HalloSCREAM

Having a Fuddy Duddy Moment

Kids these days.

I'm speaking of the adolescents.

What's up with them??

They either have no creativity with their costumes (princess, pirate) or they're utterly deranged (gang member, Unibomber).

Ok, I take it back, The Three Amigos just left the premises.

Canadians LOVE Navigate!

This is Boo-lesque -- SPOOKY

Where I'll Be Tonight

Trick or treating with PF Potvin, Maureen Thorson and Gianmarc Manzione at Burlesque. Lots of special auction bonuses. You don't want to miss it.

I had a great time on Friday reading with Bruce and Michelle at the Stain Bar. Thanks Amy. Thanks to everyone who came out to hear us.

You can hear me read here and Bruce and Michelle here.

Unfortunately I had to rush back to DC the next day -- the glamourous life of the mommy poet.

PF Potvin is eating toast at my new dining room table. We're headed to the costume shop after this.

This Week at No Tell

Robyn Art is always so hot to the touch like something he would shove against this week at No Tell Motel.

MiPOesias presents

***** Bruce Covey, Michelle Noteboom, and Reb Livingston *****

Amy King will host @

7 P.M., Friday, October 27, 2006

STAIN BAR
766 Grand Steet
Brooklyn , NY 11211
(718) 387-7840
http://www.stainbar.com
[Grand stop on the L TRAIN]


Michelle Noteboom won the 2006 Heartland Poetry Prize for her first book "Edging" (Cracked Slab Books). Other work has appeared in Verse, Fence, Boston Review, Sentence, Columbia Poetry Review and Gargoyle, among others. She's lived mainly in Paris since 1991 where she co-curates the Ivy Writers Reading Series with Jennifer K. Dick. She works as a freelance translator in the French audiovisual industry. She also translates French poetry.


Reb Livingston is the co-editor of No Tell Motel and the anthology THE BEDSIDE GUIDE TO NO TELL MOTEL. She is the author of two chapbooks, PTERODACTYLS SOAR AGAIN (Whole Coconut) and WANTON TEXTILES (No Tell Books). Her poems have appeared in Best American Poetry 2006, Coconut, MiPOesias and other publications.


Bruce Covey teaches at Emory University and is the author of The Greek Gods as Telephone Wires and the forthcoming Ten Pins, Ten Frames (Front Room Publishers, March) and Elapsing Speedway Organism (No Tell Books, Fall 2006). His recent poems also appear or are forthcoming in The Hat, Bombay Gin, Explosive Magazine, LIT, Boog City , One Less, 580 Split , Small Town , and other journals. He edits the web-based poetry magazine Coconut and curates the What's New in Poetry reading series in Atlanta .


We hope to see you there!

Some Name Dropping

Figuring out what to wear to a poetry reading is a lot like figuring out what to wear to a high school/college/family reunion or a first date or party where you know your ex will be attending. You want to look good, but you don't want to look like you're trying to look good. You want to give that I'm just naturally fabulous vibe.

And one does not want to admit considering such things. Last year for the Carrboro Festival, I inquired about the dress to Ken Rumble -- and also requested his advice regarding handjobs (in a poem). His response was something along the lines of "Christ, whatever you do, don't ask Patrick Herron (the organizer) what to wear!"

Ken was only trying to help me not make an ass out of myself.

Ken enthusiastically encouraged the reading of the handjob poem.

The last reading I gave, in Ithaca, I wore a (what I considered) casual gray dress with flat black sandals. The first thing Aaron Tieger said was "Wow, you're going to be the best dressed poet to ever read at Soon!" Yes, I looked nice, but the outfit was a failure exposing the wretched I'm a fraud! fears. I looked like I was trying too hard. Funny thing, I wasn't even trying that time. It was August and a snap decision to be breezy.

When I go to NYC I always forget I'm going to NYC and show up in something colorful, like a floral pink jacket. In a room full of black and muted shades, you can always spot me, I'm the freak in the clown gear.

Well, enough deep thinking from me tonight -- time to hit the closet.

Effing Number Five

Edited by Allyssa Wolf

Works by: Jenny Boully / Heather Brinkman / Noah Eli Gordon / Brian Howe / Dan Hoy / Philip Jenks / Kent Johnson / Kirsten Kaschock / Jon Leon / Patrick Masterson / Scott Miles / Ryan Murphy / Kaia Sand / Leslie Scalapino / Standard Schaefer / Paul Vangelisti / Catherine Wagner / Sarah Wagner / Allyssa Wolf

Coconut 6

Coconut 6 -- containing new poems by Cole Swensen, Eleni Sikelianos, Josh May, CS Carrier, Eric Baus, Gloria Frym, CJ Martin, Natalie Lyalin, Ada Limon, Jonathan Minton, Laurel DeCou, Rusty Morrison, Megan Johnson, James Grinwis, Marty Hebrank, James Sanders, Michelle Greenblatt and Sheila E. Murphy, Mairead Byrne, Jeff Harrison, Kristine Snodgrass, Brendan Lorber, Bruce Covey, & Hazel McClure--is now live on the web.

Smart words from Eileen -- in the poetry world, a little cheddar goes a long way if you're creative and thoughtful about it. Our ability to make, promote and support poetry is not reliant on how much others are getting. I agree, it's annoying or laughable, possibly offensive, how some choose to spend towards poetry -- I can agree there's a lot of waste and misappropriation among the few who have sizeable fortunes earmarked for poetry -- but, well, whatever. I don't want anyone telling me how to spend my poetry nickels, so I won't bother telling someone how to spend their poetry Benjamins.

Businessmen poets, who cares?!? Po-mobiles and swimming poems -- what a life.

Maintaining this free blog and reading other people's free blogs has introduced and connected me to more poets and their work than my pricey undergrad and graduate education combined (not dissing my education, just pointing out a fact). No Tell Motel costs very little to run (my biggest expense was a modest one-time design fee, which I could have worked around, but I don't have very good design skills and find that when you pay someone, even a small sum, he's more likely to meet a deadline or make requested changes). No Tell Books is an investment, although using POD and the internet for promotion, one I'm able to afford and expect to eventually break even -- something that has to happen else I won't be able to continue publishing books for long. But if No Tell Books did go under -- the books already published wouldn't be affected, they'd stay in print whether they're selling or not.

There's this print-journal, a beautiful color and expensively produced publication, at one time on the periodical racks in all the big chain bookstores. It's gone under at least twice despite receiving massive infusions of cash. (Dear Mr. Springsteen, if you're reading this, you don't have to do a $1000-$5000 per ticket fundraiser for No Tell -- it doesn't need a million dollars -- just buy the books! and it'll keep on truckin')

Yesterday I received a postcard informing of the above magazine's resurrection and asking me to resubscribe. Seems it shacked up with another magazine and perhaps (?) a university. I wish them the best, but if they don't make it this time -- I won't sigh and consider it a sign of the next big decline.

No Tell Books

Changing the world

At Least It's Not Disney

Chuck E. Cheese, Monroeville, can I get an aw yeah!

Another Glowing Review of Navigate

from the Tearful Dishwasher.

If you don't have your copy yet, be aware that you're missing something special.

Aw hell, I need to stop mincing words -- YOUR SOUL IS STARVING WITHOUT THESE BOOKS!

It's all treats next week

at Burlesque Poetry Hour with Maureen Thorson, PF Potvin and Gianmarc Manzione.

Did I Mention

I'll be reading in NYC this Friday with Bruce Covey and Michelle Notebloom?

7 p.m. -- Stain Bar in Brooklyn.

Details here.

This Week at No Tell

Micki Myers wears nothing but a holster and pasties this week at No Tell Motel.

I'm working on a new manuscript and needed some reference books on a particular topic -- so I went to Borders and purchased the reference books using gift cards.

The cashier asked where he knew me from and I told him he didn't look familiar and I only occasionally shop at this store. He assumed I was blowing him off and made a crack about the subject matter of the reference books and I replied it was "for research."

Which of course, he didn't believe, but should have known better than to make a scene since the subject matter of said books might imply I'm a dangerous individual.

You want to know what the reference books are about, don't you?

Sorry, you'll have to wait until I finish the manuscript -- and by judging how long it took me to write my last one, we're talking like 2 years.

Kittens, Kooks & Shady Operations

Taking that Ben Franklin "penny wise, pound foolish" quote to heart.

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Earlier this week someone who runs a book review site inquired to why I was doing things in a certain way. I explained my reasoning and he explained some of his concerns, which were valid. Got me thinking -- about reviews, why they're important (even if they don't often directly bring in any sales), and how the changing landscape of poetry publishing is making more work for review pubs.

Personally I think the rise of micro-presses and online magazines was a long time coming and am heartened to see so many folks pursuing these projects, taking up the huge piles of slack by bigger publications that have cut back or cut out poetry entirely. The breadth of poetries I'm coming across is staggering -- and that's just English-language, mostly American works. My knowledge of what else is out there is minimal.

But for the handful of review publications that consider independent/small press titles -- review publications that have been around for a while and are used to the way things were done -- the rise of micro-presses, POD and self-publishing complicates their process.

For one thing, it's more difficult to quickly distinguish between a new indie press title and say, oh I don't know, a self-published book about kittens. On the outside and a quick flip through -- they could look pretty similar. The number of "legit" publishers is growing, as are the number of "legit" authors self-publishing. Should a Lulu book be listed next to a Coffee House or Graywolf or Curbstone? is a question the review site editor is asking himself.

Now I have little sympathy for those hung up on "legitimacy" -- it's the same thing as shopping only designer labels -- well, I don't much care for it, and it's not flattering to my build, but it's _______. There's nothing wrong with liking or consistently prefering clothing from a certain label, but if you need the label to know if it's any good or not, well, you're a label whore and know nothing of fashion.

But without branding -- the mark of "quality" that let's others know quickly what's "worthy" and what's kittens - these freedoms many poets are undertaking or perhaps retaking, shunning these brands, putting out their own work, causes havoc for editors receiving 50 review titles and week and having to quickly decide which 5 or 6 books to forward on to their volunteer, unpaid reviewers, which ones to list on their received pages -- it's time intensive and can quickly become unmangeable.

And I do have some sympathy for that -- these review publications that consider independent press titles are few and far between, are doing it out of love for the work -- receiving even less "glory" than the poets and books they're reviewing. Their time and budgets are limited too, they want to do good a job, highlight good books -- and the system they've been using to distinguish the worthy from the kittens is being spun upside down.

This is probably the point where I should apologize to all the kittens.

I'm not helping the review publication situation. I'm a new press using the same printing service as thousands of kittens authors. Hell, as far as I'm concerned, kitten authors have the right to put their books out too -- I'm not going to turn my nose up and spend a lot more money (that I don't have) on traditional printing and distribution for fear of association -- and let's be real here, those traditional printers and distributors print kitten authors too, maybe fewer but that's not because they're too good (they'll take just about anyone's money), but because their cost is prohibitive.

I further blur these established lines by publishing one of my own titles. I'm risking kook status. Perhaps some already consider that to be my status.

Plus I didn't put the press's address on the books -- it's my home address -- I don't want anyone mailing manuscripts and queries or showing up at my doorstep trying to pitch his idea. You might think that's a silly concern, but you should see some of the e-mails I get in the No Tell Motel box -- some of these people think I'm salaried, work in an office and lunch with Judith Regan. It's weird.

And yeah, I could get a PO Box -- and may eventually, but that's another cost and I'm trying to keep costs down -- and besides, the only postal correspondance I do is with signed contracts and mailing books. Postal mail is expensive and slow and inefficient -- I don't want to encourage it.

But apparently not including an address may be considered shady -- and I'm told there's a lot of shade being sent out. So can't dismiss these concerns entirely.

At least not until book reviewing catches up -- and it's starting -- over half the review copies I've sent are to individuals who write about books on their blogs.

Long Overdue Grubby Hand Update

Cornstarch Figurine by Elizabeth Treadwell (Dusie Press)

Anne Boyer's Good Apocalypse (effing press)

Little Ones, by Anne Boyer

inverse by Maryrose Larkin (nine muses books)

Hitler's Mustache by Peter Davis (Barnwood Press)
Poet's Bookshelf edited by Peter Davis (Barnwood Press)

Property Line by Joseph Massey (Fewer & Further Press)
the Breaks by Christopher Rizzo (Fewer & Further Press)
February by Aaron Tieger (Fewer & Further Press)
Platinum Blonde by Michael Carr (Fewer & Further Press)

Secret But Kept It Room by Mike Gubser (ahadada books)

A Projection of Frankensex by Allyssa Wolf
Right Now the Music and the Life Rule by Jon Leon

The Final Nite by Steven Dalachinsky (Ugly Duckling Presse)
Carbon by Michael Ford (Ugly Duckling Presse)
Instants by Philip Metres (Ugly Duckling Presse)

Readings @ the Contemporary 2004-2005 (Observable Books)

Flag, by Noah Eli Gordon (Big Game Books)
The Truth About Canada, by Zachary Schomburg (Big Game Books)
Why Do Some People Burn With the Gift of Love When, by Stacy Szymaszek (Big Game Books)
Give Me a Foot, by Jen Tynes (Big Game Books)
Dreamscape or-, by Julia Drescher (Big Game Books)
See it Everywhere, by K. Lorraine Graham (Big Game Books)
99 Cent Heart, by Ada Limon (Big Game Books)
Statues, by Kate Greenstreet (Big Game Books)
Flowers in Miniature, by Chris Pusateri (Big Game Books)
Monday, Monday, by Nate Pritts (Big Game Books)
Heat the Milk, by Brett Evans (Big Game Books)

inch Fall 2006, Issue 1 (Bull City Press)

If you sent something recently and I omitted it above, it's not a slight, just my disorganization -- send me and e-mail and I'll list it.

Party Poker -- Must Be a Day with Grandma!

How I Spent My Evening

My high school best friend drove me to the Homestead Waterfront in her black and gold Hummer. Go Stillers!

In Pittsburgh for the week while Chris is in Amsterdam for a conference. Wanted to tag along, but couldn't work it out. That's OK, I can get pot and prostitutes here.

My dad suggested we take Gideon to Toys R Us. Gid was so excited seeing so many toys in one place he pooped his pants. Literally.

To think, how close I came to going to Amsterdam and missing that.

This Week at No Tell

Patty Seyburn carves the night into angles this week at No Tell Motel.

Christine Hamm writes about Rebecca Loudon's Navigate.

Kulture Vulture Experiment Five

featuring poems by: William Allegreeza, Jack Boettner, Tim Botta, Jenna Cardinale, Peter Davis, Ryan Downey, Thomas Farrington, Skip Fox, Elisa Gabbert, Johannes Goransson, James Grinwis, Donald Illich, Brian Kalkbrenner, Sean Kilpatrick, Clay Matthews, Randy Prunty, Kate Schipara, Bronwen Tate, Chris Tonelli, and Amish Trivedi

What's Missing in My Life

A husband willing to have sex with a mound of sand and allow me to photograph -- in the name of poetry.

Peter Pereira writes about Rebecca Loudon's Navigate.

And if you're the type that prefers paying more to big corporations, Bruce's Elapsing Speedway Organism and PF's The Attention Lesson are available on Amazon.

Or you can pay less for them here.

Pussipo (after Acker) -- the blog of the pussipo experimental women's poetry experiment -- THE PUBLIC PAGE for the private effort for the public effort

I'm starting to understand why plastic bag manufacturers print warning labels all over their products.

One can never assume obvious is obvious.

And how do we come up with the conclusions we come up with?

Are we mindlessly leaping through the air, oblivous that we haven't touched ground in quite sometime?

How did you come up with that?

There seems to be no avoiding or protection from that.

Accept that? Smite that? We could ground that and make coffee.

I don't drink coffee.

I will dry that until that crumbles, roll that in some paper, no, I will stick that in my pipe, and I will smoke that.

This Week at No Tell

Jill Alexander Essbaum gets ruined in the moonlight, especially the moonlight this week at No Tell Motel.

It's a bummer when your own obituary is grammatically incorrect

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I'm Telling Ya -- Don't Taunt the Pittsburghers

And yesterday after Jeb Bush blew a kiss to a crowd of protesters -- he was ushered into a subway station and put in a supply closet -- for his own safety.

Blame it on the 12% larger full moon.

This is one of those parties where you sit back and wait for the inevitable moment when the cops arrive and proclaim monstrous turquoise man-breasts are illegal in this state and your neighbors are trying to sleep.

Anne Boyer's Good Apocalypse

My copy should be here anyday (I pre-ordered it months ago) -- hurry up and order yours.

Semi-Famous Actress Apologies

I think her penance should be eating an entire chipped ham sandwich and washing it down with a six-pack of IC Light.

She Might As Well Quit Acting All Together -- She'll Never Get a Role With Jeff Goldblum Now

Semi-famous actress dumps on the 'Burgh

I love the headline, more effective than the obvious: "Actress Known For Dating and Being Cheated On By Jude Law . . ."

I also love how the mayor was "briefed" on the upcoming Rolling Stone story.

Mmm . . . garlic-parmesan Buffalo wings -- how cosmopolitian.

Post-note: Seconds after I posted this, I received an e-mail from TB with a link and the succinct note: "Whore!"

Word travels fast.

Warning: Do not taunt the yinzers.

Dragged One More Soul . . .

. . . into the dregs of bloggerdom.

Bruce Covey, welcome to our special circle of hell!

Love,
BeelzeReb

This weekend I'm getting a reprieve -- a much needed opportunity to work uninterrupted on a number of projects I'm behind. The two main priorities are No Tell Motel galleys and The Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel -- The Second Floor. This is always the case for me -- I decide to do things and underestimate how much time is necessary and I'm always short on time. Sometimes the excitement of a project finally reaching fruition is overshadowed by exhaustion. It shouldn't be that way.

So this weekend, the only recreation I'll allow myself is a brief shopping trip on Friday afternoon and Dr. Phil on TiVo -- but I can work on galleys at the same time -- I only need to hear his smooth reasonable Texas drawl.

Well, I'll probably go out and take a walk too, if the weather permits. I haven't been doing that recently. You see, my neighborhood is being plagued by a steak knife-wielding wacko. In the last month he's attacked 5 women within a half mile of my home including sexually assaulting of a teenage girl several hundred yards from my front door. It's unsettling to see one's street sign on the evening news and front page of locals newspapers. The last incident got a lot of press coverage and there haven't been any additional reports -- that doesn't make me feel much better. I don't believe people like that can just stop, they might be able to take a break, but they don't just stop -- they have to be stopped.

So I'm sitting around waiting for him to be stopped.

That's the news from me. Busy and uneasy about leaving the house.

Much to Keep Up With

The premiere issue of LOCUSPOINT recently went live. Poems from Seattle, St. Louis and Boston.

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BELTWAY POETRY QUARTERLY FEATURES "THE PROFILES ISSUE"
Fall 2006 Issue highlights the achievements of poets with strong ties to Washington, DC both past and present

The Profiles Issue features essays and interviews highlighting poets ranging from former US Poets Laureate, to editors of pioneering literary journals in DC, to tributes to poets who recently passed away. All have contributed to the lively and diverse literary community in the nation's capitol.

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42Opus begins building it's newest issue (Volume 6, No. 3)

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Drunken Boat launches issue #8 - A special triple issue dedicated to the inaugural PanLiterary Awards Winners in seven genres; the spreading potentiality of the Oulipo; and the very strangest of current Canadian Arts and Letters.

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SOFTBLOW presents poems by PAUL TAN, JEFF CALHOUN, PAUL SIEGELL and NANCY KENNEY CONNOLLY.

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And of course there's ALWAYS something new at MiPOesias.

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What did I miss?

No Tell Books is on MySpace -- Be Its Friend

Exploiting the Boy To Sell Books

Finally earning his keep

No Tell Books -- Available Now

This Week at No Tell

Christine Scanlon wears holes on the outside of her dress—with someone else always pulling the strings intermittently this week at No Tell Motel.

All titles can be purchased at the No Tell Books Lulu Store

Elapsing Speedway Organism by Bruce Covey - On Sale Now

ISBN: 978-1-84728-314-6
Publication Date: October 2, 2006
No Tell Books
104 pages

Available at Lulu for $12
Available Soon at Amazon, B&N and Powell's for $15

The Attention Lesson by PF Potvin - On Sale Now

ISBN: 978-1-84728-298-9
Publication Date: October 2, 2006
No Tell Books
92 pages

Available at Lulu for $12
Available Soon at Amazon, B&N and Powell's for $15

Navigate, Amerlia Earhart's Letters Home by Rebecca Loudon - On Sale Now

Publication Date: October 2, 2006
No Tell Books
38 pages

Available at Lulu for $9