New-Old Chapbook from Occultations

Now that there are 33 copies left of the review print run of Occultations--which is to say, now that I'm getting close to a larger print run with corrections to the book--I figured for any interested I'd direct your attention to an old (well, 2008-9) version of one section, which became a chapbook Kate Robinson designed and Wheelhouse Press published, "Modular Arterial Cacophony." Available here as pdf.

Of interest for me, anyway, is the drastic editing process this section, like the others, has gone through (and continues to go through). Here the work is much more flashy-as-vispo (or bad vispo, as it were), where despite Kate Robinson's beautiful work in executing what I initially wanted--a sort of Talmudic design--we ended up, later for the full-length book, doing what at this point I figured undoable, to watermark each page with the leaked Bybee memorandum on Gitmo torture, among other documents, form a palimpsest with text behind text, that enacts the question of the use value of this poetry in relation to these disasters, and perhaps any aesthetic move likewise. So while we were thinking of that design, this "Talmudic" alternative--as rather obviously related--we decided to follow through on. Further, nearly each page of this book was re-written, save for the bracketed text, found writing "placed" on the page according to my position within a rectangular room, speakers emitting the main prose poetry back to me while I was armed with...books. That is, these prose poems are starkly different from what shows up in Occultations, for better or worse (or worst), so as I begin to ask you, in these difficult times, dear reader, to purchase the last few copies of Occultations @ SPD so that the larger print run can occur, to feel free to have this chapbook, and, as per the directions/copyright at end of it, to use it in any way you wish--public domain gone wild. This includes as paper weight, toilet tissue, composting lesson, etc. Blah.

                                     inside of letterpressed chapbook, designed by Kate Robinson, 2009

More importantly, this is to celebrate Kate Robinson's artist book work (since with this chapbook, "modular," she was working under the constraints of my design, it's not her best work, mind you). Kate has produced other beautiful letterpress work for a few years now, now doing same in the book arts program at Mills College, where she is thriving. If you are looking for an artist book designer, look her up--her contract work I think is still on offer.

Self-Identified as Posthuman: It's Now Time

I have just joined "Good Reads." I am not quite sure what Good Reads is. But Lars Palm, who has been so far, along with Susana Gardner of Dusie and Geoffrey G of BlazeVOX, been one of the kindest, and fastest, editors with whom I've worked, just put my new book, book alter (ed), a section of the longer forthcoming occultations, on Good Reads. Thanks much, Lars. At some point I will write a post about how difficult it is--even for poets much more interesting than me--to find poetry presses that are a) interested in design (the artist book) or b) interested but too poor to do design work. Suffice it to say here that (b) is where I locate much of the problem. But for those who give editors (like me) fits with their fucked up formatting, combination of text and image, etc &, it's simply difficult to place work. Linh Dinh almost killed me as he tried, and miraculously succeeded, in taking part of a manuscript that involves multiple layered scanned images, translating it into the very stripped down code for his journal, The Lower Half. Never mind working with text & video--though, maybe that's easier in some sense? All that's a post for another time, though related to the posthuman in the obvious fact that the web is where some of the most startling poetry happens - at least with regard to journals (hell, AGNI is inching its way off the paper page). DIGRESSION: isn't it fun to watch the old fashioned university journals, like The Iowa Review or some such, try to figure out how to crawl into the web? One almost feels sorry for... no, no one doesn't. Unlike AGNI, which to me is one of the most consistently fine publications around and is used to pushing boundaries, and so has created a web supplement seamlessly, one that is really quite exhilarating, as many a new writer whom they would have had to pass up a few years ago -- they're now in my inbox every week. Anyway, a related set of questions, but another post. interesting problem/set of negotiations for editors and poets alike (many of us are both) to consider.

But I'm on Good Reads now. Which seems cool, but am unsure exactly what it is. And facebook. And blogger. And You Tube. A year ago I was riding my bicycle. Unsure what has happened - becoming seriously ill is part of it - but I guess I'll have to admit, which I would not in earlier conversations, Erica Kafuman: you're right. We are, now unavoidably posthuman. Tho, I'm not sure I dislike that. Former union organizer, so value the face to face more than anything, but the interface to interface definitely has conventions and problematics that are extremely fun to discern, exploit, reboot, upload, scan, and pornolize.

Any case, and I'll get this to the morning in my next post, another "shameless self promotion" post. Wait, why do we say these things - "shameless self promotion"? As if a) one aught to have shame, and b) what's with the "self-" here? If posthuman, then add-on, plug-in multiple we are, especially viz. promotion of one's books. Since those reading would, I suppose, all agree that we need very much to continue to support the independent presses, I will: SHAMELESSLY PROMOTE Lars Palm's ungovernable press via plugging book alter (ed), and BlazeVOX for publishing my shit, and plug away I will whenever some weirdo publishes work I've culled from the ooze that is language. For now and for tonight: the scales have been tipped. I am now so thoroughly wired that I am a walking wireless billboard that plugs into your nearest Starbucks. How many arms do I have? A good question. Out of x number, how many function properly? A better question.

Posts forthcoming:

that promotion thing I was talking about

a mini-review of Erica Kaufman's wonderful new Censory Impulse (Factory School / Heretical Texts Series)

a mini-review of Rob Halpern's Disaster Suites, and ULTRA-RED, The Sound of Militancy

an update on where we are on The Employee Free Choice Act

another Wheelhouse Magazine & Press Update (with more pictures!!!)