Wrapping Up (posted by Bruce Covey)

Thanks, everyone, for your positive responses to yesterday’s post, both online and off!  I’m happy I could help generate such a conversation! 

To clarify:  The post was partially tongue-in-cheek, and the name of the awards was supposed to be silly and over-the-top.  The $20 award was absurdly low by design.  My point is this:  If we feel the range of national awards or in-print anthologies doesn’t fully represent the communities of poetry we love, we, as editors and readers and poets, have the right to create new awards.  And the prestige they receive is a function not only of the creator’s proclamation, but the degree to which they reflect contemporary poetry’s range and vibrancy.  I’m certainly not uniquely qualified to create such awards or anthologies, but I will—that part of my post wasn’t ironic.  You could create one too, just as David did several years ago when he started Best American Poetry.  There was a need then—one that still exists today—except that today, there are so many more publishing poets.

I was also serious about nominations—please continue to send them to me at [email protected]!  Thanks to everyone who sent names and titles to me already!  For the official 2011 winners, please see the Coconut website and/or facebook page sometime around the end of January.

Back to Coconut, I can now reveal one more secret:  We’ll also be publishing Serena Chopra’s first full-length collection in 2013!  Serena’s chapbook Penumbra is due out any day from Flying Guillotine.  Here’s a poem from it, called “Force and Stress”:

Force is that which stole your saw and tasseled its blade from my throat—a change in motion— stationary objects are unproductive.  From everyday experience you know that if a door is stuck (stationary), you apply force to open it (get it in motion). To apply motion towards reset, structural geologists use the term stress, or the amount of you I find parched in my edges. The magnitude of stress is not simply fibrous. Not wild flower bouquets to hidden blades. Not the mystery of the purpose of depending on skin. Not to keep you out. The magnitude of stress is not simply us, but also relates to this door. Locked edges. For example, if you are walking barefoot on the beach, your feet lifting and folding sand, the weight resets the water’s fine composition of her shell-bits and fossil. However, if she would not let you sigh into her welcoming edges, if she clawed you from the shore and made you tread— You’d spit in her hair. Or journey to her gut and stomp up phantom clouds of dust.

Now about me:  My most recent book, Reveal, is just about read to go to the printer and will be available at the Coconut/Bloof booth at AWP.  Please pick up a copy?  SPD will have it too—hopefully by early spring.  I’m also finishing up my next manuscript, Change Machine, which will have two sections:  “Heads” and “Tails.”  I plan to submit it to publishers just after New Year.  Anyone interested in looking at a copy when it’s ready?   

Also, Reb Livingston just posted “Black Friday Weekend” prices on No Tell Books, including mine (and hers, and Lea Graham’s new book, and all the others).

Also, I ran into Gina Myers a couple of hours ago at Criminal Records, a terrific Atlanta independent cd store.  Is it true that cds will soon no longer be made?  Wouldn’t that put an end to the artistry (visual/object and conceptual) of the album?  Will all music be reduced to singular points, released as each song is produced?  Will everything, including books, dissolve into the netherweb?  I love technology, but—as was discussed recently elsewhere on this blog—I tremble at the potential loss of the physical book.  & music that can be exchanged from hand to hand.

Anselm and Edmund Berrigan are reading for the What’s New in Poetry series at the Emory University Bookstore on December 8.  We’ve had so many amazing readers this year.  

Special thanks to Jamie Iredell, Heather Christle, and Brandi Homan, who haven’t received as much space as I’d planned to give them this week.  Lots of others too—it’s such a great time to be a poet. 

Thank you, readers, for this week, which has been really magical for me.  Most of all, thanks again to David and Stacey for this chance to share my thoughts.

Love always,

Bruce

 

Comments

[Kevin]

Thanks for replying on your penultimate blog below Bruce. I was being deliberately provocative in an extemporized response, more to see if (and if, how) you'd bite.

I often think it can be a tad discouraging for some authors of these blogposts if they don't get much of a response, and I can understand by your lucid reply that a somewhat cynical reader like myself can often misform a picture of 'you' in their minds based on the one-way monologues the blogs here often become over the course of the guest writer's week. It's easy to sit here generating uncharitable thoughts about thinkers like yourself trying to pitch a good idea to the (relatively) small parish of poetry heads who read this blog, especially if we (as I usually do) form our opinions on only a few minimal texts this type of blog throws up.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is good luck. Take no notice of my (minor) gripes. You are right, it is all still inchoate and unfixed.

[Kevin]

Sorry Dave.

I got carried away as I extemporized so no probs if this babble's removed.

~

I love you Bruce my darling dearest deepest out-there chum.

To be honest though, I hadn't read most of your blog announcing the idea you had that morning to set up one of the world's most prestigous literary prizes.

I began skimming from the title on, after a first few lines in this fairly long post you wrote that I didn't read before responding to. Twice.

The initial couple of response were extemporized, the same as your post itself, but now I have read your ideas through fully, though I skimmed through/past the poem excerpts as one can fake familiarity with the work of these authors and, like the enthusiastic cheerleaders for buying their books we are - the same as numerous other professional poetry supporters in a similar situation - we remain alert and positive to, not only what is, but what can be and does happen in our sole song

Recline and Fall – A history of deck-chairs
The Wimp in The Willows – A timid Mr. Toad
is terrified by motor-cars.
The Naked Lurch - Guide to nude volleyball

The Da Vinci Cone – A great inventor turns his attention to ice-cream.

I am editorially extemporizing an exercise of the hand and mind Bruce, thinking about what you wrote, about debates being a positive outcome of your new most prestigous planetary poetry-in-English prize that will extend to us editors and readers, critical savvy in a pleasantly readable voice the Reader has come to expect and explain to us the readers, what loyalties to one another we can expect, in the conversation and occurence of numerous debates, opining on such things that quicken the mind and create a safe and secure, positive and profitable arena in which we all can speak freely of what concern for excellence in everything we think, we have, including

The White Moddess – Robert Graves examines 60s teen culture.

The Interpretation of Creams – Dr. Freud presents his survey of recommended beauty products.

A Christmas Carrot – A shortage of poultry leads one Victorian family to economise one yuletide.

Lawrence of Alabia – a cunning linguist battles a speech impediment

The Lord of The Rinks – The rise of an ice-skating magnate.

A Farewell To Arse - A former libertine takes vows of celibacy.

The Gropes of Wrath – Failing banker takes it out on lap-dancers.

I cannot help copying and pasting some of my favorite attempts by several of one's most warmly regarded colleagues who share felicity and feeling for instinctively generated, extemporized poetry exercises that generate these movie titles the regular doggerelists and llaureates both, performing positively in print. Playing

Mess of the d’Urbervilles – Kim and Aggie clean up in Wessex

Angela’s Rashes – how one Limerick woman confounded Harley St.

Sinbad the Soiler – A young man’s battle with incontinence.

Perhaps form is being wrought, chisselled out, appearing new like one of the future Coconut anthologies will, next year, and in which we can discuss with ourselves, what contestants it is we belive most deserving of our support as a person who created one of the English world's most amazingly innovative, serious yet light-hearted, disposable and permanent, all things to all literary lovers prizes, like us, BC, original and dumb intuition astute, canny and quick witted clever blogs

The Habbit – A grim portrayal of The Shire’s heroin problem.

Gone With The Wand – Scarlet O’Hara marries a wizard.
Waterslip Down ~ How to install gutters and drainpipes
Treasure Inland – Adventures of a Swiss pirate.

The Bing and I - Mrs. Crosby’s biopic

Tweet Me in St. Louis – Heart-warming adventures of a young girl and her forays into social media.

Dude, Where’s My Carp? – Hilarious comedy involving a couple of hapless amnesiac fishermen.

To The Lighthorse – Virginia Woolf joins the 17th Lancers.

Lust For Fife - Van Gogh conceives a passion for Scotland.

Reservoir Digs – Harvey Keitel rents an apartment with a water-view.

The Cunt of Monte Christo - Bill Clintons Guide To Adult Fun With Cigars.

~

We need to talk English as a community who share the same language.

I want to not only double the prize money by contributing $100 to the scheme, but own the project by adding a further amount for additional finalists. To widen participation. Thirteen finalist, that more than doubles the targetd goal of making more poets known who deserve to be, of which there are thousands flooding out from all territories on the English speaking world. Billions, potentially, Bruce - our reader's are.

A billion loyal poetry fantatics spending on our extensive and incomparable stable of poetry greatness, is a lotta cash, baby!

Bleak Horse – Black Beauty’s battle with depression
Finnegans Cake – for those who like convoluted recipes
At Swim Two Bards – the Brownings on holiday

A Rivet Runs Through It – Chevrolet repair handbook.
June Eyre – why your name matters.

~

Come back soon. We love you for your mind Bruce Covey!

[Kevin]

Sorry Bruce I just sent a comment that disappeared into the spam holding area because it was too long, and it may well not it appear here. David, please send Bruce my comment.

Thank you very much.

The general thrust of the comment focussed on what you had to say in the original post I confessed I responded to twice without reading. I have now read your ideas and was trying to convey sincerity.

Cheers.

~

I am editorially extemporizing an exercise of the hand and mind Bruce, thinking about what you wrote, about debates being a positive outcome of your new most prestigous planetary poetry-in-English prize that will extend to us editors and readers, critical savvy in a pleasantly readable voice the Reader has come to expect and explain to us the readers, what loyalties to one another we can expect, in the conversation and occurence of numerous debates, opining on such things that quicken the mind and create a safe and secure, positive and profitable arena in which we all can speak freely of what concern for excellence in everything we think, we have, including

The White Moddess – Robert Graves examines 60s teen culture.

The Interpretation of Creams – Dr. Freud presents his survey of recommended beauty products.

A Christmas Carrot – A shortage of poultry leads one Victorian family to economise one yuletide.

Lawrence of Alabia – a cunning linguist battles a speech impediment

The Lord of The Rinks – The rise of an ice-skating magnate.

A Farewell To Arse - A former libertine takes vows of celibacy.

The Gropes of Wrath – Failing banker takes it out on lap-dancers.

[Kevin]

I cannot help copying and pasting some of my favorite attempts by several of one's most warmly regarded colleagues who share felicity and feeling for instinctively generated, extemporized poetry exercises that generate these movie titles the regular doggerelists and llaureates both, performing positively in print. Playing

Mess of the d’Urbervilles – Kim and Aggie clean up in Wessex

Angela’s Rashes – how one Limerick woman confounded Harley St.

Sinbad the Soiler – A young man’s battle with incontinence.

[Kevin]

Perhaps form is being wrought, chisselled out, appearing new like one of the future Coconut anthologies will, next year, and in which we can discuss with ourselves, what contestants it is we belive most deserving of our support as a person who created one of the English world's most amazingly innovative, serious yet light-hearted, disposable and permanent, all things to all literary lovers prizes, like us, BC, original and dumb intuition astute, canny and quick witted clever blogs

The Habbit – A grim portrayal of The Shire’s heroin problem.

Gone With The Wand – Scarlet O’Hara marries a wizard.
Waterslip Down ~ How to install gutters and drainpipes
Treasure Inland – Adventures of a Swiss pirate.

[Kevin]

The Bing and I - Mrs. Crosby’s biopic

Tweet Me in St. Louis – Heart-warming adventures of a young girl and her forays into social media.

Dude, Where’s My Carp? – Hilarious comedy involving a couple of hapless amnesiac fishermen.

To The Lighthorse – Virginia Woolf joins the 17th Lancers.

Lust For Fife - Van Gogh conceives a passion for Scotland.

Reservoir Digs – Harvey Keitel rents an apartment with a water-view.

The Cunt of Monte Christo - Bill Clintons Guide To Adult Fun With Cigars.

We need to talk English as a community who share the same language.

[Bruce Covey]

Thanks, Kevin! I'm glad my posts could generate such an extensive response. I have no problem whatsoever with your "gripes" as you call them and am happy to be in conversation! Underneath my irony, as I mentioned earlier, I was trying to make a serious point. But again, I have no special claims to the role of editor or award-giver. Anyone who sees a gap in award or anthology representation should fill that gap her- or himself. Again, thanks so much for your well wishes!
All best,
Bruce

[Mishari]

Bruce, despite the fact that Kevin's username links back to my blog, he doesn't speak for me or represent my views. He's a fellow who comments on my blog; I consider him a pal but he's not my cat's paw. I just wanted to make that clear.

Good luck with your project

Mishari (AKA Politely Homicidal)

[Bruce Covey]

Oh, thanks, Mishari! I hadn't clicked on the link before now, but your blog looks cool. Thank you for the well wishes! Take care!
Bruce