KUDOS TO THE LOVELIES AT UGLY DUCKLING PRESSE

I read a lot of contemporary poems. I read across prize-winners, big names, no names, poets I know, poets I don’t know, et al. At times—too many times—I read a book and think, Oh, I’ve read something similar like this before. It’s interesting when I think this about a national prize winning book and recall that that “somewhere” was published by some small, indie press who’s not likely to have the distribution of someone publishing the winner of a national contest. Then I know that the prize winner likely may get credit for something that, actually, had been done before (and even better) by a more obscure poet. Nothing new here, of course. But I feel like nota bene-ing it because:

If there’s one press whose publications never elicit the feeling of this type of déjà vu, I’ve noticed it to be Ugly Duckling Presse—I get the impression they’re trying to do something fresh with their poetry pubs and, guess what? They succeed! So, kudos to the Ugly Ducks!

And here’s another update of my Recently Relished W(h)ine List below. Note that in the Publications section, if you see an asterisk before the title, that means a review copy is available for Galatea Resurrects! More info on that HERE.

SUMMER/FALL CITY SLICKER HARVEST
1 fig
11 yellow tomatoes
9 plum tomatoes
11 jalapenos
7 cucumbers
8 strawberries
3 sprigs of mint
30 yellow squash
14 eggplant
9 zucchini
4 bell peppers
0 plums for the season—because the birds et ‘em all!


PUBLICATIONS
WILLIAM BRONK: BURSTS OF LIGHT: THE COLLECTED LATER POEMS, Ed. by David Clippinger (especially as it’s a “collected,” this book made me so HAPPY! It makes me so happy to see a poet get it right … among other things, it validates a lifetime of poetic struggle, and that’s never easy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

COMMON TIME, poems by Chris Pusateri (fabulous, deeply engaging, absurdly intelligent and enchantingly witty—which is why it just became the third title I’m reviewing for the next issue of Galatea Resurrects!)

* AS LONG AS TREES LAST, poems by Hoa Nguyen (long admired the tensility of her poems. She makes it look easy, this making of poems as flexible steel)

FURTHER ADVENTURES IN MONOCHROME by John Yau (gold, deeply mined)

* MAYBE A PAINTER, poems by Christina Fisher (nice social-ness)

THE SILVER BOOK, poems by Jen Bervin (enchanting)

ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE, poems by James Davies and photography by Simon Taylor (deceptive. Despite its slim and small chap-iness, has a huge expanse. Admirable)

* RUSSIA IN 17 OBJECTS, poems by Julie Gard

* THUNDERBIRD, poems by Dorothea Lasky

RUST OR GO MISSING, poems by Lily Brown

BODY OF WATER, poems by Erin M. Bertram

LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE, memoir by Anna Quindlen

THE COST OF HOPE: THE STORY OF A MARRIAGE, A FAMILY, AND THE QUEST FOR LIFE, memoir by Amanda Bennett

THE EXPATS, novel by Chris Pavone

BURIED SECRETS, novel by Joseph Finder

1222, novel by Anne Holt

PARANOIA, novel by Joseph Finder

BLACK LIST, novel by Brad Thor

LOST DOGS & LONELY HEARTS, novel by Lucy Dillon

MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS, novel by Rae Meadows

SONG OF MY HEART, novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer



WINES
2006 Pirathon shiraz Barossa Valley
2002 Hutton Vale Grenache Mataro Eden Valley
2007 G3 Burge Family Winemakers Barossa Valley
2004 Samuel’s Gorge McLaren Vale shiraz