Poetry News November 2003

November 2003

Café Society's Poetry News Update

Do you have poetry news, announcements or comments? Mail me on the link at the bottom of this page. Also we now have a shop of cool PL&T and Norris merchandise - see link near cartoon... you read the ezine, why not buy the T shirt?

An Interview With

Published poet, artist and horror author

JOSEPH R. ARMSTEAD'S BIO

Joseph R. Armstead was born in Peru, USA. He is the oldest child of a military family that settled in New Hampshire after living in Italy, the author currently lives in Northern California. Of his work and influences, he tells us:
"Always fascinated by the macabre and the visceral, I've written and developed stories around horror and the occult as presented in a cool and rational scientific way. My writing can be classified as a mixture of "splatterpunk/cyberpunk/hong kong cinema" with influences as diverse as Robert Ludlum and Clive Barker, to Stephen King and William Gibson, to John Woo and Francis Ford Coppola. I believe that horror fiction IS literature, once it is imbued with intelligence, good craftmanship and honesty by its authors and if it stays far away from the cliched, the prosaic and the wretchedly corny. I base what I write in the 'here and now', in Reality, and no matter how off-the-wall the subject matter, I strive to make the story logical. I want the ring of truth to it. I want the reader to enjoy themselves and to be wrapped-up in self-contained world of wonder and danger, but at the same time I want them thinking 'Could this happen? Could there conceivably be a grain of truth in this?' To my mind, that adds spice to the novel and makes the story three-dimensional ... "

Interests:
Science & Technology; Advancements in the computer industry; Writing Horror Fiction; Science Fiction; True Crime; Motion Pictures; Hard Rock Music; Acid Jazz music; Martial Arts

Accomplishments:

Affiliate-member of the Horror Writers of America

Four novels published (see bibliography on poetry page)

Creator, writer & illustrator of the one-shot comic book, "TRYNE", for Precious Stone Comics

THE INTERVIEW

Poetry L & T:	How and why did you first start writing poetry, Joseph?
Joseph:	Okay, let's just hit the ground running with a tough question right out of the gate...(laughing). Really, I came to poetry late in my writing life, as opposed to other poets, because I was always more of a storyteller, more into narrative, and also because I was never really taught to LIKE or appreciate poetry while in school. Always thought it was a dreary art, predominantly the means of expression for the depressed, the repressed and the "art-damaged". Sorry, I know that is a terrible generalization, but that opinion was the result of how poetry was taught in public school. So, as I explored my options as a reader in my adult years, and satisfied my curiousity about a lot of things literary, I became much more aware of what it was that poetry and poets were really about. I still never truly became comfortable with the most popularly accepted poetry, though, you know, the sonnets and the rhyme-heavy oh-so-precious writes that didn't relate to the world around me, always felt that stuff was too formulaic and too stilted. WHY did I start writing poetry? Easy answer: I wanted to become a better writer. My craft is important to me and so, after slavishly working on getting down the basics of grammar, thematic content, and voice-orientation, I tried exploring and experimenting with a more free-form and lyrical approach to capturing ideas and concepts I wanted to express. I almost see some of it as a type of music.
Poetry L & T:	I agree there, I also feel that poetry is partly about the music of language, as well as human perception/emotions. Do you have a poem of yours which you could quote here, which you feel is one of your more musical examples?
Joseph:	When talking about the 'musicality' that may exist in my wordplay and verse, I mean to say that the pacing and the rhythm I sometimes establish is almost percussive, like street hip-hop rhythms, or even sometimes sibilant, like a breath held too long finally released. For example, from the poem "And Laughter, Like Shattered Glass": "I wander without destination, Alone, seeking but not finding, Killing time even as time Slays me, vainly trying To put distance between The present and the past, Walking numbly into the Chaos of a breach-birthed Future." Or from "Aphrodite Shrieks": "Aristotle said that “Wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love”, and the people selling books-on-tape sex manuals say they can guarantee vaginal orgasm every time, but the truth is, as Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe said, “If I love you, what business is it of yours?” " Feel the pacing? Hear the beat? Parts rush and parts punctate on a high note, like orchestration from a pop song.
Poetry L & T:	Who are your favorite poets?
Joseph:	Actually poems interest me more than the poets, so I can read a memorable poem by a writer I'd never heard of and enjoy it just as much as one by a more familiar or better renowned writer. I enjoy Colleridge, W.B. Yeats, Dunne, some Jophn Keats, some Byron, Edgar Allen Poe, (of course!), Ralph Emerson, but for more modern stuff I liked Stephen Vincent Benet, some of the Dada-ist Movement poetry because I like the way they play with forms and with subject matter, Amiri Baraka, some e.e.cummings (even though sometimes he would get a little too "cute", but his wordplay is always intriguing), a little Sylvia Plath, a few of John Berryman's works, and some Robert Duncan. For sheer strangeness and visionary errieness, though, I go for Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison, although I know they're not consdiered "poets", as such, much of their work is very lyrical and visually stimulating with arresting imagery.
Poetry L & T:	When I read your poetry, I feel that I could probably tell that you are an illustrator, from the very strong graphic visualizations which your words bring to life. Do you consciously try to do this, or is it more of an instinctive process?
Joseph:	Yes, I do pen & ink illustrations, but not nearly as much in the past six or seven years as I did formerly. I had ambitions once upon a time of being a graphic artist, particularly a comic book artists because I enjoyed the idea of telling emotional and insightful stories with pictures. But, truth to tell, I just wasn't all that good and my storytelling ambitions always outstripped my artistic abilities. So I concentrated more on writing. I have noticed, though, in my work, that I rely heavily on descriptions of visuals to bring a feeling of immediacy and instant familiarity to whatever concept or tale I'm weaving, so that the reader can become immersed in the "picture" or the mental mini-movie I am creating. The physically visceral impact of what I write is just as important as the emotional in getting the story across.
Poetry L & T:	As a poet who is also an illustrator, have you ever ventured into any projects which combine poetry and art, or would you like to do so?
Joseph:	Hmmmn.., I don't know. If I had the right subject matter and the luxury of time to lavish on the project, I would maybe do just that, but at this point in my career as a budding horror novelist, I feel my time and energy is better spent concentrating on narrative without illustrations. Too, the market for illustrated stories or for poetry with pictures seems particularly small and closed, insular.
Poetry L & T:	Yes, I have also noticed the insular nature - of the graphic novel publishing world in particular, for example the popular adult comic publication Heavy Metal is not accepting unsolicited submissions any more. Yet there are many talented writers and cartoonists both in the USA and the UK, who would love to have work featured in Heavy Metal... anyway, to my next question.... My current favourite poem of yours is "A Dustdevil of Twilight Gray". On your AuthorsDen page for this poem, your intro says "A response to Kate's Challenge" - what was her challenge and how did it inspire this amazing poem?
Joseph:	Wow, thanks! I enjoyed creating that one in a big way! I just let my imagination fly free and didn't concern myself with form or with meter -- I just wanted to paint a surreal and sombre picture of the fantastic. "Kate's Challenge" on Author's Den at that time, back in July I think, was a challenge put forth by Kate Clifford for authors to describe themselves through being seen as a color, you know, the "What color would you be?" question. Usually, I really don't like those kinds of exercises, because they strike me AS "exercises", not writing. But I read Kate's own work and that of a couple other authors on The Den, and I saw they had taken my preconceptions and just tossed 'em out the window. So it was put up or shut up time, for me, there was no pressure from anyone else, and I just allowed something different to bubble up from the depths...
Poetry L & T:	You are a novelist as well as a poet. Having looked through your books section at AuthorsDen, I can see that your book The Screaming Season looks to be just the kind of scary novel I enjoy reading. Can you tell me a little more about this book, for the benefit of our readers who share my love horror stories?
Joseph:	Thanks for asking! Well, I'll warn you -- I often will take a standard "horror" idea, you know, the classic stuff like vampires and zombies and such -- and then I turn them inside out. I hate working with hoary cliches, really, because I think they make writers lazy. But what I do is to take current scientific knowledge and advancements and re-work the old legends from that viewpoint, making them more "logical". I think it re-injects a sense of wonder and horror into the story idea if there's a sense that "this could happen...". And, let's face it, the horror and thriller audience is much, much more sopisticated and much more "hip" than it used to be since TV shows like The X-Files and Buffy and Profiler, even PBS programs like Mystery's "Touching Evil", came into the popular lexicon. Too, we have the work of authors like Thomas Harris, creator of "Hannibal Lector", and James Patteron's thrillers and Anne Rule's true-crime novels to bring make the horrifically incredible seem almost ordinary. THE SCREAMING SEASON is basically the tale of a technological experiment gone wrong, creating a catastrophic disaster zone on the American landscape, and how a group of survivors roam that nightmarish deathzone seeking escape. It's a story of how that same irresponsibly-used technology opens a doorway into another universe, a place where a godlike alien being rules through tyranny, and how that conqueror marches his forces towards our Earth. It is also a love story, a tale of romantic obsession and betrayal between the hero and the heroine and the villain. It is a very human novel, parts told in the form of a young woman's journal, and it is a descent into the Inferno, a trip into the Heart of Darkness. I think it is quite unlike any other novel out there right now.
Poetry L & T:	How far would you go to shock, in one of your stories - for example, would you ever dream of killing off a glamorous female character who seemed to be a key "love interest" character for the hero? And do any of your "bad guys" ever win?
Joseph:	If the story called for the death of a major love interest for the lead character (male or female, a couple of my novels do have female leads), I would do it, but only if it is intrinsinc to the plot or to the development & growth of the lead character. I really don't do "shock" value gimmicks, precisely because I do consider them to be mere gimmicks. Shock tactics are a kind of "cheat", a way for a writer who really hasn't structured their story well or who really doesn't HAVE a story to tell to get themselves out of a corner into which they've painted themselves. If I've invested the time and effort to flesh out a character that I know the reader will care for, I will not just kill them off because it would have a lot of visceral impact. Like I said: it's a kind of cheat. Moreover, it is insulting to the reader's intelligence, or at least to the intelligence of the readership I aspire to...
Poetry L & T:	How do you feel about censorship of literature and films?
Joseph:	Urg! This one is a slippery slope... As a general rule, I am against censorship of literature and of films. I think it is short-sighted on the part of any community that does so and I think it is fascistic. It's the triumph of mediocrity. It's how the Unwashed Masses stay Unwashed and unawares. It's legislated stagnation. Now, on the other hand, do I want 6 and 7 year olds looking at or reading hardcore pornography or gore-driven extreme violence? HELL no! Young impressionable minds can't handle that stuff. Period. It is bad for their development. It makes for bad wiring in the machine of their minds. Artists who want to stretch the boundaries and rip through the envelope need to exercise good judgment and not be so damn self-indulgent. They DO have a responsibility to the greater public who see their work. But I think people being TAUGHT to blanketly think or consider something as "bad" as opposed to acceptible by their limited community standards is still frightening. There are a lot of people out there working really hard to roll the clock back and take away our freedoms, take away our individual ability to think and make choices, and they're programming a lot of little child-robots to not accept anything new or different, to accept the lowest common denominator, and to perpetrate the artistic status quo, regardless the medium. And that kills art in a society.
Poetry L & T:	Do you sometimes find that poetic descriptions appear in your novels, or narrative storylines appearing in your poems?
Joseph:	Yes, extremely often a poetic passage will work its way into my narrative descriptions. I can't help it. It's the way in which I'll express the mood behind a scene or the way in which a character thinks or reacts. And sometimes narrative will intrude into one of my poems, because the strength of the piece demands some descriptive passage to jell the concepts or to heighten the sense of Unreality I'm trying to convey. Purists will hate that, I am sure. But I do not want to change that.
Poetry L & T:	How has the internet helped and/or hindered you, as a poet and novelist?
Joseph:	The Internet has helped me TREMENDOUSLY as BOTH a poet and a novelist! Firstly, I was able to actually SEE and participate in an actual community of like-minded writers and readers without having to attend writers' conferences for ridiculous amounts of money nor did I have to spend time and resources attending "how-to" seminars taught by people I've never heard of nor seen a book published by on any store's shelves. The people I encountered in these groups and newsletters and BBs were actual writers whose work I could readily find, in electronic and in hardcopy form, and, as such, VALIDATE their opinions and advice. I have never found these people to be aything other than gracious and helpful and down-to-earth and I did not have to go through a literary agent, a publicist, nor a press agent nor even a secretary to speak with them. Secondly, the Internet allowed me to read a lot of poetry that seldom is properly distributed through the big chain bookstores nor even through the small brick 'n' mortar independent bookstores. READING is a BIG part of writing. It helps inspire one to know what's out there, to sample other voices. Some from other parts of the world. Working in a vacuum is a dead end. The only voice you ever hear in that situation is your own. That's very limiting.
Poetry L & T:	I read on your AuthorsDen page about your new novel "PAINMAKER: First Tale in the Book of Dark Memory"; it describes an enemy known as "the infernals"... I would love to know more about these mysterious creatures...
Joseph:	Thank you for mentioning PAINMAKER, it is a project that I am proud of, one I worked very hard on. I wanted to write something very adult, very unsettling, non-cliched and very dark. Something "Clive Barker-ish", but funneled through my own sense of the macabre. It is a very non-typical occult-horror fantasy. And a fantasy it definitely is! THE INFERNALS are the near-omnipotent alien villains of the piece, touted as a chapter from THE BOOK OF DARK MEMORY. I describe them as follows: "They exist in a world that is MORE than a world, in a place that is NOT a place, in a Reality BEYOND anything we know, a dimension of pain and violence where suffering is food nurturing a dark and ageless power. They are THE INFERNALS. They have haunted Humanity since the invention of fire, since the nights when the first man-ape stared up at the stars and feared what lurked in the darkness between the lights. They live in our nightmares and in our darkest, most bestial moments. They can come to us as a whispered voice, as a sudden homicidal fantasy, as a incendiary impulse to commit mayhem, they come to us when we are weak and our pain is at its greatest. Sometimes they come to us because we have called them. These are the stories of men and women in extreme circumstances who encounter the very worst, most powerful incarnations of their evil influence, who discover for the first time that we are a species haunted by the presence of THE INFERNALS. These are stories of Evil Embattled. This is the Book of Dark Memory." And wouldn't you just know following that, a fun time is had by all...!
Poetry L & T:	Finally, Joseph, what is your main ambition for the future?
Joseph:	I don't really know whether or not you can actually classify it as "ambition", but I really want to create something lasting and beautiful, even if it is beautiful in a dark way. Writing is communication, regardless its format, and I want to share the ideas and impressions I have of or inspired by the world around me. I want to become better at this craft, to eradicate some of the structural weaknesses caused by my incomplete knowledge or by lack of experience. I want to leave behind a body of work that excites and inspires and maybe sparks a small revolution in someone's mind. I want to add to the encyclopedia of the imagination, even if only a few people ever see my work. It's not about making buckets of money or fame or superstardom or even being a big fish in a little pond... that's totally unrealistic for someone who does genre-writing like I do. And, let's face it, the New York Times Bestseller list has rarely showcased a book of poetry anytime in the last fifteen years. It's about the writing, about the work, about the ideas the words spark.
Poetry L & T:	Thank you for the interview, Joseph.
Joseph:	Thank YOU, Sara! It is wonderful to talk with someone as talented and intelligent as yourself about my work and about this craft. You have made me feel very special. I hope your readers will share our enthusiasm for this craft! I'm going to go celebrate! Time for a roadtrip to the local Godiva chocolate shop! C'mon, I'm buying!

Click here to read Joseph's poetry...

Editor's Letter, November 2003

Dear Poets,
Welcome to the November 2003 issue of Poetry Life & Times (For those of you reading this on a mirror site and not poetrylifeandtimes.com, click here).
This month's interview features the very accomplished writer Joseph R. Armstead, published poet, artist and horror author.
Featured Poets this month include Joshua Michael Stuart, Deborah P. Kolodji, Jean Hull Herman, Michael Paul Ladanyi, C.S. Snow, Richard Vallance and Jan Sand.
In the Vallance Review For November, Richard features Rupert Brooke's "1914", the Nayler Sonnets, 1944 and Sondra Ball's 4 Sonnets, "Not Our War", 2003, in honour of Remembrance Day.
Fans of The Perils of Norris cartoon: now you can buy Norris merchandise for home and office, including a stylish wall clock... Click here to visit the store, which is located at CafePress.com. More goodies will be added as soon as we design them! You can also buy merchandise with our Poetry Life & Times logo.

My own poetry can be found mainly on AuthorsDen, these days. The links in the left-hand column of my pages include books and articles as well as poetry. Some of the articles give advice on making chapbooks, or finding publishers - and there is even an item on ghosts.
Any comments on this issue or back issues can be emailed to me on the link at the bottom of the page. Announcements are always welcome (brief if possible), you can also promote poetry books here.
Poetry submissions should be in plain text in the body of an email, with a small jpeg author picture attached, also a bio, with the URLs of any ezines mentioned, so that they can be shown as links. This increases the chance of inclusion, especially for late submissions. Pictures are best at a maximum of 520 pixels across, otherwise they take ages to arrive by email, especially in bitmap or TIFF format. I recommend that poets click the submissions link on our main page, for full guidelines, and please, always use a spellchecker.
Poets can submit previously-published work here. If another editor likes it, there's a chance we'll like it too.
Best Regards,

Click title below for this month's Vallance Review feature

Richard Vallance reviews sonnets, both classic and modern.

Featured Poets this month include Joshua Michael Stuart, Deborah P. Kolodji, Jean Hull Herman, Michael Paul Ladanyi, C.S. Snow, Richard Vallance and Jan Sand. Many thanks to all contributors.

JOSHUA MICHAEL STEWART
(logo by Bret Herholz)
Joshua Michael Stewart is originally from Sandusky Ohio, but has been living In Western, MA since 1988. He received a BA from the University of Massachusetts in History, and now works as a counselor to those with mental disabilities. His poems have been published in Rattle, Sanskrit, The South Boston Literary Gazette, Maelstrom, Wavelength, The Unknown Writer and will soon have poems in The Lilliput Review and Diner. He also won first prize in poetry from the South Boston Literary Gazette in December 2002.
joshuamichaelstewart.tripod.com
(home page)
www.deepcleveland.com
www.whiteheron-press.com
www.rattle.com

LEGAL SEPARATION © Joshua Michael Stewart
This coffee cup with its thin crack on the opposite side of the ear-shaped handle Is your lovely skull, which I hold in my hands. A lipstick smudge on the white rim: here hung the lips that I have kissed... And these particles of dust suspended in the morning light streaming through the kitchen window, are they bits of you watching over me, curious if I washed the dishes, or is it Alexander waitng for a cup of tea? No matter. The lava-colored coil of the stove, the steam spiking into the air, and the piercing squeal of the kettle is enough to prove that you have yet to fully leave. THE LAST BLACKSMITH IN CADILLAC MICHIGAN © Joshua Michael Stewart
First, I lived out of a suitcase. Then, I lived in a suitcase. When things got really rough, I camped out in other people's mailboxes. It's hard living as a figment of someone's imagination, and unemployed. World's Fair, 1939: I lost half my business. I had to moonlight as a psychotic episode; then came advancements in medicine, and I was back on the streets, talking to myself. Now, with this internet thing, mailboxes will be obsolete, and where then will I sleep? WATERLOO © Joshua Michael Stewart
I'm tired of chickens– we never know what they think, and they look at us with dry eyes as though we were unimportant. –Pablo Neruda
Me and the other me were sitting on the couch, waiting for the bathtub to fill. We were naked. When I breathed, he breathed. From my lap, he stared up at my limp face: "I could've been so much more without you," he said, "I could've conquered half of Europe, or at least that Josephine broad down at Charlie's, if you weren't such a chicken shit." His one eye began to tear up. He looked like an old man ready to die. It's clear that what shames us, defines us. The ocean's vastness prevents our escape from exile. So to see him smile again, I played the J.Lo DVD one more time. SOMETHING BETTER © Joshua Michael Stewart
Suppose God doesn't own your soul, but rents from the Devil? The world's an old place with new snow in the clouds. Storefront windows are covered in yellowing newspapers. Boys in dirty jackets collect shards of glass to pack into snowballs. A woman with pine needle hair shouts into a payphone that has had its cord cut. We believe what we can bear: an old man smells his dead wife's clothes, despite that they're scented with another man. A teenage girl pulls a sweater over her head and disappears. And that shadow on the wall gesticulates like a king addressing the peasantry.
.

DEBORAH P. KOLODJI

Deborah P. Kolodji is a divorced mother of three who works in Information Technology to fund her poetry obsessions. She is the editor and co-founder of Amaze: The Cinquain Journal; a webzine and printzine devoted to the cinquain. Deborah recently won third place in Sol Magazine's Poet Laureate contest.

Beach House © Deborah P Kolodji
Outside, waves pound the rocks with wild surf lullabies as we float in tides of our love inside. A Bullet from Nowhere © Deborah P Kolodji
One shot pierces the norm, abruptly ends a day -- fear aiming its gun at random targets. World Haiku Review, March 2003 Covered Bridge © Deborah P Kolodji
Spanning New England dreams, vacations in Vermont— I cross the stream of memories again. Amaze #1, Spring/Summer 2002 My Neighbor's Divorce © Deborah P Kolodji
Notes of melancholy, a saxophone solo weaves dreams with sadness through open windows. Short Stuff, October 2002 Volcanic © Deborah P Kolodji
ash clouds linger above another eruption breaths between the pauses of our anger California Condor © Deborah P Kolodji
hang glides against the clouds shadowing bright wind sails - the wings of the condor stretch in freedom Short Stuff Wild Parrots in November © Deborah P Kolodji
Morning silence broken by a chattering throng. Amongst fallen leaves, one chartreuse feather.

JEAN HULL HERMAN
Jean continues to enjoy teaching at Delaware and Technical Community College. She is a member of the Diamond State Branch of the National League of Women Writers (NLAPW); a lifetime member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW); the American Society for the Advancement of Science; The Wilson Associates (Smithsonian Museum); a member of the Delaware Press Association and of The National Federation Of Press Women. She is listed in Michigan Authors, 4th Edition (Michigan Association For Media In Education). She has edited poetry for Chicken Soup For The Prisoner's Soul, Chicken Soup for The Volunteer's Soul, and now (2004) Serving Time, Serving Others, and the to-be-published The Secret Life of Crystals (Alan Corkish, Editor).
Her poems have appeared in over 75 publications.
She is a speaker for the Delaware Humanities Forum, with topics such as "Everyone Knows Someone Who Writes Poetry" and "How To Stop People From Fleeing When You Mention Poetry." Jean's first book, Starving For The Marvelous, took First Place in the National Federation of Press Women 2003 national competition. See Web site www.jeanhullherman.com for some of the poems and information about ordering the book. The book is being serialized by the e-zine Poetry Repair Shop.com (Dr. John Horvath, Jr., Editor). New poetry in Poetry Depth Quarterly, and Serving Time, Serving Others (Thomas Lagana, Editor), Of course Jean is at work on a second book – working title (or premise): Jerry Springer as Bulfinch. The literary ezine MÖBIUS, of which Jean is Editor, goes into its 25th year with both an international audience and submissions.

CLYTEMNESTRA ARISES © Jean Hull Herman
Clytemnestra, thumbing the ax blade every day, Feeling the winds of Mycenae blow Tarnished Agamemnon home towards her bath, Could not have been more engorged in her wrath Than the hog-built woman Occupying a chair on the Jerry Springer stage, Waiting to hear what her faithless man has to say to her. Clytemnestra, her daughter sacrificed To lure a frothing, sailing wind towards Troy, Lives on in the heft of the blowzy arm, The fingers curved (talons better to scratch), The empurpled accusation: "I gave up everything for you And this, this is how you repay me?" Clytemnestra enjoys the whetstone against the blade; She does not flinch as sparks fly from sharpened edge. Her great-granddaughter's lusts are no less hot-blooded, Her anger not lessened by the civilisations of Time and History, By the sameness of it all. She arises, ready to take revenge against her betrayer. She thinks of axes, ritual slaughter, righteous vengeance. OBSERVING MEN AT PLAY: THE RITES OF RACQUETBALL or MY BAG'S BIGGER THAN YOURS © Jean Hull Herman
On the gym track bright and early, ‘fore the crowd was hot and surly, Going ‘round, I saw the gym bags, saw the floor five deep in gym bags, Saw a plethora of gym bags and men crowding ‘round the court, Waiting for their turn. Puzzled, I lapped ‘round the track and every time I rounded back, There stood guys correctly got up, uniformly gym-clad dressed up, Ready for their turn to step up, hit that little racquetball, Waiting for their turn. Ostentatious bags by Reebok, Nike, E-Force, Black and Steinboch, Bags that wouldn't make it through an airport's luggage check device, Crammed with shirts and gloves and head scarves, shoes and laces bearing logos, Ready for their turn. Oh! the racquets! Each, superior. Pity the novice ‘quipped inferior, Novice brave in bright white sneakers, clean shirt, no gloves, simple shorts, Novice thinking his bag, paper, straight from Sears, would sure suffice, Ready for his turn. One sweet specimen caught my eye – one man's racquet snared my eyes: Twenty-two-inch-long string techno-marvel quivering ready in its frame, E-Force specially-molded carbon poised for owner's skillful strike As he swept into his turn. Equipped manly cap á pie, this hero, strong of limb and eye, Swung his snappy 22-inch-long strings at the trophy ball, Noisily slammed it ‘gainst the glass walls, rammed it home against the tough glass, Scoring with his turn. There's a moral to this story: honor, manhood, love and glory Are not found by slamming ‘round some busy little tinted ball, But in the size of one's equipment. Actually, it’s all equipment, Displayed at every turn. RAY CHARLES, HONEY! © Jean Hull Herman
Of course it depends on what generation you're in As to who you say was on the soundtrack of your life. For the World War II warriors and their women, It was Frank Sinatra, crooner for the ages. But if you were born just as the war was ending Just before the official Baby Boom, It was Ray Charles right there with you. What'd I Say in 1966 – and everybody's world Came down to a fine-tuned howl by a genius. Made you want to sing Glory, Hallelujah! Flipping through the channels one 1999 evening, I came across Ray, in concert on PBS (That bastion of all things respectable), His tuxedo blue sequins, wrap-around glasses opaque, A little stubble of white beard, His hair all white now. Playing the piano – that man never just played piano: He put his hands on it, and immediately the keys Gamboled about, lay down and panted, begged, While Ray growled his ballad about growing old but still warm, "Let me sing my song to you." When I was sixteen, Jimmy Hunt and I did the twist three times To What'd I Say! at a party at his house. I’d never let myself dance in front of other people before, But Ray Charles, honey! In college, I bought all his records, stacked them up, Danced, sang, discovered. A single girl in her twenties, I’d let Ray Advise me, console me, sing the blues for me, help me love Or just rock and roll whoever, whenever, wherever, just for myself. Ray said it was OK. Bobby and I had our first fight – I learn about power, negotiations – And I got that Texas Aggie to take me to see my man Ray – My first time, and my clothes were soaking By the time Ray was done with that crowd. Ray played all around the country, all year ‘round, So I’d go see him with whoever, whenever, wherever, Just ‘cause it was Ray Charles, honey! And I’d sing every song Like everybody else in Cobo Hall, Joe Louis, Riverfront, the Spectrum. That New Year's Eve with Bill in Detroit's Music Hall – Everybody in the whole damn place was smoky high, Embers everywhere, corks popping, stuff spilled all over, Everybody dancin’ in the aisles! Life was good. I read something a long time ago About how if you wanted to be a Raelette, you had to let Ray. Wouldn't have spent one second thinking about it, either – I’d shake my tail feathers for him. If only he'd asked. This night the old warrior growled the ballads, the torch songs, Bent over the keyboard, musing to his ivory and black friends. His last line was "Let me sing my song to you." Well, Ray, I'm still here. Come sing me your song. We've got a lot to talk about. Read our interview with Jean Hull Herman (Jan '03)

Click here for November 2003 Featured Poets page 2 -->

"I'll Howl Before You Bury Me",
published by Interactive Press,
very deservedly won the
2003 IP Picks Award for Poetry
by a Queensland author.

ISBN: 1 876819 17 0

Price: $23

Editorial Review of: "I'll Howl Before You Bury Me" by Liam Guilar

Liam's poetry is a fresh, likeable mixture of free verse and rhymed folk ballads, often with a liberal smattering of saucy humour. This book also takes the reader into true stories which are often very poignant and moving, along with vivid snapshots of Liam's own life. Take, for example, Liam's description of his father in "My Father Taught Me Roses" (From the section entitled "Between The Lines":


"Hands worn hard by secateurs
back bent and aching in the sweat
of breaking ground to measure
bone meal and manure..."

...and in the section "Songs For A Lute Book" Liam's romantic side comes to the fore, through elegant poems such as "The Last Rose":


"Oh let me love
           the moon
your hands
your face.
Beneath the moon
beneath my hands
the rose I didn't give you
withers on the stem."

Each section of the book unfolds a new facet of the poet's mind and his wealth of experiences from his travels around the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry, especially poetry by a musician who often adds the magical influence of music to his words.

Reviewer: Sara L. Russell.

AVAILABLE NOW - Sara Russell's new e-book on CD ROM: WORLDS INSIDE THE HEAD

ISBN 1-878431-47-1 / Kedco Studios Inc., Las Vegas

with poetry, short stories, videos, animations, music, wavs and 3D art throughout...

Only $9.95 - click here to find out more... or Mail us here at Poetry Life & Times.

OUT NOW - CANADIAN SPIRIT VOICES
by Richard Vallance...
Photo © by Richard Vallance, 1993 (Northern Ontario)
Canadian Spirit Voices is now available from Kedco Studios Press (Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.)... in a full multi-media CD book, consisting of poetry, prose, the essay, original MIDI music and plenty of splendid artistic illustrations. The CD-ROM book is the equivalent of a hard-copy book in excess of 500 pages! For more detailed information on this book, please click here:poesieslaissezfaire.homestead.com .

To be released in 2004!
An amazing new e-book
published by Kedco Studios Inc.

Curious? Click the picture link!

Poetry Life & Times has wonThe Prix Poesie's laissez-faire Grand Prize for 2002
- thanks Richard!

[Ezine editors: click the banner to find out more about this award.]

click for details

"Less trouble than men, less fattening than chocolate..."

Q U I C K I E S

- an e-book of erotic/humorous stories for women
by Sara L. Russell and Patricia diMiere. Published by
Kedco Studios Artist Profile Press - ISBN 1-878431-42-0, $12.50
Original, funky and naughty, with twists and surprises!

Poesie's Laissez Faire Foire Announcement

Come Meet our Poet Friends!

Check out the poetry sites of some of our friends and
editors in Canada, the U.S.A. and the U.K. at: Rencontrez nos amis poétiques!

Voulez-vous recontrez de nos amis poètes et rédacteurs
de la poésie, qui demeurent au Canada, aux États-unis
ou au Royaume-uni ?

Meet my literary friends! Rencontrez mes amis littéraires!

Visit Crystal Rose's Place

Val Magnuson Galactic Poet Award

Why not visit:

OUT NOW

MILLENNIUM DAWN

anthology, by Kedco Studios Artist Profile Press.
An exciting collection of award-winning poetry and short stories.

Enquiries to Elaine Davis at kedco-ap@juno.com

Also - Contributors Wanted for: CRYSTAL DAWN
... A new forthcoming anthology from Kedco.
Click Here for details.

THE PERILS OF NORRIS, #40 - Norris's bankrupcy hearing continues, as he pleads insanity on the basis of his poetry...

NEW: The Poetry Life & Times Store
You can now buy Perils of Norris Merchandise online, including mouse mats, clocks, tote bags and postcards.
Click here to visit the store... ...or the clock image --->

The Perils of Norris started in August 2000. To catch up on past episodes, click the links below, then your browser's Back button to return.

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Mail me on: sararuss.geo@yahoo.com with poems, letters or poetry news,
by 23rd November (latest) for the December issue.

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