Poetry News September 2002

September 2002

Café Society's Poetry News Update

Do you have poetry news or comments? Mail me on the link at the bottom of this page. Announce competitions / calls for submissions here free.

An Interview With

Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI

Bilingual interview with Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI
by Richard Vallance

ÜZEYIR'S BIO

Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI was born in 1949 in Bor, Turkey. He is an interior architect and industrial designer. He has been writing novels and poetry since the age of 14. Many of these have been pubished in various magazines and newspapers, including the National newspaper, "Anatolians". His works have found popular acclaim in the press, in reviews and anthologies.

Yakup YURT, a noteworthy translator-interpreter and author in his own right, hails from Brussels, Belgium. He has devoted his life to the pursuit of the arts and has translated these lovely poems into French. His translations have in turn aroused the attention of the French press, as well as of noteworthy associations. In addition, these same translations have ensured that Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI has been able to pursue his studies in France, what with Yakup Yurt’s support.

The Turkish poet married Neziha in 1995. He has since held several posts, but has been working for the Association for the Continuing Professional Education of Adults, or in French, l'AFPA ( l’Association pour la Formation Professionnelle des Adultes ).

Biography translated from French into English by Richard Vallance, © February 1st, 2002

THE INTERVIEW

Richard:	Hello, Üzeyir. I am delighted to interview you on behalf of Sara Russell, the Editor-in-Chief of Poetry Life and Times. Now, what really interests me right off the bat is this: just how did you find out about the international English literary E-Zine, Poetry Life and Times? Bonjour, Üzeyir. Je suis heureux de vous interviewer de la part de Sara Russell, rédactrice-en-chef de «Poetry Life and Times» . Ce qui me frappe au début, c’est ceci : comment avez-vous découvert «Poetry Life and Times» , l’e-zine littéraire anglais d’envergure internationale ?
Üzeyir:	Well, it’s all because of the Internet and friends who are actively involved in poetry that I came to know about your journal. C’est grâce à l’internet et des amis qui s’occupent activement de la poésie que je fais la connaissance de votre revue.
Richard:	Can you tell us why you consider this magazine in particular is a suitable medium for communicating "what's on" in the contemporary poetry scene, as well as your involvement in it? Pourquoi donc jugez-vous que cet e-zine en particulier soit un bon moyen de communiquer au monde les activités de la poésie contemporaine, telle que les vôtres ?
Üzeyir:	Today’s world continues on the path towards globalization. The Internet allows people who share the same occupations or pastimes to get closer to one another. Dans le monde actuel qui est en voie de globalisation, l’internet permet aux gens qui partagent les mêmes métiers de se rapprocher.
Richard:	I’ve often noticed, while looking through your Internet web sites, that you’ve been writing poetry for some time now, at least several decades. So can you tell me at what point in your life you started off your career as a writer? J’ai souvent remarqué, en consultant vos portails sur l’internet, que vous écrivez de la poésie depuis assez longtemps, voire quelques décennies. Alors, dites-moi donc, c’est à quel moment de la vie que vous avez débuté votre carrière d’écrivain ?
Üzeyir:	I began writing my first poems at the age of 14. So I’ve been writing for some 40 years now. My poems reflect my own personal life experiences. We can split my poetic career into two distinct periods: Turkish and French. I began to be known in the French and international poetry world around the time my poems were first translated into French by my very close friend, Yakup Yurt living in Belgium. J’ai commencé à écrire mes premiers poèmes à l’âge de 14 ans. J’écris donc presque depuis 40 ans. Mes poèmes reflètent mon vécu personnel. Donc on peut scinder ma vie poétique en deux périodes : turque et française. J’ai commencé à être connu dans le monde poétique français et mondial dès l’époque où mes poèmes ont été traduits du turc en français par mon excellent ami Yakup Yurt vivant en Belgique.
Richard:	So would you then consider yourself a professional writer or more of a literary buff? Est-ce que vous vous considérez alors écrivain professionnel ou plutôt énergumène de la littérature ?
Üzeyir:	To consider yourself a professional, you’d have to earn some sort of a living. Until now, I’ve earned recognition, but no money. Pour pouvoir se considérer comme professionnel, il faut gagner sa vie en faisant un travail quelconque. Et jusqu’à présent je n’ai gagné que de la considération et non de l’argent.
Richard:	What languages do you speak and read well? Quelles langues est-ce que vous parlez et lisez bien ?
Üzeyir:	I'm fluent in Turkish and I get along reasonably well in French. Je suis excellent en turc je suis valable en français.
Richard:	Oh I see. So, you write in French as much as you do in Turkish? Ah oui, je vois bien. Donc, vous écrivez souvent des oeuvres en français autant qu’en turc ?
Üzeyir:	No, you’re mistaken; I never write in French. I write only in Turkish and then others translate my poetry into other languages. Non, vous vous trompez; je n’écris jamais en français. J’écris uniquement en turc et ensuite on fait la traduction de mes poésies dans d’autres langues.
Richard:	So I guess you’re pretty popular in Turkey, aren’t you? Et alors, vous êtes, j’imagine, pas mal populaire en Turquie, n-est-ce pas vrai ?
Üzeyir:	As I’ve said, there hasn’t been much difference since the Internet’s been around. Comme je l’ai dit, il n’y a plus tellement de différence depuis l’existence de l’internet.
Richard:	So how would you explain that? Comment ça s’explique-t-il, selon vous ?
Üzeyir:	It all comes down to the same thing in principle (as I pointed out in my last answer.) Ça revient au même principe ( tel que je l'ai énoncé dans ma réponse précédente ).
Richard:	Do you think there is widespread awareness of your works in France and in other French-speaking countries, such as Canada and some African countries, by which I mean, the number of editions published on the one hand, or on the other, your multi-media exposure? For instance, have you often been interviewed on TV or on radio? If so, in which countries? Quant à la France et aux pays francophones tels que le Canada et les pays en Afrique, y a-t-il reconnaissance largement répandue de vos oeuvres, soit selon la dissémination des éditions, soit sur le plan « multi-média » ou sur l’internet ? Par exemple, est-ce que l’on vous a souvent accordé des interviews à la télévision ou à la radio ? Dans quels pays ?
Üzeyir:	I get lots of invitations, but as I’m not a professional and since flights are very expensive, I just can't afford myself the luxury. Je reçois beaucoup d’invitations, mais comme je ne suis pas professionnel et que les voyages en avion coûtent très chers, je ne peux pas me permettre de les accepter.
Richard:	Oh yes, and I see too you’re not only a poet, but also an artist. Could you tell us something about that too? Enfin, je vois bien que vous êtes non seulement poète, mais aussi artiste. Pourriez-vous nous dire quelque chose relativement à ce sujet ?
Üzeyir:	Yes, it’s true. I am an artistic designer. And I also write short stories. I studied at the École supérieure des Arts industriels appliqués de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts de l’État [roughly translated: the State Academy of Industrial and Fine Arts of Turkey]. So I'd call myself a multi-dimensional artist. Oui, c’est vrai. Je suis dessinateur artistique. Et j’écris également des nouvelles. J’ai suivi mes cours à l’École supérieure des Arts industriels appliqués de l’Académie des Beaux-Arts de l’État. Donc, je me considère artiste pluridimensionnel.
Richard:	OK, to wrap things up, my dear Uzeyir, I dare say I really admire your poetry a lot. It conveys to me the familiar personality of someone who takes life as kindly as possible, as it comes, even in the face of sad, often tragic personal sufferings, common to all humanity. Yet, in spite of all that, you never let life run you down! That’s really admirable of you. Can you give us your perspective on this? Alors, au bout du compte, cher Üzeyir, je dois avouer que j’admire beaucoup votre poésie, car elle me fait part d’une orientation familière et plaisante à la vie, sujette sans doute à des expériences personnelles souvent tristes, même des fois, tragiques. Mais, en dépit de la tragédie quasi universelle de la vie humaine, vous ne la laissez pas vous accabler, point du tout ! Cela est fort admirable. Voulez-vous nous en donner votre optique ?
Üzeyir:	Thanks. Your compliment moves me deeply. Merci. Votre compliment m’a touché profondément.
Richard:	Well, unless you have something else to add - say, a favourite literary quotation, or a personal message you’d like to offer all our readers? Enfin, n’avez-vous rien d’autre à ajouter – une citation littéraire favorite, par exemple, soit un message personnel à l’intention de tous nos lecteurs ?
Üzeyir:	I wish them all health and happiness. Je leur souhaite à toutes et à tous santé et bonheur.
Richard:	Well, thanks, Üzeyir. I hope your poetic inspiration will always be as fertile as it now is! Alors, merci, Üzeyir – et je vous souhaite la plus féconde inspiration poétique qui soit !

Click Here to read poetry by Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI

Click Here to view a selection of Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI's artwork

EDITOR'S LETTER, SEPTEMBER 2002

Dear Poets,
Welcome to the September 2002 issue of Poetry Life & Times (For those of you reading this on a mirror site and not poetrylifeandtimes.com, click here).
In this issue, Richard Vallance, as guest interviewer, gives us a bi-lingual interview with the acclaimed Turkish poet and artist, Üzeyir Lokman ÇAYCI. Some of Üzeyir's art is also included, on a link page under the interview.
Featured Poets this month include Janet Caldwell, Val Magnuson, Ward Kelley, Richard Zola, Richard Vallance and Jan Sand.
For the September 2002 Vallance Review, Richard Vallance has reviewed Scotty Snow's quatrain, "longevity".

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. Further submission guidelines are available on request, or click the submissions link on our main page.

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 Janet Caldwell, Val Magnuson, Ward Kelley, Richard Zola, Richard Vallance and Jan Sand. Many thanks to all contributors.

JANET CALDWELL
Janet Caldwell is a free lance writer who has been published in various sites on the web and held a byline in a newspaper in the early 1980s while attending North Texas State University, now known as UNT. She belongs to many literary organizations. Janet has been influenced by writers such as Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allen Poe, Bob Dylan, John Lodge & Justin Hayward.
She has done volunteer work for the mentally challenged and is an advocate for others. Janet has suffered from depression and relates to the writings of those who have suffered as well. Janet is also a certified optician in the state of Texas, USA and worked full-time for over 20 years in the optical field, fitting eye glasses and contact lenses.
LEISURELY CUSTOMS
© Janet Caldwell 2002

Have you ever thought about the cost or the
time that it takes, to be presentable?
Today, as I got into the shower, I
slicked some sort of silk therapy for a
smooth sheen on my skinny legs for shaving.
Grabbing Alan's razor (mine's busted),
I dragged it up and down each leg. I examined
my armpits for 'stickers' and oh yes, slid the razor
across them too. I am as hairless as I
need to be; at least for today.
I looked at the assortment of body washes (God knows that
I don't use economical soap), fat-bottomed bottles with
sleek necks, slender vials of imported colours.
Hmm, I think that I'll (yes, no, yes)
grab the green one; what is it, pear or melon?
Who really cares anyway? Lather, slather
it does smell nice. (At what price?)
Ahh, then there's shampoo & conditioner.
Certainly, there is a choice.
Today, I opted for Nexxus products;
mid-priced and a job well done.
Once, I am clean, shaven and well- (never mind),
I simply wrap my hair in a towel and pat dry.
Now it's time for body lotions,
face-and thigh-creams.
No blow-drying my hair today.
As a matter of fact, I'm skipping the war paint too.
(That's an entire other rite to write.)
Oh-Oh-Oh, I must perfume, perfume.
Since it's summer I opt for a lighter scent.
Too many tiny bottles to choose from.
Two hours later, I'm still thinking about which.

AMNESTY
© Janet Caldwell 2002

Gaping through hollow eyes
sockets deep, body as gaunt
as any refugee.
The jutty ribs you can count
like veins in a tree's leaf.
Wretched pain, a tooth pulled
with no anesthesia. The poison falling out of
her head, down an uninspired cheek.
Malaise brings a familiar comfort
she can feel something. Though
she's dying and the world sees her captor. She's
condemned by him, her character discarded.
Lost and forsaken, replaced.
Punished for imagined crimes,
Dislocated like an emigrant.
Feeling inadequate as usual "that warden! Who is he?"
Would she live to tell the tale?

His intentions just before her untold,
though vivid, answered by
piercing dream screams. Empty and starved for
forgiveness, with no absolution in sight.
Denial.
This puppeteer had stumbled across her twine saying,
"I'll save you, mold you and feed you leaves.
You'll do as I say; you'll owe me your life."
She does.
She mimicked his ways, adapted to eat,
but the leaves were desiccated and weak.
She was choking and gasping
as his dutiful wife.
Thoughts of suicide danced on her brain.
There has to be a way to end this pain.
She looked in the mirror
and wasn't sure who she was.
A disillusioned face looked back,
as gray as a dove.
"Excuse me Madam have we met?"
Conclusion...
With liberty and nourishment in mind, she
made her plan of escape, tossed all caution aside.
She peered into her keeper's deceiving eyes. Yes, she
turned and spun on her heels, without a good-bye. (Bravo)
While in the market one day,
a man with a cart full of
acquittal, brushed alongside her... So
patient and loving, he satiates her hunger.
She's fat and sassy now,
Her Knight had taught her to eat.

SOLAR SLAKE
© Janet Caldwell 2002

At dawn the leaves elongate
their outstretched fingertips
warm. Unable to unfold,
if the ultraviolet is underprovided.
A new spell holds sway.
Emerald veins expand; follow
the great canary globe. Hungry,
gorging, glutting, gone the cold famine.
Drinking digits converge
trunk-ward in the night.
To experience the after-sap
of the succulence released.
Are we poles apart?

Minimize
© Janet Caldwell 2002

You are aware of the warped colors
In my brain. They are mostly crimson
And bullion cubes, dull in my
Skillet skull, sautéd with noodles.
Each delegate a part of my life
Do they know? Who are they anyway?
I don't think they do.
How can you prescribe, explain the reds,
Without popping them?
How do I get it across, while
Lying on this burdened couch?
I can't talk to you herhemeandyou.
Did I say that already? OK, OK, let's get it
Straight!!!
I don't want your help. I want my own.
Too much, too much!
I see drops, do you?
Of course you don't, you've
Got a Ph.D., your fiddle-Dee-Dee
Some kind of degree.
A special document awarding
A kind of extraordinary vision.
Is this better, one or two?
Go away, I don't need your help.
As a matter of fact, you
Make me a bit blinder.
I'll outline it somehow.

VAL MAGNUSON
Born in Detroit, Michigan and lives at Bush Lake in historical, Holly, Michigan and occassionally on the Gulf of Mexico in Dunedin, Florida. Val has a BA from Wayne State University and an MBA from Central Michigan University. Ms. Magnuson is a member of the Michigan Bi-Lateral Trade Team Canada and is a noted stained glass artist. Ms. Magnuson has had her work exhibited in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada and the Corning Museum of Glass.
Val has been awarded many prizes for her poetry and is the author of "Destiny" published by Poet Works Press. Her virtual homes are http://valmagnuson.com and The Poet's Porch, - Val's poetry is featured throughout the world and on the internet. She was inducted into The Poets Hall of Fame in 2001.
JEWELED BOX
© Val Magnuson

I think that I shall become mad
Then no one will ask me
Why I keep my life in a jeweled box
I could forget that the very God of Fate
Reached out to me...
I could alter reality
I would enjoy breathing in
Rarified, hallucinogenic air
I might enjoy it there
He could be every tide
Rising in me---
How strange that would be-
It would be too much like living
Too much like life
And that I keep in a
Jeweled box-
from Five Gates of Poetry/2001
© Val Magnuson (all rights reserved)

LETTER TO GRAMS
© Val Magnuson

Dear Grams,
I've met the greatest guy! He's really quite a peach! Only twenty
years
my senior
and still has most of his teeth.
He's been divorced and has three kids; but the "X" has custody. Why
he'll
be done
with alimony in 2023!
And Grams, he has a double-wide. It is really swell! I've been
cleaning
for six months
and got rid of all the smell.
We've made so much from empties that we bought new plant grow lights.
We're
ready
for the harvest; but, we have to do it at night!
His morals are the highest. So, Grams, I moved right in. As soon as
he
dumps wife number
two; I will marry him!
And Grams, he is a southern boy and truly my best friend. Do you think
he's
kidding when he
says, "The South Will Rise Again!" ?
Grams, I know you've studied french. So, what's "menage a trois?" He
says
that we will do this
soon with his sister or his ma.
Grams, you know I love you! I wish that you were here! But, when
"Killer"
is off his tether;
we'll visit you next year!

FENG SHUI HOOSEKOW
© Val Magnuson

At the world's largest gulag prison
Up on level three, cellmate 8035
Lives in Feng Shui harmony
Around the stainless steel commode
stands an Oriental bamboo screen,
While an electric water pump
turns the toilet into a fountain of prosperity
Wind chimes tinkle in the cell
It's alive with Ch'i
On an eight-sided stand
In the southeast corner
Niagara falls dreamily
Though 8035 is truly
the star of the prison kitchen-
What he does with veggies
Makes him look like a magician-
Potato, carrot and radish tops
are sprouted in tin cans
Vining around the cell bars,
making the horticultural Feng Shui man!
Hills and landscapes surround his berth
A la trompe l'oeil
The Feng Shui philosophy
is effective empowering
through thorough scouring
Nothing in life should be soiled!
Next month, "Cell Beautiful"
is coming out to do a spread
on "Spiritual Development in the Hoosekow
While Achieving Good Feng Shui for Your Head"

Click here for September 2002 Featured Poets page 2 -->

East Grinstead Poets

East Grinstead Poets News:
A local competition winner...
UK poet Ann Margetson, local to East Grinstead in Sussex, has won a special competition which was associated with East Grinstead Poets' poetry exhibition at East Grinstead Library. Visitors to the exhibition were invited to write a poem featuring these words:

window
wardrobe
mistress
dress
elephant
car

We had several very good entries including one which was amazingly long, which had no name or address on it! Here is Ann's winning poem (The prize will be on its way to you soon Ann!):
POETRY COMPETITION © Ann Margetson Six very odd words, not at all connected, Bound up in a poem, was what you required. And any kind of literary puzzle, is something to which I have always aspired. The poem, I felt, would be quite bizarre Combining an elephant, wardrobe and a car. But the wardrobe and mistress suggested a play With the stage and actors to dress And a full size car, with its window wound down, And the elephant...? Maybe the jewel in the Crown! But no, I seem to digress. If I were a mistress, I'd demand a new car And a house, where I'd sit at the window and wait. In a beautiful dress for my master to call And I wouldn't be cross if he arrived rather late. My wardrobe would hold all the latest fashion With dresses and suits in all the best shades And underwear to stoke up his passion And outfits to emulate schoolgirls and maids. And now and again he would take me away To distant places, over the sea. An elephant trek in far off Bombay Where he'd sit high up on the howdah with me. But in my mind's eye, I just can't forget The woman that he has left waiting at home. For soon his conscience will force him to regret. And I'll be the one who is waiting at home.

Poetry Life & Times is a nominating site for The Poet's Hall of Fame. Nominations are according to poetic merit and sometimes also for services to poetry in general.

Nomination from the August 2002 issue:

Durlabh Singh*

Congratulations!

Awarded for the rich, exotic moods of his poetry, especially "Hope", last month.

*NEW* Competition from the Poets' Porch:

Click logo for details...

New book coming soon from Lyn Lifshin:
ANOTHER WOMAN WHO LOOKS LIKE ME
published by Black Sparrow Press.
Click here for more details and reader review

Vous pouvez enfin lire
le volume 1, numéro 2, de l'e-zine canadien,
SONNETTO POESIA
- celui de l'été, 2002. Dans ce numéro, l'écrivaine en vedette, c'est Sara Russell, rédactrice de l'e-zine anglais, Poetry Life and Times chez le lien suivant :
SONNETTO POESIA
Dans le numéro actuel, on trouve aussi des sonnets par Brian Whatcott ( des États Unis ), de « la pomme de terre terrible » ( Royaume Uni ) et de Richard Vallance, le rédacteur ( Canada ). Les sonnets sont classés de façon thématique. On peut lire tranquillement des sonnets estivaux, des sonnets portant sur le sujet universel de l'Amour, sous la rubrique, "Love's Labour lost?" ( soit, « À la recherche de l'Amour perdu? » ), et si vous voulez bien, même des sonnets bizarres de « Commediadel Arte » ! Alors, c'est bien rigolo, n'est-ce pas? Et bien! Qu'attendez-vous? - l'apocalypse? Allez-y tout de suite!

The Summer, 2002 issue
(Vol. 1, no. 2) of:
SONNETTO POESIA
- which features the sonneteer, Sara Russell, the Editor of the UK E-Zine, Poetry Life and Times, is now on the WEB here:
SONNETTO POESIA
Our Summer issue also features sonnets by Brian Whatcott (USA), the Potato Tarquin of Terror (UK) and Richard Vallance, Editor (Canada).
The current issue arranges sonnets thematically. You may read at your leisure: Summer's sonnets, "Love's Labour Lost?" sonnets and even Commedia del Arte ones! Sounds like great fun, and it is! OK, so what are you waiting for? - the end of the world?

Come on in!

click for details "Less trouble than men, less fattening than chocolate..."
Q U I C K I E S
- a new 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 rather naughty, with many a twist in the tales.

Poetry Life and Times is listed in Poetry Who's Who

The Poet's Porch Anthology July 2002
Dreamland 200 pages
Poets of The Poet's Porch, Guest Poets and Resident poets
Order NOW !
$16.00 with Shipping
Make check or postal money order payable to Poets Porch - Address below.

Dept PA
Poets Porch
P.O.Box 806 Civic Center
Fresno, CA. 93712-0806

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!

Val Magnuson Galactic Poet Award
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 cartoon, #26 - more twists and turns in Norris's dream. Reginald Rat has escaped from the cartoon completely! He could be anywhere on this page, doing anything. If you can find him, you win a prize!
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