Sandra Doller, EXPLAIN YOURSELF!
If you want to see a poem that excels based on its sound meaning, here’s one below the fold, from the just released IE Reader: READ MORE >
Blake Butler—
Dennis Cooper has posted his 1998 interview with Brad Renfro, where he uses his DC powers to get the kid talking about satanism, Stryper, punk, and other. He also drops the title of his next forthcoming book, a collection of nonfiction, Smothered in Hugs: Essays, Interviews, Feedback, Obituaries, forthcoming July 2010 from Harper Perennial.
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Tyrant 7 Tyrant Books Throwdown + Baby Leg
If you are in New York and miss this, you’re nuts: This Saturday (November 21st) starting at 9:00 at Fontana’s Bar (Eldridge between Broome and Grand), a party for the new 7th issue of New York Tyrant, as well as the release of the first edition in Tyrant Books, a limited edition hardback book called Baby Leg, by the master Brian Evenson. Hardback, linen cover with bronze emboss and Brian has also dipped his hands in blood and fingerprinted the covers.
If that wasn’t enough, there is an open Bar (tequila and beer), plus two bands (Doppelganger and Dead Sparrows).
We (still) Want Your Literary Tattoos!
Dan, Brighton England - text from Neuromancer by William Gibson
Some of you may remember that back in July, I posted a call for submissions to a book of photographs of literary tattoos. The book, The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide (edited by Eva Talmadge & Justin Taylor) has since become a reality, and will be published by Harper Perennial, probably next fall. Why am I telling you this? Because even though we have received hundreds of delightful and sometimes insane submissions, we are still collecting through the end of 2009, and we want you to be in our book. The process is very simple: (1) have a literary tattoo; (2) take a clear, focused, high-res photograph of that tattoo; (3) email that photograph as a jpeg attachment to tattoolit[at]gmail[dot]com, along with a paragraph or so talking about the tattoo and/or the literary work that inspired it, plus as much or as little personal data (name, location, etc.) as you feel like sharing (but even if you stay anon., please please give credit to your tattooist & their shop!). That’s all there is to it. Unless of course you don’t have a literary tattoo yet, in which case simply insert “get a literary tattoo” as (1), re-number the rest of the list accordingly, and proceed. And if you do get a literary tattoo just for the purpose of being in this book, make sure you mention that in your note. It will light us right up. Also, process pics! We’ve seen a few of these and they are great.
For more details about image resolution and tech stuff (if the file isn’t usable, it doesn’t matter how rad your ink is) have a look at our original call for subs, or just email us with your questions. (A lot of people wonder if their tattoo “counts” as literary–the answer is usually yes, so just ask.) And please feel free (encouraged!) to link to, re-blog, and fwd along this post to any person or online community you think might be interested. We want to make the best, fattest, wildest book that we possibly can. Thanks, and cheers.
Reading Alfred Jarry’s The Supermale, I came across this reference to a Roman Empress named Valeria Messalina who once won a contest for copulating with 25 men in one night
"Messalina Returning" by Aubrey Beardsley
from Juvenal’s Satire VI
(circa late 1st or early 2nd century A.D.)
Then consider the God’s rivals, hear what Claudius
had to put up with. The minute she heard him snoring
his wife – that whore-empress – who dared to prefer the mattress
of a stews to her couch in the Palace, called for her hooded
night-cloak and hastened forth, with a single attendant.
Then, her black hair hidden under an ash-blonde wig,
she’d make straight for her brothel, with its stale, warm coverlets,
and her empty reserved cell. Here, naked, with gilded
nipples, she plied her trade, under the name of ‘The Wolf-Girl’,
parading the belly that once housed a prince of the blood.
She would greet each client sweetly, demand cash payment,
and absorb all their battering – without ever getting up.
Too soon the brothel-keeper dismissed his girls:
she stayed right till the end, always last to go,
then trailed away sadly, still with burning, rigid vulva,
exhausted by men, yet a long way from satisfied,
cheeks grimed with lamp-smoke, filthy, carrying home
to her Imperial couch the stink of the whorehouse.— translated by Peter Green
From Kim Chinquee’s Facebook feed:
Beginning with the January 2010 issue, noted writer and teacher Kim Chinquee will be editor for fiction and creative nonfiction at elimae. Writers should make their submissions in those fields to Kim beginning on November 30 at kimchinquee (at) gmail (dot) com. Cooper Renner will remain editor for poetry, literary essays and reviews, and interviews. Welcome to Kim!
Blake Butler—
Mark Baumer is doing a Brown MFA tumblr about his times at Brown. It’s pretty funny. Like this:
Amy McDaniel—
When Picasso tried his hand at poetry, Gertrude Stein was livid! She said something like, “Things belong to people, and writing belongs to me.” Do you share this proprietary feeling about writing, or anything else you do or like? What belongs to you and not your friends/family? If you say the Simpsons or Bob Dylan you’re an a-one moron.
Blake Butler—
New Brian Evenson story “Windeye” (which he read this year at &Now) is available in the new Pen America, both in print and online. It’s a killer, as usual.