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"...

EILEEN WITH GREEK GODS

From Athena's first day: encounters with the family, Achilles, the dog godmother Mollie, the vet David who wanted to take her home, and the son who's too busy to do puppy training but insists Athena is his dog.  Next?  The cats....!!!

ATHENA'S BABY PHOTOS

I'm lagging on developing my poetry career (wink) because of recent dog developments.   But I will be getting back to you on certain projects (e.g. Poets on Mortification).  I can't say I feel bad -- I've got BABY PHOTOS!!!!  And Athena arrives tomorrow!

Click to enlarge photos for unbearable cuteness!

Athena on right

Mom and pups

Fourth from Left, Front Row

A

Athena on right

Refresher courses...

WELCOME, ATHENA!

With a full heart, may I introduce Baby Athena. Her full name, as chosen by Michael, is "Flora Athena" -- as Michael explains, after the Roman goddess of flowers and spring because she's gorgeous and the Greek goddess of wisdom and heroic endeavor because she's all that. Gabriela, named after the Philippines' anti-colonial first woman general, would have approved. With no further ado, here is Athena, 4 mos. old -- welcome home, Baby:

RE. THE CIVIL WAR

The U.S. Civil War is just such an immense and immensely-resonating part of U.S. History.  Have started blogging about related books over HERE.

DEAD LINE'S STRUGGLING FOR RESURRECTION?

I don’t know Chris Ewan, the author of the novel DEAD LINE which is part of my list of recently-read books below.  But there’s an evocative passage in the book about the protagonist searching through a person’s family library and discovering that the rows of green-spined books on the shelves are fake.  But they’re not just fake books; they open up to reveal another book inside – precious editions, antique books, erudite tomes and, as the book says, “and poetry.”  The incidence of the discovery is described but it’s not otherwise linked to the plot development.  Had this matter not been mentioned by the book, it wouldn’t have hurt the book’s plot.  And such is why, though I don’t know anything about Chris Ewan except that he wrote DEAD LINE, I suspect that Chris Ewan is actually a poet needing to break out.  P.S. DEAD LINE’s ending?  It’s open-ended…

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 GalateaResurrects!  More info on that HERE. 

PUBLICATIONS

POEM OF DIMINISHING POETICITY by Angelo Suarez (scalawag daytoy.  Ngem right on met.  LinkedIn PoetryRecommendation (LPR) #144) 

THE BODY ACHES [POEMS AND HAY(NA)KU by Ernesto Priego (originally published in 2005, it’s now available online.  A chap, but magnificent in its effect. LPR #139)

FROM UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY [ GUMA ], poetry by Craig Santos Perez (I don’t know how to type accents so forgive the lack after the “a” in “guma”.  Anyway, late coming to this but worthwhile.  A moving and well-wrought journey.  LPR #145)

TO KEEP TIME, poems by Joseph Massey (lovely, nuanced, atmospheric, palpable.  LPR #146)

MANUAL, poems by Richard Berengarten (fabulous. LPR #147)

IMAGEMS 1, poetics by Richard Berengarten (wise. LPR #148)

DO VIDJENJA DANITSE, poems by Richard Berengarten with Serbian translation by Vera V. Radojevic (quite accomplished)

DOUBLESPACE: POEMS 1971-1989 by Hank Lazer (interestingly innovative. LPR #143)

EURYDICE’S SONG, poems by William Borden and monotypes by Douglas Kinsey (wonderful retelling of the Eurydice and Orpheus tale, from the point of view – unlike with most variations – of Eurydice.  The monotypes are powerful and lovely.  LPR #142)

*  ROLY POLY / BICHO BOLA by Victoria Estol, Trans. from Spanish by Seth Michelson (so glad to be introduced to this young Uruguayan poet.  Wonderful work.  LPR #141)

WRITTEN 1987-2013, poems by P. Inman (LPR #149)

*  BURN PIT, poems by Mary Armstrong (powerful)

*  IN THE ICE HOUSE, poems by Genevieve Kaplan (fabulous. LPR #140)

SETTINGS FOR THESE SCENES, poems by Genevieve Kaplan (fabulous)

ASTONISHMENTS: SELECTED POEMS OF ANNA KAMIENSKA, Edited and Translated by Grazyna Drabik and David Curzon (a welcome discovery for me)

*  PENURY, poems by Myung Mi Kim

*  THE BARONS, poems by Joshua Corey

BINDWEED, poems by Christianne Balk

*  SHE, A BLUEPRINT, poems by Michelle Naka Pierce with images by Sue Hammond West

*  SPECTACLE & PIGSTY, poems by Kiwao Nomura, Translated by Kyoko Yoshida and Forrest Gander

*  THE AMERICANS, poems by David Roderick

*  HARROW, poems by Elizabeth Robinson

*  THREE NOVELS, poems by Elizabeth Robinson

*  WE USED TO BE GENERALS, poems by Sarah Campbell

*  GREEN OIL, poems by Jean Donnelly

*  LAND (CRUX 1), poetry by C.J. Martin

*  DON’T GO BACK TO SLEEP, poems by Timothy Liu

*  THAT OUR EYES BE RIGGED, poems by Kristi Maxwell

CONTRABAND OF HOOPOE, poems by Ewa Chrusciel

NEAR CHANGES, poems by Mona Van Duyn

STRANDS, poems by Keri Hulme

MISSING THE MOON, poems by Bin Ramke

THE ALBERTINE WORK-OUT, poems by Anne Carson

THE RAVEN, poem by Edgar Allan Poe

*  PASSENGER-ULTRASOUND, poems by Justyna Bargielska,Trans. from Polish by Katarzyna Szuster

*  SO I BEGAN, poems by Lisa Lubasch

*  KERN, visual poetry by Derek Beaulieu

AUTOBIOGRAPHIES, poems by Alfred Corn

THE POETRY PROJECT NEWSLETTER No. 240, Editor Ted Dodson

*  ONE FOOT OUT THE DOOR, short stories by Lewis Warsh

MADE FROM SCRATCH: DISCOVERING THE PLEASURES OF A HANDMADE LIFE, memoir by Jenna Woginrich

THIS ORGANIC LIFE: CONFESSIONS OF A SUBURBAN HOMESTEADER, memoir by Joan Dye Gussow

THE SON, novel by Jo Nesbo

DEAD LINE, novel by Chris Ewan

WINES

Launois Champagne Grand Cru Le Mesnil Sur Oger Reserve Brut

2007 Peter Michael Belle Cote

1991 Vega Sicilia Unico and 1999 Gaja Sori Tilden Barbaresco

1982 Cos D'Estournel and 2004 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard

1983 Chateau d'Yquem

1853 Whitwhams Millenium Port Reserve King Pedro V (bottled 2011)

1998 Bighorn Cellars cabernet Soda Canton Vineyards NV

2012 Rombauer zinfandel NV

2012 The Combo cabernet NV

2011 Breggo pinot noir Savoy Vineyard  Anderson Valley

2004 Harlan

1995  Magpie Estate The Malcolm Barossa Valley Shiraz

2010 Dana Estates Onda

2003 Peter Jakob Kuhn Oestrich Lenchen Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese
2007 Paitin Serra Barbaresco

PATRICK ROSAL'S LINES

Patrick Rosal is not just a talented poet but also a wonderful visual artist.  Not just great poetic lines but a fabulous visual line. I love this B-Boy drawing he sent me--Agyamanack unay, Patrick!

Reminded, too, of the Otoliths poet-editor issue I curated wherein Patrick participated and said this:

"I’m an aging b-boy, a once-upon-a-time eighties hip-hop DJ, apprentice to the pause button, who stayed awake for days on end, knelt in front of two makeshift belt-drive turntables, blending, cutting, scratching together just about anything I could find on wax. I’m, therefore, compelled, as a poet and as an editor, by projects that weld together the unlikely, that suggest unusual relationships. that make use of what we got. I’m trusting that excellence is, in fact, democratic, and I hope that readerships and audiences see something of themselves in the syncretic, the tensions between the mundane and the extraordinary. The act of reading, as a result, become a kind of celebration, in company, in solitude, a gathering, (a dancefloor turned chapel, or the latter’s reversion to the former), a reunion (I like to think) of faraway affections. To edit : To offer. In short, the possibilities of cramped, yellow kitchens—a gift of cathedrals."

The entire wondrous interview HERE.