STILL WAITING TO PEEL MOI A GRAPE!

Based on the first (not top, first) 50 books I've loved and listed on Link In To Poetry, these poetry publishers are doing a fabulous job by moi taste (based on that they're represented with more than one beloved book):

Ahsahta Press
Coffee House Press
Dos Madres Press
Insert Blanc Press
Ugly Duckling Presse
Wave Books

I like creating lists because list-making offers heretofore unknown revelations. Like, from the above list, I would have expected only two of those publishers. Well, I'm glad to know this info... now, onto other lists:

As you can see from the above, the house  grapes are still green.  They'll probably ripen while I'm out of town for the rest of July.  Well, the yellow squash, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers, strawberries and recently the tomatoes have come out out! Which is to say, here’s the latest update of my Recently Relished W(h)ine List below. As ever, please 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.


2013 SUMMER HARVEST
13 jalapeno peppers
3 yellow tomatoes
3 red Heirloom tomatoes
2 yellow cherry tomatoes
5 green figs
4 Meyer lemons
6 yellow onions
27 apricots
34 yellow squash
20 strawberries
5 Italian cucumbers


PUBLICATIONS
THE PLUM-STONE GAME, poems by Kathleen Jesme (gorgeous. LinkedIn Recommendation #44)

* THEN GO ON, poems by Mary Burger (awesome. Discerning and intelligent. LinkedIn Recommendation #37)

CAN IT!, poetry/memoir by Edmund Berrigan (alchemized numerous influences into his own admirable voice. LinkedIn Recommendation #46)

100 SCENES: A GRAPHIC NOVEL, asemic poetry by Tim Gaze (wonderful. LinkedIn Recommendation #21)

BIG BAD ASTERISK* , poems by Carlo Matos (witty and pleasingly unusual. LinkedIn Recommendation #50)

* BLUE HERON, poems by Elizabeth Robinson (exceptional)

*  DIARY OF USE, poems by J. Vera Lee (interesting)

SELECTED POEMS OF SALVADOR ESPRIU, Translated from the Catalan by Magda Bogin

* WALKING AMONG THEM, poems by Max Winter

* MEMORY FUTURE, poems by Heather Aimee O’Neill

* PRO MAGENTA / BE MET, poems by Corina Copp

* A DISTURBANCE IN THE AIR, poems by Michele Poulos

* A MAP PREDETERMINED AND CHANCE, poems by Laura Wetherington

THE PRIMORDIAL DENSITY PERTURBATION, poems by Stephen Collis

VELLEITY’S SHADE, poetry by Star Black with paintings by Bill Knott

* HOUSE ORGAN, No. 83, Summer 2013, literary journal edited by Kenneth Warren (as ever, a good read)

* 6X6 #22, December 2010 Ugly Duckling chap literary journal featuring Lily Brown, Chris Hosea, Aaron McCollough, Jennifer Nelson, George Eklund, Ryan Murphy (another good read)

UNDERSTANDING ILOCANO VALUES, cultural study by Tomas D. Andres

SALVADOR, journalism by Joan Didion

THE BOOKSELLER OF KABUL, journalism by Asne Seierstad

IN THE LAND OF UNLIKENESS, novella by Jim Harrison

ETHAN FROME, novel by Edith Wharton

GOOD TO A FAULT, novel by Marina Endicott

THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X, novel by Keigo Higashino

HELLBOX, novel by Bill Pronzini

SILKEN PREY, novel by John Sandford

THE HIT, novel by David Baldacci

ABOVE SUSPICION, novel by Linda La Plante

AIRTIGHT, novel by David Rosenfelt

THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT, novel by Laura Lippman

GILDING THE LILY, novel by Tatiana Boncompagni

BETRAYAL, novel by Christina Dodd


WINES
2003 Filhot sauterne
2009 Beaux Freres Pinot noir
2000 Domaine de Chevalier Semillion
1996 Branaire Ducru
2003 Bert Simon Serrig Herrenburg Riesling Auslese
2012 Kelly Fleming sauvignon blanc
2009 Araujo sauvignon blanc
2004 Araujo syrah
2004 Colin-Delejer Chassagne Montrachet La Maltroise
1990 Gaja Spress
2006 Aubert Ritchie Vineyards chardonnay Sonoma
2002 Blankiet Paradise Hills merlot
2007 Peter Michael “La Carriere” chardonnay
1991 Philip Togni cabernet
2003 Peter Jakob Kuhn Oestrich Lenchen Riesling Beerenauslese
2005 Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Spatlese

HEART-ING POETRY

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I love poetry more than I thought, that is, I'm posting more frequently (every morning and evening when I'm in town) on updating the list of poetry publications I've genuinely loved reading. Check it out at Link In To Poetry -- it's up to 34 recommendations this morning. These are books I love for their own words, regardless of the identity of their author, their style of poetry, what kind of wine they drink, et al. Unmediated love (to the extent such can be unmediated). And, given the expanse of moi heart, looks like it'll be updated at least daily so you are invited to continue visiting...! Publisher links are also available in case you want to follow through after your visit ...

LINK IN TO POETRY!

So there's a lot of contemporary poetry out there.  And since I READ A LOT of it -- part of my poetry practice (don't ask) -- I thought there might be at least one person who wouldn't mind receiving recommendations from a voracious reader who reads poetry unconstrained by schools or styles (I'm positing that'd be Moi).  Entonces, you are invited to

LINK IN TO POETRY!

my newest blog, and a blog of poetry recommendations (goal is to make daily recommendations) based on what I loved/love from my readings.  There are some poetry publications I might respect and admire but not necessarily love.  Just sayin'...I know it's all subjective -- but one wants to pay attention ...

Anyway, hope this blog is useful to at least one person out there from moi nine billion peeps.  Just remember this blog's slogan:

"Poetry are like daily apples -- they help you grow!"

Read that with a Forrest Gump accent, why dontcha!

THOSE POETS WHO SPEAK "THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT" AND THUS PERHAPS SPEAK FOR US ALL

Art: ... The prayer that leads to stigmata,...
--Eric Gamalinda

I've said in the past, Judge Moi by what she reads -- and then I've mentioned my ongoing "Relished W(h)ine List" through which I post everything I read (to its completion); I don't discriminate between bad and good in that list; if I finish a book, it gets on that list (I don't list books I don't finish reading). And I do think this Relished List says something about Moi. (And since truly horrendous books don't end up being read to their "The End"s, it does say something good about a bad book to get onto the list...)

But perhaps a more accurate picture will be portrayed by a list still in its relative infancy, The LinkedIn Poetry All-Stars list. For example, my Recommendation #8 is a book by Eric Gamalinda. And so, go HERE for one of his poetics prose I published in PINOY POETICS -- I heart it and highly recommend you read Eric's "Language, Light and the Language of Light"... thus learn.

Another excerpt--this one I'm feeling is particularly timely today:

The reality of a poet living in contemporary society involves, unfortunately, constantly submitting himself to the judgment of a small elite of industry people, many of whom may not even be inspired by the music, history, art and poetry that inspire the poet, and whose only purpose, to put it a little unkindly, is to sustain the very industry that feeds them. I often wonder how many of these people, because they have been trained and conditioned to think only in certain terms, understand the work that artists do and the aesthetics and faith that compel them to create. In any case I believe they constitute a kind of barrier that insulates author from audience. I am thus inclined to praise the work of small presses, but more especially the inevitability of more widespread self-publication in the future, the democratization of publishing, which new technology makes increasingly possible: to demolish the authoritarianism of the industry and the institutions that support it, which I regret to say includes even the academe on one hand and the “spoken word” scene on the other, two poles that have contributed to creating a kind of herd mentality in poetry, a common, generic, “acceptable” set of voices. There is a tendency among poets in the academe and spoken word scene to mimic one another, particularly in diction and delivery; read any journal or go to any performance and you’ll see how everything is the same. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing: If anything, it is an indication that we have reached the same crisis that made a poet like Rimbaud inevitable and necessary, a poet who would deviate and speak only for himself, not just TO an audience, and certainly not TO A MARKET, and in so doing perhaps speak for us all.

HOUSEKEEPING

Forgive the formality of prior post.  I had to create a post that can be linked to because LinkedIn's activity summary is so fleeting and recommendations get dropped off the list.  Anyway, the permanent link to my LinkedIn Poetry Recommendations is now

http://angelicpoker.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-linkedin-poetry-all-stars.html

This is the type of housekeeping at which your Chatelaine excels -- for example, in other Domestic Goddess matters, I harvested five apricots today and, oh my, never has an apricot been harder ...

"THE LinkedIn POETRY ALL-STARS"

is a list of poetry publications that I've read and loved/love (this list will be updated over time as I read and love what I read). I read poetry frequently and stylistically as widely as I can.

Why LinkedIn? After joining it this year, I realized I could use it as a forum for recommending (others') poetry. My choices mostly reflect poetry readings beginning in 2013, though if I recall a poetry book I read pre-2013 and loved, I'll add it on the list.

I am fortunate in having roles that expose me to much poetry (e.g. editing the most fun online poetry review, Galatea Resurrects, and I do try to read every single review copy sent, whether or not I review it). I hope my "LinkedIn Poetry All-Stars" (sorry but that title amuses Moi) will be another way for people to discover poetry that might not otherwise receive their attention.  That's really all I'm doing: paying attention and drawing attention to ...


LINKED-IN POETRY RECOMMENDATIONS:
Most publications are poetry collections, unless stated otherwise.

[UPDATE:  The list of LinkedIn Poetry Recommendations has been moved to http://linkedinpoetry.blogspot.com/  Please go to that link for all recommendations, which will be updated frequently.]



#18: THE HISTORY OF VIOLETS by Marosa Di Giorgio, Trans. By Jeannine Marie Pitas (Ugly Duckling Presse, Brooklyn, 2010)

#17: LARYNX GALAXY: PROSE POEMS by John Olson (Black Widow Press, 2012)

#16: THE MIDDLE ROOM, a poet's memoir by Jennifer Moxley (Subpress, 2007)

#15: CHINOISERIE by Karen Rigby (Ahsahta Press, 2012)

#14: MADNESS, RACK, AND HONEY: COLLECTED LECTURES (on poetry) by Mary Ruefle (Wave Books, 2012)

#13: FRIGHT CATALOG, poetry and visual poetry by Joseph Mosconi (Insert Blanc Press, 2013)

#12: RED WALLS by James Tolan (Dos Madres Press, 2011)

#11: AS IF IT FELL FROM THE SUN: AN ETHERDOME ANTHOLOGY: TEN YEARS OF WOMEN'S WRITING, Edited by Colleen Lookingbill & Elizabeth Robinson, featuring Merle Bachman, Faith Barrett, Margaret Butterfield, Erica Carpenter, Valerie Coulton, Caroline Crumpacker, Susanne Dyckman, Kelly Everding, Renata Ewing, Amanda Field, Kate Greenstreet, Anne Heide, Brydie MPherson Kuchi, Erica Lewis, Susan Manchester, Linda Norton, Roberta Olson, Megan Pruiett, Lisa Rappoport, Sarah Suzor, and Stacy Szymaszek (EtherDome Chapbooks / Instance, 2012)

#10: A THING AMONG THINGS: THE ART OF JASPER JOHNS (essays / art criticism / meditations which also reveal something about ars poetica) by John Yau (Distributed Arts Publishers, 2008)

#9: HAD SLAVES by Catherine Sasanov (Firewheel Editions, 2010)

#8: PEOPLE ARE STRANGE (short stories w/ poetry references) by Eric Gamalinda (Black Lawrence Press, 2012)

#7: THIRTY-FIVE NEW PAGES by Lev Rubinstein, note-card poems translated from Russian by Philip Metres and Tatiana Tulchinsky (Ugly Duckling Presse Eastern European Poetry Series No. 28, 2011)

#6: VARIATIONS ON PAINTING A ROOM: POEMS 2000-2010 by Alan Baker (Skysill Press, 2011)

#5: COUNTERPART by Elizabeth Robinson (Ahsahta Press, 2012)

#4: NEW ORLEANS VARIATIONS AND PARIS OUROBOROS by Paul Pines (Dos Madres, 2013)

#3: IN THE LAURELS, CAUGHT by Lee Ann Brown (Fence Books, 2013)

#2: ALL IS FORGOTTEN, NOTHING IS LOST (novel involving poets and ars poetica) by Lan Samantha Chang (Norton, 2010)

#1: HE LOOKED BEYOND MY FAULTS AND SAW MY NEEDS by Leonard Gontarek (Hanging Loose Press, 2013)


More to come...

Happy Reading!
Eileen R. Tabios

AND MOI LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATION #4

is, as I just posted at LinkedIn:

POETRY Recommendation (#4): NEW ORLEANS VARIATIONS AND PARIS OUROBOROS by Paul Pines (Dos Madres, 2013). My recommendations are generated from what I fall in love with during readings. I am happy to read a lot of poetry, which usually are chosen at random from a desire to read poetry (and about poetry) as widely as I can.

I don't give details on why I love the books I'm recommending on LinkedIn.  And, candidly, I like that lack of pressure -- when one discusses poetry, one often ends up sounding a fool (albeit -- when one is lucky -- a la Shakespeare's type of fools). 

But for Paul Pines' new poetry collection, I'm happy to share here a poem that shows the fabulous jazz and manifestation of a Homer quote cited by the book, "We leave home to find ourselves."  This is a part of a poem, "Hello From Nola"--

THE AFTERMATH


a party awash in rice and beans
Popeye’s fried chicken
and biscuits
chorizos and King Cake
with the baby
still in it

served by Sor Juana
still in her escudo
I enter in jeans and a t-shirt
no longer recognizable
to those who sit
around a larger table
until my hostess
introduces me
as the man who was Jesus
at which there are random
nods of recognition

I’m asked
from time to time
to perform an intervention
as when the dog
leaps up to a low lying
bowl and devours
the sausage
or a reveler
spills her rum and coke
on the sofa but nothing
approaching a miracle
though I tell them
I can turn wine
into urine

a Mad Hatter
challenges me
to make it through the airport
dressed as our Savior

says it would be a spectacle
to watch them scan my robes
divest me of my hair and beard
conduct a cavity search
a veritable security
Golgatha

a new wrinkle
on the Grand Inquisitor
I appear before a southern judge
who finds me guilty of
inciting to riot
disrupting the status quo
a warning to Terrorists
a Republican trope

     one can’t be
     too careful when
     the Prince of Peace
     might be just another
     apocalyptic
     intruder

who just last week
danced without incident
in the second line
all the way to
Canal St.

Nifty poem from a poet at the peak of his prowess!

AND MOI LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATION #3

is, as I posted:

POETRY Recommendation (#3): IN THE LAURELS, CAUGHT by Lee Ann Brown (Fence Books, 2013). My recommendations are generated from what I fall in love with during readings. I am happy to read a lot of poetry, which usually are chosen at random from a desire to read poetry (and about poetry) as widely as I can.

I find myself fascinated by LinkedIn because it's (primarily) a job-hunting tool.  As a result, the poets (like others) usually post their resumes and, thus, reveal something different than what may be featured in literary bios ... more on such later.    

MOI LINKEDIN RECOMMENDATION #2

Just posted on LinkedIn:

POETRY Recommendation (#2): ALL IS FORGOTTEN, NOTHING IS LOST (novel involving poets and ars poetica) by Lan Samantha Chang (Norton, 2010). My recommendations are generated from what I fall in love with from frequent reading of poetry, chosen at random most of the time from a desire to read poetry (and about poetry) as widely as I can.

This was also part of my vacation reading whilst in Oregon, which was simply lovely.  Ironically, I don't have photos from the Shakespeare Festival.  But here's a photo from Crater Lake which we also visited:

and also from our visit to University of Oregon -- never too late to push college on the kiddo!  Here's the son and hubby with the U of O mascot, ye olde duck!

Actually, here's Michael with the big "O" (perhaps graphically the best treatment I've seen of this letter)

which he brought over to Crater Lake:

Which is to say, I'm back!

LINKED IN POETRY RECOMMENDATIONS

Since I otherwise would not be active on LinkedIn, I decided to use its space for Poetry -- as my entry today shows:

I read at least five poetry books or poetry-related publications a week; I read as widely as I can.  I've decided to post a recommendation now and then on LinkedIn (the frequency depending on the publications I read).  My first Recommendation: HE LOOKED BEYOND MY FAULTS AND SAW MY NEEDS by Leonard Gontarek (Hanging Loose Press, 2013).

It's basically a highlighting from my Relished W(h)ine List that I blog here.  Why not?  But I will say that the LinkedIn Focus allows me to not just cite what I'm reading but what I really fall in love with -- like, I oved this collection by Leonard Gontarek (a poet who's been around but is new to me); it's just ravishing ... and ravished!