Firewater & Pixie Dust by Karen Lillis (2013)

 

Firewater & Pixie Dust

Karen Lillis

Words Like Kudzu Press

Pittsburgh, PA

(c) 2013

There is a history here - both of a small "micro" press and the poet helmswoman in charge of it. 2 years before this item appeared, in a review of a previous book published by WLK, a reviewer mentioned Ms. Lillis's background and her time spent in Austin, Texas. 

I will save those details for another time, should I have the opportunity to review Emergency Room Wrestling by The Dirty Poet. 

I want to say that this story, illustrated by Nate McDonough, is quite something in its own write. The story was originally published in Trip City while Words Like Kudzu Press started in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NYC in 2000 to publish experimental work by women and "other outsiders". 

eurekas by Albert Goldbarth (1981)

 Eurekas

Albert Goldbarth

Ion Press/raccoon series

Memphis, TN

(c) 1981

Albert Goldbarth is a much published poet with more than 40 books in print. He has won numerous awards as well. This collection is somewhere in the middle of his writing career. 

Well made book of well crafted interconnected poems, or perhaps it should be read as single piece. 

 Somewhere on the Interstate

Roy Neil Graves

raccoon /Ion Books

Memphis, TN

(c) 1987

The 23rd publication put out by the raccoon series. The author was a long time English Professor at the University of Tennessee - Martin Campus. 

A typically good production of the press; the writing is very good and the presentation is notable. 

Drawing Music Poem by Kirby Congdon (1976)

 Drawing * Music * Poem

Kirby Congdon

The Cycle Press 

Brooklyn, NY

(c)1976

Cycle Press was co-founded by Kirby Congdon in 1976. This book is a mimeo oversized book. It contains, as the title states, a drawing - a piece of music - and a poem. 

It's a beautifully made book to be sure. 

loosely tied hands by Joe Rosenblatt (1978)

 loosely tied hands 

Joe Rosenblatt

Black Moss Press

Ontario, Canada

(c) 1978

Small format chapbook. Illustrated and unpaginated. 

I became familiar with this author's work when I was in Toronto in 2018 (found one of his books in a used bookstore). And recently found this item online. It's pretty interesting. The subtitle is "an experiment in punk". Well, kinda but not really. The author is too old to "get" punk and the thrust of the booklet is Eve leaving the Garden. Possibly. It's not exactly spelled out precisely. There is more interest in the snake. The snake as a metaphor yadda yadda. 

I wanted to like it more than I ended up liking it but that's not unique to this book. There are a number of concepts that don't quite reach their goal. I fear that is the situation with this book. All the same, you should read it. It's worth the adventure. 

The Dry Season by Malcolm Cowley (1941)

 The Dry Season

Malcolm Cowley

New Directions

Norfolk, CT

(c) 1941

Malcolm Cowley was a writer, talent scout, editor, historian, literary critic, and poet. He is most well known for his book Exiles Return by he was also the author of Blue Juniata a book of poetry that was published in 1929. 

This collection of poetry, staple-bound, marked his return to poetry as well as marking an evolutionary step for New Directions as it moved from chapbooks into books with spines. Unpaginated. A fine representation of Cowley's poetic work. 

Chicago in Autumn and other poems by Flora Bishop Hendricks (1987)

 Chicago in Autumn and other poems

 Flora Bishop Hendricks 

The Estate of Flora Bishop Hendricks

(c) 1987

This 45 page collection of poetry is as much a remembrance of the author as a volume of work. As one can see, it was published by the Estate of - Ms. Hendricks and at the end of the book is a mention of where the poems in this small book came from: a 1928 book entitled Bowls of Phantasy published by Robert Packard in Chicago and an unpublished collection of work written in the 1930s. 

Ms. Hendricks died in Putney, Vermont but had Chicago roots. Her poetry is emblematic of her time (not my shot of Bourbon) but it is beautiful in its own way.