A BOOKISH DAY!

Today, I read the best poetry anthology I've read so far this year: FUTURES TRADING: ANTHOLOGY THREE edited by Caleb Puckett.  It's a print compilation of the poetry he's featured in three issues of his online journal Futures Trading--a source that makes even more impressive how the print anthology coheres. The book's effectiveness has to do, I feel, with an absolutely marvelous editorial vision as noted in its Editor's Note below (see 2nd and 3rd paragraphs):

(click on all images to enlarge)

Caveat: I'm in the issue, but I'd feel this way about this anthology even if I weren't.  Here's the back cover's list of contributors; many have penned fabulously innovative "forward-facing" poems:

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Today, I mailed off a copy of The Hay(na)ku Anthology, Vol. II edited by Jean Vengua and Mark Young to Heikki Lahnaoja, the author of the first hay(na)ku book in Finland, Puitten Uni, written in Finnish!  These radiant Finns!  I also sent him my book NOTA BENE EISWEIN because it contains my flamenco hay(na)ku series.

What's marvelous about Heikki's hay(na)ku is that  it all began from his discovery and research of the hay(na)ku online (I don't think Charles Bernstein will mind being quoted on its back cover). Heikki's not even seen any of the three hay(na)ku print anthologies out there. The internet: at its best, a positive generator!

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I don't have any of Sharon Olds' books in my poetry library.  But the first entered its space today!  But I obtained it through our local coffeeshop's "Community Book Trade" shelf where cafe customers are encouraged to "Take a book, Bring A Book"!  What a lovely idea!  And I rescue all poetry books! Welcome Sharon Olds -- I read her THE GOLD CELL whilst having latte with coconut flavor and a white chocolate, pistachio and cranberry scone: it, um, kind of helped mitigate her subject matter!

And after reading Olds' poetry, I read three review copies that arrived recently for Galatea Resurrects from stellar poetry publisher BOA Editions:  CELESTIAL JOYRIDE by Michael Waters; WHERESO by Karen Volkman, and THE BLACK MARIA by Aracelis Girmay. They and other lovelies are available for your review consideration over HERE!

I WAS A WRITER ON WRITING!

I'm quite grateful to Poet-Professor-Scholar Robert Gluck for hosting me for the third time for SF State's "Writers on Writing" series."  On Monday evening, I discussed my  2007 book The Light Sang As It Left Your Eyes: OurAutobiography.* Among many other things discussed, I told the very engaged audience that I was really happy people like The Light Sang ... that I'd created for the few weeks that I was by my father's bedside. As a result of its context, it's the rawest book I'd ever constructed -- and yet it seems to have moved more people than some of my more elegant books. C'est la vie!  Anyway, here are some photos from the event:

(Poet-professor Robert Gluck presents Introduction)

(Some students in line for the book signing--such gorgeous happy faces!)

(Ruth from Modern Times supports the book sales!)

The Light Sang ... is 8 years old.  Which is to say, it found a new audience 8 years later.  This is why I don't stress over cannibalizing my or the "tiny" audience for poetry when I released at least three books a year.  I stress instead on just making sure my writing (quality) warrants publication.  Thank you, Universe, for the support!


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* For Writers on Writing I also previously presented on Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole and NOTA BENE EISWEIN.

AMERICAN CANYON CELEBRATES FIL-AM HISTORY MONTH ... WITH MY BOOKS!

I was invited to celebrate October as Filipino American History Month over at the American Canyon Public Library. I decided to go as I thought I then could go to neighboring city Vallejo afterwards for dinner.  I should have known better -- this being a Filipino affair, there was plenty of food for dinner and take-home!  Then, I hadn't actually realized so many of my books were in the area's public library system and it was an unexpected treat to see them displayed.  Food and books -- what a fabulous evening!  Thanks to librarian Ricah Quinto and poet-professor Janet Stickmon for organizing the affair.  Both deserve Kudos -- I believe Ricah set up the first Fil-am History celebration for the area's public library system; Janet is not only an accomplished poet/performer but helped set up the Philippine Studies program at Napa Valley Community College. Here's a visual coverage!

Display with THE THORN ROSARY

Caramel Cake!

Display with SUN STIGMATA

Display with NOTA BENE EISWEIN, THE LIGHT SANG AS IT LEFT YOUR EYES and THE AWAKENING

Janet Stickmon and Ricah Quinto

Sheila Bare with books!

Huge Filipino flag on library fence.

The kulintang!

In anticipation of the holidays, Filipino parols or lanterns!

Dinner: pancit, ensamada stuffed with chicken adobo and fried lumpia!

Highlighted accomplished Filipinos included Cristeta Comerford

Presenter on the need for Fil-Am Studies

Student performer

Event coordinators and performers

More books!

NO SLAMS AT THE POETRY SLAM!

Okay -- never too old to experience firsts.  And moi just judged my first Poetry Slam, in this case a Teen Slam, at the Napa Library in California.  I would have given 20 out of 10 to what looked like an 11-year-old contestant (11 years old?  You get the prize just coz you showed up!); but the disciplined librarians scotched my sentimentalism with their strict judging sheets.

Prizes included copies of my book MENAGE A TROIS WITH THE 21ST CENTURY!  I also performed a poem from NOTA BENE EISWEIN.  It's all good -- really heartening to see poetry live and breathe...

The Napa Valley Register also covered the event.

Click to enlarge the visual coverage:

(Napa Library Poetry Display)

(Some of the Teen Poets)

(Napa Librarian Ricah Quinto announcing the winners)

(One of the judges, Glynda Velasco, also performed some of her "Spoken Word"!)

(Event Flyer)

Nota Bene Eiswein and Reproductions of the Empty Flagpole were part of a fundraising gift basket put together by The Fox Chase Review for Cara's Sweethearts, an organization that helps children and their families during their stay at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia. That be "Babaylan Poetics"...

DANCE OF DUENDE

"Why does your wicked mouth spit on me?"  Indeed... Y tambien:

"como otras noches

me muero de envidia

viendo como acaricias

a tu perro."

A forthcoming trip to Spain has led me to revisit my favorite gypsy film, Tony Gatlif’s LATCHO DROM (SAFE JOURNEY IN ROMANY). It’s also a movie that wonderfully manifests poetry, and how poetry is not words. At YouTube, the movie is offered whole, as above, as well as in excerpts.  Here are two excerpts below re flamenco which I love and which together are the movie’s closing scene.  The second link offers Gatlif’s moving lyrics which I replicate below en Ingles y Espanol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a8LJENag9k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_VRFwz3xTI

The Blackbird

You, you're a stork

Who has landed on Earth.

Me, I'm a black bird who has taken flight.

Why does your wicked mouth spit on me?

What harm is it to you

That my skin is dark...

And my hair gypsy black? (2X)

From Isabelle the Catholic...

From Hitler to Franco...

We have been the victims

of their wars.

Some evenings, some evenings

Like many other evenings...

Some evenings I find myself envying...

The respect that you give to your dog.

Why does your wicked mouth spit on me?

What harm is it to you

That my skin is dark...

And my hair gypsy black? (2X)

El pájaro negro

Ay, tú eres una cigüeña

que rozó la tierra.

Yo soy un pájaro negro

caido en ella.

¿Por qué me escupes en la cara?

Qué más te podía hacer ser yo

que por ser morena y gitana?

Que más remedio compañera

que por ser morena y gitana?

Desde Isabela La Católica

Desde Hitler hasta Franco

fueron víctimas

de sus guerras

toitos los gitanos.

Algunas noches

Algunas noches

como otras noches

me muero de envidia

viendo como acaricias

a tu perro.

I’ve always wondered what happened to Lito, the boy, who is one of the most moving flamenco singers I’ve heard as his voice manifests his experience…

P.S.  If you care to see how I’ve treated (parts of) gypsy history viz duende, NOTA BENE EISWEIN may be of interest…