WITHIN THE WORMHOLE

Spent some time recently with several publications by j/j hastain -- intriguing stuff: j/j unzips the zipper that would be a seam between life and words, and revolutionizes the lyric by doing so. Relatedly, here's moi blurb (unedited) for j/j/'s next book, a womb-shaped wormhole:

This is one beginning for a world attempting to make itself in advance of its articulation. But it can be articulated by scents, which is to say, traces ... like musk, patchouli, mustard, "split truffles," or even attar of long-dead altars and imagined memories. In this beginning lie the orgasms of fractals, revealing how fractions require flesh as condition precedent to existence--for who we may not at first recognize is nonetheless not that different from you and me.
--Eileen R. Tabios

And here's the rest of my updated Recently Relished W(h)ine List below. Note that if you see an asterisk before the title, that means a review copy is available for Galatea Resurrects. And I'm looking looking looking for reviewers to get books offa moi floors and to hit 100 new reviews for the next issue! Yeah! More info on that HERE.


PUBLICATIONS
A WOMB-SHAPED WORMHOLE, poems by j/j hastain (see above blurb)

ELEVATORS, poems by Rena Rosenwasser (elevates connoisseurship wonderfully!)

AREAS OF FOG, poems by Joseph Massey (ravishing)

* FRAGMENTS OF A FORGOTTEN GENESIS, poems by Abdellatif Laabi, Trans. by Nancy Hadfield and Gordon Hadfield (magnificent)

SELVAGE: FOR COUNTRY, poems by Tsering Wangmo Dhompa (consistently a welcome read)

BEFOREHAND, visual poetry by Cecilia Vicuna

CAN WE TALK HERE, poems by Carmen Gimenes Smith

GO THIS WAY QUICKLY, poetry card by kari edwards (robust, nifty and just plain kewl)

FIELD WORK: NOTES, SONGS, POEMS 1997-2010 by David Hadbawnik (great premise, great job!)

THE PEOPLE THEY BROUGHT ME: POEMS IN THE ADOPTION COMMUNITY by Penny Callan Partridge (what a lovely premise -- presenting poems as well as people the the poet met as a result of those poems. Separate from the adoption issue, gads I wish I'd thought of that concept first!)

FABULAE, poems by Joy Katz

AMERICAN INCIDENT, poems by Brian Henry

WE IN MY TRANS, poems by j/j/ hastain

ASYMPTOTIC LOVER//THERMODYNAMIC VENTS, poems by j/j/ hastain

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MY GENDER, poems by j/j hastain

COCKBURN, poems by j/j hastain

OUR BODIES, poems by j/j hastain

PRURIENT ANARCHIC OMNIBUS, poems by j/j hastain

RESTITUTIONS FOR A NEWER BOUNTIFUL VERB, poems by j/j hastain

THE ULTERIOR EDEN, poems by j/j hastain

IT IS WORTH CONSIDERING, poem mini-book by j/j hastain

[A CROONED COCOON...], poetry collage by j/j hastain

COCKBURN, poems by j/j hastain

VISITING DR. WILLIAMS: POEMS INSPIRED BY THE LIFE AND WORK OF WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS Co-Edited by Sheila Coghill & Thom Tammaro (my initial response HERE)

ON THEIR OWN: WHAT HAPPENS TO KIDS WHEN THEY AGE OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, study by Martha Shirk & Gary Stangler

THE GIRL'S GUIDE TO HOMELESSNESS, memoir by Brianna Karp

IT'S NOT OKAY WITH ME, memoir by Janine Maxwell

SMALL FURRY PRAYER: DOG RESCUE AND THE MEANING OF LIFE, autobiography by Steven Kotler (a gem)

SUE'S MEMORIES OF HOME, memoir by Sue Sword (a fundraiser pretending it's a book; read it from curiosity)

COLD WIND, novel by C.J. Box

THE LAST DETECTIVE, novel by Robert Crais

NO GOOD DEEDS, novel by Laura Lippman

BAD BLOOD, novel by John Sanford


WINES
2005 Stonewell Wines "Red Nectar" cabernet Barossa Valley
2002 Hutton Vale Grenache Mataro Eden Valley
2006 Pirathon shiraz Barossa Valley
200[8?] Monterosso zinfandel Dry Creek Valley
2007 Pahlmeyer
2008 Astrale & Terra reserve merlot