Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Issue No. 14 TABLE OF CONTENTS

May 5, 2010

[N.B. You can click on highlighted names or titles to go directly to the referenced article.]

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION
By Eileen Tabios


NEW REVIEWS
Crag Hill reviews SHOULDER SEASON by Ange Mlinko

Steven Fama reviews MUCH LIKE YOU SHARK by Logan Ryan Smith

Patrick James Dunagan reviews FROM THE CANYON OUTWARD by Neeli Cherkovski; THE PLEROMA by Vincent Ferrini; THIRSTING FOR PEACE IN A RAGING CENTURY: SELECTED POEMS 1961-1985 (NEW & REVISED EDITION) by Edward Sanders; LET’S NOT KEEP FIGHTING THE TROJAN WAR: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS 1986-2009 by Edward Sanders; BODY CLOCK by Eleni Sikelianos; and LEAVES OF GRASS, 1860: THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY FACSIMILE EDITION by Walt Whitman, edited by Jason Stacy

Kristen Orser reviews THE LAST 4 THINGS by Kate Greenstreet

Richard Kostelanetz reviews POESIE DER ENTSCHLEUNIGUNG: EIN LESEBUCH by Robert Lax, Ed. Sigrid Hauff

Jim McCrary reviews MONDO CRAMPO by Juliet Cook; SILVERONDA by Lucy Harvest Clarke; THE CONTORTIONS by Nicole Mauro; GOODNIGHT VOICE by Dana Ward; GUTTER CATHOLIC LOVE SONG by Joseph Wood; and MY DAY AIMLESSLY WALKING VANCOUVER, WASH by James Yeary, illustrated by Nate Orton

John Herbert Cunningham reviews SELECTIONS by André Breton, edited and with an introduction by Mark Polizzotti; MARTINIQUE: SNAKE CHARMER by André Breton, translated by David W. Seaman with introduction by Franklin Rosemont; HYPODERMIC LIGHT: THE POETRY OF PHILIP LAMANTIA AND THE QUESTION OF SURREALISM by Steven Frattali; and TAU by Philip Lamantia / JOURNEY TO THE END by John Hoffman, ed. Garrett Caples

Tom Beckett reviews BHARAT JIVA by kari edwards and NO GENDER (REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE AND WORK OF kari edwards), Edited by Julian Brolaski, erica kaufman & E. Tracy Grinnell

Eileen Tabios engages BHARAT JIVA by kari edwards and NO GENDER (REFLECTIONS ON THE LIFE AND WORK OF kari edwards), Edited by Julian Brolaski, erica kaufman & E. Tracy Grinnell

Fiona Sze-Lorrain reviews NEW EXERCISES by Franck André Jamme, Translated from the French by Charles Borkhuis

Joey Madia reviews GRIEF SUITE by Bobbi Lurie

Thomas Fink reviews GENJI MONOGATARI by Mark Young

Eileen Tabios engages GENJI MONOGATARI by Mark Young

Peg Duthie engages THE FAT SHEEP EVERYONE WANTS by Bern Mulvey

Petra Backonja reviews CATALOGUE OF BURNT TEXT by Timothy David Orme

Delia Tramontina reviews MANHATTEN by Sarah Rosenthal

Eileen Tabios engages NTST: THE COLLECTED PWOERMDS OF GEOF HUTH

John Herbert Cunningham reviews CHARLES BAUDELAIRE by Rosemary Lloyd; THE FLOWERS OF EVIL by Charles Baudelaire, translated by Keith Waldrop; ARTHUR RIMBAUD: COMPLETE WORKS, translated by Paul Schmidt; and THE ILLUMINATIONS by Arthur Rimbaud, translated by Donald Revell

Harry Thorne reviews BOOK MADE OF FOREST by Jared Stanley

Jai Arun Ravine reviews POEMS OF THE BLACK OBJECT by Ronaldo V. Wilson

William Allegrezza reviews AS IF FREE by Burt Kimmelman

Crag Hill engages TAKE IT by Joshua Beckman

Eileen Tabios engages DESTRUCTION MYTH and CREATION MYTHS, both by Mathias Svalina

Peg Duthie engages REFUSING DESPAIR: SELECTED POEMS AND JOURNAL WRITINGS by Teresa Anderson

Meredith Caliman reviews POETRY OF THE LAW: FROM CHAUCER TO THE PRESENT, co-edited by David Kader and Michael Stanford

Fiona Sze-Lorrain reviews AURA: LAST ESSAYS by Gustaf Sobin

Eileen Tabios engages EASY EDEN by Micah Ballard and Patrick James Dunagan

Emmanuel Sigauke reviews INTWASA POETRY [anthology of 15 Zimbabwean poets] edited by Jane Morris

Derek Coyle reviews NEW SHADOWS by Jon Curley

Eileen Tabios engages INSIDES SHE SWALLOWED by Sasha Pimentel Chacon; EASTER SUNDAY by Barbara Jane Reyes; and SIMON J. ORTIZ; A POETIC LEGACY OF INDIGENOUS CONTINUANCE, co-edited by Susan Berry Brill de Ramirez and Evelina Zuni Lucero

Jeff Harrison engages PRAU by Jean Vengua

Marianne Villanueva reviews THE TRANSLATOR’S DIARY by Jon Pineda

Eileen Tabios engages TIME OF SKY / CASTLES IN THE AIR by Ayane Kawata, Translated by Sawako Nakayasu

Julie T. Ewald reviews TONGUE LIKE A STINGER by Juliet Cook

John Bloomberg-Rissman reviews GURLESQUE: THE NEW GRRLY, GROTESQUE, BURLESQUE POETICS co-edited by Lara Glenum and Arielle Greenberg

Eileen Tabios engages NINETEEN HOURS (RADIO EDIT) by Jim Warner

Crag Hill reviews GREEN CAMMIE by Crysta Casey

Tom Hibbard reviews BLUE MOUND TO 161 and NIGHTBIRDS, both by Garin Cycholl

Kristina Marie Darling reviews FABULOUS ESSENTIAL by Niina Pollari

Eileen Tabios engages A MUSICS by Carrie Hunter

Julie T. Ewald reviews MAKE BELIEVE by Thom Donovan

Eileen Tabios engages THE OTHER BLUEBOOK: ON THE HIGH SEAS OF DISCOVERY by Reme Grefalda


THE CRITIC WRITES POEMS
William Allegrezza


FOCUS ON POETS
Conversation with THOMAS FINK

LYNN BEHRENDT: An Interview

Featured Poet: ANITA MOHAN


FEATURE ARTICLE
Herman Hesse's Siddhartha: A Fictional Account of the Life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha by Nicholas T. Spatafora


FROM OFFLINE TO ONLINE: REPRINTED REVIEW
Wilfredo Pascua Sanchez reviews POEMS SINGKWENTA’Y CINCO by Alfred A. Yuson

Erika Moya reviews SLAVES TO DO THESE THINGS by Amy King


2 ADVERTISEMENTS
Hay(na)ku for Haiti--a Haiti Relief Fundraiser

Tiny Poetry Books Feeding the World...Literally!


BACK COVER
Loud Buzzing...and Snores...

EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION

By Eileen Tabios

Of course, I’d like to share my son Michael’s first English-language poem, written from when his English as second language class explored the acrostic poem--and isn't it wonderful that the acrostic is introduced in an ESL-type class!):
T O R N A D O S

Tables smash
Oh no!
Run, run for your life
Nobody is safe
All the houses are
Down, televisions crashing into cars
Oh my god, my
Son is safe!

Editing 101: Moi the Editor discussed his first draft gently. First, he originally wrote the second line as "Oh oh", and I had to explain that that doesn't work since the phrase is spelled as "Uh, oh" (such nuances as one learns a new language!). Then, we agreed that the first draft’s first line of “Tables move” would be better as “Tables smash” since the latter has more punch and is more specific. We’d been working with adjusting generalities or abstractions to specifics—so we also changed the original reference to “furniture” to “televisions” in the sixth line. Relatedly, his original sixth line simply had been “Down” but he thought he should add more details to that one-word line—isn’t he clever!

A close reader no doubt would glean the expansiveness of this 14-year-old’s world view—this poem is not written from a personal “I”’s perspective (not that there’s anything wrong with such) but from, moithinks, his parent’s point of view. So the ending lines of “my / Son is safe!” is him extrapolating from the loving care he receives at home. Makes this close (and unbiased) reader sniffle….

Here is the brilliantly budding poet; he is fresh out of the shower and bleary-eyed (or is it that he looks tortured by me?)—but I chose this photograph as he is also shown here stuffing a “Hay(na)ku for Haiti” (H for H) booklet into his pants for his school’s Pocket-in-the-Poem Day. It is ___ as you read this—have you ordered your fundraising H for H booklet yet?



So, to official bidness: Thanks as ever to GR's numerous, generous volunteer staff of reviewers. In addition to some wonderful feature articles, we have 64 NEW REVIEWS this issue! I like to track GR's progress, so here are some poetry-lovin' stats!

Issue 1: 27 new reviews
Issue 2: 39 new reviews (one project was reviewed twice by different reviewers)
Issue 3: 49 new reviews (two projects were each reviewed twice)
Issue 4: 61 new reviews (one project was reviewed thrice, and three projects were each reviewed twice)
Issue 5: 56 new reviews (four projects were each reviewed twice)
Issue 6: 56 new reviews (one project was reviewed twice)
Issue 7: 51 new reviews
Issue 8: 64 new reviews (3 projects were each reviewed twice)
Issue 9: 65 new reviews
Issue 10: 68 new reviews (1 project was reviewed thrice and 1 project was reviewed twice)
Issue 11: 72 new reviews (1 project was reviewed thrice)
Issue 12: 87 new reviews (1 project was reviewed twice)
Issue 13: 55 new reviews (1 project was reviewed twice)
Issue 14: 64 new reviews (3 projects were reviewed twice)

Of reviewed publications, the following were generated from review copies sent to GR:

Issue 1: 9 out of 27 new reviews
Issue 2: 25 out of 39 new reviews
Issue 3: 27 out of 49 new reviews
Issue 4: 41 out of 61 new reviews
Issue 5: 34 out of 56 new reviews
Issue 6: 35 out of 56 new reviews
Issue 7: 41 out of 51 new reviews
Issue 8: 35 out of 64 new reviews
Issue 9: 42 out of 65 new reviews
Issue 10: 46 out of 68 new reviews
Issue 11: 46 out of 72 new reviews
Issue 12: 35 out of 87 new reviews
Issue 13: 38 out of 55 new reviews
Issue 14: 40 out of 64 new reviews

I continue to encourage authors/publishers to send in your projects for potential review. Obviously, people are following up with your submissions! Information for submissions and available review copies HERE. Future reviewers also should note that the next review submission deadline is November 1, 2010.

As of Issue No. 14, we are pleased to report that GR has provided 776 new reviews (covering 343 publishers in 17 countries so far) and 64 reprinted reviews (to bring online reviews previously available only viz print).

*****

As I've said before, your Editor is blind, so if there are typos/errors in the issue, just email Moi or put in the comments sections and I will swiftly correct said mistakes (since such is allowed by Blogger).

*****

I'd like to make a special mention of only the FOURTH non-poet to appear on Galatea Resurrects as a poetry book reviewer (I exclude students in writing/literature courses from this count as I know them as students, versus poets or non-poets). Which is to say, it's difficult to spread the Poetry Word out beyond the limits of "po-world", but it can happen. Welcome to Meredith Caliman, Esq. -- a lawyer in Southern California who graciously agreed to review pro bono. And which book did she review? Well, your mischievous editor sent her Poetry of the Law: From Chaucer to the Present co-edited by David Kader and Michael Stanford (University Of Iowa Press, Iowa City, 2010), described by the publisher as "the first serious anthology of law-related poetry ever published in the United States." Click HERE for the lawyer's take on poets writing about the law -- it's depressing. Actually, later in the issue is my review of THE OTHER BLUEBOOK, a novel written by poet-playwright Reme Grefalda based on her experiences as a paralegal for three "Big Law" firms -- this one is funny. Law: depressing and funny--that seems about right, says your editor...who happens to be married to a lawyer.

And I wonder what it means that of the four non-poet reviewers to date for GR (and one of them is Mom who I shanghaied outside the hallway of her bedroom into writing reviews), two are lawyers. In any event, GR would love to hear more non-poets' views on the poems being written today. C'mon, Peeps -- send your, uh, dentists, plumbers, masseuses (especially masseuses!), UPS or Fedex delivery people, etc. over to me! As regards poetry, I believe everyone's opinions can be worthwhile!

*****

I also want to note GR's first review of Zimbabwean poetry--I like the continued expansion of GR's scope, this with the help of Emmanuel Sigauke who reviews INTWASA POETRY [anthology of 15 Zimbabwean poets] edited by Jane Morris and published by amaBooks in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Yay.

*****

It occurs to me that you may be interested in this special themed issue on Poet-Editors which I curated for Otoliths. Since it contextualizes why I edit Galatea Resurrects, I raise attention to it...and hope you enjoy reading it!

*****

Wait for it! One more photo of Michael, this time as he soothed Artemis aka "Botero Kitty" (her fur makes her look fat) when she injured herself and had to be in a cast for nearly two months. (Go to link if you want to see the special offer to GR reviewers with pets!)



With much love, poetry and fur,

Eileen Tabios
St. Helena, CA
May 5, 2010