Tactics of Survival by George Hitchcock (1964)

Tactics of Survival

George Hitchcock 

The Bindweed Press

San Francisco, CA

(c)1964

Bindweed Press was best known for their SF rock concert posters of the mid-1960s. Headed by Frank Westlake, the posters became synonymous with "the scene" and various SF venues. This handsome letter pressed book was published prior to that as George Hitchcock was just himself coming onto "the scene" in the poetry/playwright sphere.

The Bindweed Press started operation in 1962, publishing an earlier George Hitchcock book, Poems & Prints, with poetry by Hitchcock and illustrations by Adrian Wilson. 

 One of 700 printed. 8 drawings by Ann Parisi grace the pages. Handmade paper for cover stock. Staple-bound. 35 pages. Quite the item!

15-Second Plays published by Ugly Duckling Presse (2012)

15-Second Plays

curated by The Debate Society

....

I was in the local second hand shop which supports the local hospital, and I went to the book section and saw a "little sliver of nothing" colored green and I pulled it out and looked at the front and wondered 'what the hell is this?' and then I turned it over and 

went "ah ha" because Ugly Duckling Presse I was quite familiar with.  Now, 15 second plays by a slew of unfamiliar names, well - again, a curious selection ...

....

Ugly Duckling Presse

New York City, NY

(c)2012

.....

Unpaginated staple-bound chapbook, one of 1000 printed. The generous (but likely befuddled) volunteers at the shop posted it for sale at .50 cents. I could afford that. And it is an interesting collection of plays if something 15 seconds short can count. Not surprisingly, it is out of print. 

Pushing Out the Envelope by Tsaurah Litzky (1992)

Pushing Out the Envelope

Tsaurah Litsky

Apathy Press Poets

Baltimore, MD

(c)1992

I found this woman's first chapbook on a small online bookselling presence, kind of like a virtual street corner shop, and bought it primarily because I was familiar with the image on the front cover. Turns out that Tsauarh Litzky is alive and living in NY. 

It seems that long ago Apathy Press hosted a reading series in NY and Ms. Litzky attended these readings and the folks at Apathy Press offered to publish her - first chapbook, in fact. 

I will have to research more about Apathy Press Poets and Ms. Litsky

THERE AIN'T NO FLIES ON THE LAMB OF GOD Morgan Press anthology (1974)

 

There Ain't No Flies on the Lamb of God

Morgan Press

Milwaukee, WI

(c) 1974

Unique book comprised of poems by poems and images of artists associated with or chosen by publisher Ed Burton. Plywood back cover. One of only 50 copies made. Hand printed with teak and hand woven wool cover. Jim Sorcic is among those presented in this collection. Jim Gibbons, Lyn Lifshin, Paul Grillo, and others round out this handsome and extremely rare book. 

Where's My Mommy? by Jim Sorcic (1991)

Where's My Mommy?

Jim Sorcic

Morgan Press

(c) 1991

Published the same year as his large book, This Could Lead to Dancing, this small unpaginated book used the same cover stock for both books. This book is dedicated to Rachel Orvino. Short prose pieces, basically about single parenting his daughter. Something I can relate to - differently. 

The tale and the trail of this family through literary collapse continued for a time beyond This Could Lead to Dancing with the 1992 Morgan Press version of Jim's 1972 book one day, one long day...  and his 1994 book Small Handbook for the Heart: The Adoption Poems because Jim adopted a (or two) young Vietnamese boys. 

Two other things I would like to add here about Morgan Press. Morgan Press was Ed Burton and Jennifer Roanhouse and possibly others. It existed from the early 1970s into the 1990s. It began in Ed's basement in Milwaukee where he had an old letterpress and he made chapbooks, postcards and posters. According to Jim Gibbons. Gibbons' first book, Prime the Pump, was the first book printed by Morgan Press in 1970. Ed Burton had a wife, Vickie. 

I know that jennie orvino moved to California. I don't know what became of Rachel Orvino. I hope she is happy and is doing well. 

 

The Cost of Living by Jim Sorcic (1980)

The Cost of Living 

Jim Sorcic

Morgan Press

Milwaukee, WI

(c) 1980

 A short story with some shadowing of the author's real life, imaged perhaps, or fictionalized to a degree but all the same : Sorcic has dropped any hint of the "orvino" part of his life. 

Awake by jennie orvino (1975)

 Awake

Jennie Orvino

Milwaukee Feminist Printing Collective

Milwaukee, WI

(c) 1975

This chapbook is a collection of, as the poet stated herself, "scraps" of poetic output from 1973 - 1975. 

Work that was produced during a critical time in her life. Here shown on back cover with her "special friend", Barbara. This chapbook is dedicated to her daughter, Rachel, as well as Barbara and to her mother who she is convinced will never read this booklet. 

Fascinating time piece.  

The Human Songbook by James Sorcic (1974)

The Human Songbook

Jim Orvino-Sorcic

Morgan Press

Milwaukee, WI

(c)1974

Within the saga of this marriage coming apart while raising a daughter separately/together, in 1974 Jim was still publishing as "Orvino-Sorcic" even though this chapbook is dedicated to a different woman. It is an oddly sized book to be sure. The poems tell of the upheaval and disintegration of a relationship found to be "faked" with bitter consequences as must be lived. It's heart-wrenching and truthful. As good writing needs to be. 

like a tree by jennie orvino

like a tree

jennie orvino

Gunrunner Press

Milwaukee, WI

This thin sliver of nothing seems to be the next in chronologic order, an undated brief sex poem illustrated by a Jim Forest. One of 250 printed. 

one day. one long day. a child looked over all that was. & was not pleased. at all. by jim sorcic (1972)

one day. one long day. a child looked over all that was. & was not pleased. at all

Jim Orvino Sorcic

Interabang Books 

(c)1972

Published the same year as Jennie Orvino's The Fish, the Virgin, and the Lion, this handsome chapbook is dedicated to their daughter Rachel. Jim has adopted his wife's name as his middle name (akin to John Ono Lennon) but there is no additional mention of her in this collection. 

It's a pretty heavy chapbook, actually. The poem series is about George Armstrong Custer and a massacre that he is involved in, told from a child's point of view and dedicated to his newly born daughter. Heavy stuff. Beautifully created chapbook though. All the credit in the world to the publishers. The name INTERABANG lives on as a bookstore name in Dallas, Texas but I am not willing to say that the publisher in 1972 and the bookstore today are in any way connected. 

the next one in the saga was already written about

 January 14, 2019. The Fish, The Virgin, and the Lion by Jennie Orvino. Seems to have been self-published in 1972 with B&W photos by Barbara Gibson. Jennie has given birth to a daughter, Rachel, and is coming to terms with a side of herself that she had not previously felt - a lesbian nature. Barbara was more than a photographer in this scenario. As the poems in the collection reveal, and a page of photos of the two of them on a bed, innocently looking at the camera and then each other, this coming out was captured in real poetic time. 

The collection was dedicated to daughter and husband but Barbara did get a special notice. In her bio on her website, all these years later, Jennie Orvino mentions that she lived in Milwaukee for 10 years. But that's all she mentions. No husband. No daughter. No coming out. Just the time she spent in the city. Scrubbed of their importance in her live. Or why she moved to California, where she still lives. 

A Year from Yesterday by James Sorcic (1970)

A Year from Yesterday

James Sorcic

Vertigo Publications

Wales, UK

(c)1970

Following some level of a chronologic order, this would be the next. A very thin chapbook printed in Wales in 1970. The interesting thing about this one is that the back cover has a write-up BY jennie orvino.  

So, they were involved by 1970. The book is dedicated to and almost all the poems mention jennie orvino. (married? the booklet is dedicated to jennie orvino sorcic)

One of the poems contains the line "jennie give me my son". Ironically, they had a daughter. But that's a thread for another book and another posting.