Essay Press

READING

Kristin Prevallet, Jenny Boully, & Carla Harryman

Saturday, February 2, 3:00 p.m.

Unnameable Books, Brooklyn

456 Bergen Street, Brooklyn
(Steps from the Bergen St. 2, 3 trains)
718/ 789-1534


Catherine Taylor
Editor
Essay Press
www.essaypress.org

Action Books

Happy New Year! We at Action Books have two pieces of news to announce: first of all,

1. Four extremely exciting new Action Books are now available (all on sale at www.actionbooks.org).
Many special deals are on our website--please check it out.

2. Brand new Action Books poets Abe Smith and Brent Hendricks will give a reading from their books on Wednesday, Jan 30th in Brooklyn. For details, scroll to bottom of the screen.

The Skinny on the New Books:

Thaumatrope by Brent Hendricks (illustrations by Lisa Hargon-Smith)

"Dear Reader: This wonderful book you hold in your hands (are those your hands?)
holds your fortune." —Gillian Conoley

"Ante up. Brent Hendricks's Thaumatrope works like an ideogram thrown by a cardsharp, a decapitated allegory set in "the golden age of little bars."" —Daniel Tiffany

Port Trakl by Jaime Luis Huenun (translated from Spanish by Daniel Borzutzky)

"In these recent poems—published in 2001 in Chile— Huenún invents a setting influenced by Melville's vivid scenarios, Coleridge's languid morbidity, and George Trakl's silences and darkening seas. Borzutzky's English version is as haunted, brooding, and terrific as the original." — Forrest Gander

Mommy Must Be a Fountain of Feathers by Kim Hyesoon (translated from Korean by Don Mee Choi)

"...by far the most imaginative poet in Korea today" —Bruce Fulton

"Kim's animals, like her implicit human subjects, exist within a "book of pain," victims of violence from without and within. Bodies fail to protect, and there is no protection from bodies themselves […] These dark allegories are beautifully rendered by Don Mee Choi, herself a fine poet." —Susan Schultz

whim man mammon by Abraham Smith

"If Frank Stanford got up from the dead to slam (and slammed to win), what he would say might well resemble the poems in whim man mammon." —Graham Foust

"Mash Gertrude Stein with agrarian folk and you have the unholy matrimony of Abraham Smith's debut, whim man mammon."
—Cathy Park Hong

Details on the Smith/Hendricks Reading:
8 p.m., Jan 30th
Pacific Standard
82 Fourth Avenue (between St. Marks and Bergen Street)
4 Fab Poets: Susan Brennan; Aracelis Girmay author of Teeth, Curbstone Press; Brent Hendricks; and Abraham Smith, author of Whim Man Mammon, Action Books will read at the cozy, Pacific Standard, Brooklyn Microbrew Pub. Beer, wine, snacks, couches, books! Everything a writer needs!! www.pacificstandardbrooklyn.com

Fence Books

Every day in February is a good day to submit your manuscript to the 2009 Fence
Modern Poets Series.

Please visit http://fence.fenceportal.org/contest/fmps.html to download
guidelines and required entry form.

If you get lost, keep in mind that our new Portal page http://www.fenceportal.org
is the pathway to all things Fence and Fence Books.

Blood Pudding Press

NEW CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Blood Pudding Press to publish ECTOPLASMIC NECROPOLIS in April 2008.

Submissions are being accepted from January 20th-March 20th 2008.

Blood Pudding Press will be accepting submissions for its next one-off, multi-writer project from January 20th through March 20th 2008. The new magazine will be published in April 2008 and will serve as an evil sister to [GROWLING SOFTLY], which was published in October 2007. The new magazine will be called ECTOPLASMIC NECROPOLIS.

Blood Pudding Press specializes in poetry and artsy little misfit offerings, so preference will indeed be devoted to poetry submissions. However, in addition to poetry, I will also be willing to consider poetic flash fiction, hybrids, collaborations, poetic blog excerpts/journal entries/dream blurbs, short poetic essays, and poetry chapbook reviews.

You may familiarize yourself with Blood Pudding Press sensibilities by reading any of the press’s previously released materials (information is available via the Blood Pudding blog--the materials themselves are available via the Blood Pudding Etsy shop), but here are a few little hints as to what the editor does and does not tend to adore.

WE DON’T WANT YOUR BLAND VANILLA SNACK PACK PUDDING.

WE WANT WEIRDLY BLENDED BLOOD PUDDING UP IN HERE.

THINK OF LIVE BOMBS PLANTED IN INNOCENT CREAM PUFFS.

THINK OF METASTASIZING EVIL TWINS.

No previously published in other print or online magazines, but posted on a personal blog is okay. Simultaneous submissions are fine; just promptly inform if any of your submitted pieces are accepted elsewhere. An extensive cover letter is not necessary, but a brief introduction would be appreciated. If you’re someone who has a tendency to bitch at editors who reject your poems, then please don’t bother submitting to Blood Pudding Press. I will have to reject some quality work because it doesn’t suit my particular sensibilities and that’s the way it is. If you think your material might be a delicious fit for my sensibilities, then please submit 3-5 pieces (not one piece; not six pieces) to JulietX@Bust.com either in the body or as one attachment and include a brief bio note. Feel free to let me know if you have queries. I will be accepting material
from 15-30 different writers—and each accepted contributor will receive one complimentary copy of ECTOPLASMIC NECROPOLIS.

Let the fermentation begin.

***

In other oozing Blood Pudding Press news:

~Planchette, the spooky new poetry chapbook by Juliet Cook, is still available
here: www.BloodPuddingPress.etsy.com

~You may read Hippomancy, a sample poem from this chapbook in the literary magazine blossombones here.

~wing’d, the creaturific new poetry chapbook by Kyle Simonsen is coming from Blood Pudding Press next month! Yum!

BEST OF THE MICROPRESSES @ AWP

Note: this post may be updated over the next couple of days, as we finish going through our inbox, and hear of other events via flyers (always a DIY favorite, no?) or word of mouth.

In some cases, these events overlap, or are too far apart to reasonably expect to attend consecutively without a teleporter. Two travel tips: 1) always expect it to take longer than it should, and 2) when in doubt, ask a local. Check the MTA site for a map of the subway system. That'll be the most economical and fastest (trust me) way to get around. Buy a $20 Metrocard to share with a pal or two (not an unlimited, which will only swipe once every 20 mins) for the best value. It'd be a shame to limit yourself to Manhattan only. Brooklyn rocks!

AND I've heard at least a dozen micropressers and DIYers say they'll be carrying books/chaps/swag with them in bookbags, since not everybody can get into the conference itself. So keep your eyes peeled & ask 'em to show you their stuff! (I'll be a walking bookstore myself--hawking copies of Bloof's Drunk by Noon, A Gringo Like Me, For Girls (& Others) from my tote--special event price $10 each!--& bestowing limited advance copies of My Zorba on potential reviewers. Danielle Pafunda will also have copies of My Zorba in her bag to show off/give to reviewers.)

WEDNESDAY, January 30

8:00 PM in the East Village (Manhattan)

Jen Hofer & Daniel Machlin
The Poetry Project at St. Marks Church
131 E. 10th St.

Cost: All events are $8, $7 for students and seniors, $5 for members

DIY tip: These poets have books and chapbooks out from Ugly Duckling, Action Books, Dusie, and others, and Dan Machlin is the founding editor of Futurepoem Books. The Project hosts tons of NYC's best poetry readings and is must for historical reasons. Also, it's just down the street from St. Marks Books, a neighborhood favorite since the late '70s. St. Marks has impressive poetry and journal selections, as well as a couple of racks of DIY consignment stuff in the back.

8:00 PM in Park Slope (Brooklyn)

Pacific Standard
82 Fourth Avenue
(between St. Marks and Bergen Street)

4 Fab Poets: Susan Brennan, Aracelis Girmay (Curbstone Press),
Brent Hendricks, & Abraham Smith (Action Books)

DIY tip: Pacific Standard features a terrific selection of microbrews. List here.

THURSDAY, January 31

7:00 PM in Greenpoint (Brooklyn)

Steal This Reading: A Brooklyn Book Burning

w/ C.D. Wright, Eleni Sikelianos, Graham Foust,
Joyelle McSweeney, Joshua Marie Wilkinson,
Julie Doxsee, Max Winter, Adam Clay,
Zachary Schomburg, Morgan Lucas Schuldt,
Lily Brown, Rauan Klassnik, Cindy Savett,
Jon Thompson, Melanie Hubbard
& music by Walter Baker

Doors 7 PM, $6
@ East Coast Aliens
216 Franklin Street
btwn. Green & Huron

DIY tip: Hosted by Black Ocean, Cannibal Books, Free Verse Editions, Kitchen Press, Octopus, Tarpaulin Sky Press & Typo! A guaranteed chance to come home with a bagful of chaps. Plus, there's a party after:

Steal This Reading after party featuring DJ Janaka Stucky
just blocks away from East Cost Aliens

11:30 pm –3:30 am
@ Red Star
37 Greenpoint Ave.
corner of Greenpoint & West

FRIDAY, February 1

7:00 PM in the East Village (Manhattan)

Off-Site Switchback and Friends Reading

Switchback Books, Sarabande Books,
Red Morning Press, & Red Hen Press

Ivy Alvarez, Thomas Heise, Peggy Munson (via DVD!),
Liz Bradfield, Brandi Homan, Sean Norton, Jason Bredle,
Charles Hood, Eva Saulitis, Nickole Brown, Cate Marvin,
Mónica de la Torre, Simone Muench, & Caroline Noble Whitbeck

11th St Bar
510 E. 11st St.
(between Avenues A & B)

8:00 PM in Williamsburg (Brooklyn)

MICROPRESS POETRY PAGEANT
featuring Bloof Books, Coconut Books & No Tell Books

Who will be crowned Miss Micropress 2008? The audience decides.
Satin sashes, ridiculous talents, thought-provoking interviews.
And tiaras! Free book raffle! FREE admission!

Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Shanna Compton (judge), Bruce Covey (judge),
Jill Alexander Essbaum, Shafer Hall, Jennifer L. Knox,
Sueyeun Juliette Lee, Reb Livingston (host), Danielle Pafunda,
PF Potvin & Ravi Shankar (judge)

STAIN BAR
766 Grand Street
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(L TRAIN to Grand Street, 1 block West)
Doors open at 7:30. Show starts at 8:00.

DIY tip: Williamsburg is one of the easiest Brooklyn neighborhoods to reach from Manhattan--just hop on any of the many trains headed for Union Square, then transfer to the Brooklyn-bound L train for a straight shot to Williamsburg. The Stain Bar is a very cool place, owned by novelist Krista Madsen. They've got great beers and wines, plus those big soft pretzels. As a bonus, Maureen Thorson of Big Game Books and Stan Apps of Insert Press are coming along and will probably bring some of their chaps as well. And hey, at least it's not a marathon reading.

8:00 PM in SoHo (Manhattan)

POETRY AT PABLO'S BIRTHDAY GALLERY
526 Canal Street

Daniel Borzutzky, Sandy Florian, Johannes Göransson,
Paul Foster Johnson, Kimberly Lyons, Robert Strong,
Amy Wright & Jake Adam York

DIY tip: A shindig by Apostrophe Books, Action Books, Elixir Press & Instance Press. This venue is new to me, but it's in a cool section of SoHo, a scenic formerly-artists-now-ritzy-retail neighborhood with many bars, restaurants, and art galleries.

SATURDAY, February 2

3:00 PM in Park Slope/Fort Greene (Brooklyn)

Carla Harryman, Kristin Prevallet & Jenny Boully
Unnameable Books
456 Bergen St.
2 or 3 to Bergen Street, or B, Q, D, M or R to Atlantic/Pacific

DIY tip: Unnameable is a super bookstore, run by Adam Tobin. A friendly place with a great selection of new and used books, it's also in a cool area of Brooklyn, on the border between Park Slope and Fort Greene. If you're sick of the bookfair, maybe hit the Brooklyn Museum or Prospect Park before/after, if the weather's decent, or take in a movie at BAM.


6:00 PM in the East Village (Manhattan)

CANNIBAL
Jimmy’s No. 43 Stage
43 East 7th Street
(between 2nd & 3rd Ave)

Phil Cordelli, Jeff Encke, Andrew Hughes, Melanie Hubbard,
Ben Mazer & Bronwen Tate



DIY tip: Matt & Katy Henriksen make Cannibal by hand, and it's always full of good stuff. Hot-off-the-presses copies of Ben Mazer's The Foundations of Poetry Mathematics and Melanie Hubbard's Gilbi Winco Swags will also available.

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MICROPRESS HIGHLIGHTS FROM @ AWP BOOKFAIR

OK, so this is harder than I thought. I'm not finding many table # announcements, but a lot of general "come visit us at the bookfair" exhortations. So folks will definitely be in there, somewhere. Feel free to leave your info in the comment box below and I'll add it as I can.

DIY tip: As the bookfair goes on, usually a good number of the booths and tables are abandoned, and smaller presses often move in, squatter style. So by Saturday you may find many adhoc displays. It's one of the best things about the event, really. It's always a lot of fun to see people congregated at these impromptu tables, while some of the "more established" presses resort to giving away candy to draw attention. (Pics to come, for sure.)

Here are a few I know about:

Kitchen Press #21
Pilot Books/Small Fires Press/Factory Hollow Press # 91
Outside Voices/Flim Forum #??
The So and So Series/Rope-A-Dope Press #285
Red Morning Press #488
Barn Owl Review #406

Next week in the AWP madness...

...how will you know where to find your favorite DIYers & micropresses? Will they even be at this bloated, horny conference?

Yeah, sure they will. But maybe not always in the bookfair or hotel venues.

Some micropresses did get tables in the bookfair--usually they share spaces, in the best DIY tradition--so definitely swing through there if you've got a badge. Even the unwashed unregistered can get in on Public Saturday. The exhibitor list is here. But many are also hosting offsite parties, readings & other events.

So I'm trying to pull together a little list of the Best of the Micropresses AWP doings. Hopefully I can get that up here in the next day or two. Because with 7000+ registered participants, loads more unregistered participants, 2 hotels, dozens of offsite locations, and at least 2 boroughs, if you're unprepared you'll bound to miss a not-to-be-missed event.

In the meantime, check Jessica Smith's this AWP Facebook event page for some details, and the AWP offsite event schedule for a whole lotta shebanging.

A really great article on some DIYers in DC!

From the Washington City Paper:

Bots? Yes. God? Probably not. “I have a real love of post-New York School poetry,” says [Maureen] Thorson [of Big Game Books]. “I like things with a sense of humor, especially if it has robots in it. I’m a real sucker for robots and pseudo-post-Eastern European realism and stuff.” Don’t bother with John Ashbery impressions, though. “If I want to read John Ashbery, I can read John Ashbery,” she says. “He already exists. I also shy away from the religious stuff, unless it’s very odd.”

[...] “It’s just me running the press, so I try to let people know there’s not some objective panel of experts,” says Thorson. “Whether you get a book or not is whether or not I like it enough to make five little copies with my own little hands. If I take it, that’s a fun thing for you. If I don’t, I’m just one person, and I’m going to have my own weird quirks and tastes.”

In addition to Reen of Big Game, Michael Gushue of Vrzhu Press, Rod Smith of Edge Books, and Reb Livingston of No Tell Books also tell it like it is, invoke Papa Walt, pass the bullshit test, & explain the many fulfilling reasons why they DIY.

Good stuff! Go, y'all! Link.