Totally forgot to mention I have a poem up at the most recent Zafusy.

If anyone happens to be in the Dickinson College area (somewhere in Pennsylvania) next Saturday, come hear the funny Flarf people and then make fun of my depressing poetry. (I myself am, however, suitable for children. Sort of):

Saturday, Sep 30, 2006 - 7:30 PM ]
Event: Poetry, film and music performance
Featuring the Flarf and Dusie Poetry Collectives, Brandon Downing and Alarm Will Sound.
Live Performance
Rubendall Recital Hall, Weiss Center for the Arts

Free

This poetry performance includes readings, film, and music. Flarf readings by Jordan Davis, Katie Degentesh, Drew Gardner, Nada Gordon, Michael Magee, Sharon Mesmer, Rod Smith, Gary Sullivan. Dusie readings by Mackenzie Carignan, Scott Glassman, Mark Lamoureaux, Marcie Nelligan, Boyd Spahr, Dana Ward. Film by Brandon Downing. Multimedia work by Joey Bargsten. Musical accompaniment by Alarm Will Sound. Note: May not be suitable for children.

FOUND POEM BY THE US POSTAL SERVICE

Attempted--Not Known
No Such Street
No Such Number
No Receptacle
Deceased
Vacant

More from Brian Lucas in Thailand:

It's pretty eerie here--streets are quiet; businesses closed and martial law has been declared. The constitution has been revoked as well.

The military has essentially taken over all of Thailand. We aren't sure if this is in protest of the Prime Minister, or just two factions of the armed forces having a fight. We get very limited announcements from the coup leaders: this morning they've ordered all police off the streets, and for them to stay in their stations. Bridges are heavily guarded. Not sure if there will be a standoff between anti and pro forces or not. All newspapers have been suspended--their websites are down. Radio is dead. So far no violence, but it remains to be seen if peace will prevail. No one's certain what to think--military intervention is the last thing Thailand needs. It's a serious step back as the military has a terrible human rights record, and the semblance of democracy that Thailand has enjoyed has been annulled unless there is a quick turnover to a civilian led government.

Luckily the King knows what's going on and is in talks with the military. All of us are depending on him to get us out of this mess.

All cable TV has been shut-down here, but for some reason I'm able to get the BBC so I have a little idea of what's happening.

I have to go out and try to find some food for us--not sure what to expect as everything is shut.

Will keep you posted if things escalate here. US embassy hasn't ordered Americans to evacuate yet. Crossing my fingers things work out here.

This from Brian Lucas in Thailand:

"There's been an overthrow of the government here--things not looking good at all. We're ok and not too close to the action. Tanks are in the streets, no TV or radio. No one's sure what's going on--either the troops are pro-Prime Minster or not. It's not looking good if the military takes over here. No one knows what's going on.

Stay tuned to the BBC who has been having live coverage.

11 pm now."

I hope that Brian and his family (well, and everybody else's family are safe.

According to my students from last semester (scale of 1 to 5; average of 19 scores):

The instructor holds my interest in class: 3.1

Write-in comments: "He makes me go to sleep."

The instructor communicates in a way I understand: 3.6

The instructor has increased my knowledge of the subject matter: 3.7

The instructor presents course material in an organized manner: 3.6

The instructor encourages students to ask questions and participate in class: 4.1

The instructor treats me with courtesy and respect: 4.6

The instructor is available to me for discussions: 4.3

The instructor keeps me informed about my academic progress: 3.8

The instructor maintains a good class atmosphere for learning: 3.7

Assignments and exams are related to the course content: 4.1

The instructor clearly explains how I will be evaluated in this course: 4.1

Overall, the instructor is an effective teacher: 3.4

Total average 3.8

General write-in comments: "Prof. Lamoureux is a very good teacher. He is always available for his students and makes you feel at ease. However, he can also be boring because he likes poems, documentaries and always speaks [sic.] like he was singing."

Craig Perez Face Time.

Focus on the positive: you don't want to miss the following:

The Burning Chair Readings

Thibault Raoult, Sandra Simonds & Maureen Thorson

Friday, September 15th, 7:30 PM
@
The Fall Café
307 Smith Street
Between Union & President
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
F/G to Carroll Street


We don't get to hear Ms. Simons here in the Northeast that often (e.g. ever), so don't miss this chance. I will be there with (hyptohetical, silent) bells on! I have been a fan of Sandra's work for a long time, see my review of her chapbook Steam. Also, Cy Gist Press will be releasing her chapbook The Humble Travelogues of Mr. Ian Worthington. Written from Land and Sea sometime in the Fall/Early Winter of 2006.

Shoulder angel: Dude, chill...

Bleah, The world is ugly today, and so am I. Is that why I made Face Time a mirror?--the world is merely a reflection of my gnarly old soul.

MOST LIKELY TO

I am not your avenger,
I was never.
Look, there are no lines
on my palms, nor have I pin
to etch them.

I am slamming a door
with 1 hand & with the other,
I am slamming another.

Something sets, a chestnut
husk, between my 2
eyes; terns' wings scissor
turbulence not even
they can see.





But enough of that, it's 11:45 and I've got a class to plan.

Thanks, Jack. As I am often mistaken for a Leprechaun myself, I understand the perils of elfism.

Phil Crippen's Face Time author (reader?) photo is here. I am posting these to my Flikr account and will update the Cy Gist site sometime this weekend (I have to exhume Rachel's old PC, whose sole role in life is to run Dreamweaver (the PC that is, not Rachel), to do this, I so need a copy of Dreamweaver for OSX).

Upon seeing Jessica's cover-mirror self-portrait from Face Time, I realized that it would be fun to try and persuade all of the authors from the chap to do the same, and I will link to the photos from the Cy Gist website. It would be cool to get everyone. I suppose if you don't have a digital camera, it would be a pain in the neck, but otherwise...

Hey peeps, it has just come to my attention that I have received orders by way of my PayPal account, that PayPal never informed me of! This is pretty irksome, as I am supposed (and most of the time) do get email confirmation to my email address. The orders I just discovered will go out on Monday, and I will now start checking my actual PayPal account daily to make sure there aren't any orders that PayPal didn't tell me about!

You guys are going to start thinking that I am making stuff up, but I'm not. In another sleep-related disturbance, last night I woke Rachel up by screaming "Duuuuusssssiiiiiieeeee Chaaaaappppppsssss." Over and over again. When I yell in my sleep I do it in this sort of Vincent Price B-Movie ghost voice. Every time I think of it I start cracking up. I'm not sure if I was dreaming that something was happening to my Dusie Chaps, or that I wanted Dusie Chaps or what. If you happen to be reading this and don't know what "Dusie Chaps" is, it was a project in which 40 poets or so made chapbooks and exchanged them with each other. The electronic versions of said chaps are here. Evidently, they have left an indelble mark on me.

Limping my way to the Post Office with the contributors' copies--I won't let my sleep-related injury stand in the way of Poetry...

My Name is Luka

Apparently nightmares can, in fact, hurt you. Last night I leapt up out of my sleep and vaulted towards the door to make a hasty exit from the room for some reason or another. Problem was, the door was closed. I hit the door at full speed and velocity (I am fairly large and fairly fast) causing quite a thud and waking me out of my stupor (mostly). Fortunately, nothing seems to be damaged except for one of my toes which is black and painful. I hope it isn't broken, but given that you can't do anything for a broken toe that is kind of a moot point anyway.

About the best image I could get of the actual Face Time cover is here.

3 New Chapbooks from Cy Gist Press

"Summer's gone, but a lot goes on forever"--Leonard Cohen


Cy Gist Press is happy to announce the release of 3 new chapbooks as we bid summer farewell and stumble into autumn and everything after.

SPECIAL FOR BLOG READERS: Order all 4 recent Cy Gist Press titles for $20 ($5 each, normally $6) and I will throw in a copy of Another Night, the first Cy Gist Press chapbook for free. There are only a few copies of Another Night left, so act fast!

EXERTIONS
by Scott Glassman
(20 pp. Sewn Binding) $6

Scott Glassman's first chapbook offers simultaneously alien and quotidian glosses on the perils of existing alone and with others. Scott's take on the prose poem operates by way of arpeggios of contrapuntal phrases threatening to tear the form apart while giving them surprising rhythmic balance. For ordering and a sample poem go here.




CARACAS NOTEBOOK
by Guillermo Parra
(20 pp. Saddle-Stapled with Linen binding, B&W photographs) $6

Guillermo Parra's lyric paen to the city and the dramatically changing face of Venezuela at the beginning of this century is rife with exile and nostalgia. These are poems from between--between languages, cultures, identities and forms. Sparse, objectivist-inspired poems are mingled with direct but enigmatic prose reminiscent, to my mind, of W.G. Sebald. Like Sebald, these poems are homesick for a point of origin which may or may not have ever existed. With black and white photographs of Caracas by Isabel Parra. For ordering and a sample poem go here.




(Please note image is a reproduction of the mirrored cover which cannot be reproduced on the computer screen)

FACE TIME
(22 pp. Sewn Binding, B&W photographs, mirrored cover) $6

What do Paris Hilton, Al Pacino, Hilda Doolittle, Charlize Theron, Marcello Mastroianni and a quivering, self-eviscerated blob have in common? Find out in FACE TIME, an anthology of poets responding to stills from films. Featuring work by:

Joe Hall
Craig Perez
Noah Falck
Phil Crippen
Matina L. Stamatakis
Francois Luong
Brian Lucas
Nicole Mauro
Jessica Smith
G.L. Ford
Mark Lamoureux
Christina Strong
Michael Carr
Sandra Simonds
John Mulrooney
Brenda Iijima
and Christopher Rizzo.

To order and for a sample poem and image go here.