Pax Ravenna

Ravenna Press announces a new series: the Ravenna Triples.

2012-01-27T08:49:00.000-08:00

The editors at Ravenna have become very interested in the longer form – material too extensive for a magazine or journal submission but not quite long enough to fill a complete book – so have devised the Ravenna Triples: full-size volumes, each containing three substantial clusters of work by some of our favorite writers. To launch the project we will publish this summer, all at once, the first three books in the series:

Triple #1, with fiction by Brandon Hobson, poetry by Alek Lindus, drawings plus a graphic novella by Cooper Renner.

Triple #2, with poetry by M Sarki, Harold Bowes, Kathryn Rantala

Triple #3, with fiction by Kim Chinquee, Daryl Scroggins, Holly Tavel

This is a prime chance to collect a substantial work by a writer you know and at the same time introduce yourself to two other writers you may not yet have discovered.

Look for these three books this summer and subsequent numbers in the series as they develop. Each will be available from independent bookstores and from our website, individually or as multiples.

re: "Into the Rumored Spring" by Joannie Stangeland

2012-01-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

Blogger Randall Radic rhapsodizes about Joannie Stangeland's "unfettered imagination", singling out two Intermezzo's from her Ravenna collection "Into the Rumored Spring":

He brings her stories
from across the gray lake.
He brings her the wind,
the smell of outside creased in his coat.

(and)

Between the night
and the roof,
the sound of little creatures,
their small feet
tap, tapping
staccato revelry,
Oh, no –
it’s just the rain.

re: Alba

2012-01-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

Another fine issue has posted at Harold Bose's magazine, Alba. Click on the link to see Chapter 23, featuring these writers:

Don Russ, Howie Good, David Mohan, Matt Dennison, Neil Ellman, Brian Beatty, Tim Kindberg, Askold Skalsky, Neil Leadbeater, Robert Frazier, Garrin Riggin, Chelsea Rebekah Grimmer.

An example:

Garrin Riggin

Carnival
She stood alone in

the gasoline growl of

the Loop-o-plane's

musky breeze.

The last of summer,

speeding its pinks

and purples over the

edge of the world.

Down behind the

ring toss;

down behind the

Tilt-a-whirl and

the black trees.

Chapter 17 of The Anemone Sidecar

2012-01-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

We have more than ten inches of snow on the South Hill bench above Spokane (the image is a sphinx, not a dog, don't worry)...

...but The Anemone Sidecar has still gotten through! Follow the link to another fine issue with these able contributors:

Joel Allegretti, Darren C. Demaree, George J. Farrah, Brian Hardie, Mary-Catherine Jones, Dustin Junkert, Tim Kercher, Sandra Ketcham, Adam Neikirk, Diana Pollin, Juan Carlos Reyes, Ron Singer, Caitlin Thomson and Bill Wolak.

re: Snow Monkey

2012-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of Snow Monkey, edited by John Burgess, has been published. Starting the new year with five new poems from regular contributor Simon Perchik.

(logo by the late Linda Curtis)

re: "Erik Satie Watusies His Way Into Sound" by Jeff Alessandrelli

2011-12-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

A new and entertaining, to say nothing of enlightening, interview with Jeff Alessandrelli by Weston Cutter at Corduroy Books regarding his "Erik Satie Watusies His Way Into Sound" (buy the book here.)

A New Ravenna Project for 2012

2011-12-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

We will be announcing in the first quarter 2012 a new and interesting publishing project. But in the meantime, the nice people at Vouched Books have given a nod in their December 1 blog posting to a poem by Harold Bowes posted originally at elimae. See the post below, see the poem at elimae, see the poem again in the upcoming 2012 project (watch this space!)

Lately it’s been impossible for me to not think about travelling, even though I’m not going anywhere for a few weeks. Getting a letter seems like the nextbest thing to leaving town, but Harold Bowes’ poem/letter Letter With A Poem Attached/Email with a Poem Attached is the best thing.

Maybe it’s an air pocket, I don’t know
When you pull the sheet up over your body
The moment before it alights
On each toe
During the earthquake a few tiles fell

Read the rest at Elimae.

re: "A Heron in Buenos Aires" by Luis Benitez

2011-12-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

Big thanks to the folks at Galatea Resurrects for posting a fine and thorough review by Scottish poet and critic Neil Leadbetter of Luis Benitez's "A Heron in Buenos Aires." Find the book at ravennapress.com/books.

Seconds ticking by...

2011-12-21T14:21:00.000-08:00

...until the last day (December 31) to submit your entry to the Cathlamet Prize for Poetry. Andrew Rantala, striding the stage like a behemoth, is awaiting your work!

re: "Magnificent Mistakes" by Eric Bosse

2011-12-21T14:17:00.000-08:00

A very fine nod to Eric Bosse's "Magnificent Mistakes" from Jim Ruland in the San Diego City Beat: Bosse’s debut collection alternates between traditional short stories and shorter works of flash fiction, setting up a hard-hitting series of one-two combinations. Writing in the realist mode, he puts his characters in situations where they’re forced to confront their flaws; the degree to which they’re willing to accept that these shortcoming make them who they are determines their capacity to find what they’re searching for. Make no mistake, these are high-stakes fictions, but what I find most admirable is the way Bosse finishes: He really knows how to stick the ending. I felt each story’s finality all the way down to my bones.

re: "Into the Rumored Spring," by Joannie Stangeland

2011-12-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

See the interview of our poet author Joannie Stangeland at Women's Quarterly Conversation. And then go to ravennapress.com/books and pick up a copy of this fine collection.

re: "Magnificent Mistakes," by Eric Bosse

2011-12-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

It's been a very public couple of months at Ravenna! Eric Bosse's book, Magnificent Mistakes, is a Featured Book at the University of Montana Creative Writing Program web blog.

The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2011-12-14T09:56:00.000-08:00

Just days remaining--send in your poetry chap by the end of the month.

re: "when the dust finally settles," by Kat Meads

2011-12-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

Follow the link to a very fine review of Kat's book at the Greensboro News and Record. "when the dust finally settles" has also been picked up by at least one book club, which is great! Pick up a copy for yourself at ravennapress.com/books.

re: "Erik Satie Watusies His Way Into Sound" by Jeff Alessandrelli

2011-12-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

We're happy to see that a poem from this interesting and sympathetic collection appeared on Verse Daily. Click on the link for a look, then watusi over to ravennapress.com/books to pick up a copy.

re: "A Heron in Buenos Aires" by Luis Benitez

2011-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

The British web magazine Pulsar Poetry Magazine has reviewed Luis' collection of poems in its December issue. It is a fine review, ending with "The poems require thought and time. But this is what poetry should do - open a window to the cosmos. After all this is where we all live. Review by: John Plevin." (Click on "Pulsar" for the link, go to ravennapress.com/books to purchase.)

"The River Within," by Ann Taylor

2011-12-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

Announcing the release of "The River Within," Ravenna's latest poetry title, by Ann Taylor of Massachusetts, recording "her surprise at the natural world and her own surprising responses to nature's enduring harmonies." (quote by Parkman Howe, Poetry Editor of Appalachia)

"Enriched with felt experience, classical knowledge and fidelity to a shared literary heritage, the poems in The River Within are page after page of pure pleasure" (Joan Houlihan)

Cleopatra’s Conquest

"Where’s the bronze donkey bearing
baskets of fresh olives, and the sturgeon
delivered by slaves fingering flutes?

Where are the flamingo tongues,
ostrich heads, milk-fattened snails,
hares winged like Pegasus?"

Mark Antony mocked, nibbling
the plain pancake, chicken leg,
dessert fig placed before him.

"And where the other twenty-one courses,
the jesters, jugglers, revolving ceiling,
the sprinkler’s subtle perfume?"

"Call me the Queen of Plenty," she replied,
announcing her aim to devour
the most lavish meal ever all by herself.

She removed her huge pearl earring,
the largest in history, a king's treasure,
richer than all Roman banquets combined,

dropped it into her cup of wine vinegar,
and as it sizzled
drank it.

Cathlamet Prize for 2012

2011-12-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to enter for the Second Annual Cathlamet Prize for Poetry. Contest ends December 31, 2011.

"Into the Rumored spring" by Joannie Stangeland

2011-11-15T15:13:00.000-08:00

Ravenna is celebrating publication of Joannie Stangeland's "Into the Rumored Spring," a fine collection of straight-forward, well-crafted poetry written for a friend with breast cancer. But we're celebrating in Spokane because it will snow 4-6" this weekend and make Snoqualmie Pass out of the question. This is a great book in itself to give or to keep, even more affecting because of the dominant subject. Joannie is donating her proceeds to SCCA, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

Hear Joannie read with John Burgess ("Graffito") at Open Books in Seattle on November 20th!

December!

2011-11-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

Coming right up to end one of our most productive years, two more fine books: Duane Ackerson's "Blinded by the Light Then the Dark," with the printer now; and very soon after, Patrick Lawler's "Trade World Center."

Happy winter everyone! Announcements for 2012 coming soon.

re: "The Year Book" by Hugh Fox

2011-11-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

A fine and comprehensive review by Patrick James Dunagan posted in New Pages of "The Year Book" by Hugh Fox whom, we are sad to say, we lost in September.

Please honor Hugh and his replete and luminous literary career by also reading Hugh's Wikipedia entry and the fine interview with Doug Holder from 2008.

re: "A Heron in Buenos Aires"

2011-10-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Purple Patch, a 35-year-old magazine in central England, named Luis Benitez's collection A Heron in Buenos Aires as one of the top poetry collections of 2011. We are proud that Ravenna is the only US publisher listed for the top ten winners--Good one, Luis!--and thanks to Cooper Renner for the great cover image.

Snow Monkey

2011-10-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

The newest issue of John Burgess' magazine Snow Monkey has posted, with work by Eric Martin, Edward Manzi and Jim Bertolino.

NEW: "Erik Satie Watusies His Way Into Sound" by Jeff Alessandrelli

2011-10-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

A poetical-musical event! We have just released "Erik Satie Watusies His Way Into Sound" by Jeff Alessandrelli, and it is all as fresh and interesting as the title would suggest. Take a look.

The Anemone Sidecar

2011-10-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

Chapter 16 has posted--a thing of beauty! Drop in, and while you're there go to the Books page to see the new titles in our Winter Catalog.

The Anemone Sidecar & The Cathlamet Prize

2011-10-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

Chapter 16 of The Anemone Sidecar is now in proofing and soon to post, featuring continued correspondence from our Cathlamet Correspondent, and work by these fine writers:

Alessandra Bava, Damian Caudill, Joel Chace, Rose Cook, Carl James Grindley, Kat Henrich,

Miriam N. Kotzin, Bruce McRae, Neila Mezynski, Yarrow Paisely, Robert Pino, William B. Robison, Graham Tugwell, Margaret Walther and John Sibley Williams.

Don't forget to submit your entry for The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry, closing December 31, 2011. See details here.

A Nice Review of Kat Mead's "when the dust finally settles"

2011-09-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a good review from the Read North Carolina Novels blog/University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill library that says quite a lot about the book. Take a look.

Cooper Renner: "A Death By the Sea"

2011-09-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

"The wolf hunts the butterfly." After American writer Cooper Renner hears these baffling words on a crowded street in Malta, his peaceful visit to the Mediterranean island becomes increasingly strange. Why does he begin to imagine he is seeing wolves everywhere? Hallucination or something more disturbing? Why does a group of elderly men, once involved in Malta's long-ago struggle for independence, suddenly take an interest in his whereabouts? When the U.S. embassy orders him into protective custody, the measure seems extreme -- until Renner learns that ancient Malta hides a mystical secret world he could never have imagined. "A Death by the Sea" is the fascinating new novel by the author of "Dr Jesus and Mr Dead." Excerpts have already appeared in the magazines "New York Tyrant," "Keyhole," "The Anemone Sidecar" and "Unscroll." A companion novel, "A Spurious Death in a Foreign Country," is scheduled for publication shortly.

Click here to see "A Death by the Sea"

Alba

2011-09-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

The September issue of Harold Bowes' magazine, Alba, has posted, featuring Duane Ackerson and containing the work of a fine and extensive list of contributors:

Michael Estabrook, Masha Udensiva-Brenner, Ron Czerwien,

Alexine Aschler, Tania Hershman, Ron Singer, Stuart Barnes,

Cathy Ackerson, Howie Good, Kristin George, Jay Passer,

Bill Neumire, Elise Filka, Andrea Witzke-Slot, Lucien Zell,

Brittney Corrigan, J.D. Smith, Jeffrey C Alfier, Kimberly Poitevin,

Aaron Poller, Wendy Taylor Carlisle, Vani Kannan, Alan Zhukovski.

Another fall release from Ravenna: "The Year Book" by one of the deans of American poetry, Hugh Fox

2011-08-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

A poem series that is quintessential Fox. Although The Year Book covers one year in Michigan, it is augmented by a rich cultural ambience that includes Chicago, Europe in his early twenties, his marriage to a Peruvian poet and yearly trips there, the pre-Columbian ruins in the Andes, his stints in Mexico, Brazil, Buenos Aires, and on from there....very strange, exotic, enriching. Real life, real time in universal cultural ambiences.

“Fox writes the way he talks: a rapid fire stream-of-consciousness, full of anecdotes....and arcane esoteric references from his seventy-five eclectic years,” (Doug Holder, 1/28/2007.)

“...Barriers don’t last long around Hugh Fox. He is the ultimate explorer of the self....Whitman, in Song of Myself, only grazes the surfaces that Fox penetrates.” (Eric Greinke, 2005.)

“The poetry of Hugh Fox suggests a sort of mythical exploration of experience, how a particular moment can serve as a coming together of the eternal—cross cultural and cross experiential....,” (from the essay “Hugh Fox—More Than a Poet,” by Mahlon Coop, 1996.)

New: "Magnificent MIstakes," by Eric Bosse

2011-08-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ravenna announcements a new fall release: Eric Bosse's "Magnificent Mistakes," a fine collection of short stories and flash fictions concerning the world we think we know as it shifts and turns otherworldly--with an equally fine cover by George Migash. Available for order now; ships in three weeks. Eric's first book is based on material which won the Merriam-FrontierAward for distinguished achievement in writing from the University of Montana. His published work has appeared in such notable journals as The Sun, Mississippi Review, Zoetrope, Exquisite Corpse, Night Train, Wigleaf, and The Collagist.

"Eric Bosse has somehow learned all our secrets, and now he's put them on display in Magnificent Mistakes. With this cheerfully mordant collection, he takes it all on—God, patricide, deviant sex, jugglers with nothing left to live for—and doesn't flinch once throughout. Not satisfied with being merely funny or incisive, though, Bosse also manages to conjure and illuminate a basic, abiding humanity, even as he catalogues his characters' many failings, regrets, and peccadilloes." Ron Currie Jr., author of God is Dead and Everything Matters!

"Readers will find these nineteen stories beautifully strange and evocative. Inhabited by oddballs, lovers, ghosts, and runaways, the world Bosse creates is full of the unexpected, of chance encounters, and the vast and moving struggles of misfiring hearts. A stunning collection."Kathy Fish, author of Together We Can Bury It and Wild Life

2nd Annual Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2011-08-15T20:35:00.000-07:00

Details have at last been posted for this year's contest--just follow the link. Judges this year are the Ravenna Press editors assisted by guest judge John Burgess. Send great work! Of any type as long as it is poetry. You know we are eclectic.

PS--the image on the poster is Grandfather Andrew Rantala in clerical garb, trying not to smile on the Astoria, Oregon theatrical stage. Last year's image was Grandmother Hilma. Don't wait, be sure to enter this year--it is a small family.

and also...

2011-08-13T16:03:00.000-07:00

...The Sunday Times (Tiempo) of Buenos Aires, in their "Cultura" section, ran the whole Introduction (by Carmen Vasco) to Luis Benitez's "A Heron in Buenos Aires" over two Sundays to announce the book. Very nice!

re: "A Heron in Buenos Aires"

2011-08-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

A nice interview with poet Luis Benitez, in the Chilean journal Sur y Sur, conducted by Alejandro Frias who also contributed an article to the Argentinian magazine MuchaMerd.

"End of the Firecult"

2011-08-07T11:39:00.000-07:00

A nice review by Matt Bell posted at The New Yinzer of Angela Woodward's fine book. Thanks, Matt!

The Planet Formerly Known as Earth

2011-08-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

The folks at The Planet Formerly Known As Earth have released their August line-up:
Laura LeHew
Ray Gonzalez
Jeff Grunthaner
bl pawelek
Stephanie Matson
Kyle Hemmings
Jordan Kapono Nakamura
Peter William Stein

"The Nothing That Is" by John Olson

2011-08-03T17:06:00.001-07:00

A very fine review by Andrew Bleeker in the current American Book Review of Ravenna's "The Nothing That Is" by John Olson, noting, among other things: "an ending so perfectly in tune with what came before that its very humility seems virtuosic" and "a short book resplendent with space and time, strange enough to point at new possibilities and grounded enough to recognize where it comes from." To celebrate we'll refund $3 on each web purchase.

The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2011-07-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

To coincide with the publication of "The River Within," by Ann Taylor, the winner of the inaugural Cathlamet Prize for Poetry, in August we will announce the second annual contest for The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry, judged this year by the press editors. Details to follow here and on the Ravenna Press Facebook page.

Book News

2011-07-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

The recent Book Release Party for John Burgess and his "Graffito" was lively and well attended, and books flew off the table, surpassing even the informal goal for the evening. John and Raul Sanchez read from the book. Among the large crowd attending was novelist-turned-Foodie Marc Kipniss, as well as Seattle poet Don Kentop, and a candidate for City council.

*********

An Argentine fan writes of Cooper Renner's drawing on the cover of Ravenna's new "A Heron in Buenos Aires," poems by Luis Benitez: "the lines in his drawing are as ethereal as a heron's flight...and the eyes on the man's face look dreaming and thoughtful, as a poet´s eyes lost in his inner imaginary world." Thanks for your art, Cooper!

"When the Dust Finally Settles" by Kat Meads

2011-07-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

And yet another for Fall Release (but available in August): "When the Dust Finally Settles" by Kat Meads, $12.95. Narrated in part by a ghost, when the dust finally settles is a novel focused on land, loyalty and racial politics in the 1968 South. Mawatuck County (also the setting for Meads’ The Invented Life of Kitty Duncan) is a place where the present continually collides with the past.

"Graffito" by John Burgess

2011-07-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

And also for Fall Release (or next weekend, whichever comes first) and available now: "Graffito" by John Burgess; in the Ravenna Pocket Series, $10. This joyful Seattle poet and performance poet uses found text, overheard conversations and input from documentaries to create riffs that build on their own internal rhythm and musicality, tagging manmade and natural worlds alike.

"A Heron In Buenos Aires" by Luis Benitez

2011-07-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Also for Fall Release (but available now): " A Heron in Buenos Aires" by Luis Benitez; $12.95. The first comprehensive collection of poems by Argentinian Luis Benitez to be translated into English shows clearly why he enjoys an international audience. Ravenna has selected published and unpublished work with an eye toward emphasizing the poet’s worldview and, via the close attentions of Ravenna Associate Editor Cooper Renner to the work of prior translators, presenting an even voice throughout.

"Frases To Or" by Gregory K. Cole

2011-07-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

For Fall Release (but available now): "Frases To Or" by Gregory Cole, in the Ravenna Pocket Series, $10. Gregory Cole's poems live on a borderland, not between but in the midst of their two languages, English and Spanish, but not in the vernacular of Spanglish or of daily life in border communities: it is a rarefied intellect at play here, something perhaps that Borges might have imagined if he had combined his languages rather than keeping them separate.

The Anemone Sidecar

2011-06-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

Chapter 15 of The Anemone Sidecar has just posted. See the blog post below for a list of contributors. It's another fine issue, well worth a look as always.

Chapter 15 of The Anemone Sidecar

2011-06-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

We are in the proofing stage for the new chapter, which features work by:

Gay Baines, Christopher Barnes, Feng Sun Chen, Tina Hyland, Matthew Johnstone, Owen Kaelin, David Laskowski, Ujjal d Nihil, Irene O'Garden, Erika Ostergaard, Derek Pollard, Kevin O'Cuinn, Francis Raven, Lorri Rupard, Marguerite Sullivan, Nafkote Tamirat, Orchid Tierney, Stacey Tran and Jamie Utphall.

This issue also introduces the serialized story, "The Lost Cow of Astoria Finns," by DKG, our Cathlamet Correspondent. Lots to enjoy!

See this spot for the posting date for Chapter 15.

and from The Spokesman Review, Spokane

2011-05-13T10:26:00.001-07:00

The Cathlamet Prize

The Ravenna Press of Spokane has announced the winner of its inaugural Cathlamet Prize for Poetry: Ann Taylor, a poet and English professor at Salem State University in Massachusetts.

Her manuscript, “The River Within,” was selected by judge Lynn Strongin, a Victoria, B.C. poet. The award includes a cash prize, as well as publication of the book by the Ravenna Press.

The Ravenna Press originated in Seattle in 1999. The company and its founder, Kathryn Rantala, moved to Spokane in 2007.

It has published 50 titles, many of them “innovative and experimental” with “strong literary foundations,” according to Rantala.

from the Wahkiakum Eagle, Cathlamet, Washington

2011-05-13T10:18:00.001-07:00

Inaugural Cathlamet prize for poetry awarded
Ann Taylor, Professor of English at Salem State University in Salem, Mass., has won the inaugural Cathlamet Prize for Poetry offered by Ravenna Press of Spokane.

Taylor's poetry manuscript, "The River Within" was selected by judge Lynn Strongin, a poet and reviewer currently residing in Victoria, B.C., over a field of national and international contestants. This is the first year the prize has been offered and it carries with it a cash prize plus publication of the winning poetry collection by Ravenna Press.

Taylor is the author of two books on college composition and a collection of personal essays. Her poems have been published in a number of journals and her poem "To Carry on with the Dying" has been selected for publication in the 10th anniversary collection of the Copperfield Review.

Ravenna Press is a small press originating in Seattle in 1999 by Kathryn Rantala, who named the Cathlamet prize; her family of Finnish immigrants settled here and she named the prize to honor them.

The Anemone Sidecar

2011-05-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Chapter 15 of The Anemone Sidecar (now in early production stages) will begin a serial column, "Notes and Observations from our Cathlamet Correspondent." Don't miss it!

Posted!

2011-05-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

Chapter 14 of The Anemone Sidecar is up, replete with naturalistic goodness.

The Anemone Sidecar

2011-05-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

Chapter 14 of The Anemone Sidecar will soon post with work by Maria Anderson, Meg Baird, Tantra Bensko, T.G. Boncza-Tomaszewski, Donavon Davidson, Jessica Emerson, Rose Hunter, Russell Jaffe, Emmanuuel Jakpa, Paul Kavanagh, Mark Mihelcic, Sally Molini, Benjamin Nucum, Philip Quinn, Judith Skillman, Thomas Walton, Paul Watsky.

The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2011-03-31T03:27:00.000-07:00

Ravenna Press is pleased to announce the awarding of the inaugural

Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

Ann Taylor

of Salem, Massachusetts

for

"The River Within"

Second & Third Place Awards

went to

W. F. Lantry

Patrick Lawler

Honorable Mentions were:

Adam Neikirk

Paul David Adkins

Andrew David King

"This was an exciting contest to judge. There was consistent high quality to the offerings. Each collection of poems had a voice of its own. The dominant music of these poems, for me, is somewhat elegiac. The images weave their own backdrop as we hold our breaths, spiritually, at the start of the second decade of this millennium. All song traces its way back and arises from the river that runs within us. Call it our hunger, our yearning, it occurs within the voiced love and lament accompanying all ceremonies of letting go."

- Lynn Strongin

Victoria,B.C. Canada

March, 2011

Congratulations and thanks to all for sending such fine work!

re: Cathlamet Prize

2011-03-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, the 31st, we will announce the winner of The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry, the Second and Third Place holders, and three Honorable Mentions. The judge is in apoplexy, the selections so hard to make from among a strong field. I'm excited that I will finally be able to read the entries myself!

Pax.

-KR

Angela Woodward's "End of the Fire Cult"

2011-03-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Angela--this title was given an award by the Council of Wisconsin Writers for book-length novels published in 2010. It's such a fine book!

New Chapter of The Anemone Sidecar

2011-02-11T11:59:00.000-08:00

Chapter 13 of The Anemone Sidecar has posted--chockfull of eccentric wonderfulness and capped off by "Disappearance," a chapbook by Jane Noritz-Nakagawa. Thanks to all our contributors and supporters! We are now reading for Chapter 16.

A nod to "The Planet Formerly Known As Earth"

2011-02-09T12:22:00.001-08:00

Kudos to the folks at The Planet Formerly Known as Earth for a nod from Ron Silliman's blog which linked and called it "A well-done variant of the blog as ezine." Nice.

2011-02-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

Fine new work has just posted at Snow Monkey: http://snowmonkeyjournal.blogspot.com/

re: The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2011-02-04T14:54:00.000-08:00

The quality of submissions for our first-ever contest was satisfyingly high--our judge has her work cut out for her to sort out the finalists (there will be some tough decision making, I can tell you.) Our plan is to announce winners and finalists here, in this blog, on March 31 (thinking you would not believe a posting on April 1....)

Deep thanks to all who participated! We are gratified and encouraged. You have made that old Finn with the sturgeon very proud (no simple task.)

-KR, Pax Ravenna

News from the team at "The Planet Formerly Known as Earth"

2011-01-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

We're happy to report that fine, new work will post to The Planet Formerly Known as Earth in February, in this order, by these contributors:

Howie Good

Anssi Seppanen

Doug Draime

Janet Brennan

Marge Simon

Brad Liening

Sheila Ryan

Therese Becker

As ever, posts are made frequently between contributor postings, so check in at will.

The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry is now closed for entries

2011-01-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who submitted entries--there is really fine work among them, predominantly, and our judge is beginning the Herculean task of choosing finalists. We hope to announce the three winners by early April.

2011-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

New work for the new year has posted at Snow Monkey and at elimae.

2010-12-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the editors of Caketrain who named our own End of the Fire Cult by Angela Woodward as a top pick for 2010 and the holiday season, as reported on the blog Karen the Small Press Libarian.

2010-12-13T08:16:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Kenneth Patchen.

In a limpidity of silences
Speaks what is unanswerable
And is answered.
In a limpidity of silences

The laurelled heads turn

Away from death
And away from life and all
Other trivial little dissolutions.
In a limpidity of silences

Sleep the laurelled heads.

-Kenneth Patchen, from Limpidity of Silences

New Book Release from Lynn Strongin

2010-12-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

Now available! Twin Tan Dogs, Obedience & Discipline, a Modern, Mystical Bestiary by Lynn Strongin, filled with truly fine poems by this American-in-Canada. Not her first book (though first with Ravenna), but perhaps her finest. We begin shipping on the 17th! Order at will.

Snow!

2010-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

Spokane has completed the snowiest November in recorded weather history. My neighbor and I were out shoveling our driveways at 9 p.m. las night just to get the month over with.

Even though few entries for the Cathlamet Prize are expected to come on foot, we have extended the entry period through the end of December.

We did not ask our webfellow to change the written rules on the Ravenna web page, but the extension is indeed in place, enacted after a request to allow for folks whose chapbook contents are more than 1/3 individually published. Originally, we had wanted 2/3 unpublished--but why penalize success?

So go ahead, while there is still time---take a long look at my beloved Grandmother Rantala in the poster and put together work that will please her. She deserves your best.

Please postmark or email your entry by December 31, 2010. Announcement of the winners will, accordingly, be delayed until March, with prizes awarded in April. We will announce the winners right here (well, further up the page, as blogs go.)

-KR

Pax Ravenna

Snow Monkey

2010-11-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Don't let November slip by without catching this month's new postings at Snow Monkey, edited by John Burgess.

Cathlamet Prize

2010-11-27T22:31:00.000-08:00

Please keep in mind that although the contest is said to end December 1, it actually has been extended to December 31 due to the change in entry rules discussed in an earlier post (a few below this one.)

New ALBA posted

2010-11-27T22:29:00.000-08:00

Harold Bowes has posted a great new issue of ALBA, chock-full of fine short poems and featuring an overview and sampling of Russian Minimalist poetry.

2010-11-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

On track for the whitest November on record.....
something like The Great Snow of '08, when even the
recumbent sphinxes wanted to get up and move.

Chapter 12 of The Anemone Sidecar

2010-11-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

The newest chapter has posted to The Anemone Sidecar; an exceptionally fine story by Brian Evenson presented first as text, then interpreted graphically by Caitlin Skaalrud. Be sure to take a look!

Chapter 13 will likely post in December--an "open" issue featuring several, if not many, fine writers. Some of our contributors will find the number of "their" chapter has changed due to the double Corporeality issue (taking up both 10 & 11)--not to worry, your work is coming up.

Re: The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2010-11-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

We are holding the contest open through the month of December for those of you caught off-guard by the change in one of the provisions of the contest (see the prior post, Friday, November 19.)

Thanks for all the interest! It does our lyrical hearts proud.

re: The Cathlamet Prize

2010-11-19T09:38:00.000-08:00

Only a few days remaining in which to send your chapbook entry!

Perhaps Important Note: We received a thoughtful email about one of the provisions of the contest, namely that no more than a third of your entry be already published. And because we can be thoughtful too, we thought about that and decided it should not be a serious impediment. So although it is rather late to revised the guidelines, ultimately it is more important to us that the work is good rather than worrying if is not 2/3 new--in fact, we can't think why that may have mattered to us in the beginning of this project.

So, we repeat--there are only a few days remaining in which to send your chapbook entry!

-Pax Ravenna

The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry

2010-11-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

We're getting down toward two weeks remaining for entering the poetry contest. How unique is that, we actually want poetry (it's a cold world out there in publishing land!) See the details at the Ravenna Press website and send in your chapbook!

More from the Team at TPFKAE

2010-11-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

That staff is busily posting on The Planet Formerly Known as Earth, in enthusiastic preparation for the December 1 launch of submitted material.....

Angela Woodward's Newest

2010-11-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Angela Woodward's new book with Ravenna, End of the Fire Cult, (following The Human Mind), is posted on the Ravenna Press website and available for purchase.

A sample: “Three years ago my husband gave me two-thirds of an exceptionally beautiful and sacred mountain. I disputed whether he owned it in the first place, but I accepted through treaty his offer of the majority portion.”

This opening to the book, this gift, is only the first volley in the border dispute between two countries a husband and wife have each imagined for themselves. When a third country threatens to invade both Marmoral and Belgrave, the couple must decide how to defend themselves. End of the Fire Cult examines culture and change, while also telling the story of the waning days of a modern marriage.....

New from the Team at TPFKAE

2010-11-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Check out the new staff posts at The Planet Formerly Known as Earth, as the team prepares to begin posting contributed material December 1.

Snow Coming Monday to Spokane

2010-11-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Nice post at The Planet Formerly Known as Earth.....

Trumpets. A valley opens and beyond
the valley, closed and open sea. This land
is rough north music. Green cannot hide
the rock it hides and if horizon softens
into roll, it is the terrible drums
you dream are rolling.

-Richard Hugo, Drums in Scotland

from the Team at TPFKAE

2010-11-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

a couple clarifying posts, October 31, November 1.

The Planet Formerly Known As Earth

The End of October As I Know It (and I Feel Fine)

2010-10-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Still one month left for entries to The Cathlamet Prize for Poetry! Don't miss out--three cash prizes and a heady sense of accomplishment.

Corporeality

2010-10-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Posted! Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 of The Anemone Sidecar, two fabulous issues loaded with work touching on--though sometimes only barely so--the slippery theme of Corporeality. We simply received too much fine material to fit into one chapter alone. Chapter 11 contains digital artwork, so please forgive the slow download.

Contributors to Chapter 10:

Barnes, Christopher; Benitez, Luis (epigraph); Bourgeois, Louis E; Bowes, Harold; Fintushel, Ariel; Garni, Ricky; Harris, Lisa; Lawler, Patrick; Leibow, Christopher; Massimilla, Stephen; Murray, Gregg; Nimes, Cheyenne; Parry, Silas; Rakovan, Jacob; Roth, Forrest; Schapira, Kate; Strongin, Lynn; Stutz, Michael; Taylor, Ed; Tran, Stacey; Tremblay, Bill; Vaughan, Chris; Vishwanathan, Ajay.

Contributors to Chapter 11:

Bender, Laura; Erikson, Jessie; Kalamarz, Julius; Kostelanetz, Richard; Neiva, Bruno; Pate, Taylor Jacob; Quinn, Philip; Riesener, Tree; Renner, Cooper; Shapiro, Alice; Spacks, Barry; Stewart, Michael; Williard, Gregg; Woodward, Angela.

Call for Submissions

2010-10-12T11:23:00.000-07:00

ANNOUNCING: The Planet Formerly Known As Earth

a new online magazine, edited by a group loosely associate with Ravenna Press, and tied to the Mayan calendar and the speculative end of the world on 12/21/2012. Not the least off-the-wall, it aims for high caliber work--interspersed among contributed work will be quotes from poems by Stevens, Hopkins, Merwin, Yeats, Niedecker, Kenyon, Roethke, Pessoa, Montale, Housman and many others--this site is meant for the contemplation of the larger subjects as opposed to tweets about what one is having with coffee.

The magazine will begin posting submitted work on 12/01/2010 and end, logically, on 12/21/2012 (except the archive, if we're here to read it, and the book, if we're here to produce it.) It is a kind of time capsule. Submissions and input are welcome as indicated on the page.

http://theplanetformerlyknownasearth.blogspot.com/

Anemone Sidecar News

2010-10-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Check out FictionDaily.org, who tomorrow is going to feature a story (in the short category) by Rita Buckley from Chapter 9 of The Anemone Sidecar...congratulations, Rita!

The Cathlamet Prize

2010-09-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Someone inquired, and the answer is yes--a disk may be sent of the entry for The Cathlamet Prize, rather than a paper copy or attachment. We did not think to mention it, but, yes.

In Preparation....

2010-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

In addition to the beautiful new book by Angela Woodward, End of the Fire Cult, expected to be released in October (see Angela's The Human Mind for another great read), our production team is up to its knees in titles this fall and winter. Over the course of the next year, look for great new Ravenna books by Kat Meads, John Burgess, Gregory K. Cole, Eric Bosse, Luis Benitez, Lynn Strongin, Joannie Stangeland, Matthew Savoca, Cooper Renner, Jeff Alessandrelli and a few others with whom we are still negotiating.

It will be a great time.

End of the Fire Cult

2010-09-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

A summary of Angela Woodward's new book, End of the Fire Cult, just uploaded to Ravenna's printers today (look for a release announcement in October):

Three years ago my husband gave me two-thirds of an exceptionally beautiful and sacred mountain. I disputed whether he owned it in the first place, but I accepted through treaty his offer of the majority portion. This gift is only the first volley in the border dispute between two countries a husband and wife have each imagined for themselves. End of the Fire Cult alternates between tales of her Marmoral and his Belgrave—lands where an ancient fire ceremony has degenerated into an international film festival, where werewolves roam the hinterlands, and a woman transformed into a spider is the main attraction at a seedy brothel. When a third country threatens to invade both Marmoral and Belgrave, the couple must decide how to defend themselves. End of the Fire Cult examines culture and change, while also telling the story of the waning days of a modern marriage.

September 29

2010-09-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

It's a feast day at Ravenna, the birthday of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote--a character who is our patron saint.

Print or eBook?

2010-09-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ravenna is looking at a novel ms., something lively, entertaining and long-ish, and wonder if people would be more likely to purchase an eBook or paper version?

Autumn on the Columbia Plateau

2010-09-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

The geese are making their formations, enterprise which seems to require a lot of conversation up there. We'll miss them, but we still have the quail down here on our level.

Both The Anemone Sidecar and Ravenna Press itself have Facebook pages now, so join us over there if FB is a place you like to go. We'll keep the blog active, too, and in the next few weeks will be announcing details of the several books we currently have production--and those to come through 2011.

Also, too, we'll decide whether or not to break Chapter 10 of The Anemone Sidecar into 10a & 10b--there is just so much fine material! But for the sake of downloading time..... well, we will decide.

Enjoy the season!

Chapter 9 of The Anemone Sidecar

2010-08-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

We're posted. Take a look: http://www.ravennapress.com/anemonesidecar/chapters.html

(See our posts from yesterday for the index of contributors)

Thank you, contributors, friends, supporters, lookers-at and wanderers-by.

review of "The Range of Your Amazing Nothing"

2010-08-25T08:09:00.001-07:00

Check the Rumpus site for a new review of Lina Vitkauskas' book. To celebrate, Ravenna will rebate (by PayPal or by check, as you prefer) the shipping charges for all web orders for the next two weeks.

Completer Disclosure

2010-08-24T14:04:00.001-07:00

Actually (see earlier posts today), The Anemone Sidecar came together as a magazine when it found its title, taken from this poem published by the nice people at RealPoetik:

"The Improvisers"

Your hair parted like the arcs of a fireboat,

Your hands squared off on your lap,

A window worries by waves,

And I was frightened alright,

Sitting still as a line

A serial dot

A partial shark dinner

While you spit out the bits and pieces

In public.

Then you darkened calculably,

A concentric dart, confident retro

Smirking at bridges and

The foam of my hat,

The fractions of water resolving

In narrowing eyes.

But you were surprised

When you snapped your fingers

That the ambiguous water taxi

Had already left

And was now a bobbing

Anemone sidecar

Sprung from depth to top;

And that this groundling was up,

Postprandially taking the air

In all of her skin.

-KR

Complete Disclosure

2010-08-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

In the interest of complete disclosure (see earlier post today), I should say that The Anemone Sidecar began in a series of three early eBooks (back in the years before they were a topic of daily conversation) posted as a part of Snow Monkey, a journal later restored to life online, after its hiatus from paper in 2007, by editor John Burgess.

Here are the contents, since we're listing things today. Click on the titles to see the entire.

MUSIC VOLLEYS THROUGH

Jeffrey Alfier, Arlene Ang, Iain Britton, Louis Daniel Brodsky, Wilma Dague,

Heather K. Dooley, Alison Eastley, AnnMarie Eldon, Kathleen Gardner,

Martin Hendrickson, Sojourner Hodges, Amanda Laughtland, Rebecca Loudon,

Ella McCrystle, Jim McCurry, Rita Moe, Pietro Pancamo, Nathan Parker,

Max Socol, Michael Spring, E.J. Stone, Sharon M. Taylor, Mark Young,

GUSTATORY IN NATURE

Aaron Belz, Harold Bowes, John Burgess, Joel Chace, Christiel Cottrell,

Jason DeBoer, Robert Gibbons, Gavin J. Grant, Kit Kennedy, Robert Gibbons,

Marc Kipniss, Frank Matagrano, Jim McCurry, Bryson Newhart, Tobias Seamon,

Brandon Shimoda, Joel Van Noord, James R. Whitley, Lori Williams, William Woolfitt,

Thomas Wooten

TO THE MUSIC OF MID-NOVEMBER RAIN & SNOW

Aaron Belz, Daniel Borzutzky, Harold Bowes, Claire Cowan-Barbetti,

Joshua Edwards, Paul Felsch, Robert Gibbons, Deborah S. Greenhut,

Marcy Jarvis, Ilya Kaminsky, Marc Kipniss, Jim McCurry, Bryson Newhart,

Allan Peterson, Tobias Seamon, Lynn Shipley, Thomas Wooten

The History of The Anemone Sidecar

2010-08-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

Not exactly the history, but an index of all our contributors. We listed the contents of Chapter 9, an entry or so ago, and wanted to boast of the rest. Look out, it's a long list--most recent to the first. If you see someone you like, go read the whole Chapter, you'll enjoy it.

CHAPTER 9

Meg Baird, Patrick Barron, Rita Buckley, Curt Eriksen, Wain Ewing, Django Gold,

Bryan Jones, Rachel Lieberman, Conor Robin Madigan, Rodney Nelson,

Cheyenne Nimes, Carlos Rowles, satnrose, Chad Scheel, Jennifer Stasak,

Thea Swanson, Ed Taylor, Margaret Walther, Changming Yuan, Salvatore Zoida

CHAPTER 8

Jennifer Bock-Nelson, Denis Emorine

CHAPTER 7

James E. Allman Jr., Iliya Ansky, Ethan Bernard, Harold Bowes, Craig Buchanan,

Lily Cho, Wain Ewing, Ricky Garni, John Glass, Tsipi Keller, Richard Kostelanetz,

Jacquie Lanthier, Cooper Renner, Matt Rittenhouse, Christopher Ryan, Lee Stern,

Marguerite W. Sullivan, Bill Tremblay, Michael Tucker

CHAPTER 6

Christopher Barnes, Guy Beining, Lindsay Bell, Nystowhen Biter, Iain Britton,

Mackenzie Carignan, Joel Chace, MK Chavez, Ted Chiles, Kim Chinquee,

Hannah Gamble, Joseph Harrington, Will Holland, Jane Joritz-Nakagawa,

Jane Rosenberg LaForge, Olena Levitsky, Jen McClung, Stephen Middleton,

George Moore, Ben Nardolilli, Eileen Neary, Adam Neikirk, Rodney Nelson,

Jessica Newman, PJ Nights, Justin Petropoulos, Ross Plovnick, Diana Pollin,

Christine Jessica Reilly, Tree Riesener, Cooper Renner, Matthew Savoca,

Kate Schapira, Curtis Smith, Michael Stewart, Christine Stoddard, John Yohe

CHAPTER 5

Erum Ahmed, Rick Alley, Joshua Banta, Elizabeth Barbato, Guy Beining,

John Biando, Andrew Borgstrom, Ryan W. Bradley, Ethan Saul Bull,

Errid Farland, Ariel Fintushel, Clancy Flynn, Kira Joy Frederick, Greg Gerke,

John Greiner, Chet Gresham, John Grey, Peter Grieco, James Grinwis, Paul Handley,

Brad Hatfield, WF Lantry, Patrick Lawler, Travis Macdonald, David Moscovich,

John Olson, John Peck, Jessea Perry, Octavio Quintanilla, Rudo Qintavalle,

Ethel Rohan, Anssi Seppänen, Lynn Strongin, Daniel Van Thomas, JA Tyler,

Gene Van Troyer, JR Walsh, John Dermot Woods, Theodore Worozbyt

CHAPTER 4

Elizabeth Alexander, Arlene Ang, Christopher Barnes, Louis E. Bourgeois,

Harold Bowes, Charlie Burgess, Christin Call, David James Callan, Emily Carr,

Jimmy Chen, Gregory Cole, Jeremy M. Davies, Joel James Davis, Lance Deal,

Wain Ewing, Thad Fowler, Anne Heide, Aaron Hellem, Edward Kim, Michael Kimball,

Matthew Kirby, Norman Lock, PH Madore, Jim McCurry, Douglas Leah Meade,

Jeffrey Morgan, Greg Mulcahy, Bryson Newhart, Anthony Opal, Richard Peabody,

William Peacock, Philip Quinn, Cooper Renner, Forrest Roth, Steven Salmoni,

John Shumate, Noel Sloboda, Abraham Smith, Claudia Smith, Ray Succre,

Katherine Valasek, Alexis Vergalla, Ania Vesenny, Alex Ward, Jessica Wigent,

Evan Willner

CHAPTER 3

Christopher Barnes, Deron Bauman, “George Beldon”, Aaron Belz, Daniel Borzutzky,

John Burgess, Alan Catlin, Jimmy Chen, Kim Chinquee, Rob Cook, Bruce Covey,

Guido Eekhart, AnnMarie Eldon, GS Evans, Wain Ewing, Michelle Greenblatt,

Marja Hagborg, Marc Harshman, Samantha Henderson, Marc Kipniss, Matthew Kirby,

Richard Kostelanetz, Lynn Kozlowski, Ryan Laks, Joseph Leff, Norman Lock,

Rebecca Loudon, Jim McCurry, Greg Mulcahy, Carol Novack, Ignacio Padilla,

Claudio Parentale, Nathan Parker, Simon Perchik, Deborah Poe, Philip Quinn,

Francis Raven, Cooper Renner. Kenji Siratori, Ron Starr, Mario Susko, Joel Van Noord,

Derek White, Gary Wilkens

CHAPTER 2

Sascha Akhtar, Iain Britton, A.J. Bruey, Nick Bruno, Benjamin Buchholz,

Edward Phillip Burger, Jimmy Chen, Rebecca Cook, KR Copeland, MTC Cronin,

M. Allen Cunningham, Mark DeCarteret, AnnMarie Eldon, Suzanne Frischkorn,

Ray Gonzalez, Helder Granja, Colin James, Nicholas Liu, Duane Lock, Rebecca Loudon,

Didi Menendez, Nathan Parker, Donald Ryburn, Michael Spring, John Sweet, RL Swihart,

Faruk Ulay, Lina Vitkauskas, Lucy Ward, Thomas Wooten

CHAPTER 1

Sascha Akhtar, Brian Ames, Richard Arnold, David Ayers, Pete Balestrieri, GO Clark,

CA Conrad, Alison Daniel, Gryffyd Dempsey, Jim Dewitt, Wain Ewing, Soren Gauger,

Helder Granja, Martin Hendrickson, Ian Hooper, Marc Kipniss, Duane Lock, Pasha Malla,

Peter Markus, Jim McCurry, Seth McMillan, Steve Mueske, Stephen D. Rogers,

Donald Ryburn, M Sarki, Andrew Topel, Thomas Wooten

Summer dwindling

2010-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

You can almost smell it: autumn. We're celebrating with Chapter 9 of The Anemone Sidecar, due to post any day now and chock full of fine, idiosyncratic writing--you can almost hear it coming, feel its hooves pound a shortening distance. All senses active for fall.

Pax Ravenna

Leonie Adams

2010-08-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

Something cooling, from "Early Waking," by Leonie Adams, from her Poems: A Selection, this copy a lucky find signed to show it was from the library of poet Philip Booth.

I travel, not for a ghost's sake...

It was for unconcerning light

That has not fallen on earth, to stare

An instant only out of night

And with night's cloudy character,

Before the laden mind shall slip

Past dream and on to brightmost dream

And fetterless high morning dip

Her two cold sandals in the stream.

Chapter 9 of The Anemone Sidecar

2010-08-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Summer is winding down, and by the end of this month we will post Chapter 9 of The Anemone Sidecar, another chapter packed full of writing that is anything but typical.

Don't miss it! The list of contributors to Chapter 9 includes:

Meg Baird, Patrick Barron, Rita Buckley, Curt Eriksen, Wain Ewing, Django Gold, Brian Jones, Rachel Lieberman, Conor Robin Madigan, Rodney Nelson, Cheyenne Nimes, Carlos Rowles, satnrose, Chad Scheel, Jennifer Stasak, Thea Swanson, Ed Taylor, Margaret Walther, Changming Yuan, Salvatore Zoida.

Life in the ether

2010-08-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

Our webhost reports that they are updating their email system but cannot say when this activity will be completed, so when our ravennapress.com storage capacity is reached, there may be bounce-backs. Please feel free to contact me directly if you need to--click on my name at the bottom of the ravennapress.com home page.

August 3, later that same day, the evening: Updating accomplished. Aren't we pretty?

The Cathlamet Prize

2010-07-30T16:03:00.001-07:00

We begin reading for The Cathlamet Prize this weekend. We're excited, truly, to see what comes in. Please pass the word--we hope to find a minimum of three fine new books from among the entries.

GMH

2010-07-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Gerard Manley Hopkins!

Nostrils, your careless breath that spend

Upon the stir and keep of pride,

What relish shall the censers send

Along the sanctuary side!

(from The Habit of Perfection)

"A Partial View Toward Nazareth"

2010-07-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

My own book, due next month from Casa de Snapdragon Press in Albuquerque, apparently will include marbles in its cover design.

Everything to do with the game of marbles is round, deep, hard or human. Generally it is played in a ring that resembles Earth.

A collection of five prose poetry narratives, "A Partial View Toward Nazareth" has virtually nothing to do with organized religion (though there are nuns in it) and includes work from books previously only privately circulated (which does not mean what that phrase meant to the Victorians), plus new pieces, some of which have posted at elimae and other places.

I'll announce the release date and ordering information when I have it.

-KR

Upcoming Book by Gregory Cole

2010-07-27T11:40:00.001-07:00

This fall Ravenna will release a second book from Gregory K. Cole, writing from South Carolina into the cosmological world of profound poetry--"Frases To Or"--following along the lines of his earlier title, The Moodier Could of Being, of which poet Nicola Vulpe wrote: Cole's poetry has something of the Imagists, something of the Japanese masters, and something that is only Cole— a linguistic gymnast cutting sparse and sensual gems.

From the Introduction:

Cole is not writing in the vernacular of Spanglish or of daily life in border communities: instead it is a rarefied intellect at play here, something perhaps that Borges might have imagined if he had combined his languages rather than keeping them separate. The emphasis on the music of words might suggest Dada, but Cole's musical words demand that one grope through them, into their depths, to puzzle out their "sense". Their brevity and strangeness might recall to some readers the poems of M Sarki...

Look for it in the next couple of months.

loosen the yet hunter

to bash in your bloom

lung saw balcón

pupila iglú