SPD +1

New Books from SPD

The Transformation Juliana Spahr, Atelos, 2007
Nijoles House Hannah Weiner, Potes & Poets, 1981, 1999 [2nd printing]
The Anger Scale Katie Degentesh, Combo Books, 2006
Hannah Weiner's Open House Hannah Weiner, Kenning Editions, 2007
The Missing Occasion of Saying Yes Benjamin Friedlander, subpress, 2007
All Around What Empties Out Linh Dinh, subpress, 2003
Half Angel Half Lunch Sharon Mesmer, Hard Press, 1998
Poem on a Train Jordan Davis, Barque Books, 1998
Rouge State Rodney Koeneke, Pavement Saw Press, 2003
Million Poems Journal Jordan Davis, Faux Press, 2003

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Now these are all neat & fun, don't get me wrong, but the true gem of the day is Caroline Bergvall's Eclat, published by Sound & Language in 1996. There is an ebook version of it on ubu. Otherwise paper copies of it are rarely available & tend to be pricey. It is not fair to the SPD books because this has stolen all of my attention away from them (besides Nijoles House).

It is similar to War, the musical (Fitterman & Rowntree) in the inventiveness of the presentation of the text. Ubu lists the book as a collaboration with the designer Marit Muenzberg. More books need to take advantage of this sort of collaboration between author & artist/designer. "Regular" books seem lacking after reading texts like these. But it doesn't hurt that Bergvall is one of the best poets in the world.


Was a Sally a Sally pushing the out of mine inside-out for
closer fit Item by item flash out a Jill's eye More trouble
in the rubblebubble