Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Totemic by Deirdra Baldwin (1983)


Totemic
Deirdra Baldwin
Burning Deck
Providence, RI
(c)1983

Great chapbook. Unpaginated. Not familiar with this poet but very familiar with the Press. I did a quick Google search and found that she is currently a Yahoo contributor and is a published poet with five books, including Gathering Time, The Emerging Detail, An Occasional Suite, Totemic, and Inside Outside, with poems by Deirdra Baldwin and drawings by artist Gene Davis, and ninety individual poems published by regional literary presses, magazines, and journals including Ploughshares and New Directions. She is the recipient of a Wurlitzer Foundation Fellowship and honorary positions as a Poet in the Schools in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. She has served on the editorial board of Washington Writer's Publishing House and The Word Works, a poetry publishing house and literary organization of which she is a founding member. She has experience in film, video, and audio production, has produced and directed several independent dramatic projects, as well as radio advertising campaigns, and is currently marketing a novel called EDGY, while working on a second. She lives in Taos, New Mexico, because everyone waves to one another and says hello.


Burning Deck is the handiwork of the Waldrops, Keith and Rosemarie. They founded the Press in 1961. Known for publishing innovative poets, Burning Deck also publishes two series of translation: Serie d'ecriture presents a new book of contemporary French poetry each year; Dichten= presents an annual volume of contemporary German writing

This chapbook is #236 of 500 printed. Prose poetry.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

North Ridge Lore (1981)


North Ridge Lore
Rosalind Bovey, Chairman
North Ridge Citizens Association
Alexandria, VA
(c)1981

72 page chapbook of local history. Wraparound photo on front cover. Filled with B&W images, maps, and remembrances throughout.

Local histories do well in the chapbook format. I have been collecting them for awhile. There is interest in them from collectors. This one is 62 pages of history with 3 pages of ads, which are now dated, signifying a moment in time. The area involved is a section of Alexandria between Duke Street and King St. (route 7) which was developed in the 1920s. This history is fairly extensive and important for anyone interested in the history of Alexandria as well as Northern Virginia. Worth the while!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Complete Failure of Everything Jose Padua (2008)


The Complete Failure of Everything
Jose Padua
The Apathy Press Poets
Baltimore, MD
(c)2008

In addition to being a blogger on the subject of chapbooks, I am a publisher and I have been handed my share of Rap/ Spoken Word/ Slam poetry over the years. My response has been that most of the poets who work in this field ought not have a book but need a CD so that the "reader" can appreciate the work as it is performed. Mostly the poets who live in this world think of their work on the page as secondary to their performance of the work on stage. For cash prices. I remember the scene in the film 'Slam Nation" in which an editor at St. Martin's Press is commenting on the lack of sales worthiness that slam poets are on the page. I have to agree to a point. I haven't seen a book of poetry that does justice to the performative nature of a good Spoken Word poet.

This brings me to the wonderful poet Jose Padua who is not being served well by the 2008 chapbook The Complete Failure of Everything. The quality of the chapbook is minimal, to be kind. Jose needs a CD to capture him at his best. His voice is just incredible. His work when spoken makes the experience nearly perfect. On the page, on the page as presented by The Apathy Press, I would not be interested in his work. They don't present him well. If I didn't know who he was, I wouldn't bother finding out anything else about him. However, I do know his work and have heard him read and that experience is incredible! A must for any lover of poetry.

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Medieval Scenes by Robert Duncan (1978)


Medieval Scenes
Robert Duncan
The Kent State University Libraries
Kent, Ohio
(c)1978

Preface by author, Afterword by Robert Bertholf. Unpaginated. Staple-bound chapbook. Containing material from the 1950 publication as well as work from 1959. Much has been made of this collection. A definite "find".

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Toothpaste Press, Ugly Duckling Presse, Fathom Press

plenty of chapbooks to discuss including fabulous chapbooks by Toothpaste Press and until recently unknown Press, Fathom Press, and one of its foremost persons in Robie Liscomb, as well as a stack of newly published chapbooks by Ugly Ducking Presse.

coming up soon!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Swarming Buzzwords for the HoneyBlood (2006)


Swarming Buzzwords for the HoneyBlood
Marvin Scott Marvin
self published
Las Vegas, NV
(c)2006

32 page staple bound chapbook. Others have expressed admiration for this one. I don't see it. The quality of the presentation is god awful. The poetry isn't very good. SAVE A TREE!!!

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Now I Become Myself by May Sarton (1992)


Now I Become Myself
May Sarton
rumble press
Burlington, VT
(c)1992


Hand printed. Designed, set, printed and bound during the winter of 1991-92 by Bruce Conklin. This is number 334 of a run of 400. Unpaginated. Purple hand made cover paper. Beautiful chapbook.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Two From the Book by Hal W. Trovillion (1956)


Two From the Book
Hal W. Trovillion
Trovillion Private Press
Herrin, IL
(c)1956

Staple-bound chapbook. Christmas gift by printer Hal W. Trovillion to friends of his and his wife, Violet. This copy is #32. Unpaginated. Yellow cover stock. Extremely rare item.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Scottish Cafe by Susanna H. Case (2002)


The Scottish Cafe
Susanna H. Case
Slapering Hol Press
Sleeping Hollow, NY
(c)2002

The cover is a perfect representation of a composition book. 37 page chapbook well-made by Slapering Hol Press, the imprint of the Hudson Valley Writers Center. The chapbook was the winner of their annual contest. All the same, it's glaring to see that her name was misspelled on the cover, title page, and throughout : It's Susanna, not Susan. Yet there it is: neon flashing MISTAKE MISTAKE MISTAKE.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Land's End by Gwen Worley (1976)


Land's End
Gwen Worley
The Four Oceans Press
Maplewood, NJ
(c) 1976

8 page Lesbian story. Chapbook from a very small press. Not much known about author. Cover design handsomely done by Philip Coppola.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pantomime by Wayne McNeill (1974)


Pantomime
Wayne McNeill
Catalyst
Scarsborough, Ontario, Canada
(c)1974

Unpaginated. Staple-bound chapbook. Nice little collection of poems, I especially like "The Reading". Rare chapbook.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

the silver book by Jen Bervin (2010)




The Silver Book
Jen Bervin
Ugly Duckling Presse
Brooklyn, NY
©2010

It seems a simple enough chapbook to write about : this book represents the physical manifestation of an installation by Jen Bervin entitled Mississippi, or does it? I wanted to make sure that I sound the least bit intelligent when writing about the chapbook so I contacted Ms. Bervin who told me that chapbook was a “through-line” more than a representation of another work, like, say the installation. He

This confusion or hesitation on my part comes from the timing of receiving a packet of chapbooks for reviewing from Ugly Ducking Presse at roughly the same time that Plan B Press was releasing the first chapbook by Paul Fauteux entitled “The Best Way to Drink Tea”. Fauteux’s chapbook is basically a Play Bill for a performance piece created for the poem “The Best Way to Drink Tea” by Paul Fauteux. He collaborated with his mates Ben Nicholson and Spencer Leach to create a multimedia conceptual piece (film + reading + music). Having witnessed the performance piece and published the text for it as a book, I was interested in how Ms. Bervin and Ugly Duckling Presse handled a similar situation with her The Silver Book .

I received a review copy from UDP which I found wanting. The cover was white with silver lettering, stating the title and words REVIEW COPY at the bottom. At the end of the copy were the publisher info and description of the book which included the following: “the covers are printed on the same silver paper used in bervin’s installation, the river, 230 ft. panoramic scale model of the Mississippi river composed of handsewn sequins, silver paper, and thread”. Okay, fine, I suppose I was suppose to imagine the cover and the installation while reading the text – since the text was all that was present in front of me.

But knowing that there was more I needed to see the “whole package”, the chapbook was it was released to the world. I bought a copy – silver paper cover with letter pressed title on front cover. Otherwise, it looked nearly identical to the review copy. Okay, there was one noticeable difference: the paper stock was marginally better. I now reference Ms. Bervin’s own description of the text as a “through-line”. It is not an exact representation of the installation nor was it meant to be. I have to contrast this with “The Best Way to Drink Tea” which uses a still from a film by Nicholson for the piece: the visualization of the poem, itself altered to include a teabag in water, tinted blue, added by the Creative Director of Plan B Press.

What I am curious to examine in these cases is how one medium is presented in another. How is an installation “presented” on the page, how a performance piece can be “presented” in book form. Do they capture the other art form or merely document the existence of the other? Can words alone describe images, visual arts?

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Greying Ghost Press

During the summer of 2010, I discovered Greying Ghost Press and got a small booklet from them. I didn't just receive a booklet however. I got a packet of material. Some that made sense and some truly bizarre pieces of ephemeral. Theirs is an interesting tale, you should check it out here:

Greying Ghost Press

Monday, June 06, 2011

afterlife 9 by s. c. virtes

afterlife 9
s. c. virtes
self published
(c)2006


The chapbook proves (again) that anyone with a computer and printer can produce a chapbook. It looked better on ebay than it does in hand. Photocopy express, I'm talking! SAVE A TREE!

Thursday, June 02, 2011

37 Psalms from the Badlands McCreesh (2008)



37 Psalms from the Badlands
Hosho McCreesh
Kendra Steiner Editions #85
San Antonio, TX
(c)2008

Staple bound chapbook. Single sided poems. Poorly designed booklet, done on the cheap. The poetry isn't bad. McCreesh is worth reading.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

parrot on a motorcycle (1924/2010)


Parrot on a Motorcycle : On Poetic Craft
Vitezslav Nezval
translated by Jennifer Rogers
Ugly Duckling Presse
Brooklyn, NY
(c)2010


I have a soft spot for Ugly Duckling Presse. I got to witness one of their "anti-readings" in 2002 and found it refreshingly unpredictable. I have favored their chapbooks and enjoyed their aesthetic, as best as I understood it. This short essay on the "craft of poetics" was originally written in 1924 and was included in Nezval's book Pantomima along with plays, prose pieces, and music. It appears in this form in English and Czech. The cover is a brightly colored image of a bicycle tire. It looks good.

But let me go back to an earlier statement of mine; "I......enjoyed their aesthetic, as best I understood it". I don't see that this very short piece, regardless of the accuracy of its translation and its visuality is worth the effort. Nor the price. As an outsider to their collective effort and mind-set, I don't "get it". So be it. I am not familiar with the work of Nezval and this piece doesn't do much to enlighten me. However, for those who love the work of Ugly Duckling Presse, you ought to find a copy of this one as well.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Two Books by Idiots' Books




Facial Features of French Explorers
Idiots’ Books
Volume 1
Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson
Chestertown, MD
©2006

The Vast Sahara
Idiots’ Books
Volume XIV
Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson
Chestertown, MD
©2008

What a bunch of Idiots! This tag-team of illustrator and writer has produced an interesting line of books that are beautifully made and visually astounding. I met these Idiots at the AWP convention in Washington, DC in Feb. 2011 and was immediately drawn to their books are a great example of the synthesis between image and text. A wonderful blend. Captivating. I recommend you check out their wares at www.idiotsbooks.com

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Joel Colton/Randal Rupert (1979)

The Night Becomes Thick and Comfortable
Joel Colton/ Randal Rupert
Philadelphia Eye and Ear
Philadelphia, PA
©1979


This unpaginated chapbook is a nearly perfect merging of text with image. Joel Colton was a poet and photographer who died at Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980. He was well known and respected in Philadelphia and had collaborated with a number of artists in an effort to present his work in a greater artistic context. Here, the handwritten text with images by Randal Rupert completely captivate the imagination and broaden the range of the possible in terms of how poetry can be SHOWN on the page.

This brave chapbook was printed at the Print Center in Brooklyn. The publisher’s name indicates the direction that the Press was aiming toward. It’s a direction I fully appreciate. The “Stay-at-Home” division of Plan B Press is also interested in pursing visual work with text and poetry with images. The interesting thing about this Colton/Rupert collaboration is that each spread is completely different and unique within the book. The handwriting on some spreads is like calligraphy. On other spreads, it’s like someone’s hand written letter to their mother.

I first heard of Colton from Philly poet Jim Cory who mentioned him in one of Cory’s poem. That was in 2002. Since Joel died, his work has been fading into the dustbins of time. The work deserves wider recognition. Hopefully these brief words will help in that effort.


Here is a spread from the book :

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Sorcery Part 2 Hugh & Mary Behm-Steinberg (2007)


Sorcery
A second Book of Days
Hugh & Mary Behm-Steinberg
Dusie.org
Switzerland
(c) 2007


This is a follow-up to Sorcery Part 1 which was written in 1997-98. Hugh provides the text and Mary creates the images. This book was laid out in Word, which Hugh acknowledged was very difficult indeed as there are a least two images on every page. Unpaginated. 5 1/2" X 8 3/4". Green cover. Staple-bound chapbook. Meant more as an experiment than for a wider audience. The chapbook retains a sense of book creation in the late 1990s - early Internet period. The countless images, all Black & White apparent clip-art versions of highly colorized Medieval images, are either overly dark or washed out. This does not take away from the writing but it doesn't enhance the experience in a way that I am certain that the Behm-Steinbergs intended either.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Jack Kerouac Upper Peninsula Diary (1998)


The Jack Kerouac Upper Peninsula Diary
T. Kilgore Splake
Angst Productions
Calumet, MI
(c)1998

I first became aware of T Kilgore Splake's work from some broadside published by Alpha Beat Press of New Hope, PA. I wrote to "Splake" and he replied with a letter and some of his other work. One of those items was this chapbook.

42 page diary, staple-bound book with B&W images. The writing, in the manner of Jack Kerouac, is interesting. For myself, the enlightening - the peeling back of the onion skin - is itself part of the back story which is something I am always eager to find. For example, one of the presses that brought out some of Splake's books is called enigma press in Philadelphia. I lived in Philadelphia for two years and was in charge of the chapbook section at the venerable Robins Bookstore and I never saw anything by enigma. In fact, I never heard of enigma until I looked over the material I received from Splake over a decade ago.

I found a wikipedia page on Splake which indicates that he is editor in chief of Angst Productions. Angst Productions just happens to be a publishing company that has produced a number of his books. I am just saying....