BEGINNING TO REMEMBER AMNESIA

With a lovely view on my computer, 'twas a great way to begin the morning: trying to choose covers for my forthcoming AMNESIA: SOMEBODY'S MEMOIR. Thanks to designer Jared Hayes and front cover digital artist Jukka-Pekka Kervinen ! And Marthe Reed for the good shepherding....

Publisher Black Radish is presenting a Special Pre-publication Offer! Details HERE (a great deal with other great authors Kimberly Alidio and Marci Nelligan!

And here's preview of the chosen cover!

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN PUBLISHERS CONSORTIUM

[Please feel free to forward]

PRESS RELEASE

Contacts:                                                                                 May/June, 2016

Cecilia Brainard at cbrainard@gmail.com

Eileen Tabios at Ertabios@aol.com or eileentabios@gmail.com

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN PUBLISHERS CONSORTIUM FORMED

A group of book publishers which publishes Philippine and Fil-American literature has created the Philippine American Publishers Consortium, or PAPC. The group’s primary goal is to enhance the distribution and promotion of its published works.

PAPC’s inaugural members are Carayan Press, Center for Babaylan Studies, Meritage Press, PALH (Philippine American Literary House), PAWA Inc., and Sawaga River Press.  Together, these publishers offer Filipino American books in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art and children’s literature. Many of their writers have won awards in the U.S., the Philippines and other countries.

Recent or forthcoming titles from PAPC members are:

• #30 Collantes Street, by Lisa Suguitan Melnick (Carayan Press)
• To Love as Aswang, by Barbara Jane Reyes (PAWA, Inc.)
• Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization among Post-1965 Filipino Americans, 2^nd Edition, by Leny M. Strobel
• Verses Typhoon Yolanda: A Storm of Filipino Poets,  edited by Eileen R. Tabios (Meritage Press)
• A River, One Woman Deep, by Linda Ty-Casper (PALH, forthcoming)
• Mama, Mama, Know What I like? by Justine Villanueva (Sawaga, forthcoming)

Explaining why she suggested the creation of the consortium, PALH publisher Cecilia Brainard said, “We are making books but our distribution and marketing efforts can be improved. Together, these Filipino American presses can have more presence, clout, and credibility than individual presses could. By sharing information, resources, and in some cases, expenses, we can do a better job at preserving and documenting our own Filipino American (and Filipino) literature and culture.”

PAPC’s plans for disseminating information about its members’ books include a new website and blog at http://philampublishers.blogspot.com. The PAPC site offers each publisher’s information about its catalog, contact information, submissions, forthcoming books and other news. Brainard hopes that the new blog will improve marketing partly by providing a searchable site in the internet as regards Filipino literature.

PAPC also plans to attend book fairs and literary conferences, place ads in targeted markets, offer its members for panel presentations and jointly market each other’s books in their respective networks.

“PAPC’s outreach need not be limited to literary groups,” says Eileen Tabios, founder of Meritage Press. “Any Filipino organization who would like our literature to be represented at their event can contact us for collaboration. We can set up a table at their conference, offer books at reduced prices for door prizes, share our writers as potential speakers, and so on.”

PAPC is open to membership to other book publishers of Philippine and Filipino American literature. For further information, contact palh@aol.com and/or MeritagePress@aol.com. 

AUCTION ITEMS FOR CENTER FOR BABAYLAN STUDIES

You are invited to a unique dinner fundraising for the Center for Babaylan Studies' Third Annual Conference in Vancouver this September; the event will take place June 18, 2016 in Santa Rosa, CA, per flyer below (CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE):

I'm happy to share that among the silent auction items will be three of my recent books, accompanied by two bottles of Rhone wine.  WINEPOETICS in action!

PRE-PUBLICATION SPECIAL FOR AMNESIA: SOMEBODY'S MEMOIR!

Stellar poetry press Black Radish Books has set up its Late Summer/Fall Pre-Publication Special Offer and AMNESIA: SOMEBODY'S MEMOIR is one of its three featured books. The others are AFTER PROJECTS THE RESOUND by Kimberly Alidio and THE GHOST MANADA by Marci Nelligan. I hope you check out our poetry collections, and BRB's Pre-Publication Offer is a bargain. Go HERE for more info! Meanwhile, here's the first draft of my book's front cover, with cover art by the magnificent poet-artist-musician Jukka-Pekka Kervinen:

PAPC!

means Philippine American Publishing Consortium and I'm delighted to announce its new blog that offers information about PAPC:

PHILIPPINE AMERICAN PUBLISHING CONSORTIUM

The blog began with three publishers (including Meritage Press) but you can keep checking the blog as more publishers are being added in the future.

Thanks to Fil-Am fictionist Cecilia Brainard for the idea! It is our hope that PAPC will enable joint marketing and informational support among these publishers. The future likely will include the FilAm International Book Fest, AWP and Frankfurt Book Festival.

A ROYALTY CHECK FOR POETRY

doesn't happen a lot. So I'm duly noting for THE CONNOISSEUR OF ALLEYS:

I LOVE LIBRARY SALES!

The St. Helena Public Library often features a sale of books (including donated books)--paperbacks for 50 cents and hardbacks for a buck. This meant I recently scored a GORGEOUS edition of POLAND / 1931 by Jerome Rothenberg that was published by Unicorn Press.  I told the librarian I thought it so odd to find it on that cart featured above. The librarian replied it was part of someone's personal library donated to the library. Loving the mind of someone who would own Rothenberg's gorgeous book, I looked at the rest of the books donated by that person -- and bought them all! I don't feature them here as they're not poetry but, still. 

As you might glean from the images, POLAND / 1931 isn't just any ol' book. It is wonderfully produced as you can see from the following images, including its colophon:

Instead of bound pages, there are twelve "leaves" which are folded paper that present the text; as "leaves," they are fabulous since they are made out of a handmade Japanese paper, "Hosho." 

When you open the book, there are four photo montages by Eleanor Antin that you can take out of its sleeve:

Rothenberg's poems are already powerful but their impact was enhanced by the nature of the book design.

(click on images to enlarge)

Perhaps this will be the best dollar I'll have spent this year!  Thank you, St. Helena Library!  

Relatedly, here’s an update of my Recently Bought Poetry List of books by poets or about poets/poetry. 

POLAND / 1931 by Jerome Rothenberg

NEXT TO LAST WORDS by Daniel Hoffman 

INFERNO: A POET’S NOVEL by Eileen Myles

THE RAVICKIANS by Renee Gladman

DEEP CITY by Megan Kaminski

PLAN / K. by Kristi Maxwell

A GAME OF CORRESPONDENCE by Valerie Witte

PROVIDENCE by Megan Kaminski

NESTING INSTINCT by Jesse Nissim

THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE by Kate Colby

DEBTS & LESSONS by Lynn Xu

WHEN THEY HAVE SENSES by Rosmarie Waldrop

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

THE ARGONAUTS by Maggie Nelson

ONGOINGNESS: THE END OF A DIARY by Sarah Manguso

LIFE-LIST by Jessica Smith

TRIBUTE by Stephen Romer

I’M VERY INTO YOU: CORRESPONDENCE 1995-1996 by Kathy Acker & McKenzie Wark

FUTURES TRADING: ANTHOLOGY THREE edited by Caleb Puckett

TO SPEAK WHILE DREAMING by Eleni Sikelianos

AGE OF BLIGHT: STORIES by Kristine Ong Muslim

EVERYTHING WE MET CHANGED FORM & FOLLOWED THE REST by Jessica Comola