big poetry update

the past two days i received:

* the newest issue of Nerve Cowboy (#22) in which my poem Letter to Glenn appears. other poets appearing in this issue included: David J. Thompson, Christopher Cunningham, Gerald Locklin, Michael Kriesel, Robert L. Penick, Michael Estabrook and Nathan Graziano.

* the first three issues of Adrian Manning's Concrete Meat Sheet -- a single sheet broadside journal of poetry. i will have a poem featured in issue #4. check out Concrete Meat Press for more information.

* the latest Guerilla Poetics Project broadside mailing. the package included 10 copies of broadsides #9 and #10 (by David Barker and William Taylor, Jr., respectively) which will soon be placed into undisclosed books at an undisclosed bookstore somewhere in the Salt Lake Valley.

new year college football-arama

lots of games.

there's nothing better than just lying on this couch, the laptop on, the tv switching between the many games, and doing nothing but relaxing.

gotta love it.

hope you all had a safe and happy new year's celebration.

a continuation of my assault on religion...(UPDATED)

are we really supposed to believe this book? and use it as a guide for morality? and worse, use it as a guide for a laws in a civilized society?

the bible was written by a multitude of fearful, faulty men and does NOT contain the immutable word of god. we might as well be using The Collected Works of Shakespeare as our basis for morality. we'd probably be better off if we did. plus, we'd know the contents inside were in fact the immutable word of the bard.

UPDATE:

Here are more sites to enjoy during the extended New Year weekend:
Why Won't God Heal Amputees?
The Creation Fallacy
Evil Bible
The Secular Outpost Blog
The Secular Web
American Atheists

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

a little New Years anti-religious discussion

since i posted an article about atheism from Sam Harris before Christmas, i will do the same before New Years. here is an article just published in Newsweek & The Washington Post.

also, the catering to the religious is getting ridiculous. especially when this is the outcome. this is outrageous and should not be accepted by anyone. we must cater to a small minority of biblical literalists (who believe the earth is 6000 years old!!) so we don't hurt their delicate feelings. are you fucking kidding me? the earth IS billions of years old (just over 4 to be exact). the universe is over 3 times older than that. i cannot believe that we must suspend science, knowledge, logic and rational thought so a few halfwit creationists don't get offended. what is wrong with this country?

enjoy!

oh, and Happy New Year!

the faux moral high ground (UPDATED)

today, we're going to learn about civility, folks.

there is an odd quality in some folks where they feel they can say or do anything and not deal with the repercussions. and some even get indignant at the fact that anyone else retaliates or gets angry at what they do.

let me posit an example:
say someone (we'll call him Steve) spits in another person's face (we'll call him Mark). Mark did nothing to provoke something as insulting as being spat in the face, yet Steve goes ahead and does it. Mark, as a result, gets angry and calls Steve a name (or spits back in his face, or clocks him one). Steve suddenly gets angry at Mark for reacting; for defending himself. Steve is aghast that Mark would even be upset at being spat at.
someone like Steve would say, "i'm sorry you're angry that i spat in your face." NOT "i'm sorry i spat in your face." the difference is huge. and it's telling of Steve's maturity level. in the first instance there is no real apology, merely more insults and aggression.

Steve has no right taking the moral high ground in this situation. yet, i've seen it happen a lot: at work, i've seen it happen amongst "alleged" friends, i've even had it happen to me (and recently). most of the people in this world understand we live in a civilized society, and are not Steves; but there are still enough Steves out there to make our lives miserable. we need fewer Steves and more Marks.
dissent is fine. argument is fine. but, when ad hominem and epithets start flying, it can get ugly; yet when the one who starts the ugliness suddenly becomes indignant that the other responds in kind we have chaos.

"you're stupid."
"well, you're ugly."
"why are you calling me ugly?"
"because you called me stupid."
"i can't believe you got mad at that."
"then apologize to me."
"i'm sorry you got mad that i called you stupid."
"that's not an apology."

i'm sure you've had experiences with Steves before, too.
all we can do is call them on their arrogance and rudeness, then cut all ties. life is far too short to deal with juvenile adults. it's hard enough dealing with mature adults.


UPDATE: in the above example, let's say Steve and Mark are carpenters and Steve, before the argument and subsequent spitting, told Mark that he respects Mark's abilities as a carpenter (and it was genuine). then, suppose, after Steve spat in Mark's face he goes back to his previous comment of "respecting" Mark, further driving Steve's indignation that Mark is upset at Steve. after all, he respects Mark.

well, i for one would hate to see how Steve would've treated Mark had he NOT respected him so.

i add this update because this is an important part of the faux moral high ground. a compliment will be paid just before, or during, an insulting or derogatory action to "lessen the blow", or to set up the oncoming indignation.

aren't people just the best?

new broadsides

in today's mail, i received a package of the two latest broadsides for The Guerilla Poetics Project:

GPP007 -- My Daughter's Eyes by Nathan Graziano
&
GPP008 -- work ethic by Brian McGettrick

i'll be hiding these around the greater Salt Lake area in the next few days. with one find already logged from Utah, my passions for this project have been renewed and i hope for more finds to be logged from here, soon.

& Happy New Years, folks! be safe and have fun.

some answers this Christmas Eve

as some (or all) of you may or may not know, the wife and i are atheists. we still celebrate xmas in the same way the vast majority of the country does. we don't feel this is hypocritical as xmas is no longer a christian holiday (or, at least, an exclusively christian holiday) and is more about celebrating the previous year (as well as getting a day or two off of work). also, if jesus was a real man (something that has yet to be proven) he wasn't born in December, but in sometime in the spring. a pagan winter celebration was expropriated by the christians.

anyway, i've been reading some fine "atheist" books lately (The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris). they are tremendous books that should be read by all (atheist, religious, agnostic alike). the philosophies and arguments contained inside can help make this world a better place THROUGH the elimination of religion, not by expanding it. let's put it this way, religion has had thousands of years to eliminate pain, suffering, hatred and unnecessary death; yet it has done nothing more than increase the instances of each, in some cases unforgiveably so. the authors rationally and logically posit a case where atheism is better for a society. i agree.

so, for this xmas, here is a great little article on the 10 myths (and truths) about atheism by Sam Harris. enjoy.

Merry Christmas to everyone (in the secular way, that is, meaning a healthy, peaceful, happy and safe weekend!) and i hope everyone has a Happy New Year.
the wife and i are ready to wad up 2006, douse it in gasoline and set it ablaze. we are hoping 2007 is considerably better.

let us pray... :)

first ad

the very first ad for The Guerilla Poetics Project appears in the current issue of The Small Press Review. the ad will appear in the next few issues and we hope it scares up some new members. look for ads in a few other places soon.

literary update

G. Emil Reutter published a short review of my Bottle of Smoke Press book, The 25 Best-Loved Poems of the Future, in his blog. Mr. Reutter also relayed a story to me about one of the poems in the book, penis boy. he said he was at a reading recently and it was full of those bored, distracted poetry types when he got up and read penis boy to the group. the people stopped and at the end the crowd erupted in laughter and applause. what a great thing to hear.
as G. Emil said in his email, it is not important enough to just turn a clever phrase and crystalize a beautiful image. one must also relate to the readers, and this is what i (and a whole host of others out there) aim to do in our poetry. it's always a fine thing to hear that you have been successful, at least once!

and THIS is what the Guerilla Poetics Project is all about: bringing poetry back to the people by connecting with them in a way they aren't used to.

thanks for the kind words and review, G!

the funniest man in the world

we had the pleasure of seeing Brian Regan live last night. if you are not familiar with Mr. Regan's comedy, you are in for a treat. I recommend purchasing his CD and DVD. you will NOT be disappointed. and, if you ever get the chance to see him live, DO IT! the show was sold out, at a University of Utah auditorium, and we were in the very first row. it was a fabulous night. he put on a great show. so great, in fact, that one of the security guys, his back to the stage, was laughing throughout the entire show.

some housecleaning

my father-in-law and step-mother-in-law are in town until Thursday. we haven't seen them in over a year (when we flew back to Florida last year). this is their first time out here in Utah in the 7 years we've lived here. we'll have a good time taking them around to see the sights, to point and stare at polygamists, to goof on all the crazy, rural Utahns.

and most importantly, my Florida Football Gators won the SEC Championship, are 12-1 overall while playing the most difficult schedule in college football. They earned the right to play Ohio State University for the National Championship in January; to which we have scored some tickets.
Go Gators!

no poetry updates to speak of, other than the fact that 21 broadsides have been found and registered in the Guerilla Poetics Project. this movement is gathering steam.

guerilla poetics

broadside #17 has been found and registered.

we are averaging a find every 5 days. there have been, however, 4 in the past 3 days. the movement is gaining momentum, the project is gaining credibility. we have over 90 operatives in 3 continents, and we're about to take over the world.

if you haven't joined us yet, you should do so NOW!

it's beginning to look a lot like...

we had the first real snow of the season the other night. you know, there's still something so magical about waking up to a couple of inches of pristine snow. the sledding is nice, and snowshoeing is a wonderful wintertime activity, but unless you're an avid skier, the snow really isn't all that much fun: you have to shovel it from your walkway, the temperatures are brutal, and (at least here in Utah) the salt they use on the highway to melt the ice is hell on your car.
here's a picture from outside our house:


but the worst is the driving. it's amazing to me how people seem to FORGET how to drive in the snow every year. they live here. they've been through it before. it's not like we are suddenly a bunch of Louisianians who've never seen snow. how can they forget how to drive.
yesterday, we had over 60 accidents on the roads. it took me one and a half hours to get to work, where it normally takes me less than 45 minutes. it's ridiculous. some people slow down to the point of inanity, while others fly by at speeds so unsafe it's almost funny. and the worst are the morons driving 4X4s. they think they are immune to the laws of friction.
just because your vehicle gives power to all four wheels doesn't mean it won't slide on a patch of ice.

but, the snow really is beautiful. and the ski resorts are open now, so if you're into skiing you might want to make your way out to Utah for some fine powder. apparently, we have "the greatest snow on earth" (don't groan at me, i didn't coin the slogan). so much so, it's even on our license plates.

i have to get the car washed soon. it's streaked with dried salt and mud. the snowbanks along the sides of the road, where the snowplows mounded the snow, are covered in dirt and exhaust. but, it's gorgeous, clear, cold days like today that make you happy to be alive. well, maybe not the cold, but the rest of it is nice.

a movie, two broadsides and some updates

i recently saw the movie Factotum, based on Charles Bukowski's book of the same name. the young actor who played Henry Chinaski (the alter ego hero of Bukowski's writings), one Matt Dillon, did a fairly fine job. He has a bright future ahead of him in the movies i think. i wouldn't be surprised to see him more often.

one thing that confused me was Chinaski, as played by Dillon, was left-handed in the movie. lefties are always shocking to us righties (i mean, when you give someone a pen to write something down and they start writing with their left hands, you can't tell me that shocks you...it's not natural). i was unaware that Chinaski/Bukowski was a lefty. if not, then Dillon did a horrible job portraying Chinaski. if you're any kind of an actor you switch your dexterity based upon the character you're inhabiting. it's rule #1 in acting. or possibly rule #2. i'm not real sure.

one last thing about the movie is Lily Taylor and Marisa Tomei are also in it. and Ms. Tomei is nekkid, for you horndogs out there. it's a fine movie, a bit slow and without much plot (the hallmark of Bukowski novels), but worth the $6 on PPV.

the other day i received the two newest broadsides of the Guerilla Poetics Project. these are broadsides #5 and 6. i plan on going out this weekend to stick them in books around the Salt Lake Valley. i've mentioned the GPP here before, so don't make me do it again (though i will). visit the site, read the manifesto, see what it is all about. then, if you like what you read and agree with our philosophy, purpose and tactics, join us!

i received word from Eric DeJaeger in Belgium that my bilingual chapbook, the uncertainty principle, will be out soon. it will feature a bunch of my short poems in English and their French translations as interpreted by Mr. DeJaeger. i am very excited about this book and will update when it is released, which shouldn't be long.

and, lastly, i haven't spoken very much lately about Hemispherical Press as i've not really done much of late. there are 4 releases on the docket, though, and the first, Or. by David Michael McNamara, a small book of 5 poems, will be out shortly. future releases included chapbooks by Owen Roberts, C. Allen Rearick and Hosho McCreesh.

getting paid

i received my contributor's and subscriber's copies of The Stinging Fly in today's mail, along with a check for $30 as payment for the pleasure of being published.

it's not the first time i was paid for my poetry (i won a poetry contest a few years back which netted me $45 and came in second the year before for $20) but it is the first time i've been paid for a poem to be published in a non-contest issue. i think i could easily get used to this.

The Stinging Fly is out of Dublin, Ireland, and is a GORGEOUS, glossy journal filled with amazing writing (both Irish and International). it's a damned honor being published in it, and it's an indescribable feeling being paid for your work. i highly recommend it!

naked knuckle

i received my contributor's and subscriber's copies of the new Naked Knuckle yesterday. Issue #7. my poem Of An Otherwise Stark, Rural Highway kicks off the issue. other poets include Karl Koweski, David J. Thompson and Michael Estabrook.

Naked Knuckle is a great small-format journal out of Modesto, California. subscribe. submit. support.

i heard from my friend (and fellow writer) Kelly Thompson that the new The Stinging Fly is out, where my poem the perfect night is featured. i will update when i receive it.

update

i received a rejection today from The Burnside Review (my second rejection from them). it would appear i'm not quite right for them. shouldn't probably submit there anymore (mental note).

i also heard back from Adrian Manning of Concrete Meat Press that my poem "marriage as still life" will be published in a future issue of his one-sheet journal Concrete Meat (potentially issue 4). i'll update when it comes out.

other than that, not much going on. i've submitted very little in the last few months, so i shouldn't expect much in the way of rejections (or acceptances) in the near future. and, neither should you.

Number Seven

and just like that, broadside #7 of The Guerilla Poetics Project has been found. these really are like the golden tickets of Willy Wonka (or at least it feels that way in my mind):

I've got a golden ticket. I've a golden chance to make my way. And with a golden ticket, it's a golden day...

anyway, #7 was found at Moe's in Berkeley, California (the first broadside found in the US west of the mighty Mississip). the broadside was found in a copy of Ginsberg's Howl, and it just so happened to be the first broadside the GPP created, featuring my poem like fireworks. when it was registered, this is what the young woman had to say about the broadside:

I was looking at three different books about Howl and Ginsberg and so I'm not 100% I listed the right book that I found the poem in, but I think it was that one. The poem just rocks my socks, and it felt extra-magical because I found it like a little hidden treasure- like the poem was meant for whoever found it, and that was me, and I feel very lucky. Tell Justin Barrett his poem made me do a little dance in Moe's. Your project is really cool..."

what a wonderful thing to hear. THIS is precisely why the GPP exists. we are attempting to touch the very core of people's beings; those who otherwise would not have known our work.

now, join us in hiding these golden tickets so that others may be similarly touched, and may find their entry into the hidden Wonka world of poetry.

what i've been up to

it's been a while since my last update. not doing much of anything. just working, working out and working on The Guerilla Poetics Project stuff.

i've decided to whip together an update as my mother said if i didn't my "fans" would be upset. what a dear.
FANS! my mother is so funny. ya gotta love her.
the only fans i have are: myself, my dog, and my mother. and i'm not even certain about my dog.

anyway, there are a few things to update:

i received my subscription copies of Poesy, the International Issue, with a wonderful interview by my Australian buddy Glenn W. Cooper. and, he's kind enough to even mention me in it. thanks Glenn. Poesy is a great journal full of good poetry.

i also, out of the blue, received a package full of Poems-For-All from Richard Hansen and the 24th St. Irregular Press for my poem counterfeit poem. i had two other poems published for Poems-For-All, a few years ago.

Lastly, we've had a 6th broadside found and registered with The Guerilla Poetics Project. this movement is gaining some serious momentum, but we still need your help. if you are not already involved, please check the website out and support us. there are a variety of ways you can help us ranging from a straight donation to purchasing donated goods to becoming an operative in the field.

dominating the small press

my buddy Glenn W. Cooper appears in the recently released International Issue of the journal Poesy, where not only are his poems featured, but a wonderful interview. Glenn is an amazing poet living in a cultural island and continent wasteland in the middle of the Pacific.

this is Glenn's 4th interview (2nd in print) and i am so proud of -- and happy for -- him.

and thank you, Glenn, for the plugs for my own work; you're the tits.