i’m performing tonight, with toothache, at bela dubby!

Due to another poet cancelling, I’ve been invited to be among the featured poets tonight during Writing Knights Press presents Leap Knight!  The fun begins at 7 pm at bela dubby, 13321 Madison Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio.  Hope to see you there!

I’ll also have newly formatted copies of my Writing Knights chapbook Electric Company, hot off the presses.

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Southern Ohio Anthology Call for Submissions Flier

You may or may not know that since late last year I’ve volunteered as the Ohio Poetry Association’s webmaster pro tem.  In that capacity I also contribute infrequently to the OPA blog (http://ohiopoetryassn.blogspot.com/).  Over there this morning I posted a call from Neil Carpathios for submissions to a Southern Ohio Anthology.  However, since the flier for it is in pdf format and I haven’t yet figured out how to upload a pdf using Blogger, I’m gonna upload it here (Crisis Chronicles uses Quick Blogcast instead of Blogger) and link it from there.  Quickest solution I can think of….

Please submit if you have work related to or inspired by southern Ohio.

<A href="/files/110671-103426/2012_Call_for_Submissions_Southern_Ohio.pdf”>Call for Submissions: Southern Ohio Anthology

Get Hip (Poetry 2012)

Hip Poetry 2012 was just published by Worldwide Hippies and I hear several poems of mine are in it.  I’m thrilled to be a part of this project.  From their website: “Hip poetry 2012 is an original work like no other, includes poetry, essays, and fiction from more than 50 of the most renowned and well-versed artists of our time.”  Read the rest (and order your copy) here.

http://www.worldwidehippies.com/2012/02/24/artists-and-authors-worldwide-collaborate-on-book-to-support-worldwide-hippies-hip-poetry-published/

Poll Sucking

After I returned from an hour and a half of poll training last night I didn’t feel much like talking about it, though I did half joke on Facebook that the PT in the title of my last blog entry stood for “pure torture.”  That was a bit of an exaggeration.  For the most part, it was an interesting evening. I learned things I never knew and felt proud to play an important role in our democratic process (not to mention thinking I had an opportunity to get paid for it).  I was supposed to stay three hours.  But after about the one-hour point, when we had to read the “Poll Worker Oath,” I realized that my staying was futile. I would be excluded, and it wasn’t worth hanging out for the whole training session.  Why?  Part of the oath reads: “I do solemnly swear under the penalty of perjury that I will support the constitution of the United States of America and the constitution of the state of Ohio and its laws; that I have not been convicted of a felony….”  Suddenly the rest of the oath, whatever it said, didn’t matter to me.  If I thought it would’ve done any good to hang around and talk to the election people and get things worked out and me into the job I’d been promised, I would’ve done it.  But instead I waited until they let us go for a five minute pee break and, without telling anyone, got the hell out of there.

I should’ve known.  When I got to the Midway Mall for the training session and went to sign in, my name wasn’t on the list.  But the lady working said, “Oh, that happens all the time,” and wrote me down anyway.  That part of it reminded me of my Tele-tech experience back around 2007, when I’d gone through several interviews to get a Tele-tech job, was candid about my past conviction (even portraying my prison time as a positive when they asked how well I dealt with difficult people), and finally was assured I had the job.  I showed up at Lorain County Community College for the first of several all day training sessions only to find my name wasn’t on their list.  They had me participate anyway while they got my paperwork straightened out, and at lunch time, the instructor called me over and asked, “You’ve been convicted of a felony? A sex offense?”  I told him “Yes.”  Surprised to hear I’d put it on my application and talked about it in interviews, he said whoever hired me should not have done so and “I can’t use you.”  I was crushed.

This time, when I discovered I couldn’t be a poll worker, I was disappointed, depressed, came home and went to bed early — but it wasn’t as crushing as Tele-tech.  Maybe my skin’s a bit thicker now.  Maybe it’s because this was only gonna be a one day job and, like I said, I should’ve known.  Of course when I first got the poll worker gig, via phone a week or two ago, I was led to believe there were no restrictions, that as long as I was a voter registered and living in Lorain County I was eligible.  I thought then that maybe I should come right out and ask specifically whether being a convicted felon (for an alleged crime in 1992) would exclude me from being a poll worker.  But they didn’t ask, and I know I’m eligible to vote, and she told me I just needed to be a registered voter in Lorain County, so I figured there was no sense in making an issue of something that was apparently not an issue.  Plus, it’s just plain humiliating to have to bring it up every time I try to do something like get a job or volunteer my services.  It was a nice, for a change, to feel like it didn’t matter, even if I was deluding myself.

So I’m still technically unemployed.  But I still have plenty of work to do.  Now I need to get back to RA Washington’s Primer for the Vanguard Youth, which I meant to have published four days ago.  I’ll try to get the final format tweaking, printing and collating done today so I can get them in the mail.

Thanks for reading, and for your support.

Peace, love and poetry,
John

Maybe Poll Training Is the New PT

It’s hard to believe the board of elections would hire me as a poll worker.  But I’m going for my 3-hour training session tonight at the Midway Mall.  Should be interesting….  Okay, so it’s only for a one-day job, but at least I still have the press.

I’m also hoping I’m over the worst of this cold that’s wasted half of my week.  More soon….

Fever Dreams rebellious, minimalist, concretized without sacrificing mystery

Reviewing Yahia Lababidi’s Fever Dreams (published in 2011 by Crisis Chronicles Press) Mary Clara White writes, in part:

“Fever Dreams gains momentum and rebelliousness as the book progresses, delightfully belying nostalgia, fear, anger, or anxiousness. The poetry leans further into minimalist form; the book gains a wealth of metaphor and detail. Lababidi’s poems become taught, tethered and concretized without sacrificing mystery.”

Read More: http://zouchmagazine.com/poetry-review-fever-dreams/#ixzz1n29TEKYv

chest primer desire and excuses

I’m working on several projects at once, bouncing back and forth, as always. First of all, I’m putting together my new chapbook manuscript, Community Chest.  A press is interested in it, but I can’t say which until they’ve had an opportnity to review and approve it.  Anyone acquainted with my last two chapbooks, Water Works and Electric Company, may see a theme developing.

Crisis Chronicles Press is very busy this month.  We already published California poet Jay Passer’s Only Human by Definition on February 6th and are planning to release two more chapbooks very soon: Primer for the Vanguard Youth by RA Washington on Monday the 20th and desire lines by Chansonette Buck to celebrate leap year on the 29th.  Buy now and I’ll mail them as soon as they’re together.

         

Both feature fabulous cover fotos by Cleveland art/lit legend Steven B. Smith.  This makes 8 Crisis Chronicles Press publications wearing Smith images.

And I’m still wading my way through the submissions I received in September during our 24-hour chapbook challenge.  So many were so good, I’ve selected several winners so far (the aformentioned desire lines being one), despite having more to read.  I’ll try to finish up and make a decision on the remaining manuscripts by the end of February.  The problem is I can’t just read a bunch of manuscripts in fast succession and feel I’ve done them all justice.  I’ve discovered I need to live with each one individually for a while — some for a longer while than others — before I decide to reject or publish.  Thank you for your immense patience!

More soon….

 

Crisis Chronicles Press publishes Jay Passer’s Only Human by Definition

Only Human by Definition is a collection of 18 poems by Jay Passer.  This 20-page chapbook, saddle stitched and lovingly hand-assembled using high quality mauve and gray cardstock with white pages, was published on 6 February 2012 by Crisis Chronicles Press.

cover foto: A Face in the Crowd by Steven B. Smith, manipulated by John Burroughs

Buy via PayPal or mail $5 in any form to John Burroughs c/o Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035.

“Jay Passer has been writing poems and fiction for the littles for twenty four years. This is his seventh chapbook of work about cohabitation with bums, whores and addicts in cities up and down the west coast. Startling, perverse, and absolutely original, Jay’s work will entertain a wide array of readers and deep thinkers. Jay currently resides in a spartan shithole in Sacramento.”  –Brian Pinsker

“I love my friend [Brian] but I think this is a bit overstated, a bit raw, a bit inaccurate, and a whole lot inappropriate. Perhaps he was too far on the box wine.”  –Jay Passer

“Passer’s poetry is the wine.  I’m passing it around at my next last supper.” —Jesus Crisis

A cook by trade, poet by nature and vagabond at heart, Jay Passer doesn’t own a car but enjoys driving fast.  Born in San Francisco in 1965, he loves cats but is allergic to them. His first 3 chapbooks were published by the now defunct OuterDark Press in Seattle, his 4th by Piss Pour Press. His 5th and 6th are e-chaps, available at Poetry Superhighway and Ten Pages Press.

Contact Mr. Passer at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001958656517.

In the Middle of the Knights’ 2011 Anthology

Writing Knights Press, who published my Electric Company chapbook in August, has just published a 2011 anthology.  I’m happy that it includes two more of my poems, “Ahem (A Hymn)” — one of my favorite pieces to perform — and “Three Dot Night” (I almost spelled that Knight). It also includes new work by other 2011 Writing Knights authors including Azriel Johnson, Mandy Buffington, Ben Peridol, Colton Bose, Marissa Hyde, Steve Brightman, H.L. Rippingale, Michael Bernstein, Eva Xanthopoulos, Catherine Criswell, Connor Stratman, Craig Scott, and Andrew Line — plus a special bonus poem by Dianne Borsenik inside the back cover.  Order the Writing Knights Press 2011 Anthology here: http://wkroundtable.blogspot.com/2012/01/writing-knights-press-2011-anthology.html 

Like the Writing Knights Press 2011 Anthology on Facebook.
And find more treasure in the Writing Knights bookstore.

Loving Poetry at Karma Koffee February 12th

I’ll be reading, performing and/or getting über-caffeinated this Sunday (2/12/2012) at Karma Koffee in Willoughby, Ohio.  Since it’s almost VD, I’ll be sharing some obligatory love poems from my new Recycled Karma Press chapbook Water Works.  Gawd only knows what else I’ll be doing.  Dianne Borsenik, Eva Xanthopoulos, Jacon Oet, Brian Zoldessy, Bob Seeholzer, Jordan Sandidge, and host Brandon Stroud will also be featured — and the event will include an open mic.  Festivities begin at 7:30!  Please come share the love and get your pre-VD caffeine geek on at this special edition of Living Poetry at Karma Koffee, 4124 Erie Street, Willoughby, Ohio.

And if you can’t wait that long for poetry, don’t forget that J.E. Stanley, author of Rapid Eye Movement (published in December by Crisis Chronicles Press) will be reading Wednesday February 8th with Terry Provost and T.M. Göttl (both of whom have new chapbooks out through NightBallet Press) at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry in Cleveland Heights. Find even more on the Cleveland Poetry Calendar.