Poems Cradled in the Horn by Edel Ahmed (2017)

Poems Cradled in the Horn
Edel Ahmed
self published
(c)2017

I am writing to acknowledge this book. Perhaps the translation fails to bring forth the color of the original language, but I see a dull palate here. The downside of self publishing is that there is no one to suggest that an author not move forward with a project. Perhaps too this does speak to people from the Horn and I am simply missing the context that informs the pieces. Perhaps, maybe, but

The Metaphysical Salvage & Scrap Language Yard by Kenneth DiMaggio (2007)

The Metaphysical Salvage & Scrap Language Yard
Kenneth DiMaggio
Plan B Press
Alexandria, VA
(c)2007

I am wearing a t-shirt right now that has the slogans “Made in America Store” on the front and “Because China Is A Long Drive to Work!” on the back that was made by the Save Our Country First.com (company). At the time I bought the shirt, it reflected a knee jerk reaction on my part about how everything that we used to make in this country was no longer made in this country but was being produced EVERYWHERE ELSE. Now the store still exists, in Elma, NY and they still have a website but I remember feeling cheated about a store that proclaimed its “Made-in-America”-ness that basically was selling bobbles. Kitch. Grab bag stuff, nothing substantial or essential to my life in America was being sold in this store. But I bought a t-shirt to express my outright at – globalization? In this context all “globalization” means is that corporations and companies make deals to produce good in foreign countries to screw American workers out of decent paychecks to improve the bottom line for CEOs and shareholders. And, I fell for it.

But that knee-jerk reaction, that Nativistic impulse to flip someone off, that comes from somewhere in this country’s experience too. As the head of Plan B Press, I realize that I in fact published a chapbook that dealt with that “somewhere” when we published Kenneth DiMaggio’s 2007 The Metaphysical Salvage & Scrap Language Yard.

DiMaggio is an educator and he wedged these poems together out of left over bits of unfinished and unpolished pieces that in hindsight presented a lead up to the current “know-nothingness” of the Donald Trump supporter. It starts right away with the first poem : PROPAGANDA which contains the lines

Oh don’t tell me your
ideology or your religious
affiliation just quit your
job and let someone else
clean up the mess


the future is not our responsibility


the future is our ongoing art project
titled Anarchy


In the poem INSOMNIA DiMaggio wonders

where did your education disappear
but into an electric TV-screen
of quicksand


And as sharply as the pointed tip of the reality we are living through right now, he presented us this Polaroid image of the future in his poem THE LAST CLASSROOM CHALKBOARD:

Johnny may not be able
to read or write
but so long as he knows how
to salvage pieces of the Emancipation
Proclamation and the First
Amendment into marijuana pipes
and Kalashnikov rifles illegally made
in metal shop then he will still
have learned his lessons

DiMaggio leads us “astray” through the lens of an educator who is being outflanked on all sides by forces indifferent to values and principles that made this country the envy of the world – once – asking at the end of the last poem in the collection, WHERE IS PARADISE?


so don’t we need
to embalm

what was once vital and alive

Robert Lawson / Blue Bathtub Books

Robert Lawson
Blue Bathtub Books

I don't recall exactly when I met Robert Lawson electronically because I never met him in person but I met him a handful of years ago when he was just starting his Blue Bathtub experiment of creating a book of poems a month for something like 3 years. (Correct me if I am wrong, Robert). Lawson is a teacher of English in Spain. A Brit. A man of boundless energy and a bit of Brautigan/Bukowski in his soul. The books he created and sent me in the mail monthly were both explosive and more than occasionally written on a typewriter with drunken fingers.

The covers began humbly but over time became more distinctive and dare I say it - professional looking. The poems were mixed but definitely immediate. I completely enjoyed Robert's experiment and results thereof.

Once his project was completed, he went silent. Onto his next endeavor. Whatever that might be. It will be nearly impossible to find any of these chapbooks since he didn't mass produce any of them. What was most important was immediacy and that he accomplished.

Rough Cut : Independent Japanese Animation by Stephanie Weissberg (2017)

Rough Cut: Independent Japanese Animation
Stephanie Weissberg
Pulitzer Arts Foundation
St. Louis, MO
(c)2017

This thin pink booklet is an exhibition guide to show by the same name held in St. Louis. The booklet is tiny thin since it online deals with 3 animations and some additional words which to a non-film maker read like "blah blah blah".

The Life Story of Charles Dickens 1812-1870 by Walter Dexter (1937)

the life story of Charles Dickens
1812-1870
Walter Dexter
The Dickens House
London, England
(c)1937

A staple-bound biography of Dickens with B&W images. Very informative booklet. 85 pages. 

cunt. bomb. by Jessica Helen Lopez (2015)

cunt. bomb.
Jessica Helen Lopez
Swimming with Elephants Productions
(c)2014

Slam Poetry has created in 1990 by Marc Smith of Chicago who lamented that no publication would print his work. So, he "invented" a poetic form in a competitive format where money could be made via the performance of one's "work". I am oversimplifying, perhaps, but I am also not a fan of slam poetry. No one who has come up through Slam has been successful on the page. This particular chapbook is typical of the chasm between poetry on the page and poetry from the stage. The most shocking words in the entire book are the two on the front page: the title words CUNT BOMB. Those are some words alright, surprised that WHORE wasn't scribbled across the back cover for good measure.

Even as recited work, slam poetry is shallow. It's performance but there are rules about what qualifies as performance (no props, no visuals) so really it's a performer, com'on really that's what they are - they aren't poets, the language is in no means "poetic", a performer who can recite his/her work. And if they stumble, if they forget a line they tend to attempt a reset; they start over. What does or does not work on the stage does not at all translate to the page. Nearly even. Perhaps Saul Williams bridges that divide, depending. But for the most part no. And I speak as someone who has slammed and come up during the early years of slam when the film came out and the movement was fresh but even then I felt and sensed and knew that what was on the page was empty bullshit and what was on the stage was written for performance and did not come from the page. And these slam'vocates who proclaim they are heirs to the Beats are delusional. Yes, they all were outsiders. All were derided by the establishment, however one defined it, but not all Beat poets read their work well in public whereas the very existence of SLAM is performing in public.

I have been saying since the mid-1990s that a slam artist should release a CD of their work SPOKEN and not a book. Never a book. Because it does not translate and I maintain that to this day. I have repeated told poets who have sent me their manuscripts that aren't at all manuscripts but skits, pieces to be performed on stage that they need to present their work in some electronic way since I (as Plan B Press) would not publish their work as a book. This book reenforces my view entirely. Perhaps Ms. Lopez's stage presence is awesome; but her book is extremely lame.

2 booklets by Tilak (1991)

Sumithrayo organization published a series of staple-bound booklets in 1991 to promote the "teachings" of this fellow named Tilak. Not much to see here, really. Breaking Reality is 12 pages. Inner Visions is 10. Not a perfect 10 but a mere 10. And without the space is the title of one of Stevie Wonders greatest albums.

Just acknowledging them before pulping. Pulped. Move along.

Hawk High by John McKenzie (1974)

Hawk High
John McKenzie
self published
(c)1974

This is a dated chapbook. Yes, 1974 but also dated in that it's really not poetry as much as its song lyrics. I guess, I guess it's song lyrics because as poetry on the page it really isn't good. The singer-songwriter/poet is still with us. Living in Florida. There are some illustrations throughout the book and the copy I have was signed at some point by the author. But..... save a tree! (like the one drawn on the front cover!)

six-minute poems by George Hitchcock (2012)

six-minute poems
George Hitchcock
tavern books
Portland, OR
(c)2012

George Hitchcock was an influential publisher and writer for several decades before his death in 2010. His magazine, kayak, along with the books published under that impress touted some of the most significant writers of his generation. His own work was highly praised as well. These were among his final poems, collected here by tavern books, a non-profit publisher out of Portland, Oregon. Hand-sewn. Handsomely done.

This work would not have been possible without the assistance of Hitchcock's partner, Marjorie Simon. These 15 poems were selected from nearly 100 "final poems". Most poets do not know their final "final" so whatever is produced before last breath is determined by the living. The poet merely writes. It's what we all do. Hitchcock's poems written toward the end of his life reflect the humorous observations of this surrealist pen's man. Life is absurd as well as bitter as a scorpion's bite. He knew it, and wrote it. And we are collectively better for it. This collection is a fine tribute to a great American poet.

Catching the Light by Ann Slayton (1998)

Cathing the Light
Ann Slayton
Dryad Press
(c)1998

Long before I landed in the Washington DC area, this Press was doing yeoman's work in the Nation's Capital. This chapbook is an example of that effort. The poems float through our history, starting with a nod to Anne Bradstreet, this first poetess of what would become this country. A tight collection. Worth the find, and read.

Tales of the Sisters by Kim Garcia (2015)

Tales of the Sisters
Kim Garcia
Sow's Ear
Mount Jackson, VA
(c)2016

This was the 2015 winner of their chapbook contest. 26 pages, oddly sized. The poetry is good. Overall, it's a worthy book. My acknowledgment of the book is more sparse than the book itself. Sorry, perhaps I didn't have enough coffee this morning.

A Bill & Bob Sampler by Paul Stebleton (Squirrel Cane Press)

A Bill & Bob Sampler
Paul Stebleton
Squirrel Cane Press
Traverse City, MI
(c)2017

A few years ago I found online a copy of a book by some poet I never heard of, Paul Stebleton, and enjoyed the book enough to research the dude and discovered that he ran a bookstore in Traverse City, Michigan. I sent him some stuff and he sent me some stuff which included this "sampler" from his soon-to-be-published novel Bill's Thumbnail Sex Manual. I liked the cover imagery and text a good deal but only write about this now since it lay at the bottom of a heap of things in my office. Clutter mess heck and darn.

The previous book of his that I found was Bus Station Meditations which came out in 1992.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Mary Daggett Lake (1926)

The Legend of the Bluebonnet
Mary Daggett Lake
(c)1926

Found this amazingly beautiful booklet in a 1875 Art Journal tome which was itself donated to the local library. In the thick book was also a hand-painted tintype. Astounding items from long ago. Like this attractive booklet produced in Texas in 1926. Hand tied blue string with color photos of a field of bluebonnet flowers throughout. A definite keeper.

Lucky Girl by Tatyana Brown (2012)

Lucky Girl
Tatyana Brown
self published
(c)2012

This chapbook is the opposite of the recently mentioned "Heartbeats" which was a 75 page staple bound "chapbook" (should have been a book with a spine); this chapbook is 44 pages and does have a spine, with no words on it. What exactly is the point of that?

This collection is a good marker of the history of poetry in the United States in the Internet age; self-published surface poetry which isn't quite prose and isn't quite poetry and isn't quite good but the author was able to bring it out and she did. And I am acknowledging it. It seems a touchstone to the Instragram poets of dubious talent or knowledge. I am sure that I am coming across as a grinch, perhaps I haven't had enough coffee this morning. Or perhaps I get tired of reading "me" poetry.

Heartbeats by M'Lou Getz (1985)

Heartbeats
M'Lou Getz
C. Michael Spain and Assoc., LTD
Loveland, CO
(c)1985

As much as anything, this is an acknowledgment entry: this woman brought out this book of poetry. It was brought out as a staple bound chapbook although at 75 page, it ought not to have. It should have been a book with a spine. The author was wife of a Episcopal priest to whom she was married to for over 45 years. Her poems are quaint and in that regard, comforting. It is not my cup of tea, but it many people would be gratified to read through it. It's heartfelt which counts a great deal in this age of internet "poetics". And that alone is saying something.

No Half-Measures Here by Michelle Brooks (2003)

No Half-Measures Here
Michelle Brooks


I would add additional information about this chapbook but it's uncertain. This book was the 2003 winner of The Ledge Poetry Chapbook Award. I had to research online to find out that The Ledge is the name of a magazine that does indeed sponsor the contest and that the magazine is located in Bellport, NY but none of that information is IN the chapbook.

I digress. It's a good starting point for Ms. Brooks who has two collections published since this "tiny" as well as a novel. Everybody's got to start somewhere!

The Platonic Blow and My Epitaph by W. H. Auden (1985)

The Platonic Blow and My Epitaph
W. H. Auden
Orchises Press
Washington, DC
(c)1985

A number of years ago now I had a copy of this tiny booklet containing two poems. It was published in 1985 by Orchises Press which at the time was located in Washington, DC. The Press is now firmly located in Alexandria, VA just south as the river flows. I was taken then as now by the disclaimer on the front cover "Please Read Before Opening - This is a piece of homosexual pornography. If such material shocks or offends you, do not open this book...." and it goes on from there on the inside cover so in order to read the full explanation or apology or whatever the publisher was attempting to say, one needs to actually open the book that they were just warned against doing. Interesting. And, yes, there is porn - in words. The flashing red description of this booklet would suggest PORNOGRAPHY which in most minds would be visual and not in print. I have a book by Stanley Fisher, an obscure bit of mimeo from the 1960s that has pornographic images on the front and back cover. No attempt to hide anything there.

I said I did have - because I mailed the copy I had to a friend and figured I would never see another copy of it again. And I can happily say that I was wrong. For the Auden completist, this is worth having. Orchises has gone on to publish dozens of titles, none as thin or primitive as this one which suggests that it's early in the life of the press.

The Hancock Shakers (1961)

The Hancock Shakers
Edward Deming Andrews
Shaker Community, Inc.
Hancock, MA
(c)1961


The history of the Shakers is fascinating in the US. Shakers were more than a community of believers, they were also craftspersons of distinctive and original works of furniture and art. This 39 page booklet is in actuality the first publication of previously unpublished manuscript records including the documents "A Book of Records kept by Daniel Goodrich" and "Manuscripts found among the writings of Deacon Daniel Goodrich, Senior after his decease." Deacon Goodrich, one of the principle founders of the Hancock Society, died in March, 1807, at the age of 68.

This is a gem of a booklet and especially collectible among members of this community. It was also beautifully done.

A Tokyo Stroll by Herschel Silverman (2002)

A Tokyo Stroll
Herschel Silverman
Sisphus Chapbook Series #5
(c)2002


Sometime before 2007 I had a postcard exchange that led to a packet of chapbooks arriving from NYC - based poet Steve Dalachinsky. One of the items he sent me was this tiny chapbook by Herschel Silverman. Part of the same series that produced his own chapbook which I mentioned back in 2007 (chapbook #16), the cover art was by Yuko Otomo. Since it was signed, I prompt put it in my collection without - unfortunately - another thought until today when I was reading the original article by John Clellon Holmes in which he first used the term "Beat Generation" and along the border on the first I saw this piece and said to myself "Hey, I know that name!" and then I went into my catacomb of chapbooks and found this gem.

As if often the case with talented but mostly forgotten individuals - once the spotlight has been turned off, so too does the attention. This chapbook consists of two poems: Lift Off #21: A Tokyo Stroll and Cittee Cittee Cittee #2 which first appeared in Talisman #13. The article by Levi Asher does him more justice than I could possibly and it is interesting to note that a book of his collected work does use the same title as this "little sliver of nothing". He is not forgotten.

all small caps Anthology 2 (2008)

all small caps
Anthology 2
Wendell, MA
(c) 2008

This is a regional publication for the reading series that was located at the Deja Brew in Wendell, MA. These publications are very good to have since they give one a breath and depth to the poetry happening in areas outside of NY or SF (or wherever popular opinion would suggest that art happens). This particular volume is dedicated to a recently deceased poet named Doris Abramson. Some of her work appears in the anthology, along with poems by Heather Willey, Mark Hart, Janet MacFadyen, Bill O'Connell. Mathew Kane, Adam Golaski, Candace Curran, Howard Faerstein, Dina Stander, Andrew Hughes, Dustin Williamson, and bg Thurson. The only poet in this collection I heard of is the last poet in it. Brenda Iijima - Yo-Yo Labs. It's a worthwhile regional collection to have.