Works Received

Here is a list, in no particular order, of poetry books accumulated over the past 6-9 months: they were given to me for review; given as a gift from authors, publishers, editors; or I bought them. I want to acknowledge those who have sent me works, read them to me at readings, or told me a lot about how they were made. Poets and poetry publishers will sometimes give their books away (don't tell the fiscal authorities!) They do this mainly, I think, because they recognize the avid reader, a like minded poet, and because, in general, poets and publishers are incredibly generous people when they forget that the prevailing assumption has them boxed in as elitist narcissists. I think this is one reason I am happy with my chosen field--poetry is a musical way to think, and most poets have a great sense of belonging to something. Usually. My desire to post this list was prompted by a gift from Henry Israeli, publisher of Saturnalia books, and by my attendance at the CUNY Graduate Center Chapbook Festival a few weeks ago. I've had a great time over the past month hearing world-class poets read their works, and by a great amount of grace, and some tenacity, I think coming months will offer an environment where I can (AT LONG LAST) feel like a useful contributor to art & poetry efforts that are incredibly worthwhile. I have had to deal with some horrible shit.

I am sure you have had to deal with horrible shit, too.

Gary Geddes. Swimming Ginger. Fredericton NB: Goose Lane Editions, 2010.
This book is a series of personal narratives sung by the inhabitants found in the Qingming Shanghe Tu scroll, which is assumed to have been painted in the 12th century by Zhang Zeduan. Reminiscent of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology, except that Geddes' poems are carefully metered, and that these portraits vividly describe lives of city folk. The urban milieu is painted here from high to low. Not quite as significant as the Canterbury Tales.

Frederick Farryl Goodwin. Buber's Bag Man. Toronto: The Gig, 2010.

Paolo Javier. MEGTON GASGAN KRAKOOOM. Brooklyn: Cy Gist Press, 2010.
Cover and 9 interior illustrations by Ernest Conception.

Abraham Smith. Hank. Notre Dame, Indiana: Action Books, 2010.

Kate Colby. Unbecoming Behavior. Brooklyn: Ugly Duckling Presse, 2008.
Shhhh! I mean, this sh-sh-sure is a good poem. It is!

Alicia Cohen. Debts and Obligations. Oakland: O Books, 2008.

Lauren Russell. The Empty-Handed Messenger. New York: Goodbye Better, 2009.

Timothy Liu. Polytheogamy. Philadelphia: Saturnalia Books, 2009.
15 greyscale reproductions, cover and 11 full color reproductions of paintings by Greg Drasler.

John Yau (poems). Thomas Nozkowski (artwork). Ing Grish. Philadelphia: Saturnalia Books,2005.


Sebastian Agudelo. To The Bone. Philadelphia: Saturnalia Books, 2009.

Star Black. Velleity's Shade. Philadelphia: Saturnalia Books, 2010.
Paintings by Bill Knott.

Lara Glenum and Arielle Greenberg, editors. Gurlesque: The New Grrly, Grotesque, Burlesque
Poetics. Philadelphia: Saturnalia Books, 2010. Poetry and Painting Anthology.

Adonis (born Ali Ahmad Said Esber). Selected Poems. Translated from the Arabic by Khaled Mattawa. New Haven: Yale UP, 2010.

Kay Ryan. Say Uncle. New York: Grove Press, 1991.
At her reading at LaGuardia Community College, they brought out boxes of free books and gave them away to everyone.

Sherry Robbins. or, The Whale. Buffalo: BlazeVOX, 2010.

Whit Griffin. Pentateuch: The First Five Books. Skysill Press, 2010.

Dorothea Lasky. Awe. Seattle: Wave Books, 2007.

Camille Martin. Sonnets. Exeter UK: Shearsman Books, 2010.

Ted Berrigan. Dear Sandy, Hello: Letters from Ted to Sandy Berrigan. (1962) Minneapolis: Coffee House, 2010.

Brenda Iijima, editor. )((eco(lang)(uage(reader)): the eco language reader.
Brooklyn and Callicoon, NY: Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs and Nightboat, 2010.

Florine Melnyk. Suspended Imagination. Buffalo: BlazeVOx, 2010.

Lost & Found: The CUNY Poetics Document Initiative.
These books seem to have long titles.

Series 1.
Amiri Baraka and Edward Dorn. Selections from The Collected Letters 1959-1960. Edited by Claudia Moreno Pisano. New York:Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2009.

Kenneth Koch and Frank O'Hara. "this pertains to me which means to me you": The Correspondence of Kenneth Koch & Frank O'Hara 1955-1956. 2 Vols. Edited by Josh Schneiderman.New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2009.

Muriel Rukeyser. Darwin and the Writers. Edited by Stefania Heim. New York:Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2009.

Philip Whalen. 1957-1977 Selections from the Journals. 2 Vols. Edited by Brian Unger.New York:Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2009.

Robert Creeley, Daphne Marlatt and Fredric Franklyn. The 1963 Vancouver Poetry Conference / Robert Creeley's Contexts of Poetry, with Daphne Marlatt's Journal Entries. Edited by Ammiel Alcalay. New York:Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2009.

Series 2.
Margaret Randall. Selections from El Corno Emplumado / The Plumed Horn 1962-1964. New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2011.

Diane Di Prima. The Mysteries of Vision: Some Notes on H.D.. Edited by Ana Bozicevic. New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2011.

Diane Di Prima. _R.D.'s H.D._ Edited by Ammiel Alcalay. New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2011.

Robert Duncan. Charles Olson Memorial Lecture. Ammiel Alcalay et.al., Eds. New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2011.

Jack Spicer. Jack Spicer's Beowulf. 2 Vols. Edited by David Hadbawnik and Sean Reynolds. New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2011.

Muriel Rukeyser. "Barcelona, 1936" and Selections from the Spanish Civil War Archive. Edited by Rowena Kennedy-Epstein. New York: Center for the Humanities and Graduate Center of the City University of New York, 2011.

I misplaced Ivy Johnson's chapbook on my chapbook shelf. It was published by Boog City Literature. The reading was at the ACA gallery in Chelsea, where I got to see some of Romare Beardon's collage works, and a disturbingly lifelike sculpture of a nude woman. The poems were good, and there was a very good musical act playing, too.

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