Nathalie Handal interviews Edwidge Danticat in the January 2011 issue of Guernica online: We Are All Going to Die.

[A time-to-time post on what I’ve been reading lately.]

Having finished David Vann‘s novel, Caribou Island, I’m still trying to figure out how I can possible forgive this author for writing a novel so compelling I could not stop reading it (or wanting to read it when I couldn’t be), and coming to a finish that was so disturbing it has disrupted my thoughts – both while awake and sleeping – for the past several days. I DON’T recommend this one to anyone already suffering from seasonal affect disorder or cabin fever bordering on The Shining.

A half dozen characters take the lead by chapter for the third person omniscient narration. Irene sees her marriage to Gary coming to an end. Their daughter Rhoda can’t see it coming any more than she can see the fault line in her own engagement to Jim, her cheating fiancee. Other characters move in and out of the story, like storm clouds across the Alaskan sky, and each seems to be the other’s antagonist. In fact, if asked, I’m not sure I could clearly identify a single protagonist in this story. I suppose each character has their moment: Carl, when he finds out Monique is banging Jim and takes of into the cold Alaskan night; Gary as he struggles against the northern snow and wind to build his “dream” island cabin; Irene as she finally sees a doctor who might just help her to understand the cause of the splitting headaches she suffers.

But just as it seems a character is the lead of the plot, breaking away from adversity, each is confronted yet again with an adversary – another of the characters or the unflinching, damnable Alaskan nature.

Vann’s story is an exploration of the human psyche, that which fails us is that which we are and continue to grasp onto. Each character seems to realize this: Gary knows in fits and starts that his cabin is a stupid idea, but he stubbornly persists; Irene knows their marriage is ending, but goes along with the cabin building because she knows they have to play the final card; Rhoda knows her relationship to Jim is nothing more than what she always felt was the right thing to want, whether she feels passionately about it or not. It’s this kind of knowing that makes the writing both so compelling and devastating to read. As much as I would like to see one thing work out well for one character, there are no happy endings here. This is simply a reflection of real life that has its moments of just enough insight to help us accept what we have as good enough and move on. Or not.

The Chicago Review (55:3/4) includes a feature of ten essays which mark the retirement of Robert Von Hallberg from the University of Chicago. “They are all by former staff members of Chicago Review, who also completed dissertations under his supervision. The essays all address some aspect of poetry’s relation to power.” The essays include:

Devin Johnston, “The Needs of Ghosts: On Poems from the Margins of Thom Gunn’s Moly”
Elizabeth Arnold, “The Rhythm of the Actual in Basil Bunting’s ‘Chomei at Toyama'”
Alan Golding, “Louis Zukofsky and the Avant-Garde Textbook”
Mark S. Morrisson, “Ezra Pound, the Morada, and American Regionalism”
Matthias Regan, “Remembering Edward Dorn”
Robert Huddleston, “Myth and Education”
Andrea Scott, “Gerhard Falkner’s Ground Zero“
Lynn Keller, “‘Post-Language Lyric’: The Example of Juliana Spahr”
Peter O’Leary, “Apocalypticism: A Way Forward for Poetry”
Keith Tuma, “After the Bubble”

The newest issue of International Poetry Review (Fall 2010) is a special issue celebrating twenty-five years of Ukrainian poetry: “This collection of Ukrainian poetry in translation comprises a representative sampling of the poetry created under twenty-five years of creative freedom for Ukrainian writers that began during Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of “openness” and that has continued to flourish after Ukrainian independence in 1991.” The poetry includes 24 poets in translation, ranging from the oldest writer – Oleh Lysheha (62) to the youngest – Iryna Shuvalova (24).

Michael M. Naydan, Woskob Family Professor of Ukrainian Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, provides an introduction to the issue, including a historical overview of the Ukraine poetic movements as well as a memorial to three Ukrainian poets – Attila Mohylny, Ihor Rymaruk, and Nazar Honchar, to whom the issue is dedicated.

Tin House has a new web design, including Submishmash for online submissions and eBook versions in both the ePub (iPad, Sony eReader, B&N Nook) and MobiPocket (Kindle) formats “wherever possible,” and, on the magazine side, featuring the full text of several stories, poems, essays, and interviews.

Australian poet Graham Nunn created the Ocean Hearted Flood Relief Project to raise funds for flood relief in QLD (Queensland, Australia). Here’s his plan:

From January 12 to January 26 Nunn will donate 100% of all sales of his book Ocean Hearted to flood relief and “to add to that, I will personally give an extra $5 for every book sold.” Copies of Ocean Hearted can be purchased for $15 (incl. postage) via paypal or check/money order.

Visit his blog for more details.

All monies will be given to the Premiers Disaster Relief Appeal, a Queensland Government established Distribution Committee that includes representatives from the Australian Red Cross to manage the disbursement of the donated funds.

Issue #4 of the online lit mag Ekleksographia is a special issue: The Emerging Native American Voices, guest Curated by Ann Filemyr and Jamie Figueroa.

In the introduction, Ann Filemyr writes: “Twenty-first century Native American literature is vibrant and evolving. It invites us into the creative lives and ideas of writers whose cultures are demonstrating an incredible capacity for cultural survivance against all odds.”

Art, poetry, and prose contributors include: Ungelbah Daniel-Davila, Anna Nelson, Ruben Santos, Paige Buffington, Nathan Romero, Vernon Begay, Sara Marie Ortiz, Alice M. Azure, Ann Filemyr, Jamie Figueroa, Celeste Adame, Autumn Gomez, Evelina Zuni Lucero, and Marcia Smith.

Cover Image: “Timeless” by Marcia Smith

Fresco Fine Art Publications produces unique books and catalogs for artists, galleries and museums throughout the United States. Fresco was founded in response to the need in the Santa Fe art community for “beautifully designed art books and catalogs that could be produced at a cost that was affordable, and within a time frame that kept the project fresh and enjoyable.”

Recently featured publications include:

Tom Kirby Light Passage, with inspiration for his work drawn from extensive travels throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and North Africa. “Tom’s work is distinctly modern yet deeply influenced by past masters, most importantly, Carravagio. His work is a synthesis of expressionistic and minimalist influences.”

Art alive! A Fresh Approach to Teaching the Basics: The Teaching Techniques of Sally Bartalot

With work by almost 100 artists, Visual Journeys: Art of the 21st Century edited by Nina Mihm and Mary Carroll Nelson is a publication of The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media, an international group of artists sharing a holistic world view. The thought that unites the society is, “We are all connected. There exists a oneness and unity to everything, everyone, and the whole.” This philosophical premise distinguishes it from other art societies that are based on a single medium.

Zahir: A Journal of Speculative Fiction is trying out a creative approach to publishing. The magazine had appeared in print three times a year from 2000-2009, but in 2010, moved to publishing quarterly online. However, the full content of the four online issues is now available in print as an anthology and can be ordered through Creative Space and Amazon.

The anthology (at 302 pages) includes stories by Sarah Cornwell, Jefferson Burson, Trent Hergenrader, Kim Goldberg, Richard Wolkomir, Alexander Weinstein, Jennifer Griffin Graham, Vishwas R. Gaitonde, Susannah Mandel, Andrew Hook, John Brantingham, John Zackel, Thoraiya Dyer, William Alexander, Daniel Brugioni, Dallas Woodburn, Nick Jackson, Kevin Frazier, Joseph R. Quinlan, M.Lamaga de Sanchez, N.D. Segal, Lawrence Buentello, Jeffrey Greene, and Roderick B. Overaa as well each each of the four “cover” images by artists Alyson Lamanes, Dan Ruhmanty, Adam Yeater, and Yael Degany.

West Branch Wired is a distinct quarterly extension of the West Branch semiannual print magazine. Issues are released on the solstice or equinox in March, June, September, and December and feature poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction that are exclusive to WBW. Book reviews and columns run in both WBW and the print magazine.

Guest edited by Deb Olin Unferth, the first issue, Fall 2010, includes an interview with Orlando Menes, poetry by Brian Barker and Doug Ramspeck, and fiction by Patrick Dacey. Also featured are reviews by Matthew Ladd, “To a Green Thought,” an annual column from Garth Greenwell, and Marginalia – recommendations from contributing and advisory editors.

The Sound of Poets Cooking edited by Richard Krawiec is a collection of poetry, poetry-recipes, recipe-poems, and just outright recipes. Five dozen poets are featured in the anthology, and the recipes range from spicy hard-boiled eggs to balsamic mangoes to Malaika’s crockpot Irish stew to Aunt Wilma’s coconut cake – 54 recipes in all. The impetus for the book – to feed readers as well as writers while doing a good turn for the community. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to pay writers a stipend to teach poetry workshops to underserved community groups. Included in the book is an application for writers interested in offering workshops – though published by Jacar Press in North Carolina, there’s no specifics on where the workshops will/must take place. For further information and/or to purchase a copy of the book, visit the Jacar Press website.

“You know who’s got a brand new book in the bookstores right now? Snooki. Snooki is a published author. I’m blaming Sarah Palin; she lowered the bar.” David Letterman

And from Sarah Crow: Read Excerpts From Snooki’s Book, Prepare to Have Mind Blown

“Faulkner, Hemingway and Fitzgerald may be widely acknowledged as America’s preeminent literary talents, but none of them have gotten down with The Situation in a hot tub. This is where Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi enters the equation.

“The Jersey Shore star’s first novel, A Shore Thing, is scheduled for release this week and early buzz has contenders for the National Book Award shaking in their boots.”

And then Crow goes on to compare lines from Polizzi’s book with writing by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck, Didion, and Faulkner.

At least it’s been worth the laugh.

Reversing the print-to-online trend in literary magazines, biannual online lit mag Able Muse has come out with its inaugural print issue of poetry, prose and art with its Winter 2010 publication (different from its print ‘best of’ anthology). Some online content from the issue is open (including some audio), the majority of it is accessible to subscribers only.

Volume 12.1: Winter 2011 of Beltway Poetry Quarterly is a Langston Hughes Tribute Issue co-edited by Katy Richey and Kim Roberts. The publication contains 34 poems inspired by Hughes’s legacy, commemorating his residence in DC in the early days of his career. Featured authors include Luis Alberto Ambroggio, Holly Bass, Remica L. Bingham, Derrick Weston Brown, Sarah Browning, Regie Cabico, Kyle Dargan, Hayes Davis, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Brian Gilmore, Reginald Harris, Randall Horton, E. Ethelbert Miller, Gregory Pardlo, Joseph Ross, Dan Vera, and many others. This issue also includes an essay by Kim Roberts on the places in Washington, DC where Hughes lived and worked, with a map by Emery Pajer.

To start our new year with a strong literary framework, I offer an excerpt of Nathan Perry’s comments from his Editor’s Note to the Winter 2010 issue of The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review:

“We so easily doubt the things we love. While it is often those who don’t read poetry who distrust its motives or dismiss any notion of its utility, many writers and serious readers of poems . . . also wonder what good poems can really amount to, if they really can be enough. Poets are accused of not being political enough. Poets are accused of being too political and not timeless enough. Poets are accused of hiding in their stanzas and not being civic enough. Poems are accused of being too plain and poems are accused of being too cloudy and unclear, of deliberately hiding their meanings. I’d argue that all such fussing at least belies that we acknowledge some underlying importance, and thus usefulness, in poetry. Others agree: Hayden Carruth chides, ‘Why speak of the use of poetry? Poetry is what uses us,’ and Frost famously has it that any ‘little form’ (and we can read here, poetry) should be ‘considered for how much more it is than nothing.’

“But still, why should we care about a poem about an owl, or the drift of pollen, or chickens in the street, or ageing drywall, or tinnitus? Well, for the same reasons we care about a poem about the recent oil spill, or a poem about perfidy in Washington DC, or a poem about war and the television’s witness. William Carlos Williams asserted, in his oft-repeated maxim, that we come to poems not for the usual news, but for something less tangible, with mortal stakes. I think what he did not say is that we come to poems for the world itself, not just the human headlines, and that ignoring the world around us always has mortal stakes.”

The full text of Perry’s editorial is only available in print.