Sunday poetry: a phoenix

Mixed in with a bunch of other random books I found today's poem, in a handbound edition of Rainmakers by Deborah Ward, with linocuts buy Billie Bowman. Coyote Love Press put this lovely, slim volume out in 1984, with type hand-set in Janson. This copy is one of 26 lettered copies in the edition of 226. Those 26 lettered copies were hand sewn by Lorene Burman and bound in boards covered with paper marbled by Rick Swann. Both the author and the artist handsigned the colophon page, and the copy I have is letter "k" -- it's a very solid book, for all its reedlike presence on the shelf. So in a way, the book itself is a poem, before you even get to the pages inside!

Self-Portrait with Phoenix

You see, I've burned back to you,
she said. And I knew the blue ashes
as roses from my own throat

and I opened my dark drapery
to chamber her, inhale those ashes
there; petals, blue smoke.

Lovecraft on the wall

All this month we are featuring an art show of work inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, weird fiction author par exemplar of the 1920s-1930s pulps. The show, titled "Madness Immemorial: A Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft," features work is by two artists, Brandon Kawashima and myself, Michelle Souliere. Brandon's work consists of 5 graphite and ink pieces and one watercolor piece, and my work collects 2 graphite pieces and 3 pieces in color pencil on velvety black Somerset paper.

For those of you unable to make it to the show while it is up (through April 4, 2012), I did film a quick video during the opening, when the Watchers played their peculiar brand of surf music as accompaniment for the event, to give you a feel for both the work and the event. I've also included examples of the pieces below, which you can click to see larger versions.

Enjoy!

Lovecraft in Brooklyn by Brandon Kawashima

Lavinia by Brandon Kawashima

Innsmouth Harbor by Michelle Souliere

Crinoid Cthulhu by Michelle Souliere

Dinosaur poetry

I was surprised to find that the distinguished Edna St. Vincent Millay at one point directed her poetic energies towards our venerable predecessors, the dinosaurs. No, I am totally not kidding.

So here, for your Sunday pleasure, is a trifle from her volume Wine from These Grapes (1934), section 2 from her "Epitaph for the Race of Man":

II

When Death was young and bleaching bones were few,
A moving hill against the risen day
The dinosaur at morning made his way,
And dropped his dung upon the blazing dew;
Trees with no name that now are agate grew
Lushly beside him in the steamy clay;
He woke and hungered, rose and stalked his prey,
And slept contented, in a world he knew.
In punctual season, with the race in mind,
His consort held aside her heavy tail,
And took the seed; and heard the seed confined
Roar in her womb; and made a nest to hold
A hatched-out conqueror . . . but to no avail:
The veined and fertile eggs are long since cold.

Card art by Matt Buchholz, Alternate Histories on Etsy!

Ace doubles: Pulp-lover's dream!

I just got in a stack of old Ace Doubles, and wanted to share some of the awesome cover art with you all, because it's too much fun to keep to myself. :) Each Ace Double has two novels in it, and many sci-fi classics started out in this format back in the 1950s or thereabouts. The novels are printed back-to-back. Each book has one of the covers to itself, and the story reads front to back from that side of the book, which means to read the second book, you have to flip the book over and then turn it the other side up. Kind of a cool idea, really!

Here is a sampling of typically wonderful intergalactic art from them.  If you click on the image, you will be able to see a larger version of the picture.

Ace D-162

Ace D-227

One side of Ace D-99 -- with tentacles!!!

To get an idea of how many books were published this way, take a peek at the list on Wikipedia, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ace_double_novels

While the series is most famous for its focus on the field of science fiction, Ace also spread its range to include other genres such as Westerns and mysteries.

Some poetry about a fish

Here's a little bit of silly poetry for your Sunday afternoon!

This comes from page 83 of a lovely 1961 UK edition of Ogden Nash's Collected Verse from 1929 On that I'm just putting out. A very fun read from the fellow who once said, "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker"!

The Fish
The fish, when he's exposed to air,
Displays no trace of savoir-faire,
But in the sea regains his balance
And exploits all his manly talents.
The chastest of the vertebrates,
He never even sees his mates,
But when they've finished, he appears
And O.K.'s all their bright ideas.

Nash has a knack for snappy titles for his verse, such as:
-- Here We Go Quietly Nuts in May
-- Love Me But Leave My Dog Alone
-- So Does Everybody Else, Only Not So Much
-- My Dear, How Ever Did You Think Up This Delicious Salad?

Cover illustration marvels

Every now and then I see some cover art that makes me wonder... what was the meeting with the art director like for this?! "Let's see, we want you to put Mr. Hitchcock's head in a burlap bag, but you have to also be able to tell it's him. Plus, you should stick a couple of swords through his head. And while you're at it, throw in a hangman's noose for good measure."

I would love to ask the illustrator (credited simply as "Schumaker") what his work process was like for this one...

Lovecraft art show at the Green Hand!

WHAT: First Friday Artwalk opening of MADNESS IMMEMORIAL: A Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, artwork by Brandon Kawashima and Michelle Souliere
WHERE: The Green Hand Bookshop, 661 Congress Street, Portland ME
WHEN: Friday, March 2nd, 2012 from 5:00-8:00 (on display through the month of March 2012)
FMI: contact Michelle Souliere at (207)253-6808

MADNESS IMMEMORIAL

Instead of the usual March Madness, why not sample something darker? Brandon Kawashima and Michelle Souliere have assembled a select body of new work in tribute to their eldritch literary idol, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of his death (March 15, 1937). Crawling chaos and other treasures from the deep dark spaces of our cosmos. Accursed imagery wrought in shadows and jeweled tones brought forth for your viewing pleasure. Make your March a little more interesting!

"But more wonderful than the lore of old men and the lore of books is the secret lore of ocean. ... Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with the memories and the dreams of Time."
--H.P. Lovecraft, from his short story "The White Ship"