altogether too much

My head is gonna explode. "Jane stop this crazy thing!"

Samson

Johnny Damon's career average at Yankee Stadium is .251.

have you

Been reading this? You should. Terrific poems.

aw yeah!

"You down with UGP, yeah, you know me." This is very exciting.

long weekend

• Good friends in town from Baltimore. Lots of carousing, good food, good drink, long walks, etc. One particularly noteworthy beer from Berkshire Brewing Company, an Imperial Stout aged in a whiskey barrel. Very tasty, very high octane.
• Spent the majority of last night working on Michael Carr's Platinum Blonde. It is very close. Hoping to have it and February at the printers soon or printed out soon.
• Embarassingly behind in correspondences & feeling like a heel. Will catch up this week. Thanks for being patient, I've been swamped. It is not for lack of appreciation.
• Agree with Jonathan on Guest's "ungraspable quality". Her work has always been opaque to me after a certain point. I've often heard people refer to Coolidge's work as opaque, which I can't understand unless they are tone dead. It has taken some effort for me to appreciate Guest, I've had to do a saturation job with her work, read it and reread it until it begins to permeate me. This is an approach I often will take with a poet, even if I get it from the get go. To allow the work to work me over until it echoes in my ear and head over and over, then any kind of opacity is disarmed through familiarity even if it remains on some level.

odds

Basketball at lunch, my shot wouldn't drop. Good to run. Again tomorrow night. Getting to that fighting weight.

Movie night tonight: cashew curry, Bertolucci, red wine, good friends.

Time to walk my dog.

astounding

People don't realize what librarians do. Our image needs a facelift.

correction

& I'll be at UGP (probably not AWP), say hello.

Valentine 1959

The more that
       who? the world
seeks me
     so to speak

the more
      will I
seek
  you.

Louis Zukofsky

this week

Pitchers and catchers report.

Bunting

Recently turned a good friend of mine, who was born and raised in Newcastle, on to Basil Bunting's poetry. He mentioned this to his mom, who remarked that she remembered Bunting attending the parties she and her husband used to throw. I will investigate this more and get back to you. I find this fascinating.

werewolf

Therewolf! Or another full moon little sleep for me, nonetheless full of piss and vinegar.

Tieger's February is very close. Perhaps Aaron's best so far...

Brenda Iijima's Rabbit Lesson will be added to the Fewer and Further Press lineup. Brenda is an original from the get go. Can't wait to work with her on this.

Need to update the F&F Press blog, will do so soon.

Rumor has it, I'll be reading with one of my favorite contemporaries at the Poetry Project in June. Best be on my game.

& I'll be at AWP, say hello.

30/50

This is hot.

no love

For you lately. Promises of better days. Up to my ears in it. Soon more words.

Projected Numbers

From here:

Team W L
Boston 92 70
New York 85 77
Toronto 83 79
Baltimore 73 89
Tampa Bay 70 92

Silver Jews

 

"It is autumn

and my camouflage is dying"

 

& that's far from the best of it.

 

 

wine update

We transferred the wine to the French oak cask. A mighty 60 gallons worth. We blended the Merlot and the Syrah. Soon enough lots o wine. Also considering an alteration to my 5 gallons of cider...here's the plan: blend it with a bottle of Knob Creek (a fine dry whiskey), golden raisins and maybe vanilla bean...not sure on the bean yet. We have another 60 gallons of cider in the works, so I'm trying to be experimental. Any suggestions? I'm gonna do this some time this month. Sarcasm welcome.

Threnody from Effing

is beautiful like some of the Brainard-Elmslie collaborations. The design of every Effing book has given me pause and inspiration, this even more so. Scott Pierce!