change your mind

THRILLER! CHILLER! Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:02:00 +0000

How can I not love something with so many exclamation points?
G O H E R E

Strange Young Things Fall Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Check out this awesome band on their fall tour:

Boston Comic Con: April 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Vato Maldito: My Life of Crime, new book by John "Bubbles" Gallegos, released from Enlightened Pyramid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:00:00 +0000

VATO MALDITO: My Life of Crime by John "Bubbles" Gallegos. Now Available from Enlightened Pyramid.

A notorious Denver professional criminal tells his story in his own words. Armed robbery, addiction, and hard time are just the tip of the iceberg in this career thief's autobio.

WARNING: This website has an auto music player that will come on when you visit the site. Very loud if you are in a quiet or working environment.

G O H E R E

Outbound, a new sci-fi comics anthology

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:08:00 +0000

BOSTON, MA (November 4, 2009) – The Boston Comics Roundtable, in partnership with River Bird Studios, is pleased to announce the release of the premiere issue of Outbound, a Science Fiction comics anthology.

Outbound is a spin-off of sister publication Inbound, the anthology of comics from Boston. Outbound contains comics and short stories from a mix of Boston-based creators and artists all over the world, from Australia to South America, including a cover from talented Uruguayan artist Marcelo Buchelli.

Outbound #1 retails for US$ 6.99 and is available in every comic book retail location in the greater Boston area and online H E R E. Outbound is also distributed nationally by Direct Comic Book Service and Heavy Ink.

The Boston Comics Roundtable was created in 2006, and has produced three issues of the Inbound comics anthology. Outbound is the Roundtable’s second ongoing series and its first foray into science fiction territory. The release of Outbound marks an exciting new chapter for the Boston Comics Roundtable and for the science fiction genre. Fans can expect new issues of Outbound every six months.

Outbound is the brainchild of Roundtable member and Inbound contributor, Roho, the principal of River Bird Studios.

Each of the comic stories in Outbound #1 will be serialized, with new ongoing stories premiering in each subsequent issue. Issue #1 contents include:

“The Caerulean Dream” by Roho and Brett Barkley.
“Space and Time” by Josh Mills, Michael Paoloni, and Alexandra Mills, with chapter cover by David Newbold.
“The Null Device” by David Marshall.
“Flek” by Erik Heumiller.
“Scientists Gone Wild” by Eric Boeker.
“Mark and the Aliens” by Aya Rothwell.
“Black Fuska” by Roho, with chapter cover by Richard Jenkins.
Special sneak preview of “The New Kid” by Dan Mazur (to premiere in Outbound #2).

Outbound #1 also includes two tales of short fiction:

“Breezes of Heaven” by Joe Cannon, with art by Paul Marquis.
“How I Learned to Tolerate Vegemite” by Aya Rothwell, with art by the author.

And rounding up the issue as extra bonus features:

Marsnik 6 Paper Model by Marcel Sirer, with design by Roho.
An interview with Sandy Collora, director of the independent science fiction movie Hunter/Prey.
Endcap essay by Hugo-nominated author Michael A. Burstein.

The Boston Comics Roundtable is an independent organization of comics creators in the Greater Boston area. The group meets weekly to workshop, educate, and network. Meetings are open to the public. Information regarding publications, artist galleries, and meetings can be found at their website.

Handlebar Fundraiser: November 15, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:56:00 +0000

A friend of the co-op, filmmaker Michael McCallum, is hosting a fundraiser for his latest film project, Handlebar. Please attend the event, or help out if you can!

Info:
Sunday, November 15, 2009
7:00 p.m.
Stober's Bar
812 E Michigan Ave, Lansing MI
(517) 487-4464
Donations, please

The movie is all cut together, sound work 90% completed; they just need a little help to get the rest of it finished, to get DVDs made, and to rent the theater for a January premiere at Celebration Cinema in Lansing-area, Michigan.

Just coming off the success of his first feature film, Fairview St. (11 film festivals, 5 awards so far), they're hoping to entertain you with a comedy that enlists the talents of much of the same folks from Fairview St.

Handlebar will be Michael's second feature film that he's directed. He co-wrote the movie with Shane Hagedorn, and it stars the two of them, alongside Grace Anne Rowan, Wallace Bridges, and Michael's Father, William C. McCallum. It's full of colorful characters from the Lansing area and shot completely in Lansing, as well.

A.E. Griffin was the Director of Photography for Handlebar, and Jon Worful's editing talents were used to help cut the film together. A small section of the film will be shown at the fundraiser, with the trailer and a sneak preview of a scene that Stober's own John Orta is in!

Food will be available.

Please come out and support local film and local art! Every little bit helps.

If you can't make it, please send a donation:
Michael McCallum
PO BOX 80582
Lansing, MI 48908

Poster artwork done by Lansing's own Dennis Preston!

The Big Book of Revolutionary Poetry is seeking submissions

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:24:00 +0000

Calling all feminists, wizards, queer theorists, ex-Black Panthers, Christians, green activists, avant-gardists, Kabbalists, vegans, Hawaiian nationalists, kickboxers, punks, hip hop evangelists, New New Leftists, pink-haired emo warriors, organic gardeners -- submit your work for The Big Book of Revolutionary Poetry, edited by Sparrow and Mickey Z.

Send up to 3 poems to: Sparrow or Mickey Z.

Also, please forward this announcement far and wide, post it on your website or blog or Facebook page, and tweet it if you must. Thanks...

P.S. Please don't reply to find out what we mean by "revolutionary." As they say, if you have to ask...

COUNTERPUNCH SEEKING POETRY SUBMISSIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:45:00 +0000

A friend of the co-op, Marc Beaudin, is now the poetry editor over at CounterPunch, and they are looking for some new poetry blood. Check out the link, submit your good material, and pass the word along to your poet friends.

G O H E R E

Kate Protage: Awesome artist to check out

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:39:00 +0000

G O H E R E

Raven Mimura: Awesome artist to check out

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:26:00 +0000

G O H E R E

Chris Sheridan: Awesome artist to check out

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:12:00 +0000

G O H E R E

Dreaming in Black and White: Wisconsin Noir and the Justified Poem by Michael Kriesel

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:16:00 +0000

Wisconsin’s First Form:
Dreaming in Black and White:
Wisconsin Noir and the Justified Poem
By Michael Kriesel

Crossover poems are increasingly popular in Wisconsin’s thriving poetry community: a member of my online writing group is churning out a series of great science fiction poems, pithy vehicles for social comment; my own manuscript of occult-themed verse is making the rounds of the book contests; and at a recent writing conference a Milwaukee poet handed me his latest chapbook, Misadventures of the Paisley Cowboy.

Then there’s the hard-boiled crime genre being worked by Madison area poet John Lehman, who recently published a book of verse noir—Acting Lessons, Parallel Press, 2008. Filled with murky mazes and existential ambushes, the work is in a short form devised by Lehman a few years ago, called the Wisconsin justified poem.

Looking like cubes of newspaper column, the poems are defined not just by their form, but also by a noir-ish feel and tone. They usually explore Wisconsin topics, are often rural, and at heart “inspired” by Wisconsin winters.

Here’s a taste, from Closed Until Spring:

This is the season of Ed Gein
and Jeffrey Dahmer. Sleep days,
fish through ice, pry firewood
from frozen mounds of snow.
Buy wine at the gas station. Court
darkness. Speak to no one. This
is winter in Wisconsin. Write
horror stories. Embrace the cold.
(John Lehman, Acting Lessons)

“They give the impression of a rigid form,” Lehman explains, “so that the language within the poem can be casual and conversational…more Midwest, and yes, more Wisconsin. They resemble their larger cousin, the prose poem.”

Magic Lunch Box

If you’re unfamiliar with prose poems, here’s a quote by Louis Jenkins, an acknowledged master of the form:

“Think of the prose poem as a box, perhaps the lunch box dad brought home from work at night. What’s inside? Some waxed paper, a banana peel, and half a peanut butter-jelly sandwich. Not so much, a hint of how the day has gone perhaps, but magic for having made a mysterious journey and returned…the prose poem is a formal poem because of its limits. The box is made for travel, quick and light. Think of the prose rectangle as a small suitcase. One must pack carefully, only the essentials, too much and the reader won’t get off the ground. Too much and the poem becomes a story, a novel, an essay or worse…the trick in writing a prose poem is discovering how much is enough and how much is too much.”
(Nice Fish: New & Selected Prose Poems, Holy Cow! Press 1995)

The prose poem has a dual nature, as its name implies. “On the one hand, there’s the lyric’s wish to make the time stop around an image, and on the other hand, one wants to tell a little story,” comments Charles Simic, a former U.S. Poet Laureate. “It must dazzle, and it must also have a lightness of touch. I regard the comic spirit as its true Muse.”
(The Poetry of Village Idiots, Verse 13, no. 1, 1996)

The God Of Flow

All of the above holds true for the Wisconsin justified poem. But John Lehman cites an additional element—flow. It’s what gives poetry its real dynamic, claimed Robert Frost.

“Most poets break lines by phrases or concepts,” says Lehman, “but Frost carries us with his flow from one line to the next, then stops us in our tracks.

His head carved out of granite O,
His hair a wayward drift of snow,
He worshiped the great God of Flow
By holding on and letting go."
(These are lines about Frost by Robert Francis)

“Frost believed we further enhance the dynamics of the poem’s flow by stretching the spoken sentence over the line of poetry,” Lehman explains. “Frost’s famous narrative poem The Death Of The Hired Man is a classic example.”

Pulled Around The Corner

The Wisconsin justified poem, unlike the standard prose poem, pays attention to line breaks and their relationship to sentences. It pulls the reader around the corner and only stops movement when the end of a line corresponds with the end of a sentence. In addition, the lines seldom end with prepositions or articles, but with nouns, adverbs, and verbs.

As forms go, it’s a soft one. The rules are few and fluid: conversational style, noir tone, and Wisconsin topic. Keep it short and justify the text.

“I think its informality seems particularly suited to the voice of a Wisconsin narrator who might romanticize a little more if the winters weren’t so long and so dark,” muses Lehman. “The mutterings of someone in a farmhouse kitchen alone, late at night listening to the wind.”

Film Noir’s Influence

Film noir’s a big influence on the poems. “In a way the noir films were not realistic,” observes Lehman, “but a kind of theatrical romanticizing of the forties. People enjoyed them partially because they were escapist.”

That escapism sometimes bleeds into a comic surrealism, as in The Nut Bread Murders:

A friend sends a loaf of nut bread that’s dense
as a kiln-dried brick. I tell my wife it reminds me
of something my first wife would bake. Is this
a mistake? No, because upon hearing it she
makes me a fluffy coffee cake with a brown-sugar
and chocolate-chip topping, and I deduce there
may be a lesson about women here (how one
can be played against another). So I call my
first wife who asks what the hell I want. Hmmm.
Later, I decide to put her in a novel I’m plotting
as a character out to poison everyone with her
goddamn nut bread while I, the hero, am saved by
a stripper named Brown Sugah. Writing comes fast.
It’s February in Wisconsin and I am going nuts.
(John Lehman, Acting Lessons)

Giving It A Try

As a poet who’s muttered his way through his share of Wisconsin winters, the first time I saw the form it intrigued me enough to try it. Eventually I had a short manuscript that won a nationwide book contest, demonstrating the form’s appeal even to non-cheese heads (though the judges were fellow Midwesterners, over in Indiana).

Here’s the title poem from that collection:

Soul Noir

I just walk out of the Neon Toad
when this big guy grabs my shirt,
spins me around like a carnival
ride and slams me up against the
bricks. All I see is cartoon stars
but his voice cuts right through.
“Lie to yourself on your own time,
punk.” Then I’m on the sidewalk
sitting up and no one’s there. It
was my conscience. Bastard finds
me anywhere.
(Michael Kriesel, Soul Noir)

Soon after I started writing in this form/genre, I came to understand that noir’s romanticism also can be viewed as starkly stripped-down realism. Its flavor is similar to the oddball existentialism running through Wisconsin’s landscape like a vein of smoky quartz. Maybe that’s why the two combine so well. I offer another of my own examples:

Wisconsin Noir

Waiting for the sheriff, Ed Gein forks
apple pie in Plainfield’s only diner.
Barns slump like slaughterhouse cows.
At the crystalline heart of the state, Rib
Mountain oscillates: quartz monadnock
tinting our dreams through winter nights.
In the end, spring arrives, green and gold.
The Packers win the Super Bowl.
(Michael Kriesel, Soul Noir)

Transcending Landscape

The Wisconsin justified poem transcends regionalism by combining a specific form with a specific tone. The form’s uniquely suited to the tone of the material expressed. But it’s the tone most of all that gives the poems their distinct character—not unlike the dialogue in noir films.

These poems work the way haiku and watercolor do to capture the mood of a place, expressing the way our lives resonate with our state and sometimes finding In the Middle of Nothing, Greatness:

I pass a sign on Highway 26 that states
Juneau is 5 miles away, Oshkosh 53.
I saw the same sign just ten minutes ago,
but listen, when I check my gas gauge
(then, it had been a little below a quarter)
now, I swear, it shows half full. And there,
around a curve, against the steel November
sky, in a field of cornstalks far as a crow can
see—are you ready—rises an assemblage
of grain elevators more magnificent than
the Cathedral at Reims.
(John Lehman, Acting Lessons)

In Sprecher’s Tavern, Lehman observes: “Living in Wisconsin is a lot like the tavern that sells rifles and beer. It doesn’t make much sense, but it feels right when you’re there.”

That’s how these poems work. But how well do they work? Does it feel right? That’s the final test…and something only poets and readers and time can decide. The best test of any form is whether the force it contains could manifest as well in any other shape.

Here’s hoping more Wisconsin poets add to this new genre—a form and tone unique to where we live.

----------

Acting Lessons By John Lehman
ISBN 978-1-934795-04-0 HERE

Shorts: 101 Brief Poems of Wonder and Surprise By John Lehman
ISBN 978-0-9741728-2-8 HERE

Soul Noir By Michael Kriesel
Platonic 3Way Press, PO Box 844, Warsaw, IN 46581. $5.

I’d like to thank Carroll University Poetry Professor B.J. Best for his help in preparing this article. The article has appeared in the print publications: Small Press Review, Free Verse, Rosebud, Wisconsin People & Ideas, and Chiron Review.

CAMBRIDGE MASS. SOUND STUDIOS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:05:00 +0000

The Bridge Sound & Stage Studios, run by a good friend of mine, Lionel Semedo. Do it.

JULIAN GALLO AND LINDA LAPORTE PLAYING IN BROOKLYN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:17:00 +0000

One of our Propaganda Press authors, Julian Gallo, will be playing with Linda LaPorte at a benefit show in Brooklyn. Check out the show, support a cause, and support the artists!

IT'S NOT ENOUGH OF ELVIS BY PAUL FERICANO [CHAPBOOK REVIEW]

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:43:00 +0000

It's Not Enough Of Elvis
By Paul Fericano

The Shave and a Haircut Poetry Series
Poor Souls Press/Scaramouche Books
PO Box 236
Millbrae CA 94030
25¢

This is a nicely-printed, nicely-trimmed, professional-looking, short, thin, quarter-page, saddle-stapled book of one single poem, laid out in an artsy fashion to cover the pages. It blows my mind that this is 25¢, as a huge amount of the printing must be coming out of Paul's (or another press owner's) pocket, since just the colored cover alone is 25¢, not to mention the two stamps it took to mail it. So he isn't making any money on it, which means it must be a labor of love (and made possible by a grant from the Charles J. Parrot Foundation, Chevy Chase, Maryland). You can tell that it is a labor of love by the delicate way it has been lovingly crafted from start to finish.

This consists of nice paper, nice printing, even a vellum sheet between the cover and inside pages; and big fat typeface that stretches the words out so this one single poem fills the space, and even then it's only printed on small chunks of the page, front side only. So, yeah, mostly a novelty and a very quick read.

The poem, itself, is quite vague. I can't entirely tell if it is even pro-Elvis or anti-Elvis, since I could easily read it with an angry tone or a sad tone and get two different emotional results. One thing is for certain, however: it is all about Elvis.

it's not enough of Elvis
it's just not enough
it's not enough of Elvis whiskey decanters
Elvis toilet paper
Elvis condoms
Elvis impersonators singing Elvis songs
to Elvis fans [...]

I would like to know what's not enough of Elvis? What is this random "it"? To what is this dummy-pronoun referring? I can't quite grasp its reference throughout the entire read, as the title line is used over and over. As I said, the poem's quite vague, fairly loose, experimental while still maintaining sense within the individual lines, themselves, although nothing is really pieced completely together for you. You are left to decide what is not enough of Elvis and whether or not this is a good thing or a bad thing and how it all affects the author.

After my favorite few lines,

[...]
we dig up the grave
and sell little envelopes of Elvis plots
we pulverize the casket
and market little vials of Elvis coffins
we auction off the corpse
and sell every last bone to the highest bidder [...]

Fericano begins listing Elvis parts being auctioned off to the world, which I think is the elusive reference to what's not enough: every last part of Elvis sold, bought, and gone, and still we can't get enough.

There, that was quite the analysis of one poem, cutely packaged and well-put-together into something that I'm sure Elvis lovers will find quite pleasing. The poem is enjoyable, the price is certainly right, and the author is very pleasant. You can't go wrong for a quarter, and you can easily stick this book inside a card as a great novelty gift for an Elvis lover.

[Review by leah angstman]

FUNDRAISER FOR HANDLEBAR

noreply@blogger.com (Leah Angstman) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:03:00 +0000

Filmmaker Michael McCallum, friend of the co-op, fresh back from his win of Best Film at the Muskegon Film Festival for Fairview St., is promoting the release of his next upcoming film, Handlebar, with a fundraiser. Please go to the fundraiser and support his filmmaking if you are in the area.

REBEL PICTURES FUNDRAISER IN MICHIGAN

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Beth Sanford, owner of Rubie's Paradise Salon is throwing a fundraiser to support Rebel Pictures, a film company run by one of my best friends in Lansing, Michigan, Michael McCallum! A scene from his latest film, Fairview St., was shot in the salon.

Details of the event:
A hair/runway show promoting Rubie's Paradise Salon, The Headroom Salon, and Lockworx. Michael will also be there showing trailers for upcoming feature films from Rebel Pictures.
$2 at the door, and all the proceeds go to Rebel Pictures!
June 6th
7 p.m.
The Small Planet, 16800 Chandler Road, East Lansing, MI.

Please come out and support these local businesses and Lansing independent film!

AN INVENTORY OF LOST THINGS BY KARLA HUSTON REVIEWED BY CHARLES P. RIES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:16:00 +0000

AN INVENTORY OF LOST THINGS
By: Karla Huston
32 Pages / 23 Poems
Price: $8
Centennial Press
P.O. Box 170322
Milwaukee, WI 53217
www.centennialpress.com
ISBN: 0-9797994-1-4

Review By: Charles P. Ries
Word Count: 426

Women have a distinct view of the erotic and love’s secrets. In reading Karla Huston’s new book of poetry, An Inventory of Lost Things, I enter into the ebb and flow of feminine romantic imagination. While not all of twenty-three poems of this collection focus on the heart’s yearning, a good number do and comprise the central theme of this eloquently written book of poetry.

Huston approaches her topic from a number of angles. In [the] final stanza of her poem[,] “The One on The Left[,]” she says,

But you can’t take your mind off the boy,
barely twenty, going on the rest of his life –
going off for an afternoon at the shore. God knows
what they’ll do on the blanket
when it’s floated behind the vine-covered fence.

And again these lines taken from the closing of her poem, “Your Marie”:

You should know her hair was chestnut,
a flag of copper stars glittering
against the curve of her neck
and the strand that kissed her cheek
I knew you’d kissed when she left you
for the last time while her hips rolled
when she walked away
and her breast swayed in dreams
even now the ones you prayed into.

Her book of poetry would easily fall into the category of great chic lit. Huston poems are thoughtfully narrative and carefully designed. There is no spare air in these poems. Each is complete from beginning to end.

I am reminded, as I read this collection, of the seminal book on women’s sexual fantasies, My Secret Garden by Nancy Friday. Our two genders reflect so differently on the erotic and on romance. Huston is masterful at understanding the sensual wonder world of the woman. As in this section from her poem “Rewind” demonstrates,

If she could, she’d take the first
bus out of happyland, find her own
little place and read sweaty novels
for the rest of her life. He’s weary
of the honey-I’m-homes
and the honey-dos and the honeyed
hams.

And again from this section of her poem, “The Plastic Surgeon’s Wife”:

When they make love, she fears
how he’d like to improve her –
a little lift there, a little tighter there,
fill her breasts with vanilla,
admire the suction in her soul –
his reservoir, never full.

This is a wonderful exploration of the feminine mind, by a writer uniquely suited to explore this undulating landscape of passion, yearning, and lost things.

__________________________________________________________
Charles P. Ries lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His narrative poems, short stories, interviews and poetry reviews have appeared in over two hundred print and electronic publications. He has received four Pushcart Prize nominations for his writing. He is the author of THE FATHERS WE FIND, a novel based on memory, and five books of poetry. Most recently he was awarded the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association “Jade Ring” Award for humorous poetry. He is the poetry editor for Word Riot. He is on the board of the Woodland Pattern Bookstore and a member of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission. But most of all he is a founding member of the Lake Shore Surf Club, the oldest fresh water surfing club on the Great Lakes. You may find additional samples of his work here.

FAIRVIEW ST. AT THE MUSKEGON FILM FESTIVAL

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:03:00 +0000

A friend of the co-op, Michael McCallum, will have his first feature film, FAIRVIEW ST., in its first major film festival! The film will close the Muskegon Film Festival on May 31st, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at the Harbor Theater (1937 Lakeshore Drive, Muskegon, MI 49441). Hope to see you all there!

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR STEVE ALMOND

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 16 May 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Five Questions for Steve Almond
Interview conducted by Andrew Ucci

AU: I admire your narrative voice. How did you go about developing that?
SA: I really just try to tell the truth about the stuff that matters to me most deeply. I'm not trying to "find" a voice so much as to tell the right stories. It's those stories that create a voice.

AU: The author must find an audience for his work. When you write, do you try to engage an intended audience, or do you instead let the audience find you and your work?
SA: I think authors of literary fiction really need to find their stories, the characters they care about. That's what matters. The audience comes later, if at all. But you can't worry about who's going to read your work while you're writing it. That pulls you out of the art, and into commerce. When I'm writing to make money, for a publication, obviously I have to think about their needs. But when it's my own stuff, I'm loyal to my characters, first and last.

AU: Do you find young or new writers getting hung up on the same things in their development? Or is it rather more of a case by case basis?
SA: Less experienced writers tend to make the same set of mistakes: they withhold information from the reader and overwrite and cast about in search of a plot and fall into summary -- all problems that arise from insecurity.

AU: Is art, for many, a coping mechanism?
SA: "A coping mechanism" makes it sound a bit diagnostic. I'd say it like this: certain people feel the need to get the stuff inside them out into the world, and art provides the most imaginative and beautiful way. It doesn't make the artist happy all the time (consider Van Gogh), but helps them deal with unbearable feelings.

AU: When you begin a new story, where do you begin?
SA: That's really a case-by-case basis. Sometimes it's an idea, or a line of dialogue, or an image. But the good stories always revolve around the stuff that I'm obsessed with. That's how it works for me -- I have to care passionately, I find, or the reader wouldn't give a damn.

BRUCE DETHLEFSEN'S BREATHER REVIEWED BY CHARLES P. RIES

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:06:00 +0000

BREATHER
By Bruce Dethlefsen
83 pages / 59 poems / $15
Fire Weed Press
Send Check or Order To:

Bruce Dethlefsen, 422 Lawrence St, Westfield, WI 53964

Review by Charles P. Ries
Word Count = 308

Bruce Dethlefsen doesn’t write many books of poetry. It’s been six years since he came out with his second book, Something Near the Dance Floor by Marsh River Editions. And one doesn’t see much of his poetry in and around the small press, but my-oh-my, when he decides to show us his good stuff, he comes out swinging. In this, his third and largest collection of poetry, Dethlefsen does most everything right. He is a master of drawing word pictures that are at once narrative stories, melodies, and free association free-for-alls.

The book is broken into five sections that broadly define the thematic mood of Dethlefsen’s mind: migrant, knots, poet warrior, secrets, and autopsy. There is great kindness here, and a mind with a very wide reach.

Here are two poems from Breather:

Playing the Field

you hover
you say I’m not your first flower
your first lover

you lower yourself
how hoverly
how loverly
then leave

oh bee
my honey boy
oh baby mine
come back to me

And

When Somebody Calls after Ten P.M.

when somebody calls after ten p.m.
and you live in wisconsin
and you’re snug in your bed

then all’s I can tell you
somebody better be missing
somebody better had a baby
or somebody better be dead.

In Breather, Dethlefsen flows from the concrete to ethereal. He orbits around the collective unconscious like a Jungian astronaut - his interior radar big enough to find meaning in both the great moments and the small nuances of life. This is the blessing of the mature poet – one who has lived hundreds of lives and can bring this diversity of experience to us as a numinous pool of images to soak in. Breather is an exceptional collection of poetry.

_____________________________________________
Charles P. Ries lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His narrative poems, short stories, interviews and poetry reviews have appeared in over two hundred print and electronic publications. He has received four Pushcart Prize nominations for his writing. He is the author of THE FATHERS WE FIND, a novel based on memory, and five books of poetry. Most recently he was awarded the Wisconsin Regional Writers Association “Jade Ring” Award for humorous poetry. He is the poetry editor for Word Riot. He is on the board of the Woodland Pattern Bookstore and a member of the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission. But most of all he is a founding member of the Lake Shore Surf Club, the oldest fresh water surfing club on the Great Lakes. You may find additional samples of his work here.

KEVIN COLDEN AT ROCKETSHIP

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:45:00 +0000

This Friday, Fantagraphics and Rocketship present Miss Lasko-Gross signing her brand-new graphic novel A Mess of Everything and Kevin Colden signing copies of his 2009 Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel Fishtown at the Rocketship store in Brooklyn.

ROCKETSHIP
Friday, April 17, 2009
8:00 p.m.
208 Smith Street
Brooklyn, NY

INBOUND #3 BOSTON COMICS ANTHOLOGY

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Boston Comics are for Lovers

Inbound #3, a Boston Comics Anthology

BOSTON, MA (April 6, 2009) – Ah, spring is in the air. To celebrate the season of romance, the hard-working comics artists of the Boston Comics Roundtable have released Inbound #3, a Boston Comics Anthology. The theme of this tri-yearly publication... love and relationships.

Yes, nobody knows perfectly-requited love and totally un-awkward dating like an indie comics artist. Pick up a copy of Inbound #3 and you'll have more than just an evening's entertainment; the book practically doubles as a 72-page how-to guide for all you Mister and Misses Lonelyhearts out there. All for the low price of $7.95.

It's their biggest issue ever! Included in this volume:

* Franklin Einspruch
* "First Kiss" - Robert Sergel
* "Puppy Love Eternal" - Aya Rothwell
* "Fear" - Chris O'Neill
* "Just an Old Fashioned Zombie Love Song" - Eric Boeker
* "Wish Me Luck" - Donna Martinez and Joesph Peters
* "Colossa" - Braden Lamb
* "An Afternoon Session" - Hyun Supul
* "A Winter's Prelude" - Roho
* "The Prince" - Carl Tsui
* "From Afar" - Dan Mazur
* "A Gothic Romance" - James Mobius

Inbound #3 is on sale at your favorite stores. In the Boston area, check out Million Year Picnic, Hub Comics, New England Comics, Comicazi, Harvard Book Store, Comicopia, and more. You can also visit the BCR Online Store. They ship tenderly packaged comics anywhere in the world.

The Boston Comics Roundtable was created in 2006 to unite Boston-based comics creators in the spirit of camaraderie and professional development. It is an independent organization of comics creators in the Greater Boston area. The group meets weekly for workshopping, teaching, and social gathering. Meetings are open to the public.

Dude, I already bought mine, so what are you waiting for?

THE ANIMATION OF DOUG LITOS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:41:00 +0000

A friend of the co-op (and Mike's brother!), Doug Litos, just launched a new website to show off his animation talents. He's in New York City, if you have animation jobs or connections for him, and he's super cool. So take a minute to check it out, inquire about his work, and let him know what you think.

FAIRVIEW ST. ENCORE PERFORMANCE IN MICHIGAN THEATERS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:34:00 +0000

I am pleased to announce that Celebration Cinema of Lansing, Michigan, has invited Michael McCallum (film director and friend of the co-op) back for an encore screening of his locally-filmed/directed "FAIRVIEW ST." The movie will play four times starting on Sunday, February 15th, with a 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. show, then again on Monday, February 16th, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. You may purchase advance tickets at www.celebrationcinema.com by selecting the "coming attractions" menu and scrolling down to the "FAIRVIEW ST." poster icon. If you saw it during its first release, then you know how incredible this film is. Don't miss out on the chance to see it again in Lansing on the big screen as it was meant to be seen, and bring a friend!

This film means a great deal to the co-op, as we are close friends with the director, who has put heart and soul into its production, and the bar has been set high for them to pack the theater. So please pass this message along to anyone you think might be interested, and spread the word about "FAIRVIEW ST." The trailer can be viewed at www.fairviewstreet.com. Support local art!