I dreamed Eileen Myles’ voice reading the LaTeX manual like it was her poem. She was reading from the part about lines. All I remember is something about ragged edges.
We’re almost done laying out Dewclaw, is what that dream means.
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I’ve been trying to notice how my mind connects to objects just before it makes sense of them. A few days ago I found myself comparing myself to a big silver “walk” button. I realize I’m dreaming all the time. A dog runs to each point of a quasi-star.
Today I saw a can of Bud Light under a tree in huge white blossom and realized what a lovely name that is, Bud Light, like from some haiku, but in the spring everything seems like it’s composed in haiku.
I have to get the hell out of the way of something, maybe of this:
“When I’m surrounded by trees, a condition I’ve sought out pretty persistently throughout my life I think the thing I might like the most about them is this whisper like all the hair of the world passing through the tunnel of one single breath – if that is a form of percussion. This irregular hiss of trees and wind. I think it is my mother. And I am her son, and you are my dog.”
from “Protect Me You” by Eileen Myles
At a young age Gerald made a name for himself in the Phillipines by poaching the rare effervescent beetles of his local community and exporting them to Korea at inflated prices, where they are believed to be a powerful aphrodesiac (this has yet to be proven by modern science). He parlayed this into a small empire for himself through a variety of questionable business practices and overseas investments. At the height of his wealth, and to the chagrin of his enemies, Gerald moved his fortune to the new world where he quickly set up shop as the proprietor of a profitable overseas shipping company and earned himself the nickname “the Weed”. He currently owns several specialty antique and jewelery stores, two high profile nightclubs on either side of town, and has an entourage of thugs at his disposal and city officials in his pocket. As undesirable a figure as he is, the community would crumble without him as he is the chief owner of the only freight line in town. Primarily a shut in due to his high profile, Mr. Tarsier can occasionally be seen at one of his nightclubs and never without his trademark pinstripe suit and his claws around a dry Manhattan (his drink of choice).
Ilan Schraer is an illustrator currently residing in Portland, Oregon. He is originally from San Diego, California, from which he misses vegetarian burritos and potato rolled tacos. He occasionally does illustrations for music blog “Chickens Don’t Clap!” and keeps up a sketch blog at http://dailysketch17.blogspot.com
(from DEWCLAW Issue 2)
I just posted interviews with DEWCLAW contributors Alison Bundy (Dunce Cap, A Bad Business, Tale of a Good Cook) and Heather Christle (The Difficult Farm). Read them here.
We’re working on the second issue of DEWCLAW. It should be available in April, in time for AWP.
Stephanie has been working on the cover for the next issue of Dewclaw. It’s going to be a great issue, you’ll see.
Some friends were talking about things they’d owned that looked like breasts. One person had a lighter shaped like a female torso that when you flicked it, LEDs lit up the nipples. Someone else had a heat-sensitive mug the clothes would come off the side of. We’d just used a bottle opener shaped like a female torso to open our bottles.
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RING AROUND AROSIE by EVA HESSE
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In addition to boobs, I have news:
1. MINIMAL BOOKS has translated “Interruptions,” which is in the current issue of Denver Quarterly, into Polish and published it on their site. They’re planning to publish a translation Stories of the Things That Had No Power of Their Own” in the next issue.
2. There have been a couple of reviews of Birkensnake 2: Big Other and someone who attended the reading.
3. Tomorrow, December 1, DEWCLAW will close to submissions. Pretty soon I will have to tell you who’s in the issue.
Dewclaw will stop accepting submissions for issue two on December 1.
At least I am excited by this issue. In a few weeks I’ll tell you more.
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Amina Cain has a new story at Sidebrow.
I just like what she writes.
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The bees are getting ready for winter. We’ve taken two jars of their honey–one last spring and one in summer. Each is a different color and tastes different than the other.
The size of the entrance to the hive is smaller for winter. This means the bees have less space to defend against hornets or other things that might slide in for their honey. You can see the wood bar blocking some of their slot.
Adam blogs more about the bees, so if you want more about the bees, read his blog.
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I read something recently that made me angry. It doesn’t seem important now, but I’ll show you my response.
I’m still not brave enough to move away from the wall.
I made a cake for Adam’s birthday.
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Issue 1 of Dewclaw is on sale. We need to make room for issue 2. Buy an issue for $5, which includes shipping.
When I Google “Alison Bundy”, Alison Bundy is a gymnast in skirt and heels. Then she is standing in the Palace of Westminister in front of Big Ben. Then she is in Louisville, Kentucky, with a slightly different name.
I can find only a couple of things online by the Alison Bundy I am looking for, one of my very favorite writers, who wrote some of my favorite books, Duncecap, A Bad Business, and Tale of a Good Cook.
Stacey Levine, Robert Walser, Kate Bernheimer, Sheila Heti–Alison Bundy’s writing could be compared to theirs, but she has power and language of her own.
There is an excerpt here from something called “The Child’s Tale,” which isn’t in any of the books I listed above.
And if you subscribe to Harper’s you can read two things online here, “Episode from the History” and “Family Statement.”
We’ll have a couple of tales by Alison Bundy in the next issue of Dewclaw, and I’ll also be posting an interview with her on this blog. I’m really happy about this–being able to get a little more of Alison’s writing where people can read it.
The next issue of Dewclaw is starting to come together. I’m still reading submissions and will be until the issue is full. I’m not sure when that will happen–it kind of depends on you.
August is already happening and it isn’t August. I’m getting ready (laying out and printing a small book) for a reading on August 3rd with Amelia Gray at the Neptune. This is in Seattle and if you’re here, come! I really like what she has here. I’m looking forward to getting a copy of her book, AM/PM, at the reading.
I guess I’m a little nervous about the reading. I’ll probably bring cookies, like I did when I defended my thesis against my nervousness with more cookies than people were willing to chew.
Cookies. What else?
I got applied, and by some process was selected, for a scholarship to the Wave “three days of poetry” happening around here in August. The day before that begins, there’s going to be some sort of literary death match. Matthew Simmons, Ryan Boudinot, and Matt Briggs will try to match each other to death.
I twittered. Not sure if I will again.
A new thing of mine in The New Yinzer should be up soon. Claire Donato guest edited this issue.
Adam Robinson (Publishing Genius) said some nice things about Dewclaw. Adam contributed to Dewclaw finding a decent printer. Thanks Adam!
I moved into a house with a juicer. Most of the water in my body is now apple-celery-ginger-mint juice. It’s hot here. Seems like I stick to every surface.
We tried some honey from our bees! Adam thinks it tastes like sorbus, but I’m not so good at discerning where the bees are getting their nectar. Not yet.
If you want an issue of Dewclaw and haven’t ordered one yet, send an email to dewclaw dot mag at gmail dot com with “DEWCLAW RAFFLE” in the subject line. I am not case sensitive.
Next Tuesday, that’s June 30, I’ll write your name on a piece of paper and put those pieces of paper in a pannier. I’ll find a stranger to reach into the pannier and pull out a name. I’ll send a Dewclaw to that person.
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Dewclaw is here, Adam’s short post about helping edit. Also, a photo of me that includes panniers.
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If you want to donate to Dewclaw, you can now do that from this blog. There’s a button on the right, under the “buy now” button. A donation can work like a subscription. If you’re kindof interested in that but aren’t sure, email me (dewclaw dot mag at gmail dot com) and I will convince you either that it’s a good idea or a bad idea. Your money will not be used by me to purchase gas, guns, or beasts of burden.
