Thursday, June 26, 2014

Vodka and Roses by Michael Irene Welch (1978)


Vodka and Roses
Michael Irene Welch
Toothpaste Press
West Branch,Iowa
(c)1978

Uniquely sized chapbook. Pink cover. Linoleum block images by Cinda Kornblum. Staple-bound. The more I collect Toothpaste Press books, the more interesting it becomes to see the evolution of the Press over time. From thin well crafted chapbooks toward books with a spine. Of course, one could conclude, this Press would evolve into something else - and it did - Coffee House Press!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Shaved Code by Frances Richard (2008)


Shaved Code
Frances Richard
Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs
Brooklyn, NY
(c)2008

#53 of 130 printed. Unpaginated. Poems as collage as cover. Fragmented. Great chapbook. Simply said.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Above Us Only Sky : Atheist Poetry (2003)


Above Us Only Sky: Atheist Poetry
edited by Michelle Rhea and Anita Barnard
Incarnate Muse
Sanata Barbara, CA
(c)2003

100 page anthology, which is a staple-bound chapbook, is like a ducked billed platypus (what kind of odd bird is this?) A chapbook that is 100 pages is not a chapbook. All the same, the poetry is mixed. Some familiar names. Some decent poems.