of the others do) from one of Marthe's wise statements. For WE ARE IT:

In her essay “somewhere inbetween: Speaking-Through Contiguity”, Marthe Reed (1959-2018) directs us to Timothy Morton’s reframing of human/other-than- human relationships as “drastically collective”—“All kinds of beings, from toxic waste to sea snails, are clamoring for our scientific, political, and artistic attention.” 

“Escape from this truth lies through no doorway, no slippery construct of language or argument: ‘we’ are ‘it,’ inextricable from our circumstances. The point on which all else turns: within this ‘drastically collective’ condition, how, then...live? Indeed, how write?” —Marthe Reed, Counter-Desecration: A Glossary for Writing Within the Anthropocene

We miss you, Marthe...

INDIA'S NEW POETRY!

I am grateful to India’s New Poetry for this engagement with and translations of my poems from an older but favorite book Menage a Trois With the 21st Century and an essay which first appeared in Entropy (thanks Janice Lee!). Runa Bandyopadhyay’s “reviews” have always been unique and daring and the Love overcomes my lack of fluency in (is it?) Bengali. Salamat!

I'm filing here what they posted on Facebook as it appears in print and in a language in which I'm not fluent -- such lovely Bengali script here followed by an English translation:

নতুন কবিতা – পঞ্চদশ বর্ষ (২০১৯)(New Poetry)-Issue-15th Year, Edited by Ranjan Moitra
প্রচ্ছদ – অরুণকুমার দত্ত (Cover Design – ArunKumar Dutta)

Caption of the Magazine - যদি (IF)

সম্পাদকের কলম লিখছে বিজনের আলোবাতাস,

ইচ্ছে আর অনিচ্ছে, স্বপ্ন আর স্বপ্নশূন্যতায় দুলতে থাকা জীবনে, ছিটকে পড়াগুলোই মনে থাকবে কেবল। মনে পড়ে। আর উঠে দাঁড়ানোর তীব্র সব রূপকথা, যা হয়ে ওঠে না সর্বদা। ঘন মেঘের আবছায়ায় সেই সব আচমকা রামধনু, যা মাটিতে নামে না। কেবল ভেতর হু হু করা দুপুরে এক মনচাহা গীতমালা আপনিই বেজে যায়। ‘শুনতে কি পাও গো’ বলে ডাক দিয়ে দিগন্তে মিলিয়ে যায় চেতনার হরকরা। তুমি তখন মাত্রাবৃত্তে। তখন তুমি ব্যায়ামাগারে, আখড়ায়। ভীড় আছে, হাততালি আছে তোমার পেশীনাচের তালে তালে এবং সম্ভবপর মুকুটও। সরলরেখায় গাঁথা সেই নির্ধারিত এবং নিয়ন্ত্রিত পথে কোনো যদি নেই কোথাও। যদির আকাঙ্খা এবং আশংকা নেই কোথাও। দরজা হাট করে খুলে দেওয়ার বাতাসকে আমরা এসো বলেছি, খুব ভিতর থেকে। চেতনপথের অজানায় পা ফেলবার ঊষায় কাকে যেন বড় আনন্দে বলেছি, শুনতে কি পাও গো।......ঝড় চলে যায়, ঝড় আসে। ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়ে ভরা কোটাল। কেবল দীর্ঘ এক যদির মাথার তীব্র আলো ঘুরে ঘুরে পথ দেখায় চিরকালের ঢেউ ভাঙানিয়া সেই সব অভিযাত্রীদের যারা নির্মিত জনপদটিকেও তার অণু পরমাণু ফিউসন ও ইনফিউসনে খুঁজে দেখতে চেয়েছিল......বিজন আছে তো। বেলা পড়ে এল। তবু, আছে তো আমাদের স্বপ্নসফরের পথে পথে। শূন্য চেয়ার ভরে রেখেছে আলোবাতাস। বিজন, তোমার প্রবাহে আজও নতুন নবীন তরী পাল মেলে দিচ্ছে। বইমেলার তুলকালাম ভিড়ে, আছো তো তুমি, আমাদের প্রিয় বিজন...

‘IF’ your way is straight, ‘IF’ your way is rigid and constrained, ‘IF’ will be nowhere. No longing no conflict for ‘IF’ in that way. Come my dear- this is the way we are calling the wind from bottom of our heart to open the door. We were delighted to say to move on the way, to break open the barriers of the consciousness to step out into an unknown darkness, the quark area of life and being…Could you hear us?....... 

We could hear  Eileen Tabios

Perhaps I hold the potential
for a poem keening
for the sun
to irradiate the sky
until we all inhabit
the same room
........

অনেকেই লিখেছেন এই সংখ্যায়। কবিতা লিখেছেন ধীমান চক্রবর্তী, স্বপন রায়, রঞ্জন মৈত্র, সৌমিত্র সেনগুপ্ত, যাদব দত্ত, অতনু বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়, সব্যসাচী হাজরা, ভাস্বতী গোষ্বামী, অরবিন্দ চক্রবর্তী, শমীক ষন্নিগ্রাহী, রাজেশ চট্টোপাধ্যায়, নীলিমা দেব, বিজয় দে, অয়ন্ত ইমরুল, প্রদীপ চক্রবর্তী, দুর্বাদল মজুমদার, তপোন দাশ, সৌমনা দাশগুপ্ত, রথীন বণিক, তপেশ দাশগুপ্ত, মারজুক রাসেল, সমীরণ ঘোষ, রত্নদীপ দে ঘোষ, তন্ময় কুমার মণ্ডল, নীতা বিশ্বাস, রাহেবুল, শম্পা মাহাতো, উমাপদ কর, ফারহানা রহমান, শুভ আঢ্য, দেবরাজ চ্যাটার্জী, অভিষেক রায়, ব্রতী মুখোপাধ্যায়, পিয়াল রায়, পলাশ দে, অনিন্দিতা গুপ্ত রায়, অমলেন্দু চক্রবর্তী।

গদ্য লিখেছেন ইন্দ্রনীল ঘোষ, অনিন্দ্য রায়, তুষ্টি ভট্টাচার্য, অর্ক চট্টোপাধ্যায়, ইশরাত তানিয়া, মধুছন্দা মিত্র ঘোষ।

অনুবাদ কবিতা- আর্যনীল মুখোপাধ্যায়
আর এই অধম - (“Post Mano A Birdo” and “Poetic Legacy” by Eileen R Tabios) 

“নতুন কোথায় থাকে, নতুনের কোনো দুঃখ নেই”- আসুন পাঠক, সেই নতুনকে খুঁজি, স্নান করি ধারামুক্তির জলে, ভিজে উঠি অতিচেতনার আলোয়, গায়ে লাগুক বিজনের বাতাস। হাতে তুলে নিন নতুন কবিতা – পঞ্চদশ বর্ষ সংখ্যা

TRANSLATION

New Poem-15th year (2019)-15th year (2019)-15th year, edited by Ranjan Moitra
Cover - Arun Kumar Dutta (Cover Design - Arunkumar Dutta)

Caption of the Magazine - যদি (IF)

The Editor's pen is writing the light wind of Bihar,

I love you, dreams and dreams remain in life. I remember it. And there are many things that do not happen. In the clouds of thick clouds they are the shining rainbow that is not called on the ground. You are the only one who wants to be a favorite song in the afternoon. "what do you get to hear" what do you get to hear You are the only one who is the one who is the one who is Then you are in the gym. There is a crowd, your hand is clapping and it is possible. There is no one in the straight line. If there is no desire and fear. We have told the wind to open the door, from very inside. I have told someone in the heat of getting into the unknown path, what do you get to hear...... the storm goes away, the storm comes. It's a good day. Only a long if the intense light of the head of the head led to the end of the forever waves of the passengers who wanted to find out the mass of its nuclear fusion and inaphi'usanē...... there is a reason. It's time. However, our dream is on the way to the journey. The light wind has filled the empty chair. In your flow, the new young tari is still running. In the book fair, you are there, you are, our beloved brother...

‘IF’ your way is straight, ‘IF’ your way is rigid and constrained, ‘IF’ will be nowhere. No longing no conflict for ‘IF’ in that way. Come my dear- this is the way we are calling the wind from bottom of our heart to open the door. We were delighted to say to move on the way, to break open the barriers of the consciousness to step out into an unknown darkness, the quark area of life and being…Could you hear us?.......

We could hear  Eileen Tabios

Perhaps I hold the potential
for a poem keening
for the sun
to irradiate the sky
until we all inhabit
the same room
........

Many many happy returns of the day. Poems written by Iman Chakraborty, swapan Roy, Ranjan Chattopadhyay, Soumitra Sengupta, Yadav Dutta, Atanu Bandyopadhyay, Sabyasachi Hazare, Sneha Chakraborty, Arshad Chakraborty, Rajesh Chatterjee, Rajesh Chatterjee, Neel Dev, Vijay Dev, Vijay Dev, Vijay Dev, Vijay Dev, Vijay Dev, Vijay Dev, Ajay Imrul, Pradeep Chakraborty, Durga Majumdar, tapōna das, saumanā das, Amit Merchant, Amit Russell, Gane Ghosh, Rat Ghosh, Tanmoy Kumar Mandal, Neeta Biswas, Neeta Biswas, Neeta Biswas, Neeta Biswas, Many many happy returns of the day, happy birthday to you, Farhana Rahman, Abhishek Roy, Abhishek Roy, Abhishek Roy, Abhishek Roy, Palash Roy, Palash Roy, Gita Chakraborty, Gita Chakraborty.

Prose written by Indra Neel Ghosh, non Roy, it bhattacharya, Arka Chatterjee, aish Tanya, madhusudan mitra ghosh.

Translation poem - arya neel mukhopadhyay
আর এই অধম - (“Post Mano A Birdo” and “Poetic Legacy” by Eileen R Tabios)

"where is the new one, there is no sorrow"- let's find the reader, let's find that new one, bathe in the water of release, get wet in the light of consciousness. Pick up a new poem in hand - the number of five years

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, I BECOME WAR"

is my first published poem for 2020. Thanks to Moss Trill and editor Bill Allegrezza. You can see the poem HERE at Moss Trill

... and as reposted by Zeitgeist Spam whose curator John Bloomberg-Rissman I thank, too. And I'm grateful because, though he doesn't remember it, John was the one who'd instigated/inspired me months ago to write the poem.

TANKA LOVE!

Gratitude to Missouri Poet Laureate Karen Craigo for her review of my miniature books of tankas! You can see her review HERE, but here's an excerpt:

*

“Achilles” is a poem about putting a dog to sleep, and it brought back some familiar pain:

We put down our dog—

We agreed to cross that line

To end his anguish—

We did not anticipate

Our pain lasting forever

Have I mentioned a hundred times yet that I’m the Poet Laureate of the State of Missouri? I’ve reminded my friends repeatedly every day since I was sworn in. And maybe it’s this official role that has me thinking about the importance of poetry for the people. I think it’s very good for poems to be accessible in at least two ways. These little books are lovely, and I’d love to have a Poems-For-All title of my own to strategically leave behind here, there, and everywhere.

It’s also refreshing to read poems that are accessible the other way, too, and that’s true for these little poemlets as well. That doesn’t mean they’re not richly rewarding, like the tanka “April”: 

Ping! We’re alerted!

The space station is flying

over our slumped heads—

Eyes opened, we rush outside

To be reminded of stars

There is some depth to this poem. I remember how different the night sky looked when I was young, and I guess I thought there would always be plenty of stars. Not so. This poem expresses that worry about technology dominating and changing the night sky.

(NOT REALLY) FOR DUMMIES

As this offer I'm about to make is another way of verb-ing or engaging through a book, let me make it here: If any of my readers choose to rescue a German Shepherd, I promise to get you your own copy of this book (which we've just given to friends):

MY RELISHED READS OF 2019

My reading habits in 2019 were significantly different from the way I read in previous years due primarily to two reasons: 1) I focused on finishing my novel and looking for publication opportunities for it; and 2) I embarked on a new collection of miniature books ("miniature books" are books no larger than 3x3 inches in the U.S. or 4x4 inches internationally). I actually read more miniature books than normatively sized books this year. I list below 2019's "Relished Reads." But, first, a current picture from my Miniature Book Library:

PUBLICATIONS 

Lists below are divided among Poetry, Fiction, Memoir/Biographies, Other, and Miniature Books.

Poems or Poetry-Related (61):

A CELL OF FALLS, poems by Kimberly Alidio

STONE & TYPE, CEDAR, poems by William Allegrezza

INDEFINITE SPACE, literary journal edited by Marcia Arrieta

MARKS, hay(na)ku poems by Tom Beckett (smart. In manuscript form)

QUEEN MOB’S TEAHOUSE: TEH BOOK, anthology of poetry, prose and art edited by Russell Bennetts

THE OBU MANIFESTOS, VOL. 1 edited by James Berger

ERTH, poems by Hart Broudy

SONGBOOK FOR A BOY INSIDE, poems by Laura Buccieri

NO TENDER FENCES: An Anthology of Immigrant & First-Generation American Poetry edited by Marina Carreira, Carla Sofia Ferreira, and Kim Sousa

OZARKS, poems by C.S. Carrier

THRENODIES, poems by Joel Chace

DARK PURPLE INTERSECTIONS, poems by Juliet Cook

9 POEMS/THE LOVERS by Anais Duplan

LITTLE DITCH, poems by Melissa Eleftherion

ASHBERY MODE, anthology edited by Michael Farrell

HEDGE FUND CERTAINTY, poems by Thomas Fink (fabulous, such that I decided Meritage Press will publish it).

TEN, poems by Jennifer Firestone

NIGHT LANDING, poems by Serena J. Fox

AFTER HERACLITUS, poems by Jesse Glass

from FEED, poems by K. Lorraine Graham

EVOCARE: TANKAS by Ayo Gutierrez, Eileen R. Tabios, and Brian Cain Aene

BOUNTIFUL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENLIGHTENMENT, poems by Minal Hajratwala (wise, edgy, with a sly power)

MOTHERS OVER NANGARHAR, poems by Pamela Hart

SCHIZPO//CODE/ZERO/ THE/ECONOMICS/OF/AMBIGUITY/ AND/CREATION/OF/VALUE (20 STRUCTURALIST POEMS) from Tom Hibbard

THE LANGUAGE SIGNIFIER: VISUAL WRITING AND ECOLOGIES OF DIMENSIONALITY by Tom Hibbard

LIVSENS ONDSKAB, poetry/art by Kamilla Jorgensen

SALMER, poetry/art by Kamilla Jorgensen

ALL THE FIRES OF WIND AND LIGHT, poems by Maya Khosla

PRESERVING FIRE: SELECTED PROSE by Philip Lamantia, edited by Garrett Caples

RIVER HOARD, poems by Neil Leadbeater

REMINISCENCES OF ECHOES, poems by Marta Lopez-Luaces

WILSON WILEY VARIATIONS, poems by Thoreau Lovell

SYNONYM FOR HOME, poems by Michelle Murphy

TABLE OF CONTENTS, poetry by Bruno Neiva

BLOOD MEMORY, poems by Gail Newman

BIG CABIN, poems by Ron Padgett

A SHORT HISTORY OF MONSTERS, poems by Jose Padua (Searing, powerful, age-old wisdom. LinkedInToPoetry Recommendation #288)

FORMER POSSESSIONS OF THE SPANISH EMPIRE, poems by Michelle Penaloza

CONCRETE & CONSTRAINT, anthology of visual and constrained poetry from Penteract Press

THE LETTERS OF SYLVIA PLATH, edited by Peter K. Steinberg and Karen V. Kukil

MUMBLES IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA, poems by Ben Robinson

SARASWATI’S LAMENT, poems by Barbara Roether

I WANT TO WRITE AN HONEST SENTENCE, poems by Susan M. Schultz (LPR #289)

HOW TO KNOW THE FLOWERS, poems by Jessica Smith

FELINO SORIANO TRIBUTE edited by Alison Ross

HOW THE UNIVERSE IS MADE: POEMS NEW & SELECTED 1985-2019 by Stephanie Strickland

DRINKING FROM WHAT I ONCE WORE: SELECTED AND RECENT POEMS by Chris Stroffolino

SIGHT LINES, poems by Arthur Sze (as ever, brilliant, luminous, powerful and just beautiful

THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL: SELECTED VISUAL POETRY by Eileen R. Tabios

THE IN(TER)VENTION OF THE HAY(NA)KU: SELECTED TERCETS by Eileen R. Tabios

WITNESS IN THE CONVEX MIRROR by Eileen R. Tabios

MITTEN: SCRAPS & PATTERNS, poems by Bronwen Tate

BLUE DOORS, poems by Orchid Tierney

AMALGAM: NEW AND SELECTED WORKS by Sotere Torregian

THE LAST VISPO ANTHOLOGY: VISUAL POETRY 1998-2008 edited by Nico Vassilakis and Crag Hill

BITTER MELANIN, Vols. 1, 2, and 3, poetry/prose/art zines written/curated by Adi Vicente (powerful and moving additions to diasporic Pilipinx literature)

REPETITIVE POEMS by Catherine Vidler

THE BOX IS THE WOMB OR, poems by Elizabeth Workman

PET SOUNDS, poems by Stephanie Young

TAXONOMIC DRIFT, poems by Mark Young

ON PEUT SE PERMETTRE, literary journal

Fiction (23):

INSURRECTO, novel by Gina Apostol

LOCUST GIRL, novel by Merlinda Bobis

FAKE LIKE ME, novel by Barbara Bourland

SUBVERSIVO, INC., novel by Jose Elvin Bueno

BURIED IN BOOKS, novel by Kate Carlisle

AMERICA IS NOT THE HEART, novel by Elaine Castillo

ENEMY CONTACT by Mike Maden (Tom Clancy)

RUN AWAY, novel by Harlan Coben

THE RISING SEA, novel by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown

CURSED AND OTHER STORIES, short stories by Noelle Q. De Jesus

MISSION CRITICAL, novel by Mark Greaney

CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL: THE GREAT DEPRESSION DIARY OF MINNIE SWIFT by Kathryn Lasky

10:04, novel by Ben Lerner

LEAVING THE ATOCHA STATION, novel by Ben Lerner

SELF-PORTRAIT WITH BOY, novel by Rachel Lyon

THE BETRAYED, novel by Reine Arcache Melvin

HARD-BOILED WONDERLAND AND THE END OF THE WORLD, novel by Haruki Murakami

THE GIRL BEFORE, novel by Rena Olsen

MAN OF WAR, novel by Sean Parnell

THE CORNWALLS ARE GONE, novel by James Patterson and Brendan DuBois

FALL FROM GRACE, novel by Richard North Patterson

NEON PREY, novel by John Sanford

A NOVEL DEPICTING “THE” “ASIAN” “AMERICAN” “EXPERIENCE” by Yumi Dineen Shiroma

Memoirs & (Auto)Biographies (8):

ROOF LIFE, memoir by Svetlana Alpers

ROUGH BEAUTY: FORTY SEASONS OF MOUNTAIN LIVING by Karen Auvinen

A LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF DARKNESS: THE STORY OF A BOOKSHOP, A COMMUNITY AND TRUE LOVE by Wallace Baine

THE STRANGER IN THE WOODS: THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE LAST TRUE HERMIT by Michael Finkel

MAID, autobiography by Stephanie Land

ZELEI BELA: THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD, biography by Kurti Laszlo

OLD IN ART, memoir by Nell Painter

THE BODY PAPERS, memoir by Grace Talusan

Others (3)

THE NEW ARCHITECTURE OF WINE: 25 SPECTACULAR CALIFORNIA WINERIES by Heather Sandy Hebert

BIBLIO-STYLE: HOW WE LIVE AT HOME WITH BOOKS by Nina Freudenberger

MIRRORING, essay by Montana Ray

Re. Miniature Books (8 normative-sized and over 1,000 miniature books)

THE NEAL M. ALBERT COLLECTION OF MINIATURE DESIGNER BINDINGS with photographs by Tom Grill (The Grolier Club / Piccolo Press, New York, 2006)

THE POET OF THEM ALL: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE AND MINIATURE DESIGNER BINDINGS FROM THE COLLECTION OF NEALE AND MARGARET ALBERT

MINIATURE BOOKS: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures by Anne C. Bromer and Julian I. Edison

THE LARGE WORLD OF MINIATURE BOOKS by Robert Hanson

THE QUEEN’S DOLLS’ HOUSE by Lucinda Lambton

THE PISTNER HOUSE: A MASTER IN MINIATURE by Patricia Pistner

TASHA TUDOR’S DOLLHOUSE: A LIFETIME IN MINIATURE with text by Harry Davis and photographs by Jay Paul

THE HISTORY OF MINIATURE BOOKS by Doris V. Welsh

Over a thousand miniature books read from this Miniature Book Library that was created in 2019.