Tim Hall Uplifts the Positivicals on Act-i-Vate

Good friend and fellow Blacksmith for Literary Progress Tim Hall has a brand new exclusive series live on Act-i-Vate titled "Uplift the Positivicals." Never one to do the same thing twice, this is Tim's experiment in text comics. The first installment, "San Diego Sutra" went live a couple of weeks ago. Having just read Chapter 2, I can tell you the prose poem keeps getting better with each installment.

Click on these links to view each chapter:
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

You can also pre-order Tim's new non-fiction book-length essay, How America Died: A Letter to the Future. The first printing is only 25 copies, and won't be for sale anywhere except through Tim. Each copy will be numbered and signed, with an original, corrected manuscript page tipped in.

And of course if you aren't hip to Act-i-Vate, do check out the innovative work there. Conceived by Dean Haspiel, the site has become a home for outstanding web comics by some of my favorite graphic artists (both old and new) including Dean himself, Nick Bertozzi, Rami Efal, and Josh Neufeld. Do give it a spin, you won't be disappointed.

Tim Hall on Chicago Public Radio

Good friend and fellow Blacksmith for Literary Progress Tim Hall made an appearance last week on Chicago Public Radio for a segment titled, "I've Only Had To Call The Police On A Family Member Once." The title says it all. Needless to say it's an eerie tale, but Tim does a great job telling it.

Grab the audio here, courtesy of CPR's Vocalo site.

And do check out Tim's latest book, Full of It: The Birth, Death, and Life of an Underground Newspaper.

All Hail The Second Elizabeth

It was great to learn this week that good friend and fellow Blacksmith for Literary Progress Karen Lillis has given birth to a poetic little novel titled The Second Elizabeth. Karen has a great adeptness with language -- being a poet helps -- so the novel has a rhythm and flow all its own. It is filled with punchy little paragraphs that tell micro prose-poems about the characters, while still fitting into the greater story of the novel.

Knowing that Karen's been hard at work on the novel (and getting it released) for quite some time, I was excited to find my copy waiting for me in the mail.

You can grab a copy here, and I do recommend that you do so.

In Memorium: Richard Leck (1933-2008)

I was really saddened to learn this past week that new friend Richard Leck passed away on December 19th. I had only met Richard once, at this year's Small Press Fair in New York City where he shared a table with myself and the rest of the Blacksmiths for Literary Progress. He was one of those guys that you instantly label as a "character." Richard was a funny bastard, with a real dry, offbeat sense of humor. He spent the afternoon quoting old W.C. Fields jokes, telling tales of Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and generally keeping us entertained. Richard couldn't make the first day of the book fair (Saturday), so he failed to meet his biggest fan. As the show was closing down, a gentleman came up to the table in the final minutes. Quietly perusing some of the titles we had on display, he picked up a copy of Richard's "Memory Hair." He flipped to the poem "Empty" and read it to himself. Then he looked at me and said, "This man is a wonderful poet, you tell him I said so." After handing over his $5, he left without saying another word.

Sadly, "Memory Hair" is his only chapbook of poetry. You can buy a copy of it by contacting Words Like Kudzu press. And his friend Karen Lillis has posted a bit more about Richard's life here.

Here is my favorite poem by Richard, "Experience." I think it sums up his style (and sense of humor) perfectly.

Don't try
to catch the drops.
The drops
will find you.
And attach themselves
to you.
And engulf you.
And inundate you.
You can't
wash off drops.
You'll just
be adding
other drops.
They will just
intermingle
until you drop.

Indie & Small Press Book Fair Recap

My fellow Blacksmiths for Literary Progress and I had a hell of a time at the 21st Annual Indie & Small Press Book Fair here in New York City this past weekend. We've always been big fans of the fair as it attracts an interesting mix of presses from more well known names like Akashic, NYRB, and Soft Skull to obscure one-woman-armies like B. Rugged Needless to say, it was an honor to have a table at the event.

Brian Cogan (Encylopedia of Punk), Mike Faloon (Go Metric), and myself were on hand to represent the cause, with a special appearance by honorary member Richard Leck (Memory Hair) who kept us entertained with the best of W.C. Fields and Groucho Marx. Tim Hall (Full of It), Karen Lillis (The Second Elizabeth), and Ben Tanzer (Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine) couldn't make it to town, but their books did, much to the pleasure of those that snagged a copy.

We were lucky enough to be in a good corner on the balcony next to the good folks at Microcosm and Manic D Press which allowed us to meet a bunch of brand new friends and readers. We shook hands, introduced our work to the people, and even signed a few books. I was especially happy to sell all of the copies of The Love Book I had on hand, each one signed and personalized for the good person who plucked down their hard-earned cash.

A hearty thank you to all those that took the time to stop by the table and even picked up a copy of one of our books.

Here are a few shots for your ocular amusement.

Tim Hall is Full of It

A new video promo for good friend Tim Hall's upcoming book Full Of It: The Birth, Death, and Life of an Underground Newspaper. You can pre-order a copy here.

The Love Book Release Party Recap

It was a hell of a time on March 22nd. A nice crowd of people and the rest of the Blacksmiths For Literary Progress joined me at Freebird Books in Brooklyn to officially celebrate the release of my new short story collection, The Love Book. We drank beers, huddled around with friends old and new, and made with the prose like circus performers. We even had a nice sunset coming through the front windows as we read (check the photo). It felt fantabulous to be back at Freebird Books, where we always feel at home and the readings have never failed turn out great. Many thanks to Rachel and Peter for making it all happen. And of course it made me proud to do the gig with my fellow Blacksmiths — Brian Cogan, Tim Hall, and Mike Faloon — as it was the first time we could all be in the same room in over a year-and-a-half. If you were there, I thank you for making the trek out and supporting The Love Book.

And for those of you who missed it, here is a video of me reading an excerpt from "Taking the Happy Bus on Home," the last story in the collection (and apparently the hands down favorite amongst fans). Also below, are a few pics from the evening. Enjoy.

The Love Book Reading/Release Party

What more could you ask for: booze, used books, and four bastardos a-readin'. I'll be celebrating the release of my new short story collection, The Love Book, by hosting a reading at Freebird Books. Joining me will be fellow Blacksmiths for Literary Progress, Brian Cogan, Mike Faloon, and (flying all the way in from Chicago) Tim Hall.

This will be the first all-original member Blacksmiths for Literary Progress reunion since the infamous McLintlock Affair at the Grassroots Tavern that disbanded the group back in '78.

C'mon down to scenic Red Hook and join us at the finest little book shop in all of Brooklyn. More info at www.freebirdbooks.com.

When: Saturday Mar 22, 2008 @ 7:00 PM
Where: Freebird Books
123 Columbia Street
Brooklyn, New York 11231