Virtual Book Tour wrap up/Blood Pudding Press update

The final review of Read Write Poem's Virtual Book Tour (of Lisa Ciccarello's poetry chapbook 'At night, the dead:' published by Blood Pudding Press) was contributed by Ren Powell, editor of Babel Fruit magazine.

Some excerpts from this review:

“Lisa Ciccarello’s chapbook is an example of why poetry books are important as works of art. That is, 'poetry book' distinct from 'book of poems'.

...as with any charm, the context of the repetitive whole is mesmerising.

The vague references to superstitious practices are never fully fleshed within a cultural context…

This vagueness allows for the ambivalence that characterizes the collection. The charm to ward off the dead becomes seductive, just as children are seduced by the fear of the Ouija board, just as pleasurable touching becomes painful within the context of insistent repetition, just as pain can become almost pleasurable. The dead are feared and longed for: ‘The dead put their fingers in your mouth’.

The sestina-like repetition in the collection creates a pleasing tension with this reader, as I want to speed through the increasingly familiar phrases, but am stopped short for close reading by the poet’s attention to detail and abbreviated metaphors…

Clearly Ciccarrello’s poems grow from their communion with the dead – the kind of growth that needs the space of chapbook.”

You may read this review in its entirety at the More Babel blog:

http://morebabel.blogspot.com/2009/09/book-tour-at-night-dead.html

You may read excerpts from all seven preceding reviews on this Virtual Book Tour (and more) consolidated over at the Blood Pudding Press blog (click the bloody telekinetic female to your right OR the link below):

http://www.bloodyooze.blogspot.com/

I would like to thank Read Write Poem for orchestrating this Virtual Book Tour, everyone who contributed a review, and also those who have been reading along!

If your interest has been piqued re: 'At night, the dead:' it is not too late to acquire your very own ribbon-bound, spider-stamped copy from the Blood Pudding Press etsy shop:

http://www.bloodpuddingpress.etsy.com/.

Coming next (hopefully soon) from Blood Pudding Press, a new poetry chapbook by Dana Guthrie Martin, after which your intrepid Blood Pudding Press editor (that would be me) will be taking a spell to focus on her participation within the dusie kollektiv 4!

During this time, feathered and flighty submissions will still be accepted for Thirteen Myna Birds on an ongoing basis.

XO. Juliet

P.S. #1--Did you read my exciting Slash Pine Press news?--
http://slashpinepress.blogspot.com/2009/09/slash-pines-first-two-authors.html

P.S. #2--Did you read my article about CutThroat Entertainment's new horror film on the Columbus Underground blog?--http://www.columbusunderground.com/break-a-horror-film-from-cutthroat-entertainment

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update:

Kathrin Schaeppi/ellectrique press offers up a wonderful feature on the dusie 3 kollektiv collaborative chapbook swap project:

http://www.ellectriquepress.com/home/Feature.html

Dusie 3 is ending and Dusie 4 is starting up, but Dusie 3 will still have a last hurrah when all the completed chapbooks are published as free-to-read PDFs by editrix extraordinaire, Susana Gardner. Stay tuned!

meat curtains & banana curls

A few recent search terms that have led to this blog have been 'pretty peckers' and 'Nellie Oleson banana curls'. The latter is most likely related to some mention of my short series of Nellie Oleson poems (one of which is supposedly forthcoming in 'Side of Grits' and one of which was just accepted for the premiere issue of 'Bone Bouquet' and a few others of which are crying out for revision), but don't ask me about the former.

You can ask me about meat curtains, though, or at least about my recent chapbook, MONDO CRAMPO. Nathan Moore did and his one question and my one answer (and one small disclaimer about adult language) are posted over at Read Write Poem today:

http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/08/25/just-one-chapbook-thing-juliet-cooks-mondo-crampo/

In other news, I finished my first-ever artist grant application! Yay! That's almost good enough to make me forget about my infernal PMS (cramps and headache and bloat of the breed that do not want to respond to any treatment). At least I don't have to use crocodile dung tampons or Lysol douche.

Oh and speaking of Read Write Poem, their first-ever Virtual Book Tour will be starting tomorrow--featuring the latest lovely Blood Pudding Press tome, 'At night, the dead:' by luscious Lisa Ciccarello.

Oh and speaking of Blood Pudding Press, the next tome is coming soon--'The Spare Room' by Dana Guthrie Martin. Stay attuned.

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Update:

The Read Write poem first-ever Virtual Book Tour is now underway! Hurray!

Check out the entry there for details on how the tour will work and who will be involved and then stay tuned throughout the month for the poetry conversation.

I will also be posting ongoing updates on the Blood Pudding Press blog at http://www.bloodyooze.blogspot.com/

http://readwritepoem.org/blog/2009/08/26/read-write-poem-virtual-book-tour-%e2%80%98at-night-the-dead%e2%80%99-by-lisa-ciccarello/

Wholly Craft!

The last few days have involved an out of town family getaway (a good change of pace, but now I'm behind on various projects) followed up by some bummerish rejections and so forth, BUT on the plus side...

Yummy Blood Pudding Press poetry chapbooks are now available at a real live store in Columbus, Ohio called Wholly Craft!

Hot pink storefront, sweet DIY spirit, innards brimming with myriad artisanal offerings. Hand-sewn cards, screen-printed panties, aromatic soaps, yarn balls, one-of-a-kind tote bags, uniquely-designed attire, and so much more--and now five Blood Pudding Press titles have been added to the fun-filled mix. Hurrah!

If you're in or around the Columbus, Ohio locale, check out Blood Pudding Press chappies and other delightful artsy crafty goodies at Wholly Craft!:

http://www.whollycraft.net/index.html

If you're not in or around that area, you may still acquire Blood Pudding Press wares online in the etsy shop:

http://www.bloodpuddingpress.etsy.com/

Yipee!

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In other news, here's s a new little article I wrote about summer-to-fall fashion for women--starring knee socks:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2055419/fun_and_easy_summer_to_fall_fashion.html?cat=46

And another little article about why I can't take my dog to work:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2070429/why_i_should_not_take_my_dog_to_work.html?cat=53

better news--Blood Pudding Press poetry, the dead, the velvet...

At night, the dead: is a darkly delectable poetry collection written by Lisa Ciccarello, one of the winners of the Blood Pudding Press chapbook contest.

The lovely cover art was designed by artist Emma Trithart.

The cover stock is pale gray, deckle-edged; the text stock is ivory, deckle-edged.

The pages are hand-numbered and spider-stamped.

This luscious tome is bound with ribbon and will also be tied up with a small expanse of luxurious black or dark red velvet.

Give yourself a macabre gift of resonant words bound in an artsy volume.

At night, the dead: may be procured individually for $7.00 or may be purchased as part of a Combination Package with another Blood Pudding Press chapbook of your choice for a substantial savings (please see separate listing). For trade copy or review copy inquiries, please feel free to contact me. To peruse or purchase, please do visit the Blood Pudding Press etsy shop at http://www.bloodpuddingpress.etsy.com/

Won't you pretty please die a little death with us?

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update: In non-dead news, my husband brought home a passel of oysters (raw, in the shell) for dinner last night, neither of us having eaten oysters in years. As we neared the end of our dining experience, he cracked open an oyster to discover a tiny crab inside. Alive.

Too bad it wasn't a pearl.

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Okay, back to assembling and binding and then more printing. Feeling a bit overwhelmed...

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update: I wish I felt better about myself. Perhaps more on this tomorrow.

Keywords: tuna can, MRI