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.