Delicious Bits

Leveler (Eds. Jennifer H. Fortin, P.J. Gallo, Evan Glasson, and Yotam Hadass) is a new online poetry journal. It is quite nice.

Matchbook (Eds. Brian Mihok and Edward Mullany) publishes "short fiction and indeterminate prose." It is quite smart.

Both publications focus on the creative work and the critical thought. These are presented side by side and offer the reader a glimpse into the author's ideas (Matchbook) and an editor's impressions (Leveler).

Both are super interesting to read.

Also, Travis Nichols wrote this for The Huffington Post.

Illustration is from Spider Pie, by Kim Smith. I found her illustration by googling "delicious bits" which happens to be the slogan of her blog. Delicious, indeed.

How Lovely!

More lovely here.

But on a different note....

Word Association with Seth Parker!!!

Word Association!

I asked Seth Parker, editor/founder of Skein Magazine, and author of devastatingly gorgeous poems to word associate with me.

Here are the results:

Thither: Wither

Crime: Slime

Crimson: Cloak

Festival: Charades

Horse: Palindrome

JFK: Lobster

Jackie O.: China

Vav: Yad

Salt: Pfeffer

Fawnzelle: Springtime

Serious: Basketball

Golf: Delicate

Maw: Tendril

Cranky: Nerd

Blade: Ring

Crust: Breath

Seething: Dream

Gourd: Enchanted

Gourmet: Vegetable

Cactus: Landscape

Ballet: Swanness

Arson: Chemistry

Dole: Dynamite

Ohio: O

Ohio: Hi

Ohio: O

Here is Seth's chapbook, Beethoven of Smells. It's an Invisible Ear masterpiece.

Here is a poem. And this is not him.

On Titles

My dear friend Brian Quinn had the following dream about the origins of Pink & Hot Pink Habitat:

i had a dream last night

that i went into some cupboard

and there were all these candies like laffy taffies

called "habitat"

and there was a pink one

and i was like, "oh. that's how natalie got the name."

i saw a pink one and i was looking for a hot pink one

and i thought, "oh - very clever, natalie!"

there was no hot pink one

****Come To This Party****

6x6 Magazine is having a party and you are invited. Your are so lucky! Check this out:

Special UDP Event: 6X6 PARTY

Thursday, November 19, 7:30pm
Celebrate issues #18 and #19
with readings by Maureen Thorson, Jules Cohen, Lucy Ives, Lee Norton, John Surowiecki, John High, and John Coletti.
Live music by Frank Hoier, Boom Chick, and Holy Spirits.
@ Shelton Walsmith's Studio
267 Douglass St., Brooklyn (map)
ST. Gowanus, a geographically pertinent beer from Brooklyn's own Kelso Breweries, will be on tap!
FREE - FREE BEER!

The beer is free-free!

I would go, but I'm far away. I would have to cross an ocean to get there. But you should go, if you can.

p.s. some of my poems are in #19. Yay!

Here, I read a few poems from the magazine (and throw in a bonus poem).

“I breathed in an autumn bouquet that combined everything small-town America with rugged splashes of the Last Frontier”

Sarah Palin says this in the opening of her new book. It's kind of a mind twist, that line. NYT reviews said book. (This is not a book recommendation).

I'm reading Chelsey Minnis' BAD BAD. It makes me very happy.

I'm reading Moby Dick. Very slowly, and underlining things with a blue pencil.

I recommend reading these together and separately.

Maybe It Is Your Birthday

Or, maybe you need a good song and some animated rain. Here, watch this:

The crocodile (Gene or Genya) sings about the sadness of a birthday only happening once a year. Also, magicians, blue helicopters, ice cream, and harmonicas.

New & Exciting

(image courtesy thewinger.com)

SUPERMACHINE is a self described "Brooklyn based poetry reading series and literary magazine." It comes from Ben Fama, Shonni Enelow, James Copeland, and Michael Barron.

They have some seriously great readings coming up. For example, tomorrow night these people are reading: Christian Hawkey, Cristophe Casamassima, Jennifer Kronovet, and Macgregor Card.

Matvei Yankelevich has a new book out. It is called Boris by the Sea (Octopus Books, 09).

And this is Michelle Taransky's book, Barn Burned, Then (Omnidawn Publishing, 09).

And over at HTML GIANT it is Heather Christle week. Other online places are involved as well and chances to win things abound!

Eileen Myles interviews CA Conrad over at Poetry Foundation. Click here to read the interview (and see an original drawing by Paul Killebrew).