Floaters

D.R. Wagner signs his SpiralChap for Jeanine Stevens, 2007

A SPEC IN THE UNIVERSE
—Jeanine Stevens, Sacramento

I admit, I’m caught
in your sorry black web.
You pretend you’re a tree
branch. I duck—almost fall.
Your shape defies me: meandering
hairs projected on a beaded screen,
or spidery legs dangling
like miniature smoke-stained
chandeliers one might see
in a doll’s house. Only visible
against the white page, you are unruly,
a child activating old toy boxes,
pick-up-sticks, tin pail and shovel.
Some call you floaters,
but you are not buoyant clouds,
just surface creatures sucking.
You love light—gain traction,
rub blue circles raw. You steal
my days. We negotiate
each other. In cafes, I sit,
back to the window, avoid
the blinking sign, wait
for night: a jagged slipstitch—
a dark seamstress stretching skin,
gathering up spindly fragments.

__________________

Thanks, Jeanine! For more about Jeanine Stevens, go to March 8, 2007 in the column on the right for her Medusa feature, or see her RattleChaps page on rattlesnakepress.com/. Ditto for D.R. Wagner, who was featured on Medusa on October 13, 2008 and has a page on the website under SnakeRings SpiralChaps. D.R. will be helping us launch our new Rattlesnake Reprints series in February, 2009 with a reprint of his The Dimensions of the Morning, which was originally published in 1969 by Black Rabbit Press. Rattlesnake Reprints is founded on the principle that there's nothing sadder than a good book out of print...


This weekend in NorCal poetry (and music):

•••Sat. (11/29), 9 PM: Luna's Cafe (1414 16th St., Sacramento) presents David Houston and Strings (Christina Maradik, Alison Sharkey, and Reylynn Goessling (respectively Viola, Cello, and Violin) with text/vox by David Houston. Poems and stories and stuff by frank andrick, plus songs by singer/songwriter Drew Blum. $6 at the door; La Luna anthology will be for sale ($8).

•••Monday (12/1), 8 PM: Copperfield’s Books Renowned Speakers presents a reading by Mary Oliver at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Rd., Santa Rosa. Tickets start at $15 at wellsfargocenterarts.org or call 707-546-3600 (noon-6 PM, Tues.-Sat). [Ed. note: I don't know if they still have tickets available, but you can check.]

•••Monday (12/1), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center presents James DenBoer and Elyssa White at HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sacramento. Open mic to follow. James DenBoer is the author of many books, including Trying to Come Apart (Univ. Of Pittsburgh Press, 1971) [National Council of the Arts Award], Olson/DenBoer: A Letter (Christopher’s Books, 1979), Dreaming of the Chinese Army (Blue Thunder Press, 2000), and Stonework (Swan Scythe Press, 2007). For a full list of publications, see http://www.paperwrk.com/public.html. He is a Sacramento institution and has published two chapbooks with Rattlesnake Press.

Elyssa White is a student of International Relations and Technocultural Studies at the University of California, Davis. A member of the UCD Sickspits poetry collective, Elyssa has performed alongside Amir Sulaiman, Zion-I, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Butterscotch, Chinaka Hodge, Skim, Adriana Cabrera Garcias, and Quincey Troupe, among others. She was a member of the 2005 UC Davis Slam team and has recently arrived back in the USA after a year of study at the Universidad de Complutense in Madrid, Spain and a job with Variety magazine. A filmmaker and performance poet, Elyssa seeks to comment on the world around her in a way that harmonizes art, politics, and a complete sensory experience.


Coming Up in December at SPC:

•••Weds., December 3: SPC Benefit at the Millers' home: Pat Grizzell, James DenBoer, and Mary Mackey
•••Monday, December 8: David Iribarne, Gabrielle White and Shevonna Blackshire
•••Monday, December 15: Winter Solstice Read-Around
•••Monday, December 22: No Reading
•••Monday, December 29: Indigo Moor and Jeanne Wagner

__________________

PERSONAL AND SHADOW
—Jeanine Stevens


Bonded twins, fused. One side baby blue, serene

the nose—a meandering-stream-heart-mouth,

slight pout, eyes black squares strung in night skyscrapers.

And just one Pagliacci tear, the mask presented,

the wished for side, the face

prepared to meet another face. The shadow half,

cobalt and purple, retreats, Modigliani nose

lips askew, eyes disharmonic triangles.

The head, shaped like an anvil, supports the neck,

a thickened pedestal displaying both spheres. Listen

hear them singing the tenor’s solemn, unhinged melody.



(After a sculpture by Stan Furby)


__________________

CARTOGRAPHER
—Jeanine Stevens

In my next life, globes will be obsolete.
I will be a mapmaker and superimpose

green climate changes over blood red
political borders, place black vertical

columns around suspected oil reserves,
and use five dimensional images to highlight

pre-historic game trails. This will be my
calling, my vocation. I will amble from door

to door, hawking my ancient broadside—
a satellite photo—the polar ice cap,

a hole the size of Indiana. Belatedly,
I leave tattered flyers on rundown doorsteps.


__________________

Today's LittleNip:

JUICE
—A.R. Ammons

I'm stuck with the infinity thing
again this morning: a skinny
inexpressible syrup, finer than light,
everywhere present: the cobweb becoming
visible with dust and the tumblelint
stalled in the corner seem worthy.

__________________

—Medusa


SnakeWatch: What's New from Rattlesnake Press:

Rattlesnake Review: Deadline for the current issue (#20) has passed (it was Nov. 15); that issue is currently rattling around in the SnakePit and will be released at The Book Collector reading on December 10, then mailed to contributors and subscribers in mid-December. Next deadline is February 15: send 3-5 poems, smallish art pieces and/or photos (no bio, no cover letter, no simultaneous submissions or previously-published poems) to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. E-mail attachments are preferred, but be sure to include all contact info, including snail address. Meanwhile, the snakes of Medusa are always hungry!

New for November: Now available at The Book Collector, or from the authors, or through rattlesnakepress.com (or—heck—just write to me and I'll send 'em to you): a new rattlechap from Red Fox Underground Poet Wendy Patrice Williams (Some New Forgetting); a littlesnake broadside from South Lake Tahoe Poet Ray Hadley (Children's Games); our 2009 calendar from Katy Brown (Beyond the Hill: A Poet’s Calendar) as well as Conversations, Vol. 4 of B.L. Kennedy’s Rattlesnake Interview Series, featuring conversations with Luke Breit, Gail Rudd Entrekin, Traci Gourdine, Taylor Graham, Noel Kroeplin, Rob Lozano, Crawdad Nelson, Monika Rose, Will Staple, Mary Zeppa and nila northSun. And don't forget to pick up your copies of B.L. Kennedy's new SpiralChap of his poetry and art, Luna's House of Words, as well as the anthology of poets, art and photos, La Luna: Poetry Unplugged from Luna's Cafe, edited by frank andrick.

Also available (free): littlesnake broadside #46: Snake Secrets: Getting Your Poetry Published in Rattlesnake Press (and lots of other places, besides!): A compendium of ideas for brushing up on your submissions process so as to make editors everywhere more happy, thereby increasing the likelihood of getting your poetry published. Write to me and I'll send you one. Free!

Coming in December: Join us at The Book Collector on Wednesday, December 10, for the release of a new chapbook from Danyen Powell (Blue Sky Flies Out); a littlesnake broadside from Kevin Jones (Low-Rent Dojo), and a brand-new issue of Rattlesnake Review (#20)! That's at 7:30, 1008 24th St., Sacramento. Refreshments and a read-around will follow; bring your own poems or somebody else's.

Coming in January: The Snake will be snoozing during January; no releases or readings. But our October road trips inspired a new Rattlesnake publication, WTF, to be edited by frank andrick. This 30-page, chapbook-style quarterly journal will primarily showcase the talents of readers at Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Café. Deadline is Jan. 15 for a Feb. 19 premiere at Luna’s. Submission guidelines are the same as for the Snake, but send your poems, photos, smallish art or prose pieces (500 words or less) to fandrickfabpub@hotmail.com (attachments preferred) or, if you’re snailing, to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. And be forewarned: this publication will be for adults only! so you must be over 18 years of age to submit.


Medusa's Weekly Menu:

(Contributors are welcome to cook up something for any and all of these!)

Monday: Weekly NorCal poetry calendar

Tuesday: Seed of the Week: Tuesday is Medusa's day to post poetry triggers such as quotes, forms, photos, memories, jokes—whatever might tickle somebody's muse. Pick up the gauntlet and send in your poetic results; and don't be shy about sending in your own triggers, too! All poems will be posted and a few of them will go into Medusa's Corner of each Rattlesnake Review. Send your work to kathykieth@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. No deadline for SOWs; respond today, tomorrow, or whenever the muse arrives. (Print 'em out, maybe, save 'em for a dry spell?) When you send us work, though, just let us know which "seed" it was that inspired you.

Wednesday (sometimes): HandyStuff Quickies: Resources for the poet, including whatever helps ease the pain of writing and/or publishing: favorite journals to read and/or submit to; books, etc., about writing; organizational tools—you know—HandyStuff! Tell us about your favorite tools.

Thursday: B.L.'s Drive-Bys: Micro-reviews by our irreverent Reviewer-in-Residence, B.L. Kennedy. Send books, CDs, DVDs, etc. to him for possible review (either as a Drive-By or in future issues of Rattlesnake Review) at P.O. Box 160664, Sacramento, CA 95816.

Friday: NorCal weekend poetry calendar

Daily (except Sunday): LittleNips: SnakeFood for the Poetic Soul: Daily munchables for poetic thought, including short paragraphs, quotes, wonky words, silliness, little-known poetry/poet facts, and other inspiration—yet another way to feed our ravenous poetic souls.

And poetry! Every day, poetry from writers near and far and in-between! The Snakes of Medusa are always hungry.......!

_________________

Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their POETRY, PHOTOS and ART, as well as announcements of Northern California poetry events, to kathykieth@hotmail.com (or snail ‘em to P.O. Box 762, Pollock Pines, CA 95726) for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.) Medusa cannot vouch for the moral fiber of other publications, contests, etc. that she lists, however, so submit to them at your own risk. For more info about the Snake Empire, including guidelines for submitting to or obtaining our publications, click on the link to the right of this column: Rattlesnake Press (rattlesnakepress.com). And be sure to sign up for Snakebytes, our monthly e-newsletter that will keep you up-to-date on all our ophidian chicanery.