Introducing Shane Jones

"Portraits" (distorted photos) of Shane Jones,.... Click on each for larger view,...

If you're a writer interested in sending me a headshot (i like "eyes" and nice colors. or a sharp-featured black and white) please do so to ronklassnik2001 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I may well do one up of you.

Am thinking also of starting a blog with just these (writer portraits)

All the Messiahs

more photos and drawings at my Facebook page albums

here and here

Chapbook Submissions Wanted-- Bringing them Back

a note from Seven Kitchens Press:

Dear Friends,

Please take a moment, if you can, to pass along this call for submissions to the second annual ReBound Series from Seven Kitchens Press. 7KP will publish a new edition of an out-of-print chapbook, complete with a new ISBN and an introduction by the nominating writer. Submissions are currently being accepted through December 15; complete guidelines are available here

We think this is a wonderful opportunity to "bring back" deserving titles, and we'd truly appreciate your help in getting the word out or nominating a deserving title. Last year's winning chapbook, Notes from the Red Zone by Christina Pacosz, is available now.

All best,

Ron Mohring
Seven Kitchens Press

Introducing Nate Logan

If you're a writer interested in sending me a headshot (i like "eyes" and nice colors. or a sharp-featured black and white) please do so to ronklassnik2001 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I may well do one up of you.

Am thinking also of starting a blog with just these (writer portraits)

The Road--- can't be worse than the book--

Justin Marks says this looks awesome(ly depressing). Well, all I can say is that it can't be worse than the book. Or can it???

Introducing Elisa Gabbert

If you're a writer interested in sending me a headshot (i like "eyes" and nice colors. or a sharp-featured black and white) please do so to ronklassnik2001 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I may well do one up of you.

Am thinking also of starting a blog with just these (writer portraits)

HTMLGIANT is now taking Submissions

HTMLGIANT is now taking Submissions

HTMLGIANT is now accepting writing for publication on its site.

Poetry and fiction under 1,000 words will be considered.

All submissions will be read, but not necessarily responded to.

If within two weeks you do not hear a response, consider your piece rejected.

Comments will be enabled for all work, so please do not submit if it’s hard for you to stomach criticism in an open forum and/or the possibility of comments made in poor taste.

If this all sounds fine to you, and you decide to submit, thank you in advance for considering our blog an acceptable place for your writing.

-Gene Morgan, Poetry & Fiction Editor

Seth Abramson-- RIP-- a dead horse?

Seth Abramson---- RIP -- swans, holidays, keats, jesus, etc.... (click here)

and, maybe, I am beating a dead horse. sigh.

District 9: a Review (?)

You know a movie's bad when you think it's a spoof and it's not. This movie is funny. but the satire (parable) is too heavy handed and the story line's got more holes in it than swiss omelettes.

This is a movie I should by all rights have walked out halfway through or earlier. And if my wife stayed to watch I should have hunkered down in the men's room stroking my stomach which is growing, these days, in leaps and bounds. Man, I have cravings!

But something made me kind of like it. The weak narrative? Cheesy costumes? Bad Nigerian caricatures? (my brother tells me that it's been banned in Nigeria). Bodies exploding? Weak romantic and "human" (like the ending--- only works if you're laughing!) moments? The hilarious character of Wikus van der Merwe who I was occasionally tempted to take seriously? (I never was never tempted in the same regard with respect to his alien compadre--- i mean, c'mon !!).

But, whatever. All in all this is a movie I do recommend. But save the head scratching---Just don't take it seriously!

New Pax Americana

New Pax Americana is on-line now

(Gaudry, Tyler, Pink, Starkweather, etc, etc,...)

Didi Menendez's Impressive Collection of 2009 Portraits

Didi Menendez's impressive collection of 2009 Portraits. To see them all click here.

Janaka Stucky's "Your Name is the Only Freedom" Now Available from Braver Men Press:

a note from Brave Men Press:

Brave Men Press is pleased to announce the release of

YOUR NAME IS THE ONLY FREEDOM
by Janaka Stucky


Cover is letterpressed with gold ink on red paper.
Printed in a limited edition of 60.
23 pages.

$9

Janaka Stucky has had poems appear in Cannibal, Denver Quarterly, Fence, Free Verse, No Tell Motel, North American Review, Redivider and VOLT. He is the publisher of Black Ocean and its literary magazine, Handsome.


READ SAMPLE POEMS -


TO BUY -



If you're in the New England Area this weekend, Janaka will be reading w/ Chris Tonelli at these locations -


11/7 Yes, Reading! in Albany, NY w/ Chris Tonelli

11/8 Somewhere awesome in Vermont w/ Chris Tonelli

11/9 Slope Editions Reading Series in Turners Falls, MA w/ Janaka Stucky & Brian Foley



Best,
Brian & Emily

Introducing Andrew Lundwall

If you're a writer interested in sending me a headshot (i like "eyes" and nice colors. or a sharp-featured black and white) please do so to ronklassnik2001 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I may well do one up of you.

Am thinking also of starting a blog with just these (writer portraits)

New Action Yes

New Action Yes.... click here

From the White House: Poetry, Music & the Spoken Word

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted students from American, Gallaudet, Georgetown, and Howard Universities in May 2009, allowing them to participate in an evening celebrating poetry, music, and the spoken word.



To read the entire article and for links to other videos go here

Day of the Dead Altars

Today the plaza's filled with altars:






(Don Nico-- wrestler and then, later, plumber and electrician. worked on Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's house)


Marco Antonio Nazareth--- died after fighting one of Julio Cesar Chavez's sons...



When I see their altars I think about what other people's will or would like. James Joyce, Hitler, Moses, God, Roosevelt, Kennedy, O'Bama, Seth Abramson, etc, etc-- u get the picture.....

click on images for larger views

Seth Abramson vs Mr. Lehman (cronyism, body language, compassion)...

"Disapproving of cronyism in politics is every citizen's right; disapproving of cronyism in art is every artist's obligation. What distinguishes the artist from the politician is that the artist will promote the work of someone he despises, because politics is about personalities whereas art is (to authentic artists) only and ever about art."


etc, etc, etc, etc,....

and, much later,....


"Those who actually know me personally--a fractional sub-set of those who pretend (online) to know the first thing about me and what I value--know that I try to be sincere, to be plainspoken, and to be compassionate in all my face-to-face dealings, and that I struggle to translate those intentions and qualities into online discourse (in which tone cannot be read, facial expressions cannot be read, good intentions and sincerity cannot be gleaned from body language, and slanderous discourse often proceeds by one party grasping for low-hanging fruit--like accusing an impoverished, idealistic former public defender and current doctoral student of being a money-hungry mastermind--rather than trying to dialogue through issues directly, even if adversarially)"


etc etc etc etc etc etc for all of it, go here

November Ditch

a note from Ditch:

Hi,
Our featured poet for the month of November is Meredith Quartermain.

Meredith Quartermain's most recent book, Nightmarker (NeWest), explores the city as animal behavior, museum and dream of modernity. In another recent book, entitled Matter (BookThug), she playfully riffs on Darwin's Origin of Species and Roget's Thesaurus. Vancouver Walking won the 2006 BC Book Award for Poetry. She is co-founder of Nomados Literary Publishers.

check it out along with all the other interesting an innovative writers on ditch,