__ Catch / Confetti

Blizz

Progress Report

I’m writing a lot, finishing the first draft of a manuscript called “FULL EPISODE PLAYER”. It’s filled with gym instructors, starfish, chairs, giant salamanders, burning nuns, ladders, cuttlefish, hummingbirds, station wagons, mutations, naked men, bees, false deer, conch shells and Julia Robertseses.

There’s also a quiz to make sure you’re paying attention.

The first poems from FULL EPISODE PLAYER will be in the next issue of Gulf Coast- 7 short anatomical poems about starfish and 7 more about cuttlefish.

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This weekend I’m going to finish binding the few remaining copies of ANTE and LIVE FIELD: GROWTHS 1-5. Some very patient people are waiting for me to do that. Thank you patient people.

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Last Friday I read at a pot-luck organized by CA Conrad to celebrate the grand reopening of Molly’s Bookstore in the Italian market. Then on Saturday I read at the Bowery Poetry Club in NYC with the rest of the New Philadelphia Poets. I’ll post a link to audio and/or video of our collaborative performance once it surfaces.

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Friend Carlos Soto Román has launched ELECTIVE AFFINITIES, a cooperative anthology of US contemporary poetry. According to the site, the project is “an effort to chart our own literary map where affinities, differences, and unexpected connections coexist in an ongoing, collective construction”. What’s really cool is that it’s part of a larger project- parallel versions of Elective Affinities are already growing in other countries.

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Thom Donovan is blogging right now over at Harriet. Thom is awesome. You should go read his posts.

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If you order any book from Greying Ghost Press right now you get a FREE copy of Sasha Fletcher’s pamphlet “We Are All Of Us Up To Something” (while supplies last). Greying Ghost makes beautiful chapbooks and Sasha makes beautiful sentences, so.

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And, lastly, I recently fell in love love love with Heather Christle’s THE DIFFICULT FARM. Just so you know.

Awesome Books: YOUR HOLIDAY UNMARRED BY ACCIDENT

“We know that it is impossible to create an inner feeling of right and wrong by legislation. We are aware that no law will eliminate foolish and dangerous acts aboard motorboats. Even if there were such a law and it were perfect, as a law can never be, we know that all the policemen in communism could not begin to enforce it. The application of safety to boating must be made by each of us according to the dictates of his conscience. It is to our advantage and that of our fellowman to employ common sense. Only this will insure that boating is a pleasure instead of a tragedy.”

— Harry Frazer, author of “Your Holiday Unmarred by Accident,” published 1953.

Bowery this Saturday

REDEMPTIVE STRIKE:  RECKONING THE DECADE

At the beginning of the century, we found ourselves in a dark wood.  The past ten years saw the collapse of the Twin Towers, the marriage of religious fundamentalism and global politics, and the rise of digital communities.  With this in mind, The New Philadelphia Poets launch a redemptive strike on the past decade.  Join us for a reconsideration of this yet unnamed era.

Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery)

Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010

6:00 pm, $6.00

Featuring: Gregory Bem,  Sarah Heady, Debrah Morkun, Patrick Lucy, Matthew Landis, Carlos Soto Román, and Jamie Townsend.

Awesome Books: ANIMAL BABIES

“As he gets older he is called a colt and he races across the meadow with other young horses. When they tire of playing games, they rest and eat grass.” - Tony Palazzo, author of ANIMAL BABIES

Experienced: Tuned Droves by Eric Baus

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll post some thoughts about my favorite poetry books or chapbooks that came out in 2009. These aren’t reviews- they’re more… experiences.

The first book I want to talk about is Tuned Droves (Octopus Books, 2009) by Eric Baus.

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For a long time, even after I had my copy of Tuned Droves, I couldn’t stop thinking of the book as “Turned Doves”.

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When I read Tuned Droves, it’s like I’m trying to tell a relatively straightforward story but someone has hijacked my vocal apparatus. The hijacker replaces every fourth or fifth word with an insect- or animal-related word pulled from my subconscious. When the unexpected word comes out of my mouth, I pretend like nothing happened, like I always intended to say “bee” instead of “door”. And you know what? It’s true.

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The way I feel reading Tuned Droves is how I imagine my dog feels when she has the hiccups. Have you ever seen a dog with the hiccups?

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I had a dream I gave my copy of Tuned Droves to Eileen Myles. She was really thankful and remarked how difficult it was to find a copy of Tuned Droves. I told her in that case I needed it back. She laughed. I said I wasn’t kidding. It was awkward. I think we were going to fight. Then I woke up.

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Tuned Droves happens when the book is read.

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Sometimes I suspect Tuned Droves was written for me, specifically.

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You can read a poem from Tuned Droves called THE CONTINUOUS CORNER in Octopus Magazine #11.

You can buy Tuned Droves at Octopus Books.

ANTE by Greg Bem

ANTE by Greg Bem is the second chapbook release from _Catch/Confetti Press.

Greg and I are both members of the New Philadelphia Poets, and exchange poems regularly, so I’ve been fortunate enough to read a lot of Greg’s work. When Greg sent over the poems from ANTE last Sunday morning, I was so taken with the work that I decided to create a chapbook on the spot (I can get a bit manic). About six hours later, I surprised Greg with a proof copy of the chapbook. Instead of being weirded out at getting a chapbook instead of feedback, Greg was gracious enough to let me release ANTE as a _Catch/Confetti Press title.

ANTE is made up of poems and images. The poems are printed on linen cover-stock and the images are printed on 20 lb vellum (translucent) paper. The book’s design encourages interaction between text & images, as the poems can be read with the images overlaid or independently. The chapbook is bound by a black plastic zip-tie from Radioshack.

ANTE is being released in an edition of 15 for $5.00 each. Email me (patrick AT nimblelight DOT com) if you’d like a copy.

A few copies of LIVE FIELD: GROWTHs 1-5 by Patrick Lucy are still available as well. LIVE FIELD was printed in an edition of 30 on linen cover-stock with a hand-sewn hemp binding.

Each copy has a unique rock sewn into the binding- these were collected on the Florida coast after a large storm dredged them from the ocean deep. LIVE FIELD costs $8.00.

Poems, Wool & Music Tonight

I’m really excited for tonight’s reading at the Highwire Gallery in Fishtown. Back in the early days of the New Philadelphia Poets, we all agreed we wanted to do more events that bring Philly’s art, music, and poetry scenes together in dialogue. I’m hoping this event will encourage more ambitious cross-genre conversations and collaborations down the road.

Philly artist and wool-wrangler Rachel Lang was the impetus behind tonight, so a big thank-you goes out to her.

7 pm Tuesday, December 8th

$5 Cover @ Highwire Gallery (2040 Frankford Ave)

Performers: Cuddle Magic (band), Josh Carrigan (musician), Wool Mammoth (artist), and members of the New Philadelphia Poets (Patrick Lucy, Debrah Morkun, J. Townsend, Sarah Heady, Carlos Soto Román, Greg Bem, and Matthew Landis).

More info at the New Philadelphia Poets’ site »

Saturday, Dec. 5: Massey, Sims, Bell

The New Philadelphia Poets will feature Joseph Massey (California), Laura Sims (NYC), and Marion Bell (Philly) this Saturday at Fergie’s Pub.

The reading is free and starts at 7 pm. Above is a flyer I made for the event.

J. Townsend and I will host. Should be a good ‘un. Event details and bios over at the NPP site »

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