Grey Book Press Infinite Playlist

Christmas is in a week, and I'm trying my best to put off doing anything responsible, like wrapping gifts or figuring out for whom we have left to buy. As I'm finishing the last bits of my lunch here at work (Lipton Cup-a-Soup, veggie jerky ["wild" flavor], cheddar cheese-crackers, and a Sprite . . . and, I confess, a chunk of chocolate-covered peanut brittle), I'm thinking about music. I have bills to pay (most important), a chapbook of Fantome lyrics to proof (while listening to the CD), and poems to read for the journal (oh, wait, most of you aren't sending me anything so scratch THAT), but I'm doing this. All because it's an excuse to randomly post a list. Of music.

Some of you might remember I did mix CDs for my blog (Kamikaze Lunchbreak). Well, I started one for the poetry journal I'm gonna do . . . last Spring, when I came up with the title. By the time Issue #1 of it goes to press, I'll have done a half-dozen mix CDs. For me.

For you, I have the Grey Book Press "staff" buyers' guide! It's a listing of what's in "high rotation" . . . y'know, from a pre-MP3 world where "albums" and full-length CDs still matter. I guess this is more my list, because the long-arm stapler sits on a shelf above the desktop and mostly listens to the sounds of me playing Eve Online.

In no particular order (although six is an unusual number):
-- Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City
-- Forget Cassettes, Salt
-- Fields, Everything Last Winter
-- The Dresden Dolls, Yes, Virginia
-- The Cinematics, A Strange Education
-- I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, Fear is on Our Side

Facebook, Fantome, and Brushing the Dust Off

We're anxiously building up to something here at Grey Book Press. At lunch today, I pulled the trigger on creating a group for the press on Facebook, complete with a snarky description and suitably minimalist picture. I invited 21 of my friends (on Facebook, so make the translation to "virtual" there) to the group, most of whom are not poets. In eight hours, almost half had joined the group, so I'm chalking that up as a success. Or, y'know, sympathy.

As mentioned last month, the first planned book is a collection of lyrics for Fantome's debut CD, Velvet on the Air. I've put together a some galley proofs, and I'm reviewing it with our singer, Chantal-Marie. I think the goal is to have this "going to press" in January.

To prepare the, um, "press," I've started assembling some copies of bound that have been stored in pieces/parts for more than seven years. This includes the remaining portion of the run for the final issue (#6), and scattered bits from the first three issues. I did some stapling about an hour ago and I only screwed up five or six copies before I remembered how to NOT mess them up. AMIDOINGTHISRITE?

And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled . . . Stuff

It's funny (or not) how consumed I was with this election. Y'know, the one that wrapped up yesterday. Besides the outcome, I feel the weight of 10 months of near-constant attention has be lifted.

The "press" has been slowly coming "back to life" for the past few months. With little more than emailed solicitations, of course, submissions have been pretty thin. But we're gonna change that.

In addition, I've made a "deal" to print a limited-edition lyric book for Fantome's debut full-length, Velvet on the Air. Not really hard to negotiate when you're IN the band, but I thought it'd be a nice (re)entree to the saddle-stapled world of micro-press-ery.

More soon. And I mean it . . . this time.

Submission Guidelines

Grey Book Press is seeking poetry.

Poems should feel lived-in, of this world, and real. Formal poetry is fine, as long as its form doesn't get in the way. We like Asian forms, particularly. Subject matter is open. We're open to "grown-up" poetry; erotica is okay, but explicit pornography is not. Nothing didactic, and no greeting card verse.

For "journal" submissions, send three to five poems to greybookpress (at) gmail (dot) com. Poems can be typed into the body of the email. A short introductory note is appreciated.

We are currently not accepting unsolicited chapbook manuscripts.

Ike Ignores America's Wang, Heads to Texas

Apparently, we (here) are avoiding destruction. Ike has chosen (quite on his own) to engage the Texas Gulf Coast. Sorry, people of Galveston.

This whole posting about hurricanes seems irresponsible considering this isn't a weather blog. Nor is it a political blog (I'll be shattering that barrier any day now . . . even as I have an established blog for that.) It's a poetry blog, yes?

In that vein, I can say that I have received more poetry, but not nearly enough for an issue of anything. Not even a 19-page chapbook.

Would some guidelines be helpful? I'll get to work on those.

Poetry and/or Certain, Rain-Soaked DEATH

Do you guys ever check out the Weather Underground? No, not the 1970s domestic terror group that the GOP is going to try and link to Obama (again). It's a weather website that shows, for instance, Hurricane Ike rounding the tip of Florida and heading directly to where I'm typing this. Although, by the time it gets here, I will have typed this, like, six days earlier. Or something. I just hope FEMA hooks us up with a really awesome trailer. With WIFI.

Poetry? I thought this was a blog.

Hey, y'know when you throw a party and no-one comes? Well, having a poetry journal can be like that.

Okay, as long as the Google/Blogger Empire isn't set up in Miami or Key West or St. Marks, I think your poems will be safe.