Jay Passer's My Part In The Works

Published by Ten Pages Press, Jay Passer’s collection My Part In The Works ranges from surreal to concrete, metaphorical to literal. I am happy to share a couple of them with you below:


Family

my brother the terrorist
wonders why his car was towed away
parked halfway up the sidewalk
crashed into a power pole.

my brother waits for the latest issue of Guns and Ammo to arrive in the mail
he plans to assassinate the President
on Mother’s Day
or maybe around Christmastime.

my brother was a Little-League All-Star
but these days he rides a bicycle through the rain over the French Alps
I saw it on television.

my brother is stuck in the tunnel
beneath a mountain somewhere in the French Alps
the signal on his cell phone’s gone dead.

my brother
like a wet finger on a light switch
is surprised to see the FBI man.

my brother in the old days
negotiated tightropes stretched across Circus Maximus
he’s a terrorist
whose mother wore white on her wedding day.

my brother waits for the result of the election
pistol in hand.

When I first read it, I couldn’t help but hope/wonder if any of these stanzas were true. What a colorful character to have in the family! I asked Mr. Passer about it and he explained that the poem is meant to be “somewhat metaphorical, referring in a generalized sense to the human family.” That explanation works for me, too. The human family is full of bizarre episodes, trials, and tribulations which the poem reveals stanza by stanza.



In The City

grandiose and greatness with capitals in the city
above it all a stunner on the billboard nighttime drama
gesticulate impresarios imps with invisible fingertips
glass-fragile ego of structural integrity staking claim
lawyers and lynch men snarling in the corners
mongers of catastrophe and battle profiteers
driven to the fanatical pulse-beat of our world

the mad grasping ideals, sentinels of our city
driven by hype and horsepower to awaken the type
of gods you don’t see painted on Sistine ceilings.


I like the pace of the poem, no periods or commas to relieve you just like the fast pace of a city. Mr. Passer pokes and prods at the cynical side of the kinds of men who are found there, “snarling in the corners,” “driven by hype and horsepower.” The last line is a perfect closing, a city awakening “gods you don’t see painted on Sistine ceilings,” or that is to say, mere men who believe they are gods when in fact they are not simply because of the ideals they adopt in a large, bustling city.





If you enjoyed this sample, Jay Passer’s collection, My Part In The Works, you’ll be happy to know it is available on-line through Ten Pages Press in its entirety, check it out at:

http://tenpagespress.wordpress.com/


Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

The Nervous Breakdown Website

I love the greeting line to this site: “Your attention span is hilarious.” The poetry tab holds reviews, interview, and of course, poems. It is a fun site to peruse so I urge you to take a look.

Check it out:
http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/


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Poetry Tips: Passion

If you happened to read the article the previous Monday, then you can guess what today’s tip is about: Pouring your passion for life into your poetry. What do you stand for? What makes you rant and rave at the sky? What makes you joyous beyond imagining? At times, we take for granted that poetry is just another form of communication or art but then there are times that an event in our personal lives or in our country’s lives shakes us to the core. This week, write a poem that preaches, teaches, or both. Dare yourself to new heights and new fevered language.

Good luck to all who try it, please drop in again next week…

Literal Latte' Open Submissions

Open submissions all year long, and a fantastic web-site, too, if I may add. Plenty of poems linked up for you to read and be inspired by, along with plenty of other goodies to peruse that are published at Literal Latte.

You may send poems, up to 4,000 words, via snail mail with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, include a brief biography with your contact information and e-mail address to:

Literal Latte’
200 East 10th Street Suite 240
New York, NY 10003

For more details go to:
http://www.literal-latte.com/submissions/

Good luck to all of you who submit, please stop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

https://sites.google.com/site/rhpissue41/robert-wynne
Robert Wynne’s “Self Portrait of Lucifer as a Latex Lid Grip”


http://www.poolpoetry.com/poetnine.html
Nina Lindsay’s “Accommodations”

Thanks for clicking in, please drop by tomorrow for more Open Submissions…

Chapbooks and Poetry Books Recommendations Day

Hello All, I’m going to turn the tables today. I’ve run out of books to review but rather than stare at the ever-disappearing collection of poetry in my local library I’m asking YOU readers: What chapbook/books do you recommend I find and feature here on Poet Hound?

Leave a comment, message me on Facebook, or send me an e-mail, I want know what poet and title you would recommend for me to feature?

Thanks everyone!

Please drop in again tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

The Power of Poetry in the News

I found this article link on Ron Silliman’s blog and feel it is important to share with as many readers as possible. Poet Javier Sicilia in Mexico wrote his last poem and shared it at his son’s burial. Please read the story here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/world/americas/14sicilia.html?_r=1&src=recg


Thanks for clicking in, please drop by tomorrow for more featured poets…

Poetry Tips: Contests That Require Payment

This tip is really more a matter of opinion than one of expertise. I’ve seen plenty of contests for poets to enter and some require payment while others do not. Some are large, big-name presses, others are small presses.

My tip to you is that if you decide to enter a contest that requires payment your odds may improve if you keep in mind the following:
1) Know the press. If you know what kind of work they tend to publish you will know if the poems or collection you are submitting are a good fit

2) Have a track record of publication. Even if it’s a small track record of 2 or 3 poems, or one or two collections you will have tested your ability to publish and even if the editors aren’t looking to see how many poems or collections you’ve published you will know you have tested the battlefield of poetry submissions and won on occasion.

3) Read and review the guidelines thoroughly. This may seem obvious but it pays to read closely what is involved in the contest. You may only receive a couple of copies of your winning poem/chapbook and is it worth the price you paid to enter? You may also be facing a very small print run, is that worth the contest fee to you? Did you follow all the guidelines so that the editor won’t be forced to reject your submission? If you win the contest, are there any additional expectations you must fulfill such as reading to an audience? Are you willing to fulfill those obligations?


Good luck to all of you who enter contests and please drop in again next week…

The American Poetry Review Open Submissions

You will need to snail mail three to five poems and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your submission. If you are submitting prose, please double-space the manuscript. You must include all contact information, including an e-mail address, for your poetry.

You may snail mail your manuscript to:
The Editors
APR
1700 Sansom Street, Suite 800
Philadelphia, PA 19103

For further details, go to:
https://www.aprweb.org/about


Good luck to all who submit, please drop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

https://sites.google.com/site/rhpissue41/marian-haddad
Marian Haddad’s “In a Desert Courtyard”


https://sites.google.com/site/rhpissue41/ldt4
Larry Thomas’ “Sorrow”


Thanks for clicking in, please stop by tomorrow for more Open Submissions…

Misti Rainwater-Lites' Amethyst Miraculous

Misti Rainwater-Lites’ collection, Amethyst Miraculous, is bawdy, brash, and brassy. Published by Alternating Current's Propaganda Press, it’s like sneaking into a dirty movie when you’re 13 and knowing your parents will kill you if they find out. It’s a collection that may make some people blush and I’ve plucked out the tamer poems so as to avoid a necessary “parental discretion is advised” warning:


Tarot Spread Reveals
the tainted tuna will kill you

while you sleep
dreaming of horny mermaids

the empty pocket blues
will lead you to Thailand
and food you cannot pronounce

your uncle is thinking
of hitting you up for a loan

your grandma is thinking
of stealing your motorcycle

your mama is thinking of
running off to Vancouver

your boyfriend is thinking
of another chick’s ass

your dolphin won’t stay
in your pool forever

a hot bubble bath
can only help
your situation


Really, I just love the little bits about the family members and boyfriend because I find them hilarious. I would love a tarot reading like this, I might actually attempt one if I can get readings such as the ones above. Also, what woman wouldn’t want to soak in a hot bubble bath after all those readings?



Fortune Fish Flopping

I read his ex-girlfriend’s blog for company,
some kind of pathetic commiseration.
I only met the chick once.
I’m better looking but she’s better
at functioning in Big Girl World.
And her hair is obedient.
That’s always a killer.

I look for signs in the Western Sky.
All I see are birds flying into candy melt sun.
The clouds give no clues. They mock me
for being stuck in cow pasture
with Pink on the radio.
I don’t care for Pink.

The red fortune fish flops
in my palm.
This means he is thinking about me
but isn’t going to do anything about it.
Meanwhile the pizza rolls are burning
and the cockroaches
need killing.

I like this poem because it’s like viewing a stream-of-consciousness web of thought. As the poet describes “his ex-girlfriend” we find out at the bottom that she has forgotten the pizza rolls and that there is an infestation of cockroaches jolting her back to reality. It’s like any daily moment we are staring off into space thinking and then the external world comes rushing in.


To purchase a copy of Amethyst Miraculous by Misti Rainwater-Lites for yourself, visit the Propaganda Press link below, where for $5.00 (not including shipping and handling) you can have a copy for yourself:
http://alt-current.com/pp/pp_item.html#amethyst_miraculous


Thanks always for reading, please click in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…

Seven Kitchens Press Blog

This small press is churning out beautiful chapbooks and generating news below:

http://sevenkitchenspress.wordpress.com/

Also, check out March 31st’s entry at Fiddler Crab Review where they interview Ron Mohring, the editor at Seven Kitchens Press about the work he does by going here:

http://fiddlercrabreview.blogspot.com/

Thanks for clicking in, please stop by tomorrow for another featured poet…

Poetry Tips: Good Luck or Bad Luck

For me, Friday the 13th is always filled with good luck but many people are superstitious and believe Friday the 13th to be bad luck. Which group do you fall in? This week is all about “luck.”

For inspiration and insight, check out:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/friday_the_13th.htm

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/


Have fun and please drop in again next week…

Sugar House Review Open Submissions

Open year round, thank goodness, but please only send once or twice during an entire year’s time. You may send up to 5 poems up to 15 pages in total length, via e-mail. You must include a short bio, 1-4 sentences, and include your contact information.

Check out the editors’ bios on the website to get an idea of the style of writer’s bios they are looking for. Please also try to read some samples of what they publish:

http://sugarhousereview.com/submit.html

Once you’ve read through the submissions page and looked over the editor’s bios and some sample poems and you are convinced your poems fit their aesthetic, send an e-mail to:

editorsATsugarhousereviewDOTcom
**Be sure to put your last name and the word “submission” in the subject line, and while your bio can be copy-and-pasted to the e-mail, do attach your poems as a word document or an rtf.

Good luck to all of you who submit, pleast stop in tomorrow for more Poetry Tips…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://blossombones.com/winter_spring2011/tracey_ws2011.html
“This Paper Landscape” by Sara Tracey

http://www.lapetitezine.org/issue_26/megan_pugh_youll_look_sweller.htm
“You’ll Look Sweller” by Megan Pugh


Thanks for clicking in, please drop by tomorrow for more Open Submissions…