Rummaging In The Attic is a collection of poetry by Constance Stadler, produced by Differentia Press in 2010. (Read It Online Here)
Constance Stadler takes us through a mindscape, the attic housing of the seemingly disparate in context and chronology, at times rendered mute and others- in the words of Rich Follett- buoyant, ebullient. The attic holds hope in the face of gracious resignation, the poet both grieves and reaches. Continue reading
Noise Difficulty Flower, produced for download by Argotist Ebooks, written by J.D. Nelson. Discussed For Full Of Crow by Elynn Alexander.
Who knows how long I have been interested in J.D. Nelson’s work, or how I first came across it. As a prolific poet, widely published, one is bound to run into him somewhere, in the usual places. But J.D. Nelson is not the “usual”. What he does is a different kind of poetry. You are amused, challenged, entertained, and you will be transported back to whatever it was that made you love the things you loved before life made the argument for “maturity”. Nelson is playful, but twisted. That said, Nelson doesn’t shy away from serious things, he just presents them right alongside. His poetry is a liberated strange. Continue reading
“Voices” by Kyle Muntz, published by Enigmatic Ink, reviewed for Full Of Crow by Lynn Alexander.
“I held my breath, adrift beneath the surface of an immense ocean, mirroring the sky, as all creation mirrors the external, hiding, by means of reflection, its secret of the internal, the silent and true.”
“I spoke to myself with many voices, and dampened my voice on speaking. I had no concept of loneliness.
Galaxies of color accented a fluctuating, formless
kind of vision.” (p. 96)
“No Asylum”, by Nicholas Karavatos, published by Amendment Nine, Arcata, California.
No Asylum is Karavatos’ first full length collection, and he recently wrapped up a book tour in the U.S. on the west coast. He has now returned to Dubai, where he teaches literature and writing at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
I started the book after hearing him read from No Asylum in Sausalito at Studio 333, and at Priya in Berkeley where I felt truly honored to share the “stage”. Karavatos is a strong reader, respected as one of California’s own despite his time at Sharjah and Muscat, his events recommended by an appreciative local poetry community. I read most of it in one sitting, without interruption, despite the length- and I am glad that I read it that way. The poems stand on their own and many have been published previously (West Wind Review, Portland Review, Minotaur, Red Fez, Thieves Jargon, and more) but there is a sense of cohesion in the way that he has organized them and thematic relationships emerge in the experience of them read together.
Karavatos begins with the ticking of descending elements: social to intimate, then up through ascending years. Before you can jump in, you have to consider why Karavatos chose to begin this way- my sense is that he is establishing the pattern, establishing the parameters of the lens, changing scale. Scale is an important element because it is often easier to understand power and the dynamics of coerced consciousness in terms of individuals as compared to the individual in societal context. Think about the difference between a year and a lifetime, or two people in a relationship as compared to two nations at war, both fraught with their complexities but with scale we can focus more on interplay, absent the distractions of perceived scope. He will return to years again at the end- this, the first of many places in “No Asylum” where we see layers shifting along co-occuring grades, coupled yet distinct, as David Meltzer states: “…sharp voiced political poetry in tandem with astute and tender love lyrics.”
Meltzer’s characterization proves helpful for the reader who second guesses this recognition as there is subtlety to this achievement, seamless but later, unmistakable.
Your niche is a door to God
My qibla vulva (“The al-Masjid Code”)
In the first poem, “Rapunzel Akbar”, the speaker finds himself considering Kabul via media reporting. It is the land of social control, often described with that eye for contrast that seeks to divide people into “enemy others” compared to the free United States: “jail for lewdly selling ice cream to girls”. (11) This is the new mandate of the media, supporting distinctions. And of course, supporting the State. Continue reading
Hosho McCreesh: Glowing, Smoldering, Like Some Far-Off Derelict Fire… an eChap produced by Right Hand Pointing, available now. Reviewed by Lynn Alexander.
Hosho McCreesh appeared recently on the Crow Poetry Hour (link to August 13 show) and I had an opportunity to not only hear him read, but also discuss some of his work and views on a few small press topics. You can hear the discussion in the Crow Radio archives, which will be linked additionally on our Audio Page. Continue reading
“Versus”, R.M. Engelhardt
Pushing verses
Past their limits
R.M. Engelhardt acknowledges that there is a difference between the passive participant and those who live a passion-driven life, but can often be seen in “Versus” wondering if there is a difference in the end. Passion clearly perpetuates the creative imperative, manifest in poets like Engelhardt as non-negotiable, but to what end? There comes a time in the life of the poet where this question has to be dealt with. It is one thing to accept the terms of “the muse”. It is another to toil in the direction of some outcome, some goal. What, beyond that yielding and succumbing, is the poet desirous of? Fame, significance, appreciation, relevance? Continue reading
The Gathered Bones, Poetry by Michael Mc Aloran, Calliope Nerve Media.
This review is special to us at Full Of Crow because of the loss of the publisher -our friend, Matthew Evelsizer AKA Nobius Black.
“Michael McAloran sets inner demons to words. He is an artist of sense, a tamer of Muse.” — Nobius Black.
The Gathered Bones represents the latest collection of poetry by the prolific Michael Mc Aloran in ongoing partnership with Calliope Nerve Media- where Mc Aloran is hardly a stranger.
It opens with the following quote by Georges Bataille: “He who is damned bites at the sky…” Continue reading
Healing, Optimism, And Polarization: A Collection Of Political Poetry Musings By Jennifer C. Wolfe, published by Blaze VOX Books. Reviewed for Crow Reviews by Lynn Alexander.
Jennifer C. Wolfe has put together a collection of poetry that explores the political mindscape of America on the cusp of the post-Bush age. There’s no doubt that we, in America, had high hopes for change with the election of President Obama- many of us want so badly to see change on so many levels and we have come to recognize that we need a certain kind of inspiring leadership to get there. Even the cynical and disenfranchised by choice share a strong sense that there has to be a change in course because what we have been doing has not been working and is now dangerously unsustainable. Is Obama the change? Who knows. At the time of writing these poems it is certainly too soon to tell.
Hope, optimism, unity…these are difficult ideas to tackle, because the diversity that makes us strong is also the diversity that fosters pluralist animosity that renders reconciliation so elusive. Wolfe aims to touch on the dynamics of competing interests, and the nature of polarization in a society where groups tend to compete before they cooperate on mutual goals and opportunities and where divisive strategies seem to rally citizens and garner support and even rouse the apathetic. Can we heal? Can we come together, find common ground? Is it absurd to hope for change, are we that far gone? Continue reading
“Dark Card”, Poetry by Rebecca Foust, reviewed by Lynn Alexander.
I’ve figured out that difference pays freight
when linked with intelligence; genius trumps odd,
alchemizes bizarre into merely eccentric. (Dark Card)
Rebecca Foust is a delightful new discovery for me. Foust has this ability to write beautiful, poignant things without coming across as excessively sentimental or descriptively redundant-not that most would mind if she did given her subjects. These poems have a graceful intelligence, and hers is a subtle wit. That Rebecca Foust is an award winning poet comes as no surprise.
In “Dark Card”, Foust has written a volume of poetry that explores the experiences of a mother raising a special needs child, with Asperger(‘s) Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that can present as a cluster of behavioral challenges including difficulties with socialization and connection, repetitive behaviors, and a narrow range of interests. Continue reading
“Cellos et Ghosts” by AJ Kaufmann, reviewed by Paul Corman-Roberts.
A.J. Kaufmann has demonstrated more than a passing familiarity with Surrealistic and experimental techniques as a sharpshooting member of Bill Shute’s KSE posse. Small, mimeo-style publications such as Siva in Rags; AntiqueWhite Rain; and Symbolisme Psychedelique are wonderful, loopy head trips of sound and thought-play; a savvy addition to Shute’s varied and informed gallery of word-wrights. Continue reading
