Jackal Afterlife

The Jackal has Landed

There are aspects of this blog I no longer enjoy.

For a while I've considered calling it quits, but on the other hand, there are parts that I do enjoy. Sometimes I feel like this space is more of a clearing house. I feel like I created certain expectations and an obligation to write about certain things, in a particular way. It's not what I want to do on my blog anymore. I understand that these are self-imposed constraints, but I'm having a tough time shaking them.

So I started a new blog here, a fresh start. If you're a reader of this blog, I hope you'll read and appreciate the new one. If you don't care for it, that's OK, don't read it. Just don't tell me that you wish I'd go back to doing this one. I'm sort of exhausted by it.

The archive of Cackling Jackal will remain up indefinitely. If you're interested in topics I've written about in the past, like publishing, you can still reference it all here. There's a handy search box in the top left corner.

If you're interested in No Tell updates and news, please bookmark or add the No Tells blog to your RSS Feed. I won't be posting that information on my new personal blog.

I also maintain the No Tell Twitter page where I post poetry-related links and the occasional pithy comment. You can bookmark or add that to your Twitter feed.

Thanks for the good times.

More good times here.

New Lune on Friday

Thank you NaPoWriMo for helping me finish the last poems in my book. Now begins the summer of editing and rewrites. NaPoRevSum, or some crack like that.

The poems will stay up on this blog until midnight.

Then I will make a blog-related announcement.

Here's your hint:

Updates

Craig Arnold's family created and is posting updates on the Facebook page: Find Craig Arnold.

Urgent: Craig Arnold

Update from Jessica Piazza:

We have created a Facebook group called "Find Craig Arnold" which will give people the latest info on the search and how they can help.

Those who do not have a Facebook account can go to

http://findcraigarnold.blogspot.com/

for bare bones information on the search.

However, I will only update confirmed news from family and friends there. Our Facebook group remains the main comprehensive resource for news, suggestions, ideas and updates (confirmed and rumored.) Thus, please encourage people to join that group.

Best,

Friends and family of Craig Arnold

Forwarded from Jill Essbaum:

Hi all. I apologize if you are receiving this email in duplicate, as there are several of us forwarding this.

I'm writing because a dear friend of mine and an exceptionally talented poet, Craig Arnold, whom some of you know, has gone missing on a small volcanic island in Japan while on a creative exchange fellowship. Craig, an experienced explorer of volcanoes, never returned to his inn after leaving alone to research the island's active volcano for the afternoon. The authorities are on the third day of searching for Craig, and are scouring the small island (of only 160 inhabitants) with dogs and helicopters. If he is not found by the end of the day, the authorities will call off the search.

We need your help to insure that the search will continue. The island and areas surrounding the volcano are small enough that an extended search will surely lead to Craig's discovery.WE NEED PEOPLE TO CONTACT THEIR LOCAL CONGRESSPEOPLE AND SENATORS TO PRESSURE THE JAPANESE STATE DEPARTMENT TO CONTINUE THE SEARCH. WE ALSO NEED HELP SPARKING MEDIA ATTENTION FOR THIS STORY, WHICH WE ALSO HOPE MIGHT INCREASE PRESSURE ON JAPANESE AUTHORITIES TO FIND CRAIG. I have attached a document with background information about Craig, as well as information about the details leading up to his disappearance as well as about the island itself. Please feel free to use this as reference material.

If any of you have ideas or know people who might be able to help, we'd appreciate hearing from you. Please, though, take a minute to contact your senator and congressperson via telephone or even email to explain this problem and insist on their help.

We are so hoping to find Craig today, God-willing not seriously injured. If so, this will not be an issue, but we must ensure that if this isn't resolved today, Craig doesn't end up an unsolved mystery. He is too important to too many people, not to mention to arts and letter generally, for this to happen.

We appreciate your help, good wishes and prayers.

* * *

Craig Arnold, Ph.D., is the author of two award-winning volumes of poetry: Shells, chosen by W.S. Merwin for the Yale Series of Young Poets in 1999, and of Made Flesh (Ausable, 2008). His poetry has been anthologized in several volumes of the Best American Poetry Series, and his poems, articles, and translations from the Spanish have appeared in such publications as The New Republic, Paris Review, Poetry Magazine, Yale Review, and many more. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and honors, including a Fulbright Fellowship, the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Alfred Hodder Fellowship in Humanities from Princeton University, an Amy Lowell Poetry Traveling Scholarship, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Dr. Arnold did his B.A. at Yale University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah. He is presently an Assistant Professor at the University of Wyoming. Craig is currently in Japan with the U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission's U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship and has been missing since April 26th (evening Monday April 27th Japanese time).

THE DETAILS:

Monday April 27th (Japanese time) he arrived with the 2:50 pm municipal ferry from Yakusima on the island of Kuchino-erabu and checked in to the local "Watanabe" inn, the only one on the island. He was with 2 Japanese tourists who had reservations. He did not have one. (They must have helped him check in.) He had traveled to the island to visit the volcano, as he has been working on a book on the subject of volcanoes for some time.
His plan was to stay only one night and leave the next day. (Craig has visited many volcanoes around the world in recent years as is very experienced with visiting them.)

He immediately left his 3 bags at the inn and departed around 3 pm on foot to the next village, taking only his walking sticks. He was wearing black or dark colors: long pants, a dark hat, a nylon jacket. His Japanese iPhone was on his person but has not been reachable due to inconsistent reception on the island. The exclusive provider of IPhone service, Softbank, has been contacted by the police in an attempt to utilize the built-in GPS capabilities of the phone.

At the village, someone with a car drove him to the entrance to the path leading up the mountain to the volcano. There are 4 paths to the volcano which are obvious and in good condition. He was taken to the entrance of a path next to a dam where evidence collected by the police suggests he ascended. His footprints have been found. The police have not found evidence of a return trip along that path. The area is densely forested until reaching the summit area, caldera, of the volcano where there is little vegetation.

The police stated that the path to that area is clear but that finding the path on the descent could pose problems so it is likely that he may not have found his way back to the path he entered by.

When Craig did not return to the inn by 8 pm, the inn staff searched for him by car, driving to the village. Unsuccessful, they returned to the inn and called the local fire brigade at 9 pm who responded immediately and searched until midnight.

Day 2 (Tues, April 28 JT) 5 police officers (under the direction of Mr. Kazuhara) arrived from Yakusima that morning with new assets: cars, search dogs, police persons, a helicopter. 40 total persons now working on this: 30 local fire reserve persons and 10 police persons and officials. They searched the trail he took but did not complete an exhaustive search of all 4 trails. One individual climbed all the way to the top. The area was circled several times by the helicopter and they also flew around the coastline. I contacted them directly at the end of the 2nd search day: 6:30pm. (5:30 am this morning, Wed April 29th U.S. time). They were debriefing and planning for day 3, with a plan to concentrate on the possible alternative paths down from the volcano that he may have taken by mistake and the surrounding area.

Day 3, the official required last day of the search, begins tonight. They are only required by law to search for 3 days. Extension procedures must be arranged with Mr. Kawahigashi and may require payment. Other than the helicopter, no higher level assets have been deployed at this time. Since the focus is on a "boots-on-the-ground" search and rescue (the forest makes visibility from the air limited) more people should be deployed immediately to assist.

ENVIRONMENTAL BACKGROUND:

Kuchino-erabusima (various transliterations possible shima, jima):
Volcanic island 14.5 square km. Spring weather conditions, temp drops at night but not to freezing. Has not rained since Craig went missing. Fresh water available.

reachable by municipal ferry from Yakushima
Police based in Yakushima
Hospital on Yakushima
Airport on Yakushima connects to Kagoshima, major city.

Map:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/erabu/sight.htm

PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY INVOLVED:

The following people only speak Japanese with a thick regional accent:

The search and rescue operation is being led by
Town Officer: Mr. Kawahigashi
cel: 81-(0)90-7162-8404 / office tel: 81-(0)997-49-2100
(last spoke with him 7:05 am NYC time) They were preparing to debrief from
Day 2 of the search and prepare their plan for Day 3.
Day 3 begins tonight, Wednesday April 29. (= morning Thurs, April 30 Japanese time)

The Yakusima police officer on the case: Officer Kuzuhara: 81-(0)997-462110
he is on the neighboring island Yakusima, not the island where Craig is lost.

THEY ARE ONLY REQUIRED BY LAW TO SEARCH FOR 3 DAYS. THERE IS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. WE MUST APPLY ALL AVAILABLE PRESSURE TO MAKE THEM CONTINUE THE SEARCH AND TO CONVINCE THE U.S. CONSULATE TO ACTIVATE THE AVAILABLE AMERICAN ASSETS (OKINAWA) TO ASSIST WITH THE SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATION ON THE GROUND.

The process is currently stalled at the Fukuoka Consulate level with
Mark Baron (cel: 81-90-30143802) working under Margot Carrington
(Fukuoka Consulate office tel: 81-92-751-9331)

The Tokyo Embassy # is 81-(0)3-3224-5000 and the interim Charge d’Affairs is James P. Zumwalt

Local U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission Contact TOKYO:
Christopher Blasdel
blasdel@i-house.or.jp

Executive Director of U.S.-Japan Friendship Commission:
From: Eric Gangloff

Dr. Eric J. Gangloff
Executive Director
Japan-US Friendship Commission
1201 15th Street NW, Suite 330
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 653-9800
(202) 653-9802 fax
www.jusfc.gov




LOCAL AMERICAN ASSETS:

http://www.okinawa.usmc.mil/DoD%20on%20Okinawa/DoD%20on%20Okinawa%20Page.html

Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa under the command of Pacific Air Force (PACAF)
http://www.kadena.af.mil/

NAVY: Commander Fleet Activities Okinawa:
https://www.cnic.navy.mil/Okinawa/index.htm

Naval hospital: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhoki/Pages/default.aspx



Chris Arnold
Director/Editor
Cultural Animal, LLC
Cel: 646-529-8377
Tel: 718-596-8386

THUNK

Ryan Manning interviews me at THUNK.

I think.

This Week at No Tell

Lea Graham wakes greening this week at No Tell Motel.

Just received my contributor copy of From the Fishouse: An Anthology of Poems that Sing, Rhyme, Resound, Syncopate, Alliterate, and Just Plain Sound Great edited by Camille T. Dungy, Matt O'Donnell, & Jeffrey Thomson.

If you're a teacher, there's an index in the back that attributes at least three "poetic strategies" to each poem. My poem's strategies are address; question/statement; repetition.

Which are also the strategies of my life.

NaPoWriMo Participants

I updated this list and removed folks who haven't been posting poems. This list is for folks who are posting their NaPoWriMos. If you're doing NaPoWriMo, but not sharing your poems, that's cool, but that's not the point of these links.

Maureen Thorson
Jennifer Bartlett
Robin Reagler
Anne Boyer
Rusty Barnes
Lesley Jenike
Sophia Kartsonis
Vicky Harris
Noah Falck
K. Lorraine Graham
Becca Klaver
Carmen Giménez Smith
Catherine Daly
Kirsten Kaschock
Michelle Detorie
Simeon Berry
Rik Roots
Serena M. Agusto-Cox
Linda - Nickers and Ink
Chad Parenteau
Oliver de la Paz
Louise Mathias
Nicole Steinberg
Justin Evans
T.A. Noonan
John Sullivan
Glenn Ingersoll
Amy King
Kelli Russell Agodon
Shann Palmer
Susana Gardner
Matthew Thorburn
Nathan Logan
Dan Vera & Michael Gushue
Stephanie King
JillyPoet
Peg Duthie
Paula Mendoza-Hanna
Steph Rogers
'Zann

Bloof Poets and Bloof Podcast
PPFA Forum
Writer's Digest Poetic Asides


Leave a note in the comment field or shoot me an e-mail with your name and link if you'd like to be added to this list.

This Week at No Tell

Laine Ballard lets it run through, be used and depleted this week at No Tell Motel.