Saturday, January 16, 2010

spare as space



Here's a new review of The Alps from The University of Arizona Poetry Center e-newsletter, written by Bonnie Jean Michalski.


Also, there's this from the print world:

"Shimoda uses the full page, bumping up against left and right margins, sometimes both in the same poem. Punctuation is as spare as space is plentiful, which makes the poems feel all the more delicately orchestrated, as if the words were set down deliberately one letter at a time to resonate with both sound and sense, within and beyond the page's margins. The double columns create movement within an established field, and because the poems vibrate with war references, the columns suggest tension and opposing forces. The formal play might say that one manner of managing something unmanageable, chaotic, or wretched--like war--is to break it down into parts (bombs and butter and blue flowers and tongues), float it sideways from its context, and peer at it closely. The line folded into the first poem, "I wish the arrangement would formally buckle," feels epigrammatic and expressive of intention as much as desire."

--Jacqueline Lyons in the Colorado Review, summer '09


Wednesday, January 13, 2010

under the small lights } awp denver




announced officially by the university of miami press, john cotter's short novel under the small lights will be published this may.

under the small lights will be of especial interest to those familiar with poet charles jodoin, whose work you likely read in the kate schapira edited leopard print chapbook anthology, as he makes an appearance in the novel as a character named... charles jodoin. (jodoin also makes a brief, lecherous appearance in adam golaski's historical essay "the dairy barn.")

john will embark on a national book tour, beginning at the university in ohio; flim forum will post dates so you may begin work on your cotter tour tee, which will be retro cool when your children start college.

on a far less interesting note, flim forum press will share a table with open letters monthly at the upcoming awp conference in denver this april. flim will debut its new title, soon to be officially announced; brandon shimoda's book and both flim anthologies will be available, along with a plethora of side projects, including new genre. open letters monthly will have on hand a print anthology that brings together twelve of their best essays.

Monday, January 04, 2010

The Alps



Read new reviews of Brandon Shimoda's The Alps by Ching-In Chen (white space, inevitable), Brandon Downing (cautious as a groom), Stephen Hong Sohn (such brutality, such violence), Jared White (staring upward, wide-eyed), and Craig Santos Perez (behold the blank)...

More on The Alps






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Iowa City, IA 52245

Query: klane at flimforum dot com