The Burden of Time by Bradford Stark (1976)

The Burden of Time
Bradford Stark
The Bellevue Press
Binghamton, NY
(c)1976

Like so many books by Bellevue Press, this is an exquisite example of a hand-stitched chapbook on hand-made paper. Just a thing of beauty and quality missing from so many small press books. The poetry is terrific as well.

Gingko Leaves and Cellograss by Laura M. White (1978)

Gingko Leaves and Cellograss
Laura M. White
The Bellevue Press
Binghamton, NY
(c) 1978

Hand sewn chapbook. I am a bit confused as to why the publisher single-sided the poems. A lot of empty pages. The book isn't thick to begin with. The poems are okay. The cover image is good. Nothing remarkable. Perhaps the publisher should have stayed with bringing Ms. White out on broadsides.

The Women Who Drink at the Sea by Cecile Goding (1992)

The Women Who Drink at the Sea
Cecile Goding
State Street Press
Brockport, NY
(c)1992

Handsome chapbook of fine poetry. The poet-turned-playwright has lived in the Iowa City area for years. This is her earliest book. It's a gem.

The Man Who Burned Money by Barbara Unger (1980)

The Man Who Burned Money
Barbara Unger
The Bellevue Press
(c)1980

With a drawing by Michael Tanzer. Handsome chapbook. A single poem. This copy signed by the artist. Near perfect blending of art and text. Very fine indeed.

who was Hunce Voelcker?

The Hart Crane Voyages
Hunce Voelcker
Brownstone Press
NYC, NY
(c)1969

This is a start of an investigation as much as anything. A few months ago, I saw and became interested in reading a book entitled The Hart Crane Voyages published in 1969 by Brownstone Press, NYC. I got the copy I did because it was signed - and it was, by a family member to another family member basically saying "remember our relative". The fact that it was sold suggests that the relative opted not to remember. Sad when that happens.

It turns out that this book is a "biography" of Hart Crane. Prose/poetry/sumptin'. With footnotes. Also illustrated as well. But the illustrations are absolutely terrible. Like bad kid drawings terrible. Dregs. Ugh. If ever a book needed a redo, this one is it. And the funny thing is that this book by Brownstone is a redo - an original version of this book was made by cowstone press (NYC). I wish I had a copy of that version because once I decided to research this 'Hunce Voelcker' person I came to find out that he published other books of poetry and prose and that his first chapbook was called joy rock statue ship and was published in 1968 by cowstone press. It was designed and illustrated by a Don Lewis.

joy rock statue ship
Hunce Voelcker
cowstone press
NYC, NY
(c)1968

from a strictly visual aesthetic, the chapbook by cowstone is superior. Every page of the chapbook has an image on it. Beautifully done. This Don Lewis person took great care in putting this chapbook together. It's really something to strive for. I am extremely happy to have it. My research suggests that Voelcker and Lewis collaborated on a few cowstone press books in 1968 - 1969.

Hunce Voelcker was born in Pennsylvania in 1940. He ended up in San Francisco and was part of the Jack Spicer group. There's an established poetry contest bearing his name. He died early, perhaps during the AIDS epidemic.

I will continue to research the man. I am also interested in knowing more about this Don Lewis cat, his work in this chapbook was stellar.

The Book of Truants & Projectorlight by Joshua Marie Wilkinson (2006)

The Book of Truants & Projectorlight
Joshua Marie Wilkinson
Octopus Books
Lincoln, NE
(c)2006

This is the 8th book in the packet from the Octopus - this one a book of prose poems, primarily. Good stuff. Acknowledgments and hat tipping through misty mornings. Now 10 years dated but still fresh as tomorrow.

The Tides by Genya Turovskaya (2006)

The Tides
Genya Turovskaya
Octopus Books
(c)2006

Another in the 8 pronged attack from Octopus Books. 31 pages of a splattering of ink on mostly empty pages. The book is good, but sparse. As I am reading through the 8 chapbooks, I am noting the sparseness. More empty space than words. Beautiful covers masking few words.

a blog as a zine, electronic?

I am currently reading the 2005 book The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture by Amy Spencer and I am reading about zines and while this book is a bit dated now, it got me thinking how blogs have taken over - generally, and quite successfully - for zines. But there is something lost in the electronica; the fact that one is holding something REAL. So, I am wondering if I should make a paper form of this chap*book blog. Who on earth would care to read it? How many? I mean, if I were out there and had this particular interest (the obsession that leads me to do this blog) wouldn't it excite me to see someone else bring out such a zine? Of course it would. But hasn't that ship already sailed?

I could never write about every single chapbook ever made - no one could. There are chapbooks that have been landfilled, destroyed by fire or neglect. Promised and never brought out. All manner of reasons and excuses. There isn't a single location in the United States where chapbooks are collected. The Library of Congress? um, no. I remember when I was at Robin's Bookstore in Philadelphia, and would spend time in the myriad shelves of the basement there which were filled with small run chapbooks by lesser (or un-) known Afro-American authors. Not collected at Temple University or anywhere else. Not written about or reviewed. Just there on those shelves. Well, that bookstore is going and the space where all those chapbooks were located has been converted into a restaurant. So what became of all those books?

When poet Lou McKee died in Philadelphia I had heard that he had an extensive collection of chapbooks - but that they were kept in a place where they were exposed to moisture and most were ruined. Losses upon losses. The fabulous book A Secret Location on the Lower East Side delves into a good deal of the parallel universe of Mimeo and chapbooks with incredible listings of Presses long gone but relevant. But even that book would have to be dwarfed by an honest full listing of every publisher from every region or state, and a listing of the folks actually published by those Presses. The numbers would be staggering. And we really only know about those who went on to achieve work of greater note. Some poets only published with small presses. Others were themselves established poets who were equally adapt at being publishers.

Should I even think about this further or just publish and move on?

The Berkeley Bead Game by Julia Vinograd (1971)

The Berkeley Bead Game
Julia Vinograd
Cody's Books
Berkeley, CA
(c)1971

Ms. Vinograd's entire life has been one of being a street poet and advocate for those society has chosen to ignore. This is her second collection. The pomes remind me of the work of Philadelphia-based poet Charlie O'Hay. A poet of the street. Who lived the street. In the case of Ms. Vinograd, it's been 50 years of labor. Great collection of grit, street, and human cast-aways.

The Continuing Misadventures of Andrew, the Headless Talking Bear by Jonah Winter (2006)

The Continuing Misadventures of Andrew, the Headless Talking Bear
Jonah Winter
Octopus Books
(c) 2006

Tiny gem. Great collection of work in a small package. Worth the read.

Th Trancemigracion of Menzu by Charles Potts (1972)

Th Trancemigracion of Menzu
Charles Potts
Empty Elevator Shaft
San Francisco, CA
(c) 1972

Now here's a beautiful object. One of the reasons that I have been blogging about chapbooks is to acknowledge beautiful objects when I see them. This is one. I am aware of Charles Potts, but never heard of Empty Elevator Shaft press. I did a Google search for the press and it seems to have an active press in the early 1970's before disappearing - to resurface in special collections and as individual books for sale at high prices.

The copy I have is signed by Mr. Potts in 1974 and inscribed to a "Alta Kia".

I noticed that there was some corrections to the text using a different type font that the rest of the mss. Interesting to note. Broken english throughout. Maybe I should say brkn englsh thruout.

A fine representation of a "golden age" of chapbook making to be sure. Worth finding and adding to your collection.

DJ Spinoza's Dozen by Eugene Ostashevsky (2006)

DJ Spinoza's Dozen
Eugene Ostashevsky
Octopus Books
Lincoln, NE
(c) 2006

If Albert Einstein wrote mathematical formulas as poetic verse - it would be like this. The text could have used MORE equations though. Not quite mind altering enough for me.

I and My Chimney by Herman Melville (1856/2002)

I and My Chimney
Herman Melville
The Berkshire Historical Society at Herman Melville's Arrowhead
Pittsfield, MA

Nice bit of synergy here : the very location of this story is a museum dedicated to Melville himself. So, one could read this story while standing in the room and looking at the chimney written about. Good piece of marketing genius! B&W images of house, rooms, and Melville with arms crossed. Very well done.

The Ohio System by Jen Tynes & Erika Howsare (2006)

The Ohio System
Jen Tynes & Erika Howsare
Octopus Books
(c)2006

a 3rd helping of Octopus Books. A blended brew of two distinct writers working as one. They express it perfectly :

"There is another country underneath, bearing itself up.

If this is an emergency, cut it off. I would.

If I understood what she meant. Cut and cut."

Indeed so. Well played.

Perfect Villagers by Sueyeun Juliette Lee (2006)

Perfect Villagers
Sueyeun Juliette Lee
Octopus Books
Lincoln, NE
(c)2006

It isn't just one, it's a second of eight. All released at the same time, in the same binding. This one by poet Sueyeun Juliette Lee. This one of 300 printed in Lincoln, NE. Ms. Lee is a Korean-American poet and video artist. Some of her work appears on silentbroadcast.com. I became familiar with her poetry via one poem, Dear Margaret Cho which is the first poem in this tiny collection.

I also was familiar with her work from the 2007 Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs chapbook Mental Commitment Robots. I am happy to have a signed copy of that chapbook which does not seem to have been mentioned in this blog prior, but wow - Ms. Lee can write! Amazing stuff. With amazing accompanying collages by Brenda Iijima herself.

THIS 28 page collection is equally astounding. Her sense of self; of two selves - one American in tone and language and the other, already split in half by ideology and blood, graphic beyond imagining.

The Knife-Grasses by Julie Doxsee (2006)

The Knife-Grasses
Julie Doxsee
Octopus Books
(c)2006

Octopus - 8 arms. Octopus Books - 8 chapbooks released at the same time, in one red binding. This is the first of them. The poet is a Canadian-American who has a few books out now. This might be her first.

It's a staple-bound chapbook. 23 pages. As with many chapbooks I have seen in a particular vein of post-post-modernist writing, the white space is occasionally interrupted with words. Oasis in the desert of white space. The Knife-Grasses is a single poem. Worth the indulgence of sipping at the oasis in the desert. No hurry. Sip slowly. It's worth every swallow.

Two Views of Pears by Michael Davidson (1973)

Two Views of Pears
Michael Davidson
Sand Dollar
Berkeley, CA
(c)1973

Hand sewn chapbook. Lovely chapbook. Beautiful words as well. A joy to hold (and behold)

Never heard of the poet or the press before but I did a bit of research and found out that the papers of Sand Dollar are in Buffalo, NY. The man behind this press was Jack Shoemaker who is still a publisher in California. The poet, Michael Davidson, is a poet with a wikipedia page that isn't all that informative but it's there is you want to read it. He has published 8 or so books. This seems to have been his first.

Blue Horses by a.m. ingram (1976)

Blue Horses
a. m. ingram
Vagabond Press
Ellensburg, WA
(c) 1976

When I picked this up outside of Philly I had no idea about the author, the Press or anything. It's a bit water damaged on the cover but that's okay. I got it because it was a chapbook in a huge bookstore that didn't really display chapbooks terribly well. Few bookstores do that, actually : display chapbooks well.

Upon closer inspection though I saw that it was brought out in 1976 and typed out on an electric typewriter (am familiar with the font). Then I noticed that Cindy Bennett was created with the cover art. Cindy Bennett.... John Bennett? Yeah, a few minutes of deeper research provided me with a trove of chapbooks produced by Vagabond Press going back to 1960. Not sure if that's the same Vagabond Press but John Bennett was pivotal to the success of Vagabond. Although the Press was located in Washington State a number of Cleveland, Ohio based poets were published by Vagabond.

This is chapbook #4 and consists of short stories by Alyce Ingram who was born in 1914 in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was her first book.

First Touch by Glenn W. Cooper (2005)

First Touch
Glenn W Cooper
Bottle of Smoke Press
Dover, DEL
(c)2005

Just getting familiar with BOSP and they do some interesting work. Books in clamshell boxes. Specialized work. Famous poets (and lesser known ones) like this gent, Glenn W. Cooper. Oddly enough, I already wrote about a previous chapbook by this guy. Forgot about that one. This one is signed. One of 200 signed. I am not all that impressed with the work in this collection, sorry to say. It's difficult to separate the blogger/critic in me from the publisher in me from the poetry reader in me. Sorry, not loving this one. But I absolutely respect the work of this press and look forward to reading more of the books they publish.

I am San Francisco by A. D. Winans (2016)

I am San Francisco
A.D. Winans
Bottle of Smoke Press
(c) 2016

This tiny chapbook is a celebration of the life of Winans (he's still alive, just turned 80!) Handsomely done. Only 80 copies were made and all of them signed by Winans himself. Bill Roberts of Bottle of Smoke Press created this gem.