A Foal Poem - Rose Hunter (update)

A Foal Poem is a full-length poetry book from Rose Hunter. Written in Mexico during the course of 2010, the poems form an outer journey that starts in Puerto Vallarta, moves to Acapulco and San Miguel de Allende, Sayulita, and back to Puerto Vallarta. Overall, the book takes the reader on an inner journey through the themes of addiction and recovery, relationships, and changing/emerging identities.

Update, 2012: Decomp Magazine reviewed Foal, with several quotes: "This is where Rose Hunter takes us, "...this place / slouching towards, no, stumbling, / towards, along, overexposed cobblestones; one gringo dive bar / after another and never stop" ... And Hunter achieves, again and again, an absolutely surprising effect, like something hatching in your throat and then you falling love with that thing when it flies out, so beautiful, so new."

For another taste of A Foal Poem, try Aposematic / Grey at BluePrintReview, and The Lion / rebar at Connotation Press.

"A Foal Poem drew me in and didn't let go.... I wanted to stay within this world - the cube lady explaining with her hands; the Mexican palms and the cranes; bubbles in the rock and black sand beaches. Life during the wave’s lifetime... Revealing and concealing, A Foal Poem curls inward, outward, and within." -Sherry O'Keefe

Rose Hunter is the author of to the river (Artistically Declined Press), and the editor of the poetry journal, YB. Poems from this book have appeared in A cappella Zoo, decomP, elimae, Escape Into Life, kill author, The Nervous Breakdown, PANK, Referential, The Toronto Quarterly, Willow Wept Review, the BluePrintReview, and others. There also is an author talk with Rose Hunter in this blog.

Rose Hunter: A Foal Poem
poetry collection, 108 pages, $6.50

(originally posted in fall 2011)

The Mexican Drug War - Words without Borders

The Mexican Drug War is a special theme issue of Words without Borders. With it, the online magazine for international literature continues their tradition of exploring global events through international writing.

Guest edited by Carmen Boullosa, The Mexican Drug War features 11 pieces of fiction, poetry, and literary nonfiction exploring the world of a modern-day Mexico held hostage by drug lords. Rafael Perez Gay, Luis Felipe Fabre, Rafael Lemus, Yuri Herrera, Juan Villoro, Fabrizio Mejia Madrid, Magali Tercero, Sergio Gonzalez Rodriguez, Hector de Mauleon, and Carmen Boullosa delve into the personal and the global repercussions of a conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people.

The issue is available online:  The Mexican Drug War. A good entry point for the article "A Report from Hell" by the editor Carmen Boullosa. For most articles, there also is a Spanish version online.

About Words without Borders
The mission of Words without Borders is to translate, publish, and promote the finest contemporary international literature: "Every month, on our online magazine, we publish eight to ten new works by international writers."
In keeping with their mission, the Mexican Drug War issue will present the human stories behind the bloodshed and struggles that have ravaged Mexico for more than a decade. It follows the May 2011 Afghanistan Issue and their July and August 2011 Arab Spring Issues.

related links
about a place, anthologies

From Colder Climates - John Sibley Williams (Folded Word)

In his poetry collection Colder Climates, John Sibley Williams explores the inner and outer landscapes encountered on a journey to Iceland. As with physical landscapes, surprising perspectives are revealed by each step. Lava and ice, civilization and wilderness, family and solitude--these apparent contradictions collide inside poems which beg to be read aloud, just as their Nordic ancestors were around Iceland's first man made fires.

For a touch of Colder Climates, try this poetry video: Rebuilding Over and Again

"I'm excited and honored to have my latest chapbook, From Colder Climates, arrive today, featuring the mysterious and fascinating artwork of Mark S Struzan," writes the author. "There are two versions, the $7 'green' edition and the $12 'signature' edition. Although both are beautifully done, I'm truly taken aback by the latter version, which incorporates so many different paper types and hand-sewn designs."

John Sibley Williams is the author of six chapbooks, winner of the HEART Poetry Award, and finalist for the Pushcart and Rumi Poetry Prizes. He has served as Acquisitions Manager of Ooligan Press and Publicist for Three Muses Press and holds an MFA in Creative Writing and MA in Book Publishing. Some of his over 200 previous or upcoming publications include: Bryant Literary Review, The Chaffin Journal,The Evansville Review, RHINO, Rosebud, Ellipsis, Flint Hills Review, and Poetry Quarterly.

About Folded Word
Folded Word is an independent press that continually seeks new ways of connecting readers to new literary voices: "Though we do sell our books and chapbooks, we offer free poetry and fiction to the public in our Twitter-zines PicFic and unFold, as well as our print broadside, Heron. We also value craftsmanship, both of literary works and the medium in which they are rendered--as demonstrated by our handcrafted Signature Series chapbooks." Folded Word is managed by J.S. Graustein with the support of Rose Auslander, Casey Murphy, and the entire Folded family of contributors.

John Sibley Williams - From Colder Climates
Green Edition $6.00 + $1 shipping
Signature Edition $12.00 + $2 shipping
e-book list price $0.99

related links: poetry, about a place

Stepaway Magazine

Stepaway Magazine is a new, online literary magazine publishing the best urban flash fiction and poetry by writers from across the globe. The title of the magazine draws inspiration from Frank O’ Hara’s landmark flâneur poem, “A Step Away from Them”.

Editor Darren Richard Carlaw explains: "Our magazine is hungry for literature that evokes the sensory experience of walking in specific neighborhoods, districts or zones within a city. This is flânerie for the twenty-first century. Our aim is to become an online repository of walking narratives. Our writers will lead our readership through the streets of his or her chosen city in thousand words or less. We want whatever you can share."

Stepaway Magazine so far has released four issues, you can find all of them online. The current one is Stepaway issue 4, featuring poetry from different places, from Paris Haiku by Virginie Colline to Footnotees from the Gutters by Liam Pezzano and a Salt City poem by William Cordeiro, just to name a few.

A recent supplement entitled Northern Wanderer republished a lost flaneur poem by Barry MacSweeney and urged writers to wander the streets of Newcastle and record their experiences.

The magazine is open to poetry and prose submissions with an emphasis on walking in the city.

Stepaway Magazine
online literary journal

The Hide of my Tongue - Vivian Faith Prescott (Plain View)

The Hide of My Tongue is a familial and historical account of the loss & revitalization of the Tlingit language. It's Vivian Faith Prescott explains first full-length poetry collection.

The collection explores the historical and contemporary effects of the loss of one of the world’s most complex languages: Tlingit. There are less than three hundred fluent Tlingit speakers left in the world. In Southeast Alaska, many are involved in the Tlingit language and cultural revitalization including Vivian Faith Prescott and her family.

"I spent the last twelve years creating The Hide of My Tongue, Ax L'óot' Doogú," says Vivian. "The collection is dedicated to my daughter, Vivian Mork, Yeilk', Cute-Little-Raven, and those who work at revitalzing the Tlingit language."

Vivian Faith Prescott is a fifth generation Alaska, born and raised in Wrangell, Alaska. She lives in Sitka, Alaska. She facilitates writers workshops for adults and teens. Vivian is Co-Director of Raven’s Blanket, a non-profit designed to enhance and perpetuate the cultural wellness and traditions of Indigenous peoples through education, media, and the arts; to promote artistic works by both Native and non-native Alaskans. She blogs at Planet Alaska.

About Plain View Press
Plain View Press is a 35-year-old issue-based literary publishing house that hase published 350 titles presenting the work of almost 500 national and international writers. Despite evidence that relentless violence has taken root worldwide, there is hope and there are artists to show the human face of it. 

The Hide of My Tongue, Ax L'óot' Doogú
ISBN: 978-1-935514-87-9
114 pages, $14.95

related links: about a place, poetry

Edge: curve, arc, circle - Sandra Davies

Edge: curve, arc, circle is a tale of learning, adaptation and celebration in neolithic Orkney written and illustrated by Sandra Davies. The book includes three episodes and seventeen original and apt illustrations in this coming-of-age tale set in Neolithic Orkney.

The first of the episodes, 'Curve of early learning' describes the hurts of childhood and early adolescence, the acquisition of understanding about one's environment and place in society. This episode is online as excerpt with paintings as part of the Language/Place edition #6 "at the edge": Curve of learning.

The second episode 'Arc of adaptation' tells of further changes, more deaths, but the discovery of humanity and, eventually love and respect. 'Circle of celebration' describes the journey by land and sea to the Ring of Brodgar for the celebration of the mid-winter solstic. An extensive preview of the book is online at blurb: Edge: curve, arc, circle.

Sandra explains: "This book was inspired firstly by Orkney and a visit to Isbister, known more popularly as 'Tomb of the Eagles'. It was brought into being because Michael D Brown asked for contributions for MuDJoB, the illustrations followed later, sparked by the celebration of MuDJoBs first anniversary."

Sandra Davies is an artist and printmaker and recently-emerged writer of fiction, with a long-established interest in family history. Born on the Essex coast, she now lives in Teesside in the north east of England, both places having the flat landscapes and sea-edged horizons considered essential for a sense of well-being. Her writing can be found at linesofcommunication. For some of her prints, visit: printuniverse/SandraDavies.

Sandra Davies: Edge: curve, arc, circle
15.95$ / 14.95 Euro

related links: about a place, art

>language >place anniversary edition "Streets, Signs, Directions"

> Language > Place is a joined blog cyber journey featuring international perspectives on language and place.

One year ago, the first edition of the language/place carnival went live. Since then, almost monthly, a new edition followed - each a journey in itself, hosted by different bloggers in places that reach from Hong Kong to Slovenia and New Zealand to the States. Now the anniversary edition launched. The theme of this edition is: Streets, Signs, Direction.

Following its own theme, this edition offers 3 ways to explore and visit the contributions: a found poem, based on single lines from each contribution, an itienary of contributions with notes and links and a geographic map which also includes the former editions.

Call: Edition #12 of > language > place will be hosted by poet & writer Linda Hofke. The feature theme for edition #12 is “Food" - but as always, a wide range of contributions is welcome. Submissions are now open, deadline 20th November, guidelines.

About the  >Language >Place blog carnival
To create a collaborate cyber journey that features international perspectives on language and place, in different formats, and with different languages included - that's the concept of this collaborate project. The main language is english, the carnival consists of a central page that links to all participating blog. An overview of previous editions and more background information is available at the Language Place info page.

> language > place anniversary edition (#11)
a web project

related links: web projects, anthologies

Walking the Tiger's Path - Paul Kendel (Tendril)

Paul Kendel's book Walking the Tiger's Path - A Soldier’s Spiritual Journey in Iraq addresses the horrors of war from an extraordinary human perspective.

In 2005, Paul Kendel deployed with his National Guard unit out of Georgia to Iraq, hoping to use his knowledge of that land to bridge the gap between American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. However, the realities of war crushed his idealism when his buddies began dying at the hands of the enemy. Eventually, his ongoing concern for the Iraqi people alienated some of his comrades, and he felt the sting of growing conflict within himself.

Turning to the books on Buddhist teachings he had brought with him, he found solace in the written words. On a whim, he emailed Shambhala International and requested assistance. An unexpected response and ongoing support from Buddhist teacher and meditation instructor Margot Neuman helped him to retain a sane and humble humanity in a situation that often plummeted into lethal insanity.

An excerpt of the book is online at Issuu: Walking the Tiger's Path.

Paul M. Kendel’s (SSG Ret.) first experience with the current “War on Terror” began with a deployment to Saudi Arabia with the California National Guard following 9/11. In 2005, the military deployed him to Iraq. Kendel holds an M.A. in both History and Anthropology, and is currently teaching world history and special education in Jacksonville, Florida.

About Tendril Press
Tendril Press is a selective independent Press publishing thought provoking, educational, inspirational and humanitarian books for adults and children.

Paul Kendel: Walking the Tiger's Path
A Soldier’s Spiritual Journey in Iraq
320 pages

related links: the human condition, east/west, nonfiction

Spiral Jetta - Erin Hogan (University of Chicago)

Erin Hogan hit the road in her Volkswagen Jetta and headed west from Chicago in search of the monuments of American land art: a salty coil of rocks, four hundred stainless steel poles, a gash in a mesa, four concrete tubes, and military sheds filled with cubes. Her journey took her through the states of Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. It also took her through the states of anxiety, drunkenness, disorientation, and heat exhaustion. Spiral Jetta is a chronicle of this journey.

Spiral Jetta is the current free e-book of the month at Chicago Press. There also is an interview with Hogan online.

"Hogan’s pilgrimage, sparsely illustrated, is part well-informed art historical travelogue and part light foray into self-discovery."—Publishers Weekly

Erin Hogan is director of public affairs at the Art Institute of Chicago.

About the University of Chicago Press
The Books Division of the University of Chicago Press has been publishing books for scholars, students, and general readers since 1892. The Books Division has published over eleven thousand books since the Press was founded. It has more than five thousand books in print at the present time.

Erin Hogan: Spiral Jetta
e-book: e-book-of-the-month page
190 pages, 2008
non-fiction, art, travel

editor's note: there is a related review on this book online in the editor's blog, including photo+video links to some of the featured land art, quotes, and a "Spiral Jetty" travel report of an art blogger: "Spiral Jetty & Arches - a road / art trip"

Open City - Teju Cole (Random)

Teju Cole's novel Open City tells the story of a young Nigerian-German psychiatrist in New York City five years after 9/11.

Published by Random House and reviewed in the New Yorker, this novel technically doesn't exactly belong into this blog on indie books and online literary magazines. Yet if you visit the Links section of the author's page, you arrive at a very indie note in section 4. Right between links to the African Cities Reader and Vanity Fair  Teju Cole states: "I’m a frequent contributor to the excellent online journal Qarrtsiluni."

Small open world, it is. This cross connection also reflects in 2 recent reviews from fellow bloggers Jean Morris and Parmanu, who both are contributors to qarrtsiluni - and to BluePrintReview.

"It’s not a total surprise to see a friend first encountered through the different blogs he’s kept now find considerable success with his first novel. Not a surprise, but a new and engaging experience," notes Jean Morris in her blog post "Open City opens here". And if you follow the contributor link above, you arrive at the visualization of this cross connection: Ekphrasis 1: Jean + Teju Cole.

The second blog post, by Parmanu, is actually a letter to Teju Cole with a reflection on reviews in general, and also on the difference the earlier connection makes: "Looking at these reviews I sometimes wonder how I would have responded if I had known nothing about the author. Would it have been a different book for me?" - The Review Cycle

About Teju Cole
Teju Cole was born to Nigerian parents and grew up in Lagos. His mother taught French. My father was a business executive who exported chocolate. At fifteen he published cartoons regularly in Prime People, Nigeria’s version of Vanity Fair. Two years later he moved to the United States. Since then, he spent most of his time studying art history, except for an unhappy year in medical school. He currently lives in Brooklyn.

Teju Cole: Open City

and see what happens - Ursula Vaira (Caitlin)

In her first book of poetry And See What Happens - The Journey Poems, Ursula Vaira captures the rugged and challenging beauty of the West Coast landscape and writes the poetry of 3 transformative journeys in British Columbia's wilderness.

The first, told through a set of linked poems, describe her thirty-day, thousand-mile paddle from Hazelton to Victoria. As a Caucasian civilian, the only woman in the canoe, Vaira bears witness.

"A heck of a wind/ bounces me into the mountains... " - So begins the second poem, the story of a woman's stay in an isolated hunter's cabin in the northern Rockies. The third and final journey in Vaira's new collection is a poem of place, of landscape and of westcoast imagery from a twenty-two-day kayaking journey that rounded Cape Scott and Cape Cook on Vancouver Island.

"These poems are talismans of grace, beauty and healing." - Lorna Crozier

Ursula Vaira grew up in northern BC and taught school in the Arctic and on the northwest coast. Her poems have been published in literary journals and in anthologies. Ursula worked at Oolichan Books for ten years then founded her own publishing house, Leaf Press, in 2001.

About Caitlin Press
Caitlin Press publishes culturally significant books, including fiction, non-fiction (both historical and creative), and poetry. It was established in 1977 by Carolyn Zonailo as a feminist literary press. In the 1980s, Caitlin Press moved from Gabriola Island to Vancouver and expanded its mandate to that of a BC literary press.

Ursula Vaira: and see what happens
poetry
ISBN: 978-1-894759-58-8
112 pages, $ 16.95

The China Issue (Asian Cha)

China: a large country in East Asia. One of the world's oldest civilizations. An emerging superpower. A country in a state of transformation...

Asian Cha now devoted a theme issue to capturing a sense of this complexity, to provide a view of what a few people, both Chinese and non-Chinese, think of this multi-faceted and remarkable country at this fascinating juncture in history: The China Issue.

"In these works, you will see a handful of microscope slides, cross-sections of the contemporary Middle Kingdom, which when read together will hopefully provide a glimpse of the whole."

The issue includes a rich and varied range of formats: Poetry and Poetry in translation, Fiction and Fiction in translation, Creative non-fiction, Art and art criticism, and an interview with Pallavi Aiyar, author of "Chinese Whiskers". And: a fine selection of book reviews, which for this issue are all related to China. The list of contributors is online at Cha, it reaches from Ai Weiwei to Zhen Lianjie.

Editorial
Two thoughtful editorials form the starting point to the issue: "The Chinese Curse" by guest editor Mai Mang, and "China: What it is, what it could be" by Tammy Ho Lai-Ming, who writes: "It is exactly because the country has become more confident and influential globally that we are interested in publishing a special issue of Cha devoted to the social, political and cultural forces that are shaping the nation. It is not an exaggeration to think that the once self-proclaimed "Middle Kingdom" is now coming back apt as ever as a metaphor to describe its current self-identified position in relation to the rest of the world. China is what it is or perhaps more accurately it is a near infinity of realities and possibilities."

A note: the Cha website is currently experiencing technical difficulties. You can also find an introduction to the issue + the editorials in the Cha blog.

Ayiti - Roxane Gay (Artistically Declined)

The debut collection from the vibrant voice of Roxane Gay is a unique blend of fiction, nonfiction and poetry, all interwoven to represent the Haitian diaspora experience. Official release date of Ayiti is October 11. Pre-Orders will ship on or before the release date.

Roxane Gay is the co-editor of PANK, and assistant professor of English at Eastern Illinois University. Her story "Do You Have a Place for Me" was shortlisted in the Million Writers Award Top Ten List 2011. For a story from her about Haitia, visit "Things I Know About Fairy Tales" at Necessary Fiction.

About Artistically Declined Press
Artistically Declined Press is devoted to the pairing of fantastic writing with great design, creating complete works of art. The press publishes books of fiction and poetry, the literary journal Sententia, and ADP.PDF's, a series of free ebooks, and is run by Ryan W. Bradley, who writes and lives in Oregon with his wife and two sons.

Roxane Gay: Ayiti
collection, $9

The Paris Magazine

In 1967, the famous Paris "Shakespeare and Company" bookshop that was founded by Sylvia Beach in 1919, published a literary magazine called The Paris Magazine. Two more issues of what was meant to be a quarterly magazine followed after long intervals. Now, in 2010, Shakespeare and Company picked up the magazine again.

The fourth edition of Paris Magazine is edited by former Granta managing editor Fatema Ahmed, and includes fiction, nonfiction, and illustrations. Shakespeare and Company says: "More than forty years later, and in keeping with that sentiment, this fourth edition is meant to be an intriguing and unfamiliar place for both its writers and readers—just like the bookshop itself."

The Magazine is available at the bookshop, or can be ordered online - for the contents and some excerpts, visit the Paris Magazine website. You'll find photos, and an interesting introduction by Sylvia Whitman, daughter of Geroge Whitman who founded the Paris Magazin. Here's a quote: "Having now drifted into bookselling myself, but in a very different era from my father, I often find myself being looked upon apologetically as a representative of the old world, someone who believes in the book as a living thing." 

The magazine page also includes the story of how the fourth edition came into being - told by editor Fatema Ahmed, who also gives an introduction to the edition: "This fourth issue takes as its starting point the theme for this year’s festival: Storytelling and Politics. It may seem surprising to see a short story by this year’s winner of the Prix Goncourt next to an essay on the literary merits of a manual for diagnosing psychiatric disorders; or Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s translation of one of Apollinaire’s most famous poems beside a neglected satirist from the Indian subcontinent. It may seem surprising but it shouldn’t be. All these writers, and the others, share an interest in what it is that only literature can do, and the unlikely forms it can sometimes take."

The Paris Magazine #4
edition 4
€6 at the shop
online order €9,50 (France), €12,60 (Europe), €13,40 (World)
related links: on writing & reading, mixed formats, about a place

PS: the Ed arrived at this magazine while doing research for a trip to Paris. for more Paris moments and links, visit this post: Paris, Shakespeare, Dehli, Louvre..

Family Album - Sheree Mack (Flambard)

Family Album is preoccupied with migration, journeys and places. In poems full of energy and life, Sheree Mack catches the complexity of family history – ‘it was already there waiting for me’ – the pull of the past and the threads that have formed her identity.

Sheree Mack’s collection captures a sense of the migrations and changes of the last century, and shares with us, through the control and patterning of her poetry, an experience and insight that is her own. Her poems evoke images of sea journeys made from Barbados and Trinidad to England – ‘a place speckled / with a few brown faces’ – and onward travel to Bradford and Newburn on Tyneside.

"Poems that do not flinch from the conflicts and inconsistencies of family bonds." - Cynthia Fuller

Sheree Mack was born in Bradford to a Trinidadian father and a Geordie mother of Bajan and Ghanaian heritage. She has lived in Newcastle from the age of ten. She was Poet in Residence at the Durham Literature Festival in 2005. Married with two children, she works as a freelance writer and lecturer for the Open University and has recently completed her PhD in Creative Writing at Newcastle University. She participated in a river of stones and blogs at every day creativity.

About Flambard Press
Flambard is an independent press now based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Established in 1990, Flambard publishes about ten books of poetry and fiction a year. Flambard’s list includes writers from all across the UK and abroad, yet the press remains especially supportive of writers from northern England.

Sheree Mack: Family Album
poetry collection
90 pages
ISBN: 978-1-906601-23-2

related links: poetry, about a place

Xu Xi - Habit of a Foreign Sky (Haven Books)

In her novel Habit of a Foreign Sky, Xu Xi explores the abrupt shift for Gail Szeto when her mother, her last family member, is killed in an accident. For Gail, a mixed-race, single mother who buried her young son only two years prior, all she has left is a hard-won career at a global investment bank. Life rapidly goes into free fall for this woman with a complicated past, who was once so sure of her direction in life, and who now isn't able to see a clear future path.

This novel is finalist for the Inaugral Man Asian Literary Prize. An audio interview with Xu Xi is online at: Xu Xi explains the multicultural appeal of the novel (recommended).

Xu Xi, an award-winning fiction writer and essayist, has edited several literary anthologies including Fifty-Fifty: New Hong Kong Writing. She currently teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is Writer-in-Residence at City University of Hong Kong, where she founded the first international MFA program that specializes in Asian writing in English.

About Haven Books
Haven Books is a dynamic English-language press based in Hong Kong, their books focus primarily on Asian and international themes, and are enjoyed worldwide by readers of all ages. "We publish strong, fresh titles on a wide variety of topics - including exciting fiction, cookbooks, photography and travel books, children's illustrated books, young adult novels, and reference books. A founding member of the Independent Publishers of Hong Kong, Haven Books actively promotes Asia-based writers and literary organizations."

Habit of  a Foreign Sky - Xu Xi
ISBN 978-988-18967-2-8

related links: international, novels, prize/best of

>language >place blog carnival #1 (blueprint)

> Language > Place is a joined blog cyber journey featuring international perspectives on language and place.

The key to this web project is its decentral structure: a blog carnival. All participating authors put up their text in their own blog, and then forwarded the link to the current host of the carnival – who then put together a central page that branches out into the web. The result is a colorful and diverse collection of themes and voices, a virtual journey through different aspects of language in different regions and continents in changing places.

Edition #1 includes 24 participating blogs from all over the world, and is hosted by BluePrintReview editor Dorothee Lang in virtual notes. The themes of this first edition range from "Crossing Borders" to "(M)other Tongues", from "Home, Abroad" to "The beauty of language" and from "City Storie" to "Identity and Language" - here the direct link to the edition: > language > place edition #1

Edition #2 of > language > place will be hosted by author and journalist Nicolette Wong in her blog Meditations in an Emergency. Submissions are now open for edition 2: guidelines.

About blueprint
>language >place is a blueprint project - the base of blueprint is BluePrintReview, an international literary online journal with theme issues. The currently issue is #25: "two²", upcoming in December is #26 "identity". Other blueprint projects include blueprintpress, the print side wing of BluePrintReview, the latest publication are 2 micro novels: "The Republic of Love" by Nora Nadjarian and "My Apartment" by Michael K. White.

> language > place edition #1
a web project

Making Good Use of August - Sherry O'Keefe (Finishing Line)

Sherry O'Keefe is a descendent of Montana pioneers and grew up in a remote power camp. Making Good Use of August is her first poetry chapbook.

"Making Good Use of August announces Sherry O'Keefe as a strong new voice in the poetry of place. Each poem in this collection while unique, builds a unified narrative image vast and detailed as a mural or tapestry. We vicariously see through O'Keefe and her people the small details remembered from a rural childhood, the bitterness of seduction and regret, and the difficulties and pleasures of navigating this modern life." -  Justin Evans, author of Working in the Bird House

"Sherry O'Keefe tells the stories of a world that "city kids won't know." Riding in the front seat of her pickup truck, the reader is treated to a tour only a lifelong resident can provide. Expertly navigating the back roads, she guides us through a vivid and idiosyncratic landscape, pointing out where all the best secrets are kept. O'Keefe has a wonderful eye for detail, a vision both quirky and deeply human." - Nina Corwin, Fifth Wednesday Journal

Sherry O'Keefe's most current work has appeared or is forthcoming in Switched-on Gutenberg, THEMA, Terrain. Org., PANK, Avatar Review, Fifth Wednesday Journal, Two Review, Babel Fruit, The High Desert Journal and Main Street Rag. Her full collection of poetry, Loss of Ignition, is making the rounds while she works on the editorial teams for Fifth Wednesday Journal and The Centrifugal Eye. She is the Poetry Editor for Soundzine.

About Finishing Line Press
Finishing Line Press is an award-winning small press publisher. New Releases: The Bracelet by Lou Amyx, Tropical Diagnosis by Virginia Aronson and Cracklers at Night by Rita Banerjee. Finishing Line Press is currently calling for manuscripts for teir 2011 New Women's Voices Chapbook Competition, details.

to the river - Rose Hunter (Artistically Declined)

to the river is Rose Hunter's first book of poetry. She weaves an interlinked collection of poems ranging from Sydney to Canada, to Vienna, to Mexico, and back again.

"Hunter's poems represent a map for the landscape of our everyday actions. At times simple and others intriguingly complex, Hunter’s wide range of influences are clearly evident throughout as she manages to touch on seemingly every subject possible." (full review) - Patrick Trotti, JMWW

"to the river is more than one woman’s journey through life: it’s a series of quests, each presenting its own challenges, and the question is: Will she survive the next? Read these poems and find out." (full review) - Molly Gaudry, author of We Take Me Apart

Rose Hunter blogs at Whoever Brought Me Here Will Have to Take Me Home. At the moment she is somewhere between Australia and Mexico, with the most important parts of her in Mexico. She is also the editor of the online poetry journal YB. Her collection of short stories, Another Night at the Circus, was previously featured on s-Press.

About Artistically Declined Press
Artistically Declined Press is devoted to the pairing of fantastic writing with great design, creating complete works of art. The press publishes books of fiction and poetry, the literary journal Sententia, and ADP.PDF's, a series of free ebooks, and is run by Ryan W. Bradley, who writes and lives in Oregon with his wife and two sons.

Rose Hunter: to the river
poetry collection
96 pages, $9

Ten Walks/Two Talks - Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch (Ugly Duckling)

Ten Walks/Two Talks combines a series of sixty-minute, sixty-sentence walks around Manhattan with a pair of roving dialogues—one of which takes place during a late-night "philosophical" ramble through Central Park. Mapping 21st-century New York, Cotner and Fitch update the meandering and meditative form of Basho's travel diaries to construct a descriptive/dialogic fugue.

Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch have performed their dialogic improvisations across the country and internationally. They recently completed another collaborative manuscript called Conversations over Stolen Food. The audio magazine textsound (which is worth a visit itself) features 8+ hours of their solo and collaborative work in a special issue: Improvisations 2006-2010.

Fitch's critical study Not Intelligent, But Smart: Rethinking Joe Brainard is forthcoming from Dalkey Archive Press. Cotner lives in New York City. Fitch is an assistant professor in the University of Wyoming's MFA Program.

About Ugly Duckling Presse
Created by a group of artists and writers without commercial publishing experience, Ugly Duckling Presse has a unique publishing structure with a non-hierarchical editorial collective at its heart. Growing out of the Ugly Duckling zine of the early 1990s, and incorporated as a not-for-profit art & publishing collective in 2002, UDP produces small to mid-size editions of new poetry, translations, lost works, and artist’s books, averaging more than 25 titles a year. The Presse favors emerging, international, and “forgotten” writers with well-defined formal or conceptual projects that are difficult to place at other presses

Jon Cotner + Andy Fitch: Ten Walks/Two Talks
Poetry/Nonfiction
88 pages, $14
ISBN 978-1-933254-67-8