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From au462@cleveland.Freenet.Edu Tue May 7 20:26:53 1996
Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 08:58:47 -0500
From: Robert Drake <au462@cleveland.Freenet.Edu>
To: pauls@etext.org
Subject: TapRoot Reviews 3a: zines
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Issue #3.0, section a 9/93
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TapRoot is a quarterly publication of Independent, Underground,
and Experimental language-centered arts. Over the past 10 years,
we have published 40+ collections of poetry, writing, and visio-
verbal art in a variety of formats. In the August of 1992, we
began publish TapRoot Reviews, featuring a wide range of "Micro-
Press" publications, primarily language-oriented. This posting
is the first section of our 3rd full electronic issue, containing
all of the short ZINE reviews; a second section contains all of the
chapbook reviews. We provide this information in the hope
that netters do not limit their reading to E-mail & BBSs.
Please e-mail your feedback to the editor, Luigi-Bob Drake, at:
au462@cleveland.freenet.edu
Requests for e-mail subsctiptions should be sent to the same
address--they are free, please indicate what you are requesting--
(a short but human message; this is not an automated listserve).
I believe it is FTPable from UMich, which also archives back issues.
A cummulative, searchable, and x-referenced HyperCard version is
under development--e-mail for status & availablility information.
Hard-copies of TapRoot Reviews contain additional review
material--in this issue, reviews & articles by John Byrum, Dick
Higgins, geof huth, Mike Basinski, Tom Willoch--as well as a variety
of poetry prose & grafix. It is available from: Burning Press,
PO Box 585, Lakewood OH 44107--$2.50 pp. Both the print &
electronic versions of TapRoot are copyright 1993 by Burning
Press, Cleveland. Burning Press is a non-profit educational
corporation. Permission granted to reproduce this material FOR
NON-COMMERCIAL PURPOSES, provided that this introductory notice
is included. Burning Press is supported, in part, with funds
from the Ohio Arts Council.
Reviewers are identified by their initials at the end of each review:
Michael Basinski, Tom Becket, John M. Bennett, Jake Berry, Jeff Conant,
Daniel Davidson, Luigi-Bob Drake, R. Lee Etzwiler, Bob Grumman, Susan
Smith Nash, Charlotte Pressler, Larry Smith, John Stickney, Thomas
Willoch, & Ron Zack.
*** Many thanx to all contributors. ***
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'ZINES:
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6 HZ--(#6, July 1993), 13450 Mahogany Dr., Reno NV, 89511. 4 pp.,
SASE. Crazy-comic whirl of Evel Knieval through the funeral of
Don Knotts with references to "men like Peale, Carnegie, W.
Clement Stone, and Napoleon Hill, who wrote many good books--" and
"Tarzan Nelsonk's liver-bloody funeral panties... discovered by
red-hot prick-puff'n Zapmaster druid."--bg
ABACUS--(#75, July 1993), 191 Edgemont Ave., Elmwood CT, 06110.
19 pp., $3.00. This issue is devoted to "Drum," an extremely
demanding poem/sequence by Craig Watson that gave me a lot of
trouble during my first reading, but left me raring to reread it
because of fragments like: "imagine-to-imagine/ a world accused of
something to be outside of," which, for me, laughs to scorn the
idea that any motion of the world can be outside human
sympathies.--bg
ALTERNATIVE PRESS REVIEW--(#1, Fall 1993), PO Box 1446, Columbia
MO, 65205. 82 pp., $4.00. A new near-slick devoted mostly to
current events. This issue features a bouncy, revealing interview
with FACTSHEET FIVE editor Seth Friedman--who comes off as very
young but committed, competent, and likable. Other articles treat
such topics as fluoridation, fundamentalism, and bi-sexuality. It
also has capsule reviews of current zines--and several informative
news items dealing with the almost-mainstream, like one about a
new syndicated newspaper column by the editors of UTNE READER
called "New on the Newsstand."--bg
ATELIER--(#1, Spring 1993), PO Box 580, Boston MA, 02117. 41 pp.,
$5.00. A neatly produced debut with poems, short fiction,
reviews, and an interview. The Charles Olson-inspired "open" form
abounds, while lyric verses from Andrew Schelling and A. J. Velez
counterpose with subtlety and realism-inflected grace. Sarah
Jensen's conversation with Artiom Solovychik, a storyteller from
Moscow, yields intelligent, witty, and humane insights into the
nature of orality, narrative, and invention.--ssn
BASTARD REVIEW--(#5/6,) PO Box 422820, San Francisco CA, 94142.
135 pp., $12.00. This is a fairly straight, academically oriented
literary magazine. With a really neat black cover and only raised
lettering to identify it on the front (they chickened out by
writing the name on the spine), it is the "death and desire"
issue, making me sorry once again that Georges Bataille and all
those other dead and desired French guys have been claimed,
colonized and eviscerated by academic dung beetles. Anyway,
there's the usual suspects--Sharon Olds, William Dickey (who had
some surprisingly good pieces), Denise Levertov... and some by
those who seem a little more risky--Lisa Bernstein, Essex
Hemphill, and Amy Gerstler--but who often appear in publications
like this. As one finds in many of these kind of journals and in
Western Culture in general, it borrows much of its energy from
translations--here featuring a sizeable portion of Xavier
Villaurrutia's collection NOSTALGIA FOR DEATH. It almost made it
worth the price of admission.--js
BEATITUDE!--(#1, April 1992), 1317 Grant Ave. #214, San Francisco
CA, 94133. 60 pp., $1.50. A revival of the publication founded
by the late, great Beat/Jazz poet Bob Kaufman in 1959; the
publication has been revived by his wife Eileen Kaufman. Truly
international in scope, with notable poems from Mexico's Juvenal
Acosta and Czechoslovakia's Gabriel Ariel Levicky, and a large
section devoted to poets from North Beach [San Francisco]
including William Cody, Howard Hart and George Tsongas (from "the
90's": "the idea/ of the 90's/ is to derail/ the great/ cerebral/
head fries/ the politicians/ have planned/ for century '21'.").
The editor talks of this venture as an attempt at forming a
community; but after years of hearing and reading ersatz Beat
poetry, this is is like eating an all beef hotdog after months of
tastes-like-beef-but-it's-really-chicken dogs. One poem per page,
some art, it feels like a pamphlet you might find in somone's
basement [editor's note: i did find it in somebody's basement:
City LightsU]. Solid, enjoyable work guaranteed to send you
looking for bongos!--js
BOGG REVIEWS--(1993), 422 N. Cleveland St., Arlington VA, 22201.
40 pp., $3.00. Fine review of poetry publications, primarily
books, covering some of the same ground as TRR but a tad more
traditional (little intermedia, visual, or "avant garde" work
included). Reviews tend to be a bit more in-depth as well,
running several paragraphs to several pages (roughly 75 reviews in
40 pages). Particular emphasis on publishers "that share BOGG'S
editorial concern to promote an interaction between American and
British/Commonwealth writers and readers"--an excellent gateway to
micropresses in Britain, Canada, and Australia. This issue is an
experimental supplement to BOGG #66, to allow the reviews to
stretch out beyond the bounds of a subordinate section. I think
the experiment is a success.--lbd
CALIBAN--(#12, 1993), PO Box 561, Laguna Beach CA, 92652. 189
pp., $7.00. CALIBAN is the prototypical American Poetry Review.
Open to any school, any type of work, and it is always presented
with the highest production values. Prose, commentary, visual
lit, art and a regular contributor's corner (being the unedited
comments of contributors on almost any subject) and poetry by
known and unknowns dominate. The editor is a translator of works
form the Italian (including Antonio Porta), and much poetry-in-
translation appears. This issue includes notable poems by Sesshu
Foster, Greg Boyd, Cydney Chadwick, and Mary Koral. Poets John M.
Bennett, Doren Robbins, Dieter Weslowski, Sonya Hess and Rik
Thorensen seem to be almost regulars. It's a journal which
consistently gives you your money's worth.--js
CENTRAL PARK--(#22, Spring 1993), PO Box 1446, New York NY, 10023.
200 pp., $7.50. This is a special issue devoted to childhood
sexual abuse, and though any issue of CENTRAL PARK will jolt you
out of any complacency you might be suffering from, this one is
unsparing in its direct confrontation of the horror inflicted on
children by the adults who are responsible for their care. After
reading through it you come to the awareness that abuse of the
very means by which our species reproduces affects the individual
in ways he or she will never fully comprehend because so much of
the foundation of reality has been distorted. As you read, piece
after piece rips into you, forcing you face down into the vomit of
violations, emotional tyranny, and the tearing of flesh as a
father, mother, babysitter, etc. unwinds the soul of a child from
its moorings for a moment of perfect consumer gratification. And
we are reminded that these monsters are most times well respected
members of society, hiding, even from themselves, the agony that
originates in that moment. If you give a damn you should read/see
this. But gather your courage, you will be forced to confront
inexhaustible pain.--jb
This is a thematic "Childhood Sexual Abuse" special issue, edited
by Eve Ensler and Stacey Schrader, featuring a wide-ranging and
direct selection of poetry, fiction, graphics and essays. As an
incest survivor myself, I approach this one with strongly mixed
emotions: relief and elation to know that I am not alone, that my
experiences are not unique; trepidation and fear at the prospect
of reliving all the pain & anger once more. Both of these
forebodings are justified. Reading these, I am again allied with
& supported by my fellow survivors; simultaneous my personal inner
demons are again summoned: the self-deprication, self-blame, self-
sabotage. Certainly, the writing is powerful, and (more
importantly) rings true. And, certainly, since silence is central
to the crime of childhood sexual abuse, a strong speaking-out such
as this does material damage to the perpetrators and to the
societal systems that allow it. But beyond these considerations,
larger issues emerge: is this work merely cathartic, an important
therapeutic exercise for the writer that ought rightfully remain
private? Worse, does the sensationalism and political currency of
the topic count for too much, letting writers get away with less
craft & skill? I can't pretend to be qualified to answer these
questions objectively. I can only recommend this issue of CENTRAL
PARK, unequivocally, as an place to examine the evidence and
decide for ones self.--lbd
CLWN WR--(#35, Fall 1992), PO Box 2165 Church St. Station, New
York NY, 10008. 6 pp., SASE. Entirely devoted to vislature (work
that mixes the visual and the verbal). Ten fine pieces by well-
known figures in the field whose work is not often available, such
as Scott Helmes and Dick Higgins. My two favorites: a zebra-poem
by Higgins with a description of the zebra's stripes as "white/
(on black)// and/ (now)" that for some reason made me see snow;
and cut-up texts about winter that Richard Mathews has reshaped as
petals to exquisitely sum up the quiet, clean edges of winter...
in flower-speech.--bg
CRASH COLLUSION--(#4, 1993), PO Box 49233, Austin TX, 78765. 32
pp., $4.00. Focusing on issues of altered consciousness and
kindred subjects, this issue features articles on psychoactive
substances in sexual magick, the use of drugs and various
techniques to produced altered states for ecstasy and mystical
revelation, and the ubiquitous UFO abduction piece. One of the
distinguishing characteristics of CRASH COLLUSION is its openness
to all points of view. This allows enough diversity of opinion to
create a dialogue from issue to issue. With subjects such as
these there remains so much gray area (and nothing is likely to be
clarified in popular media or government) the broadest possible
discussion is the only intelligent means of inquiry. This issue
also includes an article on language as a hormonal system, a
curious idea--and there are many other articles, other curious
ideas. Opinion and exchange is encouraged. Until and unless we
get another issue of DHARMA COMBAT, this is the best IUve seen in
the otherstream on this general area of fringe culture.--jb
DEFACINGS--(#1, Summer 1993), 2490 Pillette, Windsor Ontario
CANADA, N8T 1P6. 60 pp., $4.00? I'm not sure whether this is an
anthology or a magazine. In either case, it's an interesting
collection of mostly otherstream visual and textual works devoted
to rearrangements of reality. Among my favorites is a silly-dog
comic strip by Liam McDermot in which "Swell Dog," because he is
bored, dismantles & then re-assembles himself--ending with a
circled frame-number for an eye.--bg
DOG RIVER REVIEW--(Vol 11 #1, Spring/Summer 1992), 7976 Billings
Rd., Parkdale OR, 97041. 44 pp., $3.00. Twenty-four poets,
including Charlie Mehrhoff; two fiction pieces, one by Sam Silva;
reviews; and two artists, one of whom is premier folk-iconist
Wayne Hogan. All this and more in a single publication--leaves me
gasping. There's also a fictional account of of institutionalized
schizophrenia, and an arresting article on Robert Bly's IRON JOHN.
DOG RIVER is pleasant and metaphor rich, placing modern
personifications in traditional free verse forms. A few of the
poems are like haiku, others resemble dreams, abstracts having
swift philosophical axes to swing.--rle
DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES--(#40, Summer 1993), 1300 Kicker Rd.,
Tuscaloosa, Al, 35404. 16 pp., $1.50. More unflashy but solid
fantasy and sci-fi in verse and prose. I was especially taken
with "Overboard," a short story about a shape-changer by Geoff
Jackson that for most of its length seems pleasant social satire
but twists deeper at the end--and by Pegasus Lament," a cloud-&-
tower visual dream-poem by Charles M. Saplak.--bg
EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS--(Vol. VII # 6, June 1993), PO
Box 784, Nicasio CA, 94946. 40 pp., $6.00. Okay, not a literary
magazine, but this issue does feature a nice little article on Hal
Rammel's Sound Palette, an invented instrument which helps the
visible and invisible exchange places. Rammel is associated with
the Chicago Surrealists, and makes wonderful Ernst-inspired
collages. Also includes a long-poem on instruments by Reinhold
Marxhausen. Just a really cool magazine about the possibilities
of sound--js
EXPERIODDICIST--(May 1993), PO Box 3112, Florence AL, 35630. 4
pp. A new showcase of the wildest of contemporary burning poodle
poets, collage sorcerers, and similar otherstreamers. This issue
has, among many other things, two yow-plus illumages by Calum
Selkirk, a truly odd ( and therefore fascinating) microherent
poem-cum-maze by Matt Wellick (one sample line: "deep withing
insidiust"), and a rant against government grants (because of
their enslaving effect) by Mike Miskowski.--bg
This 4-page newsletter is odd, to say the least--totally dedicated
to the experimental form. It is Beat and bizarre, Dada and anti-
poetry, protest and science slam; it is exciting and cheap. On
the first page is a sound-rant based on multiple-syllable
nonsensical words, slightly random, with the whole poem melded
into a maze which resembles an electronic diagram. There are
small abstract illustrations and most poems only run a few lines,
there is a lot compressed into a small space and it can be hard to
tell where one poem ends and another begins. But, this is okay,
it doesn't really matter, because (as Dan Raphael reminds us)
"...the ape dogs teeth eclipsing/ the stream trout recapitulate/
where realtors fear to tread."--rle
EXQUISITE CORPSE--(#41, 1993), Illinois State Univ.,
4950/Publications Unit, Normal IL, 61761. 24 pp., $3.50. In its
tenth year of publication, edited by Andrei Cordrescu (who
appeared on ABC's Nightline about a month ago, proving [unlike
Allen Ginsburg on David Frost Circa 1972] that not all poets have
to be embarrassing when on the one-eyed moloch) and Laura
Rosenthal, this publication has been in existence for 10 years.
It seemed to be revitalized over the past two years or so, and
delivers some strong unexpected commentary, essays and reviews.
This issue yields Edward Field on Arthur Chester; a Ralph
LaCharity rantessay on the performative possibilities of poetry;
bureau reports from Belize City and Panajachel from Joel Lipman;
poems by old hands Anselm Hollo, Clayton Eshleman, and folk
treasure Alfred Starr Hamilton; plus newcomers like Sparrow. Best
feature might be the "Body Bag," where Laura airs some of the
dirty laundry of people's submissions, and lists names of those
rejected. You'll be surprised at how many people you know. More
than just another way to get your name into print. A bimonthly
treat.--js
FISH WRAP--(#5, 1993), 921 1/2 24th. Ave., Seattle WA, 98122. 36
pp., $5.00. A small popcorn bag containing 34 poems, bits of
prose and drawings on variously-colored bookmark-sized pieces of
heavy stock. Mostly easy-flowing material like Jim Andrews's wise
aphorism, "We trust, eventually, because the alternative is
lousy," and an enjoyable poem by Paul Hunter about a boy's "grim
jawed" ride down a playground slide that had turned out higher
than he expected. There are some specimens of more otherstream
art, too.--bg
This issue consists primarily of poetry nicely printed on an
assortment of heavy papers, about large bookmark size, and
assembled unbound in a popcorn bag. Among the high points here
are poems by Dan Raphael, Casey Bush, Geof Huth and "Mathematiku"
by Bob Grumman. Good to see these "experimental" voices mixed in
with more "normal" styles of small press poetry.--jmb
FREEWAY--(Spring 1993), 860 Ashbury, El Cerrito CA, 94530.
$5.00-? ThatUs a sliding subscription rate with the high end
being a RGenerous Patron of the ArtsS and the low end a RPoor
Musician RateS--anything over $10 will get you an audio tape as
well. Devoted to improvised music, free jazz, etc., FREEWAY is
full of reviews of concerts like McCoy Tyner and Jack Wright, CDs
by LaDonna Smith and The Apes of God, and international material
as well. Also, articles about various artists, and an interview
with Marc Weinstein. Obviously, there is more going on with these
musics than mainstream media would lead us to believe, & FREEWAY
strives to keep us up to date--thank god somebody is.--jb
FUEL--(#3, 1993), PO Box 146640, Chicago IL, 60614. 40 pp.,
#3.00. One of those journals brought on by the small-footed
revolution of electronic publishing. With a stated aesthetic
position against whimpy poetry (no, not poetry by the I'll-gladly-
pay-you-Tuesday-for-a-hamburger-today guy), the editor seems to
favor different typefaces over content. While not Whimpy, some of
the poems were not Popeye, either--overwhelmed by the cleverness
of the presentation. Those by Paul Weinman, Guy R. Beining, John
M. Bennett, Selena Anna Shepard, and (especially) Bill Shields
were not harmed at all. A magazine and editor which seem to be
searching and might be worth watching over the long haul.--js
GNEUROSIS--(#2), The Out of Order Order, BM Indefinite, London,
ENGLAND, WC1N 3XX. #2.50. A mag of anarcho-Crowleyism, which
sounds a little redundant, but a perusal of the contents will
explain. A long piece on RA look through the void via Alan WattsS
starts things off, making the connection between Watts and Bateson
and the SubGenius and you get the drift--something like freedom
may be at work here. Plenty of detourned comics, collages and a
few reviews round out a very enjoyable cruise through some of
EnglandUs most delightfully lunatic minds.--jb
HEAVEN BONE--(#10), PO Box 486, Chester NY, 10918. 72 pp., $6.00.
Pretty slick, glossy cover, kinda mystical, with good work inside
by Jake Berry, Robert Gregory, and Joel Lewis, fiction by Kirpal
Gordon and Stephen-Paul Martin, and surreal photocollages by Greg
Boyd. A retrospective, I gather from the editor's remarks, of the
type of good, solid work that has appeared over the past ten
issues. A surprise to see Berry, Gregory, David Cope and some
others who have been in the network for a long time appearing in a
different context. Not one of those bad surprises, like finding
out who Santa Claus really is--no, a good surprise.--js
A handsome magazine, very striking covers (well-executed, or too
slick?), more progressive visually (Greg Bod's photo-collages,
Marco Saslo's photos) than literally, but good open/wild work from
Robert Gregory, Steven Hirsch, Jonathan Brannen, and more
mainstream work from Antler, Cynthia Hogue, Joseph Donahue.
This magazine declares its focus up front, a focus that cuts
across known poetic subgroups (language art, Naropa-influenced
post-beat), but the work itself shows the limits of what's
declared: "This issue... will make a clearer departure from
marginality, moving toward and then becoming immersed in the
surreal and eidetic, the psychedelic and pre-rational, the sub-
therapeutic and the spiritual." They may get there, but bringing
the home to heaven (and vice versa) may require spontaneity and be
hindered by intention. While I prefer to find my own path, others
may appreciate guideposts along the way to heaven and/or bone and
appreciate the itinerary staked by this magazine.--dr
A stunningly beautiful slickmag leaning toward the surreal and
generally experimental otherstream. Editor/Publisher Steven
Hirsch brings it together in a seamless mix quite unlike any other
magazine, especially magazines with this type of production.
Coverart by Eric Gendell conveys the interior with a colorful
hallucination of wings, eyes, serpents, swan, and gems, sorta like
St. John on peyote. Poetry by Joseph Donahue, Robert Gregory,
Cynthia Hogue, George Yatchisin. Excellent photo work Marco
Sasia, a song of feminine mystery, prose by Stephen-Paul Martin &
Kirpal Gordon--these are only a few of the delights in this
garden. Like Central Park, Open, and very few others Heaven Bone
brings work ordinarily restricted to xerox obscurity into a format
even the most stilted might read. Leave it on your coffee table
and watch the innocent victims fall.--jb
THE IMPERCIPIENT--(#3, April 1993), 61 E. Manning St., Providence
RI, 02906. 48 pp. What happens when the sonnet collides with
language poetry? Or when fragments from Wordsworth meet the cut-
up? When it happens in THE IMPERCIPIENT, we realize there is much
in common between traditional and contemporary forms of poetry. A
concern for the rhythms and textures of language, for example, and
the need for form to shape a poem into a satisfying artifact.
Virtually every poem in this issue displays a novel updating of
traditional verse forms into the late 20th century, creating links
with historical precedents, and breathing fresh life into them.
Highly recommended.--tw
INDEFINITE SPACE--(Vol. 2 #1), Spring 1993, PO Box 40101, Pasadena
CA, 91114. 44 pp., $3.00. An eclectic collection that, true to
its title, defies definition. Plenty of soft-spoken image,
especially nature images... then -bam!-, in jumps Pat McKinnon
tending bar, serving cops who "...chew up glass/ after glass/
until they're back/ in vietnam/ like it was college days/ for
them." Or rarefied philosophic metaphors -bang!- up against Crag
Hill's "technology": "teach no log/ each know/ hatch rows/ cash
fog/ catch hollow." An over-all spareness, a pared-to-the-
boneness, is as close as I get to finding a unifying thread here--
I was surprised not to find a haiku or two.--lbd
INTERTEK--(Vol. 3.4), 13 Daffodil Lane, San Carlos CA, 94070.
$6.00. The theme of this issue is "Economic, Social, and
Technical Aspects of Information," and as such several of the
articles are for the specialist. But such things as RSpeculations
on the History of OwnershipS and RThe Incompatibility of
Capitalism and InformationS have something to say to virtually
everyone. The authors are established professionals in the field
so the information here can generally be trusted to be attuned to
the dominant trends. Whether this information is more valuable
than, say, the speculations of first rate hacker is a matter of
personal preference. But at the very least this issue of INTERTEK
allows us to expand our knowledge of the direction things are
drifting at the moment. Editor Steve Steinberg seems committed to
creating a valuable resource for all of us who are curious about
cybernetics and the details of the information age. If you own a
computer this one is highly recommended.--jb
KELTIC FRINGE--(Summer 1993), PO Box 3292 RD #3, Uniondale PA,
18470. $3.00. As the title suggests, this is a magazine devoted
to documentation of a variety of things spawned by the worldwide
Keltic diaspora. Editor Maureen Williams seeks essays on
virtually all aspects of Keltic history, mythology, and the modern
activities of Keltic people. This issue features an article on a
family of Pagans living on an island off the west coast of
Scotland, a review of the new Black 47 album, and a celebration of
10 years of The Thistle & Shamrock public radio program. If Kelts
ancient or modern are of interest to you, this one is certainly
worth your time.--jb
LACTUCA--(#17, April 1993), PO Box 621, Suffern, NY, 10901. 72
pp., $4.00. Starting off with Peter Bakowski's proletarian "The
Jaws of Factory (Graveyard Shift)", these are solid no-nonsense
poems with a bleak perspective on every-day life. Drinking seems
to be a recurrent problem--not the joyous first-person wine
guzzling of Bukowski, but sadly observed third-person portraits of
drunks dulling the pain of dull lives. Linwood Ross's
"Causalities" is just one hard-hitting example. Sherman Alexie is
back, strong prose-pieces from an original Native American voice.
Closes with some short-stories, still gritty but of varied
quality. LACTUCA also publishes the OUTPOSTS zine review/exchange
listing (available for an SASE)--addresses of about 100 more
magazines & presses.--lbd
LOGODAEDALUS--(#5, April 1993), PO Box 14193, Harrisburg PA,
17104. 28 pp., $2.50. It's impossible for me to say anything bad
about a collection like this, that includes a superbly
medievalized dialogue between Lucifer and Eve (by editor Paul
Collier) that ends with Eve saying: "Dear Adam com teoi mei/ &
geve dis heart a trye," as well as William Giunta's description of
"robert bly in person" as someone he thought an "alright guy"
until he discovered "he had a hole/ in his screen door/ and just
kept on talking/ and waving his arms/ like a Lutheran minister/
gone bad."--bg
LONG SHOT--(#14, 1993), PO Box 6238, Hoboken NJ, 07030. 140 pp.,
$6.00. This issue was an editorial collaboration of sorts,
partially selected by the editor of an Australian poetry mag for
an issue entitled "The Greatest Underground Poets in the United
States." The money fell through and LONG SHOT was approached, and
their material was combined with some of the editors' other
choices. All of it adds up to a pretty good read, heavy on the
Bukowski side of things, plus others like Sal Salasin ("Nothing
succeeds like heroin./ It reminds me of Elvis in Blue Hawaii..."),
Bob Holman, John Weiners, and a whole lot of people I don't know
but would like to see more of. Also worth noting is the superb
artwork by Joseph Beuys, Ida Applebrook, Harold Feinstein, and
other big names, as well as an interview with Larry Poons on the
Epitome Caf (1960's gathering spot for poets & writers).
Publisher Danny Shot & editor Jack Wiler put it all together in a
neat, readable package.--js
LOST & FOUND TIMES--(#31, July 1993), 137 Leland Ave., Columbus
OH, 43214. 60 pp., $5.00. What to say? Back after a year's
hiatus, editor (and TRR contributor) John M. Bennett packs 'em in,
bizarre as ever. Stretching the bounds of poetry to include every
available resource--collage, typography, plagiarism, neologism,
gibberish & giblets... Writers and artists both tortured and
ecstatic/delirious, imagery both dreamy and nightmarish. Some of
the poems sound like they started as dreams, then got passed
around a circle of lunatics playing "telephone" (not far from the
truth with Al "One Phonecall" Ackerman in hacking mode). And,
with Al as a notable exception, not quite as silly as past LaFTs,
which is neither a kudo nor complaint.--lbd
The usual eighty or so artists and their two- or three-hundred
way-off-the-spectrum drawings, poems, and other works. Also, most
praiseworthily, the dozen or more NEW names that just about every
issue of LAFT has, including, this time, Little Mary Ann.--bg
After a brief absence LAFT returns packed even tighter with
poetry, rants, and visuals guaranteed to stun even the most
hardcore otherstreamer. A vast list of contributors slither work
through John M. BennettUs editorial grasp, mixing with his own
genius like a dada alchemy up your motherUs skirts. In large
doses this stuff is dangerous, so I strongly recommend several
hours amidst companions like Ilse GarnierUs & Rea NikonovaUs
flying minimal concrete poems, or the delusions of Jack A. Withers
Smote, or the Rforest of pole-vaultersS Bill Paulauskas summons,
or BennettUs own work, or collabs with others of similar
affliction. Descriptions are meaningless. Are you going to have
the courage to taste this for yourself or are you chicken shit?
Either way, LAFT speaks to the weird in humanity like that song
your grandmother used to sing after she fell off the porch.--jb
LOWER LIMIT SPEECH--(#6, July 1993), 725 Taylor St., San Jose CA,
95112. 23 pp., SASE. The Buck Downs cover poem, which ends,
"fish net alley, tag/ a cash right fit/ rub out a case of/ the
dulls. something/ strangers keep me shiney," sets the tone of
this "Buck 'n Cover" issue. Much of mostly language-poetry-
oriented interest within, amongst it an entertaining but (to me)
ultimately absurd characterization by Ron Silliman of books (vis-
a-vis lectures or magazine articles) as capitalistically-oppresive
because their seeming permanence gives a deceptive aura of non-
provisionality to their contents.--bg
MANDORLA--(#2, Spring 1992), PO Box 117 Cooper Station, New York
NY, 10003. 222 pp., $10.00. "Nueva Escritura de las Amricas *
New Writing from the Americas"--a door between two languages that
swings both ways. A sumptuous collection of writing, mostly new
and mostly translated from it's mother-tongue into it's sister's,
or neighbor's. Beyond just translation, however, MANDORLA helps
put the work into context--so, for instance, the Spanish
translation from Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons is followed by
Michael Davidson's short "Lecture on Stein", again translated into
Spanish. Or, to illuminate Clayton Eshleman's translations of
Csar Vallejo, we get an essay by Eshleman on the translation
process, and another essay (in Spanish) on Vallejo's writings
about art. Other treats for English-monolinguals: Xavier
Villaurrutia's poetry (again with an essay by the translator, as
well as a further essay by Octavio Paz), and Salvador Elizondo's
story "Coprophagia"; Spanish speakers get Paul Metcalf's "John
Wilkes Booth," and an essay by Guy Davenport on Louis Zukovsky's
"A"--and there's more. Multi-culturism that is neither
condescending nor exotic, this magazine models a kind of respect
that truly enriches all of the culture(s) it touches.--lbd
MEAT EPOCH--(#13, June 1993), 3055 Decatur Ave., Apt #2S, Bronx
NY, 10467. 4pp., SASE. Features a fine mid-length (approx. 100
lines) poem by Jack Foley that expands wonderfully manywhere off
of Gertrude Stein's "Miracles play./ Play fairly// Play fairly
well."--in no small measure through the use of puns like "get a
loveyer/ ensue me" and "Absorlyrical." An absolyrically short
poem by editor St. Thomasino and six infra-verbal haiku by LeRoy
Gorman (e.g., "n eve r nil") share the issue with Foley's poem.
--bg
MEAT EPOCH--(#14, July 1993), 3055 Decatur Ave., Apt #2S, Bronx
NY, 10467. 4pp., SASE,. I suppose it's really bad form for me to
review this issue because its entirely devoted to prose & poetry
of mine, but i thought TRR's readers might get a kick out of a
self-review. Anyway, the issue contains a "textual illumage," two
visual poems, a "mathemaku," a "disjunctional textual poem" and
excerpts from my book Of Manywhere-at-Once. It also contains an
essay that fewer than five poets in the U.S. will be able to
stand, a fierce ( and, alas, pompous) attack on poets who are
dismissive of literary criticism.--bg
MEDIAMATIC--(Winter 1992), Postbus 17490, 1001 JL, Amsterdam, the
Netherlands. $11.50. A slick mag of discussion, opinion, and art
about computers and the culture they are generating at the moment.
There is speculation about just how soon cyberspace will become
reality in the sense of an individualUs more or less being able to
live there, also Hyperspace, Virtual Reality and the whole gamut.
As I have only begun to find my way into the computer world much
of this didnUt mean as much to me as it would to an old cyberjunky
or a hacker. But one thing is obvious, there is virtually no
limit to what can be done with these new extensions of ourselves
we have created to serve us--and as long as an element of anarchy
remains computers will actually grant us more freedom. MEDIAMATIC
seems like a good place to get a taste of the broad spectrum of
applications currently running through the human imagination via
silicon and the cathode ray.--jb
MESHUGGAH--(#8), 147 Second Ave. #603, New York NY, 10003. $1.50.
Continuing to expand and diversify, MESHUGGAH has become a primary
document for underground thought, fiction, and irascible hijinx.
Generally a left wing politic here, environmentalism, dropping out
of the rat race, and other similar notions that might encourage
you to live your own life in peace. All in all a different tenor
from the vomit and glory of its sister mag FEH! (which hasnUt made
a appearance recently that I know of--I somewhat miss its odious
humor). But this issue does include a piece by Al Ackerman to
keep us lively, and page 6 with short pieces by Cline and Zappa
and a portrait of Mozart (itUs not who you think) by John E
(welcome back John, wherever you are) are reason enough to check
this out.--jb
MIRAGE #4 PERIOD(ICAL)--(#s 16 & 17, May & June 1993), 1020 Minna
St., San Francisco CA, 94103. $3 @. A newsletter format
periodical which mixes the silly and the sublime in a number of
ingenious and endearing ways. #6 includes a vintage Dennis Cooper
short story about the making of a gay porn video, Rod Smith's
satirical poem "Your Group Insurance Benefits," and an
hysterically funny playlet by Kevin Killian about Kim Basinger and
Prince. #17 includes, among other things, H.O.O.B! (Hands Off Our
Brenda), a manifesto in support of media beleaguered actress
Shannen Doherty, plus a wonderful poetry excerpt from Ron
Silliman's ongoing investigations, and an interview with Bo
Huston. MIRAGE PERIOD(ICAL) shimmers with heat. It's always
eclectic, always entertaining and edifying--check it out.--tb
MR. COGITO--(Vol. 10 #2, 1992), PO Box 66124, Portland OR, 97290.
20 pp., $3.00. This skinny little magazine has been in existence
since 1973, and has consistently featured some of the finest
poetry in translation from Eastern Europe, as well as from Native
American writers. Other regulars include Joe Napora, who always
carries a political charge. This issue has none of the above, and
comes perilously close to featuring Whimpy poetry [--see review
of FUEL#3]. Still, it has a nice feel, with poems by Bill
Shields, Scott Starbuck, and Duncan Nichols, and art by regular
contributor Tom Cassidy.--js
MYSTERIOUS WYSTERIA--(#1, 1993), 3940 Abbe Rd., Sheffield Village
OH, 44054. 26 pp., $1.00. Not bad for a first issue. I get the
feeling that this is a bit in-house (among friends), but they are
open to submissions and they are certainly on the right track.
"Richard: A Very Intelligent Dog" by Timothy Legel reminds me of
some of the oldtimers who have practiced the art of shock for
years. Legel exploits sex, a dog's love of meat, and borderline
soft-core porn. While this may not exactly be considered
"literature," it's certainly entertaining (at least to me, but my
tastes don't conform to the norm). Plus, it works as great satire,
since it also includes a psychological/analytical breakthrough on
the dog's part. Eric E. Scott's "Tricia" is actually a suicide
poem, but almost a clich; while Michelle Arvoy must be the
publisher's girlfriend, her work leaving nothing but a touch of
confused youthful alienation (if she thinks she's seen hard times
she has a lot to learn). Out of these three writers Legel shows
the most promise. He understands how psychopathic tendencies
operate, while his companions only have a superficial
understanding of what this is all about. It's worth a buck to see
what Legel has to offer, but Scott and Arvoy need to tune their
ear in closer to the action, and get their words closer to the
things they are trying to describe.--oberc
NEW AUTHORS JOURNAL--(#5, Winter 1992), 1542 Tibbits Ave., Troy
NY, 12180. 79 pp., $4.00. Poetry, short stories and essays by
people as obscure as we. Its material is not very adventurous in
style or content, but the clicks are frequently there--as in Daryl
Nielsen's "Common Sense," which I quote in full: "well, i'm a
god-/ fearing man, too/ he replies/ but it doesn't/ keep whiskey/
out/of my/ teacup." Excellent place to try to break into print.
--bg
NORTH COAST REVIEW--(#2, March 1993), 1028 E. 6th St, Duluth MN,
55805. 52 pp., $3.00. A regional poetry magazine, in the best
sense. Poems grounded in a given place, a specific history, and a
common community language. Themes of family and hard work (mines,
logging) recur--but thanks to the contributions of realists like
Bud Bracken & Dan Nielsen, not exactly Norman Rockwell Americana.
Plain talk, honest grit & honest sentiment, this one is both tough
and unpretentious.--lbd
O!!ZONE--(#5, May 1993), 1266 Fountain View Dr., Houston TX,
77057. 18 pp., $3.00. An unusual specimen of a poetry
publication due to its scatter of nude shots of its featured
poets, Laura Ryder and Anna Leonessa. But the poems are
enjoyable, too, and include some strong surrealistic ones by
Chester Robertson (such as an elegy for John Lennon that begins,
"Death is the whitest bone of noun...") and some equally strong
but more straight-forward meditations by Geoffrey Lavelle, who
also contributes some excellent prose pieces based on his travels
in France and Rapallo, Italy (where Pound lived his final years,
and which has a tiny park named after him).--bg
O!!ZONE--(#6, June 1993), 1266 Fountain View Dr., Houston TX,
77057. 24 pp., $3.00. This issue was dominated for me by Robert
Gregory Griffith, whose collages of distorted humans seem like
murdered psyches laid out for autopsy. The poems are good, too;
particularly Hugh Fox's droll description of a beeper- then child-
interrupted love-making session. Dan Sturdivant rounds off the
issue with a well-done review of a provocative-sounding book of
poems by Donald Rawley called Steaming.--bg
O!!ZONE--(#7, July 1993), 1266 Fountain View Dr., Houston TX,
77057. 44 pp., $3.00. See previous reviews for an idea of this
magazine. All I have to add here is that I'm pleased to see that
this issue contains visual poetry: two circular poems by Richard
Kostelanetz, and two pieces in which Jonathan Fernandez has turned
swirls of letters in one case, zags of letters in the other, into
absorbingly abstract-expressionistic illumages.--bg
OBJECT--(#1), 229 Hudson St. #4, New York NY, 10013. 49 pp.,
$5.00. This is an extraordinary new magazine edited with
intelligence and grace by Kim Rosenfield and Robert Fitterman.
I can't think of enough good things to say about it. The work of
sixteen writers is presented. The roster is an interesting mix of
younger and more established practitioners: Stacy Doris, Benjamin
Friedlander, Kim Rosenfield, Bruce Andrews, Barine Bellen, Hannah
Weiner, Andrew Levy, Chet Weiner, Charles Bernstein, Sally
Silvers, Alan Davies, Rodrigo Rey Rosa, Pat Phillips, Robert
Kocik, Paolo Morini and Melanie Neilson. It is also an
interesting mix of genres--poetry, prose, review, essay,
choreographical notations and aphorisms.
Robert Kocik's essay "If Poetry Leaves Too Much To Be Imagined"
deserves special mention for the determination and verve with
which it seeks to sketch a practical ontology of the poem. To
wit:
"...poetry is not a practice but that which applies to any
practice.
Poetry's potential drawback--its impracticality, is the
penetrating thing about it. Its groundlessness allows it to
cover ground. To jump fence. Its privileged role within
language--to speak without proofs, to critique without
consequence, demands in return an out-of-the-ordinary social
ardor as it meets its criteria as verse."
This is so sweetly to the point of what allows Charles Bernstein
to take "popsicles to the center/ of importuning"-- as Alan Davies
notes, "The body doesn't lie."--tb
OFFERTA SPECIALE--(#11, 1993), Corso De Nicola 20 - 10128 Torino,
ITALY. 60 pp., 10,000 lire. A stunning collection of visible
poetry, "poesia multimediale." About half the work in Italian, (a
couple of 'em translated from/into English), some in English. The
real draws, tho, are the ones that need no translation, that
transcend the bounds of a singular vocabulary via visual context.
Carla Bertola's sound-poem scripts, Giancarlo Pavanello's
destroyed text, Valeri Scherstjanoi's dancing glyphs, and Massimo
Pattaro's multi-lingual text-collage--as well as Russia's Serge
Segay & Rea Nikonova--all help build bridges over our tongue-tied
traffic-snarl of Babel. And although I double-checked a
dictionary for "diecimila" (the cover-price in lire), I didn't
need one to understand the copy of a Italian Postal Service
letter, apologizing for their machine mangling a letter--a
seemingly universal experience.--lbd
OPEN 24 HOURS--(#9, 1993), PO Box 50376, Washington DC, 20091.
49 pp., $3.00. Editor Buck Downs has an eclectic eye and a sense
of Dionysian abandon--the focus is on bestrangement here (Ezra
Pound's "making it new"), and each poem catches the reader and
skews her/his perceptions. Skip Fox's "Spring" is a wild, fleshy
celebration of mud, gender, and blossoming flowers. Brett Evans
collages words into a Southern-ringed pulse of sounds. Work by
John M. Bennett, John McNally, George J. Farrah, Cheryl Townsend,
and many others also included. Most poems here are surreal,
lyric, LANGUAGE influenced--some are even updated Beats, grooving
language to obtain a vision.--ssn
OUR NOISE--(#2, 1993), 736 St. Andrews Rd. Suite #117, Columbia
SC, 29210. 44 pp., $2.00. Sort of a prose soap-opera fr
slackers, this serial follows a crew of average losers thru their
pathetic/heroic lives. From waiting tables to starting a 'zine to
trying to sign a recording contract in LA, these folks can't quite
get it together (which is some comfort to folks in similar
circumstances, like me maybe). Not sure how all the
pieces/characters fit together, which is where I got the soap-
opera analogy--you probably have to watch everyday (or, in this
case, every 2 months) to keep up.--lbd
THE PLASTIC TOWER--(#13, December 1992), Box 702, Bowie, MD,
20718. 40 pp., $2.50. Poetry is the message here, with Judson
Crews, Lyn Lifshin, Paul Weinman, and many others letting us hear
what they have to say. Among the standout poems in this issue
were "The Job" by Charlie Mehrhoff, which contrasts the plight of
homelessness ("i work near the fields of homeless/ here in town")
with working in a bakery ("i wash my hands/ in constant ceremony./
i wash my hands."). Eric Cash's "Morehead, Kentucky" reminded me
of my mountain drives through the Bluegrass state, filled with the
beauty of nature and the poverty-stricken desperation of
Appalachian towns. Jenny Cornuelle's "Below the Belt" captures
the stripper strut on the walk, and she treats her lovers like
strangers treat her when she dances, as just another fast
distraction. And Marc Swan's "Rhythm" captures a young lover's
sexual exploration, an abortion, and the disjointed separation.
There are many other fine poems in this collection, far too many
to talk about in a review--for once, #13 isn't an unlucky number.
--oberc
THE PLASTIC TOWER--(#15, June 1993), PO Box 702, Bowie MD, 20718.
44 pp., $2.50. Poems without pretension. The best are simple
snapshots, portraits--like f'rinstance Joan Kincaid's deli clerk,
or Rustynne Dalton's drunken father holding his crows. Some sing,
like Kevin Donahue's "A Post AIDS Christmas Hymn." A few are
closer to doggerel--quips that rhyme, amusing but unsatisfying. A
handful of reviews closes things up.--lbd
POETS & WRITERS MAGAZINE--(May/June 1993), 72 Spring St., New York
NY, 10012. 95 pp., $4.00. A magazine for poets and short-story
writers--but primarily small press rather than micro-press. Thus,
more about "establishment" figures like Ntozake Shange (who is
interviewed in this issue) and Knopf editor Harry Ford than about
the kind of people one usually meets in TRR. Good for keeping
tabs on knownstream workshops, readings, grants, and the like.--bg
THE SCREAM FACTORY--(#10, Autumn 1992), 4884 Peperwood Way, San
Jose CA, 95124. 124 pp., $6.00. An entire issue devoted to the
worst horror in the world, this publication is a hoot. Areas
covered included novels, stories, films, comics, television,
Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, pulp fiction and more. A serious look
at the really, really bad. Categories including Worst Christian
Horror Novel, Worst "Abominable Snowman" Novel, Worst "Giant
Insects" Novel. Examples from those movies your folks told you to
stop watching and for God's sake get outside it's sunny. And
dialogue like "'You mean to inject the formula into your cows and
send them to terrorize the countryside,' the doctor's assistant
soon realizes. 'You mean to conquer, loot and become powerful on
the threat of annihilation of your monster-cows!'"--js
THE SCREAM FACTORY--(#11, Spring 1993), 4884 Peperwood way, San
Jose CA, 95124. 128 pp., $6.00. A special issue devoted to the
genre-blurring field known as Dark Suspense. Nicely presented
overview of the field with well-done critical articles on Andrew
Vachs, serial killer novels, a complete list of Black Lizard
publications, Robert "Psycho" Bloch, Jim Thompson, and those Gold
Medal 1950's suspense novels. If you're interested in this type
of writing, this magazine is an essential resource. The next
issue promises to be devoted to the 25th anniversary of "Night of
the Living Dead."--js
SHIT DIARY--(#5), 5629 Granada #271, Sarasota FL, 34231. $1.00?
"The Adventures of Sklum and His Pals, part 2." A small gritty
diary from the alienated underside of American life, much of it
taking place around the dumpsters behind a shopping center. The
style is surreal, intense, and pared to the bone. Don't miss it:
RThey've come back with their chainsaws, so I can't
even tell where they're at (I'm obviously, deliberately
trying to make myself swell in the blank face of the
box), and they've brought the java man with them.
I'm trying out new soda flavors under new names &
new designs and they're running around on top of my
roof like big-footed mad Santa threatening to turn it all
back into one fat-headed tree. Like cats with gun
belts for teeth...S
--jmb
SHORT FUSE--(#54), PO Box 90436, Santa Barbara CA, 93190. $1.00.
This publication seems to mutate with each issue, from straight
micropress xerox cheap to newsletter to poster. Always packed
with wild poetry, visuals from crude drawings to more
representational sketches to comics to collage. This one features
a picture of Chester Carlson himself (the inventor of xerography).
The print is small and draws you into a misfit world of ranters,
artists, and hinterland poets. And as always, excerpts from
readers dream journals. Bits and pieces from neverwhere.--jb
SLUGS & LETTUCE--(#30, 1993), PO Box 2067 Peter Stuy. Stn., New
York NY, 10009. 8 pp., SASE. Again, more on the NYC punk scene.
The zine, however, continues to expand with contributions from
others. Great classifieds and reviews remain, but editor
Christine has eliminated the "man-looking-for-women" personals.
No loss. Still plenty of punk contacts and merchandise ads.
In her front page column, Chris reflects on the weather, her life
and goals. This woman's honesty astounds--she bares her soul in a
way few ever do as she describes some of her worries, hopes and
dreams now that she has attained the milestone of a college
degree.
There are also more contributors who have back page columns on a
variety of topics, from homelessness to motivation to education.
Some, like Randy Boone, show the same frankness and personal
energy that we've come to expect from Chris.
My only complaint has to do with the ever-decreasing print size:
I almost needed a magnifying glass as more & more is packed into the
same 8 pages. Maybe it's time for another format.--ronald zack
SMALL MAGAZINE REVIEW--(#1, June 1993), Box 100, Paradise CA,
95969. 31 pp., $20.00/yr. A spin-off of SMALL PRESS REVIEW that
does much the same that SPR has been doing effectively doing for
years--that is, reporting on the doings of the literary non-
mainstream--except that its focus is on magazines, not books. In
this issue: a first-rate overview of the recent history of small
magazines (up to and including zines) by editor Len Fulton; a good
mix of columns by such SPR stalwarts as Robert Peters and Laurel
Speer; and reviews on a wide variety of magazines, including one
by Thomas Wiloch on Arnold Skemer's stapled-in-the-corner
newsletter of the avant garde, ZYX.--bg
SMALL MAGAZINE REVIEW--(#2, July 1993), Box 100, Paradise CA,
95969. 22 pp., $20.00/yr. Another solid issue of a magazine I
hope will become a leading meeting ground for little and littler
magazine people. Its section on new magazines includes a
paragraph on THE IMPLODING TIE-DYED TOUPEE, a publication that
sounds appealingly zinish to me--some of its contributors being
John M. Bennett, Sheila E. Murphy, F.A. Nettlebeck and Harry
Polkinhorn.--bg
SNUG (In the City of Hate)--(1993), PO Box 2435, Augusta ME,
04338. 28 pp., $1.75. You got to respect Weinman when he says,
in "Recycling": "Rimming our sunken eyes in chalk/ we lightly
touch each other's holes." And that's just in the first few pages
of this collection. At first the sloppy production threw me off
guard, and I was thinking, yeah, right, another slapped together
grabbag of bullshit words. But Weinman caught my eye, then on the
next page was "The Sudden" by Rane Arroyo which began: "The last
poet I fucked/ asked me in the morning/ if the tide was at the
windows."; on the next page after that we get a decent suicide
poem by John Grey which catalogs various failed attempts and ends
with: "suicide no longer kills/ it just scribbles on her history."
These are the kinds of angry lines I like to read. They capture
the desperation, the pent up pissed-off aggression, and they let
you know that poetry, in the right hands, can be a dangerous
weapon. And there are so many strong lines: "She went up to the
bar to order a drink/ She wanted something hard/Down her throat"
(Julie A. Stevens), "Someday I will sew his mouth shut." (Kimberly
Sweet), and on the last page (actually the back cover) we get a
decent review and critical look at the new FACTSHEET FIVE. There
is dirt and sweat and long hours of greedy desperation in this
collection, and it looks fine on my shelf, next to the poets who
have survived so well in that wilderness.--oberc
STAINED PAPER ARCHIVE--(#1, April 1993), 1792 Byng Rd., Windsor
Ontario CANADA, N8W 3C8. 8 pp., $1.00. A tiny booklet containing
6 minimalist artworks, among them a completely black image (by
Greg Evason) of a fork without its handle, looking alien in a
manner both comic and somewhat unnerving. Similarly alienized
under it is the near-word, "nife."--bg
STROKER--(#52, 1993), 124 N. Main St. #3, Shavertown PA, 18708.
48 pp., $4.50. A bit of a throwback to, say, 1930. Serious
consideration given to Henry Miller, a critical evaluation of
Vachel Lindsay's poetry by Joseph Resnick, a graphic poem by Tommy
Trantino which looks like something by Patchen, a poem by Blaise
Cendrars, and a review of a collection of Sherwood Anderson--this
little magazine was a delight. Kinda like cutting your horse
Modernism loose from the post.--js
SUBTLE JOURNAL OF RAW COINAGE--(#68), 317 Princetown Rd.,
Schenectady NY, 12306. 1 pg.. Part of a unique on-going series
publishing neologisms coined by writers and others. This one, a
folded broadside nicely designed and printed, has 6 such words,
none of them in English, by Javant Biarujia, Stefan George, John
M. Bennett, Jules Laforgue, C.E. Emmer, and this one by Louis-
Ferdinand Cline:
MIRAGINER
--jmb
SUBTLE JOURNAL OF RAW COINAGE--(#s 64--70), 317 Princetown Rd.,
Schenectady NY, 12306. Pamphlets, more or less, but using size,
shape, texture, color, font-styles, etc., to support the usually
thematically-grouped made-up words printed in the pamphlets.
Among the coinages on display are the "incestors" (Michael
O'Leary) and "hideology" (Michael Helsem) of the issue concerned
with "di-con-vergency" (Karl Kempton), and the "tofun" (Dees
Stribling) of the "Japanease" (G. Huth) issue. A very "poetent"
(Luigi-Bob Drake) collection of words, indeed.--bg
THE IMPLODING TIE-DYED TOUPE--(#1), 100 Courtland Dr., Columbia
SC, 29223. $3.00? A new mag from Burning Llama filled with the
poetry and graphic experiments of several names common to
otherstream readers, and several new names. A John M. Bennett
calligraphy head graces the cover, with work by Harry Polkinhorn,
Sheila E. Murphy, Greg Evason, Michael H. Brownstein, F.A.
Nettlebeck, etc inside. Its an interesting mix between the
surreal/hallucinatory and more gritty realism, that keeps the mag
moving, plenty of interesting visuals as well. A good start.--jb
THE REDNECK REVIEW OF LITERATURE--(Spring 1993), 2919 N. Downer
Ave., Milwaukee WI, 53211. $7.50. A hefty volume devoted this
issue to Language. Essays concerning what comes after Language
Poetry, RLanguage in Death NoticesS by Jon Forrest Glade,
language as discussion, language in politics, etc etc. Charlie
Mehrhoff in a poem excerpted on the title page strikes a common
cord with William S. Burroughs when he says Rthat which we know as
language is an entity,/ a separate and distinct spirit that has
entered the ape,/ ...light years from the mist which rises from
the elkUs mouth.S The poetry for the most part is quite good,
illuminating. Also included are poems, drawings, reactions to a
Ginsberg performance in Idaho, and a special RNew PoetryS section
compiled by Bob Harrison. With more substance than most, THE
REDNECK REVIEW deserves to be heard/read regularly.--jb
TIGHT--(Vol. 4 #2, April 1993), PO Box 1591, Guerneville CA,
95446. 72 pp., $4.50. A hearty bundle of fine free verse,
compiled by an editor who is a rising poet herself, Ann Erickson.
Accessible poetry, smooth linear work--this is like finding a
brown paper bag of practical truth has displaced your lunch.
Nothing is ordinary here, nothing is pretentious either.--rle
TIGHT--(Vol. 4 #3, June 1993), PO Box 1591, Guerneville CA, 95446.
72 pp., $4.50. A broad array of current underground poetry with
practically every form represented. Editor Ann Erikson should be
commended for her openness to so many different approaches. From
a single issue of TIGHT one could begin to get a feel of what is
happening generally and then pursue the avenue of his or her
inclination. This issue begins with RYellow Paint AcrossS by
Shelia E. Murphy, which (compared to other of her work) seems to
be pulling itself apart, opening up, allowing our imaginations
room to roam. Written this way we are allowed to contemplate
individual lines for all their music. Darrel L. Pritchard
contributes a dose of poetry one could vanish into and reappear
who knows where. ThereUs also wonderful new poetry by Crag Hill, a
play by B. Z. Niditch and so much more, including another of Lani
SchickUs exquisitely wrought covers.--jb
TO--(#2, Spring 1993), Box 121, Narberth PA, 19702. 114 pp.,
$8.00. Amazingly, TO lives up to the expectations aroused by the
spectacular premier issue. Poets familiar to the followers of the
LANGUAGE movement are here--Pam Rehm, Ray DiPalma--but TO does not
confine itself. Translations of Kurt Schwitters provide insight
into the techniques of one of the most influential experimental
poets (Jakcson MacLow's work on Schwitters is monumental). Brief
fictions by Cydney Chadwick, Ronald Sukenick, and Bruce Comens
explore boundaries of experience. Photography which privileges
deconstructive philosophy challenges one to re-examine notions of
representation.--ssn
VIZ--(#7, Spring 1993), PO Box 1584, Hattiesburg MS, 39403.
36 pp., $3.00. A special issue that acts as a catalog for an
exhibition of photographs and texts concerning Hattiesburg called
"Hub City Panorama." A healthily informal and ungenteel collage
of varied materials by several authors that appealingly captures
the vigor and privation not only of Hattiesburg, but of
practically all middle-sized American cites.--bg
W'ORCs: ALOUD ALLOWED--(Vol. 8 # 5, May 1993), PO Box 27309,
Cincinnati, 45227. 22 pp., $3.00. Editors Ralph LaCharity and
Bill Pollack are given to shouting their poems while hanging drunk
from the nearest streetlight at the least (i.e. with absolutely
no) provocation. The last time they and pals did so, outside a
Brady's Caf poetry reading in Kent Ohio, the local constabulary
took offence--apparently, just printing their 'zine on legal size
paper doesn't make poetry legal. Anyway, much of this issue is
taken up by odes & reportage from the above-mentioned poetry
reading/transgression, in the best hang-drunk-from-the-
streetlight-&-holler style. However, despite what some here
claim, I don't think this particular travesty of justice ranks up
there with the 20-year-ago May 4th shootings (which took place
just up the hill).--lbd
WASHINGTON REVIEW--(19:1, June/July 1993), PO Box 50132,
Washington DC, 20091. 28 pp., $2.00. With its generous 11 x 17
pages and tabloid breeziness, the WR has the ability to blow up
b&w photographs so that the emotionality of the media just drags
you down by the collar into the art. Poetry editor Joe Ross's
selections are consistently compelling--this issue has work by
Charles Bernstien. Also notable is the over-the-top fiction, as
well as relatively in-depth reviews (or analysis) of fiction and
poetry.--ssn
WILDE OAKS--(Vol. 2, #1, Summer 1993), 175 Stockton Ave., San Jos
CA, 95126. 108 pp., $12.00. Published by the Billy DeFrank
Lesbian & Gay Community Center, this one's for lovers, but not
necessarily poetry lovers. Heartfelt & sincere, like love poems
from a childhood sweetheart that you might have saved because of
who they're from, rather than what they are. A fair share of
broken-heart laments as well. This review is not a pan, but to
suggest that the heart of the matter here is the content (&, to
some extent, the audience) and not the form, and that that content
is targeted at a fairly specific audience.--lbd
WORLD LETTER--(#4, 1993), 2726 E. Court St., Iowa City IA, 52245.
50 pp., $5.00. A nicely produced magazine with quality work by
Cid Corman, Alain Bousquet, Alicia Borinsky, Paul Celan, Gisela
Von Wysocki, Charles Bukowski, Kurt Nimmo, Edouard Roditi, visual
poems by David Chikhladze, a letter from Harvey Pekar... feels
like an old friend, along the lines of Cid Corman's ORIGIN. The
editor includes a request for patrons, a reminder that if you want
good art you have to be willing to put your money where you
interest is. This one deserves support.--js
THE WORLD--(#46, FEB. 1993), The Poetry Project c/o St. Mark's
Church, 131 E. 10th St., New York NY, 10001. 108 pp., $5.00. A
shrunk-down version this time around, it still features some of
the best the various generations of the New York School has to
offer. Thirty-one different poets contribute, all worth the time.
Striking home were Alice Notley, Julia Blumenreich, Yu Jian (in
translation from the Chinese), Tom Savage, Rothenberg, Messerli,
Bernstein...--js
WORMFEAST--(#19, 1993), PO Box 519, Westminster MD, 21158. 28
pp., $3.00. This is a bombardment to the senses, mixing
politically correct nonsense with politically incorrect
monstrosities, leaving the reader wondering what to do once s/he
has dropped it on the floor. Should you lean over, leaving your
backside open to articles about Fagegories which talk about the
various "advantages" and "drawbacks" of gay culture. Or do you
lean back in your chair and appreciate the likes of Ace Backwards,
a quick line from the folks at COKEFISH, a poem from BLANKGUN
SILENCER's Dan Nielsen, a quick Diana sketch, or a handful of
poems that promise to leave curled up hairs in your fingers. This
can be seen as an opportunity, or a pitfall, but I like to think
of it as a pleasant distortion that makes me rethink the things I
thought I already knew.--oberc
XENOPHILIA--(#6, January 1993), 904 Old Town Court, Cupertino CA,
95041. 60 pp., $4.00. Xenophilia is defined here as "an abnormal
appetite or strange liking for the strange, the foreign." The
poetry here is weird and worldly, even other-worldly; caught in a
tactical explosion somewhere between magic-realism and science
fiction, between Crowley and Kafka. This is one publication which
will not bore anybody. There are strange and unusual lusts wedged
between these covers, and whether it's a kitten coughing up
eyeballs or poetry competitions eliminating the national debt, it
is first and foremost, f
un.--rle
XEROTIC EPHEMERA--(#8, Summer 1991), 900 Tennessee Studio 15, San
Francisco CA, 94107. 48 pp., $4.00. Subtitled "A Thick of Rare
Occassionals," this isn't all that thick, but it is "foaming at
the page," and full of thought-enhancing poetry, short stories,
essays, reviews, collages, abstract and weird art. Includes an
intelligent pro-choice essay, and excerpt from Hugh Fox's novel
SHAMEN, Belinda Subraman's social-radical-political collages, plus
a life-sized photo of the flaccid sexual organs of a 27-year old
man. There's a message being congealed within these pages, but I
didn't find it clear. However, while reading, it came to me that
somewhere between LSD flashbacks and self-induced anarchic
potential, we have been replaced by cerebral peacocks..--rle
XYLOID--(#1), 1992, Wanda Phipps, The Poetry Project c/o St.
Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th St., New York NY, 10001. 18 pp.,
$3.00. A punky xerox magazine from the New York School. Not bad,
with Wanda Phipp's list poem of magazine titles, two pieces by
Brendan deVallance, prose by Lynne Tillman. The rest left less of
an impression.--js
The venerable Poetry Project keeps it's doors open, and this one's
from some of the younger rabble that've stumbled in off the
street. More Beat than PoMo--fr example, from a novel excerpt by
Stephen Tunney: ""Damn' because a tiny devilish memory of my sweet
beloved has escaped me once more! The impish little floating
beast managed to crawl into my right ear, show herself in a memory
for my sentimental pleasure, then escape out through my left ear
just before I could savor the thought! Just to tease me!'"
Shades of Kerouac! There's also a lot of work that originates in
performance, but doesn't translate complete onto paper--even Dana
Bryant's "Second Cousin" seems only a pale shade in print,
compared to her compelling live reading.--lbd
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End TapRoot Reviews Issue #3.0, section a: zines. 9/93
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