Glovebox Poems & Stuff

First, a little birdy dropped a copy of John Olivares Espinoza's The Date Fruit Elegies into my lap.  Definitely one of the best book of poems I've been slipped since leaving the dept. mailbox behind.  The second poem in the first section just about made me cry: definitely worth something special.  My favorite poem is "Love Simple."  Maybe he'll let me make a Glovebox Poem out of it.

"What's a Glovebox Poem?" you ask.  

They're what I'm gonna call the little handmade mini-books I put a call for out last week.  If you missed the details, here they are again, in a more concise format:

Guidelines:

- For length, I'd love it if the piece fits vertically on half a piece of standard 8.5" x 11" paper in a font size that's not too tiny for the average person's eyes.

- Poems can be unpublished, but previously published poems are just fine too. If they are previously published, please tell me in what journal and what issue, so I can give credit. [I include this because there have been times when I've wished a revision could make it out there again.  Because this is a different medium than a journal, and as long as rights have reverted back to you, I think it's all right. Besides, clearly I dig the taste of those previous editors, and am happy to promote their fine journal while I promote your kick-ass art.]

- Email them to adam.s.deutsch(at)gmail.com, with "Glovebox Poem by" in the title.  

- I'll be making these by hand with as many found materials as possible, so please be patient. 

Because this is the first time I'm doing this, and have no idea how they'll come out, I'm gonna just give them away.  I'll mail a free copy of the finished product to everyone who sends me their address in their submission.   I'll put a stack of them in the mail to the person whose poem I select to make the Glovebox Poem for. I'll make as many as I can (shooting for between 50 & 100)

This first one will feature cover art by a local stencil artist who doesn't want to be identified at this time so that they don't get scooped up by the fuzz.  

Find these guidelines and news on the project at gloveboxpoems.com.

I'm Open for Submissions

Hi everybody,

I'd like to make a little chapbook.  A single poem, not one of my own.  Assembled by hand, and small enough to fit in your glovebox or in the back of your passport.

Not a very long poem.  Something less than 30 lines?  I'm thinking I'll make 50 or 100 of them.  If I take your poem, I'll send you a bunch of them.  I'll give the rest to people who want them.  If they're part of a forthcoming manuscript, I'll put in a note about that.  

Something previously unpublished would be cool, but if it's already appeared in a journal, and the rights have reverted back to you, I'll cite where it previously appeared.  If you have a blog or website, I'll include the plug for that in a brief bio.  

If that sounds cool, email something for me to consider: adam.s.deutsch(at)gmail.com.  Start the subject like with "One poem by".

Peace,

Adam

PS - If you submit a poem, include a mailing address, I'll send you one of the finished products, even if it ain't your poem. :)

UPDATE: These won't be photocopied/kinkos kinda things.  I will be hand making each one, and from recycled/discarded/found materials.  Each cover will feature original art, and each piece will be unique.  Just letting you know.  

Get Your HOBART On

I've decided I'm gonna spend a healthy portion of today outside.  But before I step out into the sun, I wanted to remind you about Hobart:

THE GREAT OUTDOORS!
* Submissions for the print journal are again open!
For the coming months, we will only be reading stories for our next
theme issue: The Great Outdoors! so send us stories about getting
outside.
http://www.hobartpulp.com/print/submit.html


BASEBALL!
* We are also now reading for our annual web baseball issue. Send us
short fiction and essays and even haiku(s) about baseball!
http://www.hobartpulp.com/website/submit.html


Mary Miller's BIG WORLD!
* We sold the hell out of these at AWP and, basically, if you don't
already own one, you are letting yourself down. It's been getting
great praise all over the place, and rightfully so: the stories will
kick your ass, in the best of ways, and it looks (if we may brag for
just a second) pretty damn amazing.
http://www.hobartpulp.com/minibooks/index.html



And we're off.

Sounds and a few sights

One thing I miss about living in central Illinois is the radio stations, particularly WILL FM on a Saturday afternoon and into the night.  San Diego has a wonderful Jazz radio station: 88.3.  Feel free to click and listen online--I did years ago when I was painting a kitchen in a house I lived in; it's a little goofy to paint in Illinois November and hear a weather report from Downtown SD.  

Also been listening to Folk Alley, Minn. Public Radio, MPR's Heartland Radio, and the Bachelor Pad outta WEFT in Champaign, IL.  All good stuff, and everything except the last one are available through an iphone.  

Meanwhile, you might have noticed a little shuffling around here.  I've added a blogroll to the side to change things up a bit.  If you happen to use this blog to link to other folks, I hope it helps. If you want me to add an artist, lemme know.

The Date Fruit Elegies from John Olivares Espinoza is on it's way to the door.  I'm pretty stoked.  Hear good things.

A poem from Franz Wright's God's Silence:

A Happy Thought

Assuming this is the last day of my life

(which might mean it is almost the first),

I'm struck blind but my blindness is bright.

Prepare for what's known here as death;

have no fear of that strange word forever.

Even I can see there's nothing there

to be afraid of: having already been

to forever I'm unable to recall

anything that scared me, there, or hurt.

What frightened me, apparently, and hurt

was being born.  But I got over that

with no hard feelings.  Dying, I imagine,

it will be the same deal, lonesomer maybe,

but surely no more shocking of prolonged--

It's dark as I recall, then bright, so bright.

The Take...that wasn't.

Had I been at AWP Chicago, I'd have made it a mission to pick up, at least, the following:

The Book of Props by Wayne Miller

The latest print annual of Painted Bride Quarterly

Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

I'd also have renewed by subscription to Poetry, dropped a bunch of dough with BOA and waited until Greywolf did their wonderful mark-down on the last day.  I would have also spent some time with Barn Owl Review, Ninth Letter, and would have been perched at Black Lawrence Press.

Click here for Jill Essbaum's tab for the weekend.

And Reb Livingston was there too. 

And Brent Goodman (forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press).

I'm glad facebook is so insane that I felt like I hardly missed anything.  I even woke up on Saturday morning and said "Wow.  It's already Saturday at AWP."  Amazing how the time flies, especially when you're not there.  

I'll see you all in Denver.  Promise...or at least I'll try really hard to get there.  

And you'll see me up at No Tell Motel on Feb. 23rd.  

A [Slightly Edited] Note about Pilcrow from Amy Guth

Hello everyone,

I hope the year off to an excellent start for all of you.

I'll keep it brief:

1. Pilcrow Lit Fest is being help May 17-23rd this year. We have tons of city-wide events with whom we've partnered during the week, and panel discussions, parties and one very special event on Saturday the 23rd. Stay tuned!

2. The new Pilcrow Lit Fest website is live!. Do take a moment and feast your eyes.

3. If you're [interested in contributing] your noble duty as a volunteer, or if you have a panel discussion topic you're keen to pitch, do let me know. 

And, do feel free to forward this email along to anyone who might be interested. The more the merrier, of course. [that's all of you.]

Looking forward to seeing many of your smiling faces at AWP this week.

Yours in Pilcrow,
Amy Guth.

Managing Editor @ http://sonewpublishing.com
Founder/Director @ http://pilcrowlitfest.com
Author @ http://guthagogo.com

Black Lawrence and the Trees!

A message from Black Lawrence Press:

Black Lawrence is going electronic: from now on we will only accept submissions via e-mail. If we are interested in reading more of your work, we will request a hard copy of your manuscript at that time. If you have any questions, please e-mail Associate Editor Adam Deutsch at adamdeutsch@blacklawrencepress.com.

PLEASE NOTE: because of an especially great number of submissions as of late, we will now only read submissions outside of contests during designated reading periods:

OPEN READING PERIODS OUTSIDE OF CONTESTS:

Open submissions: January, June, July, November

Closed submissions: February, March, April, May, August, September, October, December. Please DO NOT send submissions during these months.

Please send all non-contest submissions to submissions@blacklawrencepress.com. We prefer to receive manuscripts in PDF form, but will also look at .doc and .rtf files.

Contest submissions will still be sent in via hard copy as usual.

Thank you for your interest in Black Lawrence Press.

Colleen Ryor & Adam Deutsch

Slackin'

Brandi Homan's got news.

Check with Bloof for a bunch of action for Warsaw Bikini.

The whole writing community is consumed with the pre-AWP madness, and for the first time in three years I'm entirely out side of it.  I hope you all have a good time, and please, travel safely.

If you're going, please be sure to hunt down the tables for Ninth Letter, Dzanc and Barn Owl. 

Have you read Farewell, My Lovely?  It's pretty awesome.  So are Carver's stories.  Yes, all this time, and I never knew.

In other news, the Vespa's gone.  It found a good home.  We'll miss her...but not that much.