FROM THE MARROW
BONEWORLD PUBLISHING * 3700 COUNTY ROUTE 24 * RUSSELL, NEW YORK 13684
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ODDS & ENDS * SKELETON SKETCHES by John Berbrich #68 November 2007
CHUM by Mark Spitzer: This 227-page novel is not for the squeamish. The descendants of Irish criminals are living on a nameless island in the Bering Strait, surrounded by huge gloomy nature. They are drunks, fishermen, & whores, living in the worst of all possible worlds, a place of boring hopeless drudgery, unkind & violent climate, & mean stupid & sickly people. Into this scubby stew please drop one Hollywood porn queen—then stand back & watch the fun. Originally published by Zoland Books, Chum is now available for $7 from BoneWorld Publishing @ 3700 County Route 24 Russell, New York 13684.
FREE VERSE: Issue #93 includes poetry by notables such as Robert Cooperman, Nan Sherman, Michael Kriesel, Dave Church, & more plus book reviews & letters to the editor. Free Verse is full-size, 8½ x 11, 40 pages, & publisher Linda Aschbrenner always includes lots of info on contests, book-signings, & poetry readings, all in Wisconsin. There’s a lot going on in the Cheese State! A subscription will run you $25 for six bimonthly issues. $5.00 for a sample. Send $ or some poems to Linda @ M233 Marsh Road, Marshfield, Wisconsin 54449.
STREET SURVIVOR: A crazy photocopied collage zine, bristling w/ news, socio-political stuff, comics, weird news blips, & bizarre ads. Also includes various events in the New York City area like a G.I. Joe convention & an assortment of collectors shows dealing in comics, vintage magazines, tapes, memorabilia, et cetera. Interesting reading. Street Survivor appears to be free, w/ donations gladly accepted. Contact Tom Evans @ 11-15 45th Avenue #2E, Long Island City, New York 11101.
MARYMARK PRESS: This is a general blurb for a small press publishing house that’s been around for over a decade. Mark Sonnenfeld is the publisher & editor, as well as an intrepid poet. Marymark produces & publishes items that no one else will touch. Includes poetry, broadsides, bizarre little chaps, photos, collages, & more. This is not traditional poetry. Mark has recently sent me intriguing work by William Meyer, Francisco Prieto, Benjamin Schwalke, & Nathaniel Whittemore. If you want to find out more, contact Sonnenfeld @ 45-08 Old Millstone Drive, East Windsor, New Jersey 08520.
SMALL PRESS REVIEW: A real veteran of the small press, SPR includes markets, news, & lots of reviews written by knowledgeable folks like Hugh Fox, Charles P. Ries, Michael Kriesel, & Holly Interlandi. A six-issue subscription will run you $25.00, but you can get a sample for $5.00. Send your dough to publisher Len Fulton @ PO Box 100 Paradise, California 95967, to keep up w/ all the latest.
NERVE COWBOY: One of the most reliable zines in the small press, the Spring 2007 issue includes poets like James Babbs, David J. Thompson, Christopher Cunningham, Charles Rammelkamp, Michael Flanagan, & plenty more. You’ll also find a few short stories & plenty of drawings within the Cowboy’s 64 pages. Send $6.00 for a sample to editors Joseph Shields & Jerry Hagins @ PO Box 4973 Austin, Texas 78765. The contents range from hilarious to crazy to dead serious.
POETS’ ROUNDTABLE: Good-byes are also in order for this longtime publisher of G-Rated poetry. Publisher/editor Esther M. Alman died on 11-7-06 at the age of 97. Memorial donations may be made to the Indiana State Federation of Poetry Society, c/o Glenna Jenkins, 808 32nd Street, Anderson, Indiana 46016.
BLUELINE: One of the finest college literary periodicals around. Blueline is 150 pages, perfect-bound, filled w/ stories & poems, most of which are imbued w/ the spirit of the Adirondack region. The 2007 issue includes a lengthy review section. Top writers include Dennis Saleh, Grace Beeler, Barry Ballard, Doug Bolling, & John Kristofco. For a sample send $10.00 to general editor Rick Henry @ Blueline, English Department, SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam, New York 13676. Send poems oozing w/ nature & wildlife.
ZYGOTE IN MY COFFEE: My first look at this 100-page, perfect-bound, slick, glossy paperback. The Fall 2006 issue includes Michael Estabrook, James Babbs, Jonathan Rice, & Abe Gibson, plus featured poet Lyn Lifshin. Mostly poetry w/ a few prose bits thrown in along w/ some pretty sick comics. The focus is humor & sex, lots of it fairly vulgar but not all. Editors Brian (the zygote) Fugett & Karl Koweski are having a great time & would like you to join them. Submit (in)appropriate poems & fiction to brian@wentland.com. Price listed: $1.75 in Canada & $3.2 million in Sri Lanka.
COSMOPSIS QUARTERLY: A new magazine, the first issue of Cosmopsis appeared in April featuring poetry & fiction by William Michaelian, Bryon Howell, Tiffany Fox, a wicked story by Patrick Gaughan, & others. This is a nice production, 92 pages, a perfect-bound paperback, glossy cover, classy appearance, $10.00 a copy. The work here is somewhat serious & edgy, the poetry experimental but not so far-out you need 10 reference books to almost figure it out. Editor Jason Bulger has his headquarters in San Francisco but is without a mailing address at this time. Check out the website @ cosmopsis.com. Send poems & stories, & try to track down Bulger in his odyssey around the Bay Area.
PUCKERBRUSH REVIEW: Although it’s 30 years old, this is the first time I’ve seen this publication. The Spring/Summer 2007 issue is a full-sized, 104-page, perfect-bound collection of poetry, fiction, essays, photos, reviews, & drawings w/ a strong emphasis on Maine—its history, its people, its landscape. Most of these authors I’d never heard of. My favorite piece is an essay by Allan Lockyer, “The Wild Boys of Steuben,” a memoir about growing up in a rough part of rural Maine. To submit, send to 413 Neville Hall, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469. $12.00 for a sample, includes postage.