Author Spotlight
Zachary, I’m sorry…
I found a copy of Zachary Schomburg‘s The Man Suit at a used bookstore a couple of weeks ago.
First, this should be evidence that Seattle has really amazing used book stores. The copy was originally purchased at Open Books, an all-poetry bookstore. (How Open Books manages to stay in business selling nothing but poetry to an increasingly disinterested-in-poetry audience* remains a mystery to me, but I love that they exist.) I tend to walk by the poetry sections of used bookstores because, really, I have The Spoon River Anthology already and don’t need another copy. But this little store—Ophelia’s Books in Fremont—had a book I’ve been thinking of purchasing anyway.
Second, who the heck sold The Man Suit? It’s really good—full of surreal images and dream logic
Here’s an image that stuck with me: a voicebox—removed from its throat—still full of words. A person can pick up said word-filled voicebox, and blow through it to hear what was left unsaid when the voicebox belonged to a body.
I am fairly certain that some time in the future, I will forget that I read about this voicebox in The Man Suit by Zachary Schomburg, and I will use it in a story, thinking I came up with it. I’m sorry, Zachary. Eventually I will remember, and then I will feel bad for stealing from you.
(This has happened before. I have an as-yet-unpublished story that features a character named Boy. I stole this from a Peter Markus piece I read on elimae. I thought it had been my idea. There are other examples.)
(Actually, I wonder if this post will serve to stop this from happening. If it will immunize me from the Schomburg voicebox image that could some day infect my writing.)
Is this a bad thing? I’m not sure it is a great crime for artists to steal from one another in this way. Art bubbles up from a subconscious place, and it shouldn’t shock anyone that the things that bubble up are dropped into the stew of the subconscious mind by other artists.
Are you familiar with the concept of sperm trains? Some animals create sperm cells that hook themselves onto one another. They drag one another toward their goal. And move faster. The voicebox, I’m pretty sure, will one day find another idea hooking itself onto it, and they will both swim out onto a page of my writing.
(There’s an image for you: my pages of fiction are covered in sperm.)
Because I feel bad that I will steal from you, Mr. Schomburg, I would like to at least pay you the royalty you should’ve gotten for the book I purchased used. If you would like, I don’t know, five dollars, you should write to me at giantblinditems at gmail dot com.
Please use the comments section of this post to cop to things you have stolen.
Tags: The Man Suit, Theft, Voiceboxes, Zachary Schomburg
Matthew,
I share your sense of amazement. I was given a copy of The Man Suit from Zachary himself after he moved to Portland. I immediately fell in love with it and have declared Mr. Schomburg my “favorite poet in Portland.” Since that time, I have even hung out with this great man (and his great lady). I have eaten breakfast with him twice. Jealous?
Matthew,
I share your sense of amazement. I was given a copy of The Man Suit from Zachary himself after he moved to Portland. I immediately fell in love with it and have declared Mr. Schomburg my “favorite poet in Portland.” Since that time, I have even hung out with this great man (and his great lady). I have eaten breakfast with him twice. Jealous?
yay. I need me a copy of that book. I have one from the public library and it is overdue. I was impressed that it existed in the public library.
yay. I need me a copy of that book. I have one from the public library and it is overdue. I was impressed that it existed in the public library.
Sperm Trails! You stole that from my interview with Ryan Manning!! (see interview on Thunk) Or maybe you stole it from Radio Lab? (which is where I stole it from.)
Sperm Trails! You stole that from my interview with Ryan Manning!! (see interview on Thunk) Or maybe you stole it from Radio Lab? (which is where I stole it from.)
i miss portland. sad beauty that city has.
uhm i’ve stolen cars before. does that count?
i miss portland. sad beauty that city has.
uhm i’ve stolen cars before. does that count?
Ntice how I have done my best too hide my theft by mislabeling them “sperm trains,” Catherine?
RadioLab and you. Yes. See? See how I am?
I am jealous, Kevin. Please tell him I will send him cash.
Ntice how I have done my best too hide my theft by mislabeling them “sperm trains,” Catherine?
RadioLab and you. Yes. See? See how I am?
I am jealous, Kevin. Please tell him I will send him cash.
We started selling The Man Suit in August (at Powell’s…a year after it was published) and we have sold about 40 copies since then. Pretty good numbers for just one store.
We started selling The Man Suit in August (at Powell’s…a year after it was published) and we have sold about 40 copies since then. Pretty good numbers for just one store.
Amazing numbers, really.
Okay, so this is, like, seven comments. Only 207 to go, people!
Amazing numbers, really.
Okay, so this is, like, seven comments. Only 207 to go, people!
you cannot compete with my comment dominance.
does powell’s still buy old books? that was my saturday activity growing up. bring in all my books, buy one sweet advanced dungeons and dragons guide.
book hustle.
you cannot compete with my comment dominance.
does powell’s still buy old books? that was my saturday activity growing up. bring in all my books, buy one sweet advanced dungeons and dragons guide.
book hustle.
i stole a car too. it was fun.
i stole a car too. it was fun.
sam,
i think we are both being dismissed. i think i am being dismissed more than you though.
it is okay. they can all suck a fat kitty titty.
this is why the comment number in this post is low.
sam,
i think we are both being dismissed. i think i am being dismissed more than you though.
it is okay. they can all suck a fat kitty titty.
this is why the comment number in this post is low.
oh, i’m getting to you, jereme. apparently, they have forsaken the gnome in the new edition. i am not sure what to make of that. also, i was hit by a car. were you the one driving?
my comment number is low because barry and pr are not flirting in this comment section. and it eats me up inside.
powells is still buying. a couple of years ago, they sent a bunch of buyers up to seattle to poach our city’s used books. they set up right across from the store where i work. it was a shockingly successful operation. lines around the block. seriously.
oh, i’m getting to you, jereme. apparently, they have forsaken the gnome in the new edition. i am not sure what to make of that. also, i was hit by a car. were you the one driving?
my comment number is low because barry and pr are not flirting in this comment section. and it eats me up inside.
powells is still buying. a couple of years ago, they sent a bunch of buyers up to seattle to poach our city’s used books. they set up right across from the store where i work. it was a shockingly successful operation. lines around the block. seriously.
this post is righteous
i would name people i steal from constantly but there are probably too many
william gass, brian evenson, sean kilpatrick, burroughs, sam pink, barry hannah, my mother, heather, my sister’s dog, lynch, steve erickson
i steal from everything i am a son a fuck
this post is righteous
i would name people i steal from constantly but there are probably too many
william gass, brian evenson, sean kilpatrick, burroughs, sam pink, barry hannah, my mother, heather, my sister’s dog, lynch, steve erickson
i steal from everything i am a son a fuck
i think i mainly steal by mixing pig destroyer lyrics with what my roommate says while i am listening to him talk in his sleep.
i think i mainly steal by mixing pig destroyer lyrics with what my roommate says while i am listening to him talk in his sleep.
Matthew,
I feel better about my existence now. Thank you.
pr wants my baby. she told me. she said barry is too simple. she wants a real man.
sorry barry but fuck you.
every one steals in all artistic forms. we do not live in a vaccuum. you breathe/you live. you experience/ you are influenced.
tao lin obviously stole from miranda july.
brandon gorrell obviously stole from tao lin.
bukowski obviously stole from fante.
same with movies and art and whatever.
i don’t think it’s a bad concept.
some times the person stealing is better than the original.
Matthew,
I feel better about my existence now. Thank you.
pr wants my baby. she told me. she said barry is too simple. she wants a real man.
sorry barry but fuck you.
every one steals in all artistic forms. we do not live in a vaccuum. you breathe/you live. you experience/ you are influenced.
tao lin obviously stole from miranda july.
brandon gorrell obviously stole from tao lin.
bukowski obviously stole from fante.
same with movies and art and whatever.
i don’t think it’s a bad concept.
some times the person stealing is better than the original.
I miss you guys!!! i miss barry. My husband is going to divorce me because i am in love with the boys of htmlgiant. what´s wrong with me?- help.
I have used the words of pj harvey, aimee mann, paul westerburg in a few recent stories of mine. I steal all the time. i keep trying to use lickety split lickety split- or maybe i did –from tar baby by toni morrison. licket split lickety split. how great is that?
I stole a stick of -as opposed to the bottle of liquid variety–Coty perfume from a kmart when i was 12. I stole weed once from a nice guy when i was 15- i still feel bad about it. he was smoking with me, why steal? (Cause he had so dam much of it- i couldn´t help myself)i cant find the question mark- oh wait i just did.
jereme- i smoked a really lovely cigar and thought of you. mundo puro las terrenas- bought it right from where they roll it. it was so sweet and moist and fresh- sort of like parts of me. good lord. sorry bout that. i also drank a bottle of barcelo imperial and right now my head feels like it isn´t on my body due to a weird hangover thing.
i took a moto concho ride back from town and we passed a man walking down the street holding the head a cow by the neck part. we passed lots of things, but that thing stuck out.
i´ve been with notebooks and books – this is my first moment at the computer. i almost came here before i checked my flippin email.
I miss you guys!!! i miss barry. My husband is going to divorce me because i am in love with the boys of htmlgiant. what´s wrong with me?- help.
I have used the words of pj harvey, aimee mann, paul westerburg in a few recent stories of mine. I steal all the time. i keep trying to use lickety split lickety split- or maybe i did –from tar baby by toni morrison. licket split lickety split. how great is that?
I stole a stick of -as opposed to the bottle of liquid variety–Coty perfume from a kmart when i was 12. I stole weed once from a nice guy when i was 15- i still feel bad about it. he was smoking with me, why steal? (Cause he had so dam much of it- i couldn´t help myself)i cant find the question mark- oh wait i just did.
jereme- i smoked a really lovely cigar and thought of you. mundo puro las terrenas- bought it right from where they roll it. it was so sweet and moist and fresh- sort of like parts of me. good lord. sorry bout that. i also drank a bottle of barcelo imperial and right now my head feels like it isn´t on my body due to a weird hangover thing.
i took a moto concho ride back from town and we passed a man walking down the street holding the head a cow by the neck part. we passed lots of things, but that thing stuck out.
i´ve been with notebooks and books – this is my first moment at the computer. i almost came here before i checked my flippin email.
I think PR should be nominated as the official HTML GIANT groupie/cool chick or something. I don’t know. She supprots. You other bitches don’t.
pr,
do you know what a puro is? I’ll explain since you probably won’t see this for a while.
A ‘puro’ is a cigar made entirely of tobacco from a single country. The binder, filler, wrapper in that cigar are from the DR. PR in the fucking DR.
Anyways, the only countries able to achieve a marketable puro cigar are Cuba and Nicaragua (the Padron family in Nic).
Cigars smoked freshly rolled taste completely different than aged. I am salivating thinking about it. You suck.
If you bring any freshly rolled back, do not smoke them for a few months. The ammonia content in them is going to skyrocket during the initial mellowing of the tobacco.
Have fun kid.
I think PR should be nominated as the official HTML GIANT groupie/cool chick or something. I don’t know. She supprots. You other bitches don’t.
pr,
do you know what a puro is? I’ll explain since you probably won’t see this for a while.
A ‘puro’ is a cigar made entirely of tobacco from a single country. The binder, filler, wrapper in that cigar are from the DR. PR in the fucking DR.
Anyways, the only countries able to achieve a marketable puro cigar are Cuba and Nicaragua (the Padron family in Nic).
Cigars smoked freshly rolled taste completely different than aged. I am salivating thinking about it. You suck.
If you bring any freshly rolled back, do not smoke them for a few months. The ammonia content in them is going to skyrocket during the initial mellowing of the tobacco.
Have fun kid.
You give me a good idea, I think: sell/scatter all my copies of the Suit to cool used book stores around the country. Yes, yes. That is what I will do today.
Also: things I have stolen: gum, stickers, text books (Math, I think, but never ever anything literary–I just wouldn’t be able to enjoy it), a brownie.
You give me a good idea, I think: sell/scatter all my copies of the Suit to cool used book stores around the country. Yes, yes. That is what I will do today.
Also: things I have stolen: gum, stickers, text books (Math, I think, but never ever anything literary–I just wouldn’t be able to enjoy it), a brownie.
Zachary,
Your five dollar bill will be in the mail tonight.
Hey, htmlgiant needs stickers!
(There you are, pr.)
Zachary,
Your five dollar bill will be in the mail tonight.
Hey, htmlgiant needs stickers!
(There you are, pr.)
plagiarism is good. all language is communal.
plagiarism is good. all language is communal.