Orange Spotlight

Chris Connelly "How This Ends"

"The bloodflow moves like jagged ants in the strobe of the conflicted sunset."

How This Ends is an epic poem written by author/musician Chris Connelly. For me, it is a deep and dark look at what the end times might look like. It's a look through the the pen of a man that has spent time in bands like The Revolting Cocks and Ministry. It's a look by someone who clearly feels we are on a path to destruction.

"Bodies under the bridge trying to generate magic hoping and loping from rubble to dismal paradise, post war architecture, yellow stained, cold and wet from piss and spilled solvent."

Probably by Jono Tosch (Kendra Steiner Editions, May 2010)

The latest release from Kendra Steiner Editions is a diverse collections of poems from Jono Tosch. Probably covers subjects ranging from Don Mattingly to really bad days to the journey of stray lunch meat. The one theme that connects this seemingly random collection is the idea of "what if". It's not that these are hypothetical situations, but they are situations that can be dissected and changes in direction may occur. Jono is inturpeting life, but from a slightly removed angle.

"Don Mattingly flickers like a disposable lighter, Don Mattingly rises to the surface of the great ocean of consciousness."

The Moon is Made of Cheese... by Snacki (Parking Block Press, May 2010)

The latest chapbook from the independant art book publisher Parking Block Press is a beautifully drawn collection of some of life's most ironic truths. The Moon is Made of Cheese... by Snacki contains nine (ten if you include the cover) drawings or illustrations that bring thruths like "Sharks can't stop swimming or they'll die..." or "Your eyes and nose... Never stop growing..." to life. Filled with what looks like spray paint of yellow, faint brown and blue, spots and dots, these drawings are fun and fascinating.

Thomas Rain Crowe "The Brucciano Poems" (Sunnyoutside, April 29th)

For awhile now I have been fixated on finding the perfect place. The place that feels like the euphoric rush and sudden peace of the first sip of thick black coffee in the morning. It's that calm, the stillness and relaxation that I think I am seeking, but that I never take the time or risk to actually find. It is also that surreal peacefulness and lush richness of life that that the new collection from Thomas Rain Crowe captures. I can clearly see Crowe sitting at the little wooden table in front of the open window absorbing Italy and attempting to capture that feeling. He uses a series of scenes and lives to try and convey his experience in Brucciano, Italy, and does a fantastic job.

Haunt Me in the Morning by Jim Wittenberg (Graffiti Kolkata Chaps, April 2010)

I received another package from India this week and this time it contained the new chapbook from Jim Wittenberg. The highly streamlined poet was born in Cuba the son of American missionaries. This fact adds both the cross-cultural element and complex internal struggle of the chapbook. What I mean is it is clear that Jim confident in his ability and clear in his expression, but still is able to convey a certain level of guilt or concern about his faith. What he leaves to the reader’s interpretation is what exactly is haunting him each morning.

"confusion is my essence/since the moment of my conception"

One Damn Thing After Another by Tim Hall (Outsider Writers, 2010)

"So You've decided to become an underground lit legend? Congratulations!"

Tim Hall's stories always seem to be ripped directly from his life in one way of another, and in his latest collections he draws on the experiences, frustrations, and even fantasies of a writer. Essentially this is a collection custom build for the writer, perhaps "Chicken Soup for the Independent Writer's Soul" but with a much stronger dose of reality.

The Taste of Penny by Jeff Parker (Dzanc Books, 4/20)

In the follow-up to his debut novel, Ovenman, Jeff Parker brings the reader a series short stories that are wild, dark, adventurous, and strangely compelling. Even as Parker is describing the sensation of biting of the tip of his tongue or caving through the carcass of a roadkill moose (same story!) you are drawn in to the drama, tragedy, action, and comedy.

"Her body explodes. But James doesn't stop there. He pounds again and again and again until she is a bloody nothing."

The car wreck of a collection culminates with a series of stories about a man named James. It kicks off with a tale of how and why James killed a bird with a hammer. It's so wrong, but so hard to put down. The collection ends with a series of e-mails between a lonely guy and a series of his past flings. It adds a bit of humor, and a little sadness to this heavily layered collection. This collection is the perfect way to escape and live a life (or lives) a little more dangerous and adventurous for awhile.

Cleveland Scores Early by Michael Ceraolo (Kendra Steiner Editions #162)

It's that time of year again, baseball season. This year, in January, I swore off sports promising to ignore everything from reality to fantasy. I was able to elude that vaunted phrase, "pitchers and catchers report", but the of pull of April 1st was just too much to resist. You see, I was born the grandson of a die-hard Cubs fan. My Grandmother had even made dinner for Gabby Hartnett on several occasions. It was inevitable that I would come to love all of Cub-dom. So why I did I give it up? Well, it was a fragile mixture of lack of time and 30 years of continual let downs.

Jeff Phillips "Turban Tan" (The Igloo Oven Publishing Project)

I didn't realize why I had kept Jeff Phillips second book on my self for so long until I final brought it down and opened it. It is always scary when what seems like science-fiction on surface slowly becomes all to real. Turban Tan takes place in 2032 in Dubai, in a world that has been sold multiple times over. It paints a picture of a crumbled Federal Reserve, a national currency overseen by an "unnamed investor", and crushing future that is forcing more and more people underground.

"After the government lost its spending power, it was now a business entity that was, in turn, purchased by a limited partnership. The heftiness of the purchase and controversy surrounding it no doubt motivated the shroud of secrecy of the ownership. The public display was by symbol only +++. America: The Transaction."

As more is bought and sold through the Fed the more Phillips' scenario seems plausible. Each character in Turban Tan has a nickname (Bell Pepper, The Dippy Man, etc), and this adds to the mystery and sense that you are get getting a glimpse at the a secret world.

Devin King "Clops" (Green Lantern Press, Mar. 2010)

Last month Chicago's Green Lantern Press released a new version of Devin King's epic poem "Clops". What makes this version unique are the images by Brian McNearney. He brings several images to this 50 plus page poem that add a visual element to this already visual descriptive piece.

What King does through "Clops" is elaborate on the tale of Odysseus and Penelope, but pulls it closer to modern times. However it is hard to tell if it is King's word or the readers point of view that brings this epic work into focus. The fact is with the waring world we currently live in even Homer's original text could seem like a modern commentary. The first few sections of this poem begin with the phrase, "To begin, there was the war." It is just the first example of the way King utilizes repetition to build scenes, battles, cities, and eventually heroes.

"silence my deep silent pink wishes.
heave heave little messes
heaves heave little chores