Very happy to share this column up at Real Pants with all of you about the El Astillero Bookstore in the city of Torreón, Mexico. All 5 of the team are doing good things, especially Aleida Belem Salazar (Stillness & Blood Press) who I interviewed and having a rolling email conversation going on with about these types of things.
also officially announcing 2 more as yet untitled and forthcoming books of poetry in 2015 from Scrambler Books- 1 by Caroline Alice Lopez and 1 by Sacramento native Dominic Gualco. More soon.
and within a month, we will be releasing the first volume of a 3 book series of Cecilia Pavon’s (translated by Jacob Steinberg) poems, stories and more. The next 2 books are planned for 2015 (and possibly 2016, but hopefully both in 2015).
Real Pants was announced yesterday and I am happy to say that I will be writing a weekly “beat” about publishing covering specific topics dealing with the history of publishing, some things that are are happening in Spain, Brazil and Mexico regarding independent publishing communities there and much more. Starts in January and the list of contributors is looking great.
I am also finishing up a translation project- have been translating a book of poems called Pájaro azul from Venezuelan poet Vicente Forte that will be published by Stillness & Blood Press, a new independent small press edited and founded by Aleida Belem Salazar and based in Torreón, México. Luna Miguel is writing the introduction and the poems by Vicente are the kind that make poem lines appear in your head days later.
Scrambler Books has commissioned and is working together with Tiny Toe Press to make some slim notebooks with a Stacey Teague poem line on the cover. So watch for those, most likely available in January.
And lastly, Scrambler Books is planning on tabling at April Festival in Seattle in March, 2015. Stay tuned for more info on that.
Given the Thanksgiving spirit this week, I wanted to share the “Acknowledgments” section from my forthcoming book and express my deepest gratitude for the awesome individuals who have made this success and any others I have had in life possible.
From Melanie Safka’s 1971 album, ‘Gather Me’ is a song I have always felt a connection with, ‘Some Say I Got Devil’ it’s a pure & beautiful song and one of her best from ‘Gather Me’
a 1971 folk pop album has been released in honor of gather me, which was released a year ago today.
First bound galley of Before You Kneels My Silence reached my editor, Jeremy Spencer, yesterday. The inside looks great, but he’s not sold on the cover’s paper weight & finish… he’s checking into alternate finishes and paper weights now. (He’s the best!)
When you’re falling in love the world becomes such a sensuous place that it hurts you love can’t be conjugated in the past tense and suddenly a dark tree is growing in the living room of your apartment
You will traverse that tree’s branches forever, and it will always be a miracle.