tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50998452009-11-25T04:13:35.916-08:00This blog consists of reviews, interviews, news, etc...from the world of the Boston area small press/ poetry scene and beyond. Regular contributors are reviewers: Hugh Fox, Zvi Sesling, Lo Galluccio, Irene Koronas, Michael Todd Steffen, Mignon Ariel King and Pam Rosenblatt. founder Doug Holder: dougholder@post.harvard.edu. * B A S P P S is listed in the New Pages Index of Alternative Literary Blogs.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.eduBlogger1022125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-8929234331267327972009-11-22T12:24:00.000-08:002009-11-22T12:30:15.463-08:00

(Poet/Artist Irene Koronas)Poems from the Village of the Five Senses:Pentakomo Cyprus, by Irene Koronasarticle by Michael Todd SteffenOn the central south coast of Cyprus, two and a half kms inland from the bay of Ayios Yeryios Alamanou lies the small village of Pendakomo, or Pentakomo, with a church, a tavern, sleeping villas. It’s not likely to attract droves of tourists, though those who visit

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-21808297738741039882009-11-22T06:13:00.000-08:002009-11-22T06:15:47.806-08:00

Life Happens While We Are Making Other Plans. Terry Romanoff (www.publishamerica.com)Somerville author Terry Romanoff was born in Maine but moved to the Paris of New England: Somerville, Mass as a mere babe. She has lived in Somerville her whole life and has worked as a social worker, outreach worker, resource counselor, and as a director of a senior center.This is a collection of stories that

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-66354705872891931142009-11-19T09:05:00.000-08:002009-11-19T09:09:27.623-08:00

STEVE ALMOND WRITES: “This Won’t Take But a Minute”Interview with Doug HolderI got this email recently from the noted author Steve Almond (My Life in Heavy Metal and The Evil B.B. Chow ,etc…) about a new project and subsequent event he is involved in. The event will be at the Harvard Bookstore in Harvard Square Dec, 2, 2009 at 7PM. Almond writes: “The book I'm reading from -- "This Won't Take

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-45253131372838366272009-11-17T06:47:00.000-08:002009-11-17T09:51:52.149-08:00

Treating A Sick Animal: Flash and Micro Fictions. Timothy Gager. (Cervena Barva Press PO BOX 44035 W. Somerville, Mass. 02144) $15. http://www.cervenabarvapress.com The noted author Steve Almond once stated that Timothy Gager was one of his favorite local writers. I can see why. Gager shares Almond’s sense of irony, razor sharp wit, he deftly explores the ying and yang of relationships and this

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-35644523798581426522009-11-15T11:03:00.001-08:002009-11-15T13:05:40.373-08:00

Launch party for Larissa Shmailo's new collection of poetry: "In Paran"6:00PM BOOK PARTY & READING The Cornelia Street Café 29 Cornelia Street, NYC 10014 212-989-9319 Hosted by Iris N. Schwartz Music by Brant LyonElaine Equi ;Elaine Equi is the author of several books including Surface Tension and Decoy both from Coffee House Press. A new collection, Voice-Over, is forthcoming in

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-34948810416965365382009-11-15T09:31:00.000-08:002009-11-16T09:27:27.466-08:00

IS POET KIM TRIEDMAN LOOKING FOR TROUBLE?BY DOUG HOLDER Kim Triedman doesn't look like a poet who is looking for trouble. Triedman, a member of Somerville's Bagel Bards, doesn't seek trouble but does see trouble underneath the seemingly placid surface of things. Triedman has recently come to poetry after working in fiction for several years. In a short time she has racked up a number of

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-4903482918509606842009-11-13T10:29:00.001-08:002009-11-13T10:35:01.046-08:00

Lois Ames: Confidante to Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton.”Interview by Doug Holder (2005)Recently I was privileged to hear Lois Ames speak at the “Wilderness House Literary Retreat,” in Littleton, Mass. Lois Ames is a poet, biographer and psychotherapist. She was a confidante of the poet Anne Sexton, and has published many essays on both Sexton and Sylvia Plath including: “A Biographical Note,” in

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-6972979207504126622009-11-11T08:34:00.000-08:002009-11-11T08:43:31.094-08:00

Somerville's Wendy Blom Gives Us Food for ThoughtI have worked with Wendy Blom for a number of years at Somerville Community Access TV where I produce my show “ Poet to Poet: Writer to Writer." Blom, the director of SCAT, is so busy coordinating other projects that I was surprised and glad that she decided to produce one of her own. Blom’s project is the much lauded film documentary "Eating Local

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-47581016669130051962009-11-10T15:17:00.000-08:002009-11-10T15:21:08.913-08:00

dialect of a skirterica miriam fabriHanging Loose PressBrooklyn, New YorkISBN: 978-1-934909-10-22009 $18.00bravo bravoimmediately, the cover of this first book, by erica fabri, made me jealous. the energy portrayed, the vibrant color, the direct approach, the ice-cream sundae image, all lent to my initial shock, “how dare she smack us with her boldness, her youth.”ahh jealousy is a roaring beast.

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-23605084022404124752009-11-10T15:12:00.000-08:002009-11-10T15:15:10.507-08:00

BELLDAY POETRY PRIZE $2,000 PRIZE TO WINNING POET SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 15, 2010 CONTEST FINAL JUDGE: LUCIA PERILLOLucia Perillo has published five books of poetry, including Dangerous Life (1989), The Body Mutinies (1996), The Oldest Map with the Name America (1999), Luck is Luck (2005) and Inseminating the Elephant (2009). She has also published one book of essays, I?ve Heard the Vultures

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-82912362603325652762009-11-08T10:14:00.000-08:002009-11-08T10:20:27.172-08:00

LEN SOLO: A Poet and Painter who has seen the light. The play of light figures in the work of Len Solo. Whether it is his paintings, or his detailed poetry, light transforms and illuminates the object of his creative desire. Len Solo has been an educator for most of his professional work life: a public high school teacher of English, Math and Social Studies; founder of a small, private

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-81881768011391649712009-11-07T21:19:00.000-08:002009-11-07T21:29:15.333-08:00

Camelot Kid's TriggertopiaBy David S. PointerPropaganda Pressalt-current.comalt.current@gmail.comPrice: $5A review by Mignon Ariel KingThe cover sketch of the collection announces that this is not pretty poetry: an automatic rifle and guitar hybrid. Inside is rough, political work with titles such as "A Slice of the Modern Sex Trade" accompanied by disturbing sepia-toned sketches. Sharp humor

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-13170850793887807842009-11-05T01:25:00.000-08:002009-11-05T01:29:06.178-08:00

The Loulaki Barand other poems from HydraHenry DenanderMiskwabik PressCalumet Michigan USA2009The poems in this illustrated book of poems are an intimatelook at intimate ways people live within a small communityand each poem becomes part of the whole story.“The water was leaking in the kitchen andI’d called the plumber. He was out fishingbut his son would come by and help me.A young guy turned up

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-79758590517267776652009-11-02T10:45:00.000-08:002009-11-02T10:50:23.054-08:00

You Know About The Somerville News Writers Festival, Nov. 14, 2009 at 7PM. But how about the Book Fair? Timothy Gager, like me, realizes the need to mix art and commerce. Gager is allergic to the dust that collects on unappreciated books on shelves in many bookstores. Since he appreciates good craft and good sales he told me that he would love to have a book festival to be held before the main

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-26728383081008325202009-11-01T12:32:00.000-08:002009-11-16T12:59:17.180-08:00

For the Sake of the Light: New and Selected Poems. Tom Sexton. (University of Alaska Press PO BOX 756240) $23. I reviewed a previous collection from Tom Sexton (Clock With No Hands), a poetry collection that dealt with his childhood in Lowell, Mass. Well Sexton is not only a topnotch urban poet, but he is an accomplished nature poet as well. And if you look at a dramatic sky, and see it as only

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-6290337806426773012009-11-01T11:35:00.001-08:002009-11-08T10:45:58.442-08:00

Review of The INMAN REVIEW, Volume 1, Fall 2009, $4, Jahn Sood and Zachary Aiden Evans, editors, Cambridge Street Press, inmanreview@gmail.com By Barbara Bialick A new literary magazine in the hip nation of Cambridge has risen up to serve and explain the sensibility and heart of Inman Square. Published by Cambridge Street Press, it’s dedicated to bringing us short stories, poetry, arts and

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-11681632663679455302009-10-31T09:47:00.000-07:002009-10-31T09:51:26.851-07:00

Poet Valerie Lawson: A New Home "Off the Coast"Interview by Doug Holder Valerie Lawson, has the healthy ruddy complexion of a woman who spends a good bit of her time outdoors. This makes sense since she recently moved to the hinterlands of Maine and is editing a magazine "Off the Coast." She has been a mainstay in the Boston poetry scene for years, most notably in the poetry slam scene

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-72332883122034756672009-10-30T02:54:00.000-07:002009-10-30T02:59:07.616-07:00

When Things are Tight, check out Hanging LooseThe Fall 2009 issuearticle by Michael Todd SteffenLiterary journals as a rule, gathering work from several sources, tend one way or the other: to demonstrate a coterie likeness (in theme or style), or to celebrate like Walt Whitman a grand embrace of variety. The Fall 2009 Hanging Loose sets itself unflinchingly to the latter strategy, giving writers

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-56889397965619982412009-10-29T02:39:00.000-07:002009-10-29T02:46:21.225-07:00

(Lo Galluccio)Terrible Baubles.By Lo Galluccio2009; 56pp; Pa; AlternatingCurrent, PO Box 398058,Cambridge, MA 02139,color photos by Lo Gallucio.Review by Hugh Fox Lo Galluccio’s non-sequitur unexpectedness is one of the most refreshing language-/thought-variants on Planet Earth: “Explosions in the open fists of leaves/Over East 4th Street America’s quilt/Drops handkerchief for patriotic

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-2035592608624681412009-10-29T02:23:00.000-07:002009-10-29T02:31:18.319-07:00

PENTAKOMO CYPRUSBy Irene KoronasCervena Barva PressCopyright 201050 pages, $16.00By Lo Galluccio Unlike Irene’s first full-length book “self portrait drawn from many 65 poems in 65 years,” where she explores the formation of poetic language through grids of text which make allusion to various historical figures, including artists and saints, the new book is written more in the style of letters

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-78843177430361183892009-10-28T02:40:00.000-07:002009-10-28T02:42:16.913-07:00

More Fulcra PoemsRichard KostelanetzPRESA :S: PRESSPO Box 792Rockford, Mi 49341$6.00Richard Kostelanetz’s ‘More Fulcra Poems,’ the literalword becomes, visible meaning. Single letters jut throughthe word form, lending to even more meaning. Meaning takeson a size and relationship. The relationship of two laid outon whitespace, layers layered, turning the single word intomemory or recognition:

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-86547227961110641062009-10-25T12:56:00.000-07:002009-10-25T13:03:30.053-07:00

Review of ANONYMOUS FOX by Naomi Feigelson Chase, (Turning Point, Cincinnati, OH, 2009)By Barbara BialickANONYMOUS FOX is a book you can dive right into even though the familiar yet obscure images keep you wondering what deftly sculpted insight you’re about to experience. One thing you’ll notice right away is that the author’s “veins secrete/Ink and tap water” and like “a cat keeps its own couch

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-1507324157155770442009-10-24T10:46:00.000-07:002009-10-24T11:09:11.456-07:00

*** M.F.K. Fisher is the author of more than 20 booksmost of which deal with the subject of food, its philosophies,its mysteries and the memories induced by it. Her books,among them "How to Cook a Wolf", "Consider the Oyster","The Gastronomical Me" and the now classic "Art of Eating"act as autobiography and memoir and treat the reader toa glimpse into the author's own life and mind. No less

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-64704454637399512792009-10-22T07:31:00.001-07:002009-10-24T11:42:34.128-07:00

The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash FictionEditor, Tara L. MasihReview by Timothy Gager· Paperback: 208 pages· Publisher: Rose Metal Press; First edition (May 13, 2009)· ISBN-10: 0978984862· ISBN-13: 978-0978984861 As a writer of flash fiction, I found this field guide extremely interesting, pertinent and useful. It is full of surprises and mind opening essays for those who only

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5099845.post-79916480557030108042009-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:002009-10-21T07:36:18.882-07:00

Poppin’ Johnnynew american poems byGeorge WallaceThree Rooms Press, New YorkCopyright © 2009 by George WallaceISBN: 978-0-9840700-2-2102 pages.Review by Zvi A. SeslingPoets like to be compared to great poets, so when I read George Wallace, the late Charles Bukowski wormed his way into my brain. Fortunately, this George Wallace isn’t the former governor of Alabama, whose non-poetic bigotries are

Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003269684850096238dougholder@post.harvard.edu1