Poetry Month - A Belated Link

I am so pleased to be able to post a link recognizing a couple of my (own favorite) poems in honor of APRIL - POETRY MONTH. The post is from my good friend, fellow poet and short story writer, memoirist and journalist and a myriad of other wonderful things, RACHEL OLIVIER. When you get there, be sure to take a tour of Rachel's world - it's marvelous. Click here.

New Publishing at FULL OF CROW

I'm pleased to announce that the fine online journal FULL OF CROW has just published "Beyond Loneliness". Click here and then on "February 2013" and my name. Thank you so much for reading. Comments welcome.

New Publishing at RADIUS

Pleased to announce the publishing at "RADIUS: From the Center to the Edge" of my poem "The Machine Stops", initially inspired by E.M. Forster's short story of the same title. You can read it here.

NEW: Translation Collaborations

Announcing a new section I'm hoping will be of interest to you: I've been getting my feet wet in the grand river of Poetry Translation - always a big interest for me but never having the proficiency to translate myself. My knowledge is limited to high school Spanish, a semester of college French, Italian in Junior High and a lifetime of opera; German also from opera; Latin from the Catholic Mass; I also have a tiny smattering of Sicilian - the only language other than English that I have a truly decent knowledge of is a bizarre Albanian-Sicilian dialect which I understand but cannot write and can speak only under dire circumstances (!) ===================================== Now, thanks to upcoming novelist Rosaliene Bacchus, I've been collaborating on the translation of Portuguese poets - that is, Brazillian Portuguese. It works like this: Rosaliene is fluent in Portuguese and provides me with a literal translation. I then gather information on the poet, hopefully including audio, and use my smatterings of romance languages to develop what I consider a replica of the original in English, So far, we have done 4 collaborations and they are all posted on Rosaliene's fine website, "Three Worlds, One Vision". Click here for the site and then click onto "Poetry Corner". October, 2012 features our latest effort. The others are under "Archives": July, 2012; April, 2012; and July 2011. ===================================== I hope you will take a look at both the poetry and the many interesting features on Rosaliene's site. This has been quite an adventure which I hope to continue and expand - Comments, as always, are welcome.

New Publishing Notice

Pleased to announce that the print journal Naugatuck River Review,out of Massachusetts, has published my poem "My Dear Laurie" in their Summer/2012 issue. Here are the first 2 lines followed by the last 3 couplets -- Go ahead, kid, cry / all you want. // .... You tell that pal of yours, / you know who I mean,// that short skirts don't count/ if you wear panties, and// tell her to have another bourbon/ on me - and to watch over my kid// ===================================== Naugatuck is a beautifully done glossy of narrative poetry, published twice a year - their website is NaugatuckRiverReview.com

New RE-PUBLISHING Online

The re-publication of a favorite old poem, "On Being Slow" is now at Ralph Murre's cool "Little Eagle" site: http://littleeaglereverse.blogspot.com I hope you will enjoy this piece - thanks for reading.

New Poem at RUSTY TRUCK

A new political/societal poem of mine, "Invisible", has just been posted at that great site RUSTY TRUCK - hope you will take a look - comments welcome. To get to the site, click here and scroll down the Poet List on the right.

New Poetry Publisings

2 announcements: THE LONG POEM MAGAZINE out of London is publishing a favorite poem of mine, "Mary Meets Marty" this month. It's a 7-part piece, each in a different traditional form. I was invited to the January 18 launch, but, alas .... Regardless, here's a link to their site: LongPoemMagazine. Click on "online shop" to buy issue# 7 - sorry, nothing is available online but if you'd like, email me (to your left) and I'd be happy to send you a proof copy.

Also this month, FULL OF CROW just published my 3, more recent,"Orange" poems - you can read them and print if you like here.

LOS ANGELES Area Bookstore Availability for CHAPBOOKS

CANCER POEMS, AN EYE, WIRED, and AS IF are now all available at Beyond Baroque in Venice and at
Skylight Books in the Los Feliz-Silverlake area.

Belated Post for ISTANBUL LITERARY REVIEW

The latest Istanbul Literary Review published a recent poem of mine, "Writing Down the Words" - you will find it here. Also at that site, under "Archives," you will find "Indulgences: A Sequence" in the January, 2010 issue.
Thanks for reading.

OCCUPY WRITERS

I am proud to be included in the ever-growing list of published writers on the OCCUPY WRITERS website showing support and solidarity with all fellow-occupiers - join me and add your name as have authors across the globe, from the most illustrious to the rest of us!

In Solidarity With the OCCUPYs

On October 1st, I joined my peers - the 99% of America - at Los Angeles City Hall to stand up and protest my country's outrageous actions, and lack thereof, toward it's people. An amazing day in support of OCCUPY WALL ST and ourselves that continues to grow nationwide.
We WILL prevail - we MUST! Memorize these sites for up-to-date news on all the "Occupy"s: OccupyLA.org, OccupyLosAngeles.org, OccupyWallSt.org

Interview from JaneCrownRadio

Delighted to announce the availability of my August 21 interview with Jane Crown from JaneCrownRadio. Jane, the publisher of Heavy Bear, does a wonderful show, asking questions and eliciting responses that turns the interview process into a conversation of hopes and dreams, facts and fancy; I also read several of my poems throughout the conversation. The show is about an hour and is available here. You can download it, burn a cd from it if you like, or just listen.

2 Poems

Phases


He found himself a box
a small, undistinguished box
to put himself into.

Not all of him, a part
unlamented by him, the part
most recently over
and ready to be forgotten.

Not forever - he knew
that was not possible - he knew
though it would try its best

not to fidget, to keep still,
not try to turn over, still,
it could not rest

forever, it would have to knock
at one side or another, knock
hard at times, just tap

at other times to recall him
to its time, pinpoint him
to its place on his map
for a moment or two, a year or so.

*

When he first laid it in the box
on top of the older parts in his box
he watched it settle in

without a sigh, a shrug, a lock
he closed the box without a lock
a sigh, a shrug, a smile.

SKETCHBOOK, April-2008


Someone Else's World


There's a time of will, of stout-hearted sensibility
when all may not be right with the world
but it is your world, with all its back-breakers,
its griefs, its bumps in the night ...

it is your world, where stumblings or spectres,
disturbances or despair are dare-able,
when you can settle in to work or cry or fight,
when to shatter the black knight
or be shattered
is real.

And then, there's this: tremors
under your feet, shaking the coffee cup
you've raised to your mouth; tremors,
like the aftershocks of an earthquake,
every few days, or hours. Nothing
catastrophic or unexpected, just tremors,
from the rupture in someone else's world,
rumbling through yours.


HAMMERS - 1998

June Featured Poet on Emerging Novelist's Site

I'm pleased and honored to have been chosen the June Featured Poet for the web site of emerging Guyanese novelist, Rosaliene Bacchus - click here. You will also find this a fascinating site weaving through Rosaliene's journey, joys and travails - look at the videos, listen to the music, read the words.

"Musetta" Graces PoetsArtists Magazine

The beautiful art magazine, POETS/ARTISTS, has published "Musetta's Last Waltz" in its April, 2011 issue - a beauty for both the art and the poetry. You can get a print or digital copy of the magazine or download a pdf/preview by clicking the cover - your choice - here

More POETRY Online and Off & Another PUSHCART NOMINATION

Online right now are new and not so new poems at these journal sites:

RUSTY TRUCK

HEAVY BEAR
Click on the December/2010 cover, then Table of Contents, then page number by my name.

WAR CRIMINALS WATCH
This is part of the World Can't Wait organization based in NY; click on the POETS page and scroll down for "Mankiewicz"

POETRY MONTHLY-UK
Click on December issue/#26 - @p.13 - Sorry, there is no Table of Contents

Print journal, MUSE, out of Cleveland, re-published "This Is Not a Dream" for their special section on Imprisonment, 2010.

Another PUSHCART Nomination: Thanks to the editors of OFF THE COAST for nominating "My Last Signore" from their Spring 2010 issue.

New Availabilty for WIRED and CANCER POEMS

The WIRED and CANCER POEMS chapbooks are now available on Cervena Barva's "Lost Bookshelf" page: cervenabarvapress.com

New Poetry at UK Web Site

POETRY MONTHLY INTERNATIONAL has just published a relatively new poem of mine, "When Art Is Not Enough." You can download a .pdf at PoetryMonthly.com. Click on "latest issue", then "December" - you'll find my work on page 9 - many good poems here - take a look.

"1 DAY LESS" on the Big Screen

For those of you in the Los Angeles-Santa Monica area, a screening of the 1 DAY LESS video will be featured at the Academy of Entertainment & Technology, 1660 Stewart St., in Santa Monica on Friday, December 10, 8:00pm - Hope to see you there ....

Poetry in MUSE - from Cleveland's LitCenter

Cleveland's LitCenter has re-published "This Is Not a Dream", from my chapbook WIRED, in its journal MUSE. It's the June, 2010 issue, focusing on imprisonment of all kinds. You can order a copy from the website - the magazine is a good looking, 8X10 glossy with very provocative words and images from many perspectives.

DVD of "1 DAY LESS"

The DVD of the May 29, 2010 performance of 1 DAY LESS is now complete and ready for the Sol Huroks of today to promote - It has been beautifully edited by filmmaker Marc Saltarelli, is fully titled, and contains our information email address: 1DAYLESSopera@gmail.com.

The video is not for sale, but composer David Javelosa has put up an excerpt on YouTube - click here.

Thanks again to everyone for your comments and encouragement.

Performance of 1 DAY LESS

The performance of ONE DAY LESS at a pretty full house in the Broad 2nd Space in Santa Monica CA went very well - especially considering less than 8 hours of rehearsal time at the space itself, having to fly in our baritone lead from an Opera Festival in the midwest the day before the performance, not getting our director until a week before, etc., etc.
But we did it - my congratulations and thanks to our singers Luvi Avendano, Jocelyn Lee, Sabine Esmaili, Claudio Saez; our instrumentalists Evelyn Mann, Jill Flomenhoft, and Michael Intriere; and of course to the other half of "we" - composer David Javelosa.

The performance was also beautifully filmed by director Marc Saltarelli.

Please contact me via email (above) for future performances and further information.

1st Full Performance of 1 DAY LESS

Composer David Javelosa and I are thrilled to announce that the first full performance of our opera, 1 DAY LESS will take place Saturday, May 29th at the Edye Second Space of the Santa Monica Performing Arts Center. This is a semi-staged production featuring exciting young singers and instrumentalists - and is just the beginning!
Here's a bit from of the press release from Santa Monica College:

CONTACT: Bruce Smith FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public Information Officer DATE: May 11, 2010
(310) 434-4209 www.smc.edu

A DREAM OPERA AT SMC

What do you get when you put a dream, Maria Callas, a poet and a Santa Monica College professor together? The answer is an experimental opera titled “One Day Less,” which will debut at a free concert in the Edye Second Space at the SMC Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 29 at 8 p.m.

It began when widely published poet and Pushcart Prize nominee Angela Mankiewicz had a powerful but now vague dream. Then, she heard a story about opera legend Maria Callas in her last years. Shortly before she died in Paris, a near recluse at 53, an unnamed colleague ran into her and asked Callas how she was. She replied: “Caro, every day, thank God, is one day less.”

The mysterious dream and the story gave birth to Mankiewicz’s first opera, “One Day Less.” The underlying theme is alienation. The setting is in the not-too-distant future where people are marginalized by physical deformities. The lead characters meet by chance to find that they have mirrored disfigurements and are compelled to fall in love with each other. Faced with bureaucratic regulations and social stigma, they ponder conceiving a child, but are separated by the powers that be, bringing the story to a tragic ending.

What began with a dream turned into a play, which then evolved into the libretto. “Where the dream ends and the libretto takes over, I no longer have much idea,” Mankiewicz says.

To read the entire release, click here (If necessary, click on "Search Issue Archives" for Vol.11/Issue 49)

New Poetry Online and In Print

Two recent publishings for your consideration:

"Good Times" published in CLARK STREET REVIEW #70, available at PO Box 1377, Berthoud, CO 80513 ($3) and "My Last Signore" from OFF THE COAST-Spring/2010, available at PO Box 14, Robbinston, ME 04671 ($10), and online at www.off-the-coast.com
Thanks for reading.