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Founder and Editor
John Burroughs,
a.k.a. Jesus Crisis, is a pacifist, poet, playwright, musician, composer, bibliophile, and seeker in Elyria, Ohio.
Co-founder (with Dianne Borsenik) of the monthly Lix and Kix Poetry Extravaganza and the annual winter wordfest known as Snoetry, John is also the founding editor and publisher for Crisis Chronicles Press and a regular contributor to the Cleveland Poetics and Ohio Poetry Association blogs. Since 2011 he has served as the OPA's webmaster pro tem.
John founded a loose association called Poets of Lorain County, under whose auspices he's hosted regular open mic and featured poet events at the Avon Lake Public Library and the Lorain Arts Council's 737 Gallery, as well as the PoetryElyria series at Jim's Coffeehouse and Diner, the Scott M. Duncan Photography studio and other venues in his hometown.
John's work has appeared on stages in four states, as well as in numerous journals, and he is the author of four poetry chapbooks:
Electric Company (Writing Knights Press, 2011)
6/9: Improvisations in Dependence by Jesus Crisis (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2009)
Identity Crises by Doug Manson, JC and Bree (Green Panda Press, 2009)
Bloggerel by JC (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2008)
Two broadsides featuring his work, For Change Is and Low Kay Shun, are available from NightBallet Press. His fifth chapbook, Water Works, is forthcoming in 2012 from Recycled Karma Press.
Visit the Crisis Chronicles home page or his Crisis Blog to learn more about John.Syndicate
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Rapid Eye Movement - by J.E. Stanley (CC#17)
Rapid Eye Movement is a collection of 17 poems by Ohio's own J.E. Stanley. This 20-page chapbook, saddle stitched and lovingly hand-assembled using high quality white and black cardstock with ivory pages, is available for only $5 US (plus $1 for shipping) from Crisis Chronicles Press.
cover foto/collage: Looking Up by Steven B. Smith
J.E. Stanley is an accountant and on again/off again guitarist from the grayscale suburban wilderness of Northeastern Ohio where he is lucky enough to hang out with the Deep Cleveland Poets and the Cleveland Speculators. He is the author of Dark Intervals (vanZeno Press), Dissonance (Deep Cleveland Press) and co-author, with Joshua Gage, of Intrinsic Night (Sam’s Dot Publishing). His work has appeared in Amaze, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Cinema Spec, the Deep Cleveland Junkmail Oracle, Paper Crow, The Rhysling Anthology, Scifaikuest, Sein und Werden, Star*Line, Sybil’s Garage and numerous other mainstream and genre publications. He continues to assert that, winged or not, Man was always meant to fly; the moon and stars were just put there as incentives.
You may contact the author at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000309806552.
Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam - by William Merricle (CC#16)
Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam is a stirring 16 page poem by Ohio's own William Merricle. This chapbook, saddle stitched and lovingly hand-assembled using high quality white and burnt orange cardstock with ivory pages, is available for only $4 US (plus $1 for shipping) from Crisis Chronicles Press.
cover foto/collage: Downstairs by Steven B. Smith
Or mail $5 in any form to John Burroughs c/o Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035.
William Merricle is a poet living in Lima, Ohio. His chapbook, Heimlich The Donut, was published in 2010 by Pudding House Publications. He also published several chapbooks, including Love & Food By-Products, Why Should I Suffer Alone?, and Slubberdegullion Blues in a previous century.
You may contact the author at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1006488033.
William Merricle is a poet living in Lima, Ohio. His chapbook, Heimlich The Donut, was published in 2010 by Pudding House Publications. He also published several chapbooks, including Love & Food By-Products, Why Should I Suffer Alone?, and Slubberdegullion Blues in a previous century.
You may contact the author at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1006488033.
the melody, i swear, its just around that way - by Bree (CC#15)
the melody, i swear, its just around that way is a collection of lyrical poems by Cleveland's own Bree. This 16-page chapbook, saddle stitched and lovingly hand-assembled, features thirteen works by Bree and is available for only $4 US from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035. You may also order securely via PayPal.
"Bree's books, poetry, singing are pure beat punk spunk funk — not not nor wink, just real deal." — Steven B. Smith, publisher of ArtCrimes.
Bree has been writing since forever and publishing some of the continents' best poets for over a decade. Her most recent books include was chicken trax amid sparrows tread (2009, The Temple), Laying Pans (2009, Ecstatic Peace) and The Rainbow Sweater & My Mother (2011, Green Panda Press). Find more Bree at http://www.greenpandapress.blogspot.com.
Bree, 11/22/2008 at The Lit in Cleveland, Ohio — photo by Jesus Crisis
Contact Bree at greenpandapress@gmail.com
Burnin' Shadows - by Kevin Eberhardt (CC#14)
Burnin' Shadows is a collection of poems by Kevin Eberhardt. This 14-page chapbook, saddle stitched and hand-assembled with care using high quality ivory paper and a cover foto by Steven B. Smith, features twelve new poems by KE and includes a free Crisis Chronicles "Bone Us" bookmark with two additional KE poems. Burnin' Shadows is available for only $4 US from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035. You may also order securely via PayPal.
Kevin Eberhardt is a northern Ohio poet whose work has appeared in ArtCrimes, The City Poetry, the Deep Cleveland Junkmail Oracle, Fuck Poetry and accompanied images by London photographer Richard Byerley. He blogs at http://octoberconspiracy.blogspot.com and is a featured artist at www.agentofchaos.com. AOC publisher Smith says of Kevin:
"The Mad Poet KE is rising flame bursting wordage in great gap gasm, grasping gasps in minor moments made large. Or, as KE himself put it:
Pay no attention to the man pulling the strings / it's a
Minimum wage job and the maximum age is 55 miles
Per hour / with clown suit and headset / optional"
Contact KE at ke767@hotmail.com
Facebook, Contest, Events - oh my!
Facebook
I don't update this press blog page much, unless we have a new publication to announce. But I do regularly update our relatively new Crisis Chronicles Press page on Facebook. So if you like us at all, please head over to our FB page and make it official: http://www.facebook.com/crisischronicles.
Sept./Oct. 2011 Events
9/15 at 8:30 p.m. — Alex Gildzen and John Burroughs will read under the stars at the Lorain Arts Council's Sweet & Savory Bistro, 737 Broadway in Lorain Ohio. An open mic will precede the featured poets.
9/16 thru 9/18 — The Poet's Haven will host poetry all weekend at Cleveland's Ingenuity Fest 2011 under the Detroit-Superior bridge. They'll also be selling all sorts of small press publications, including recently published works by Crisis Chronicles.
9/24 from 10 am to 7 pm — Crisis Chronicles will be hosting the Elyria edition of the worldwide 100 Thousand Poets for Change project at the Bur Oak picnic area in Black River Reservation, 1350 Ford Rd., Elyria, Ohio.
9/25 from 11 am to 4 pm — Crisis Chronicles Press will have a table at the the first annual Invest Elyria Art Show at Ely Square in downtown Elyria, Ohio. We'll also have issues of ArtCrimes and publications by The City Poetry Press on hand. Dianne Borsenik will be there to sign copies of Blue Graffiti.
Recent Contest
As you may know, we held a 24-hour Crisis Chronicles Press chapbook submission challenge last week on Facebook. I still haven't had a chance to read all the entries, but I'm really excited by what I've read so far, and I'll probably end up pulling a winner from my hat (I warned you!) and publishing several of the entries. I hope to make an announcement on that front before the end of September.
As always, peace and poetry,
John Burroughs, publisher
Crisis Chronicles Press
I don't update this press blog page much, unless we have a new publication to announce. But I do regularly update our relatively new Crisis Chronicles Press page on Facebook. So if you like us at all, please head over to our FB page and make it official: http://www.facebook.com/crisischronicles.
Sept./Oct. 2011 Events
9/15 at 8:30 p.m. — Alex Gildzen and John Burroughs will read under the stars at the Lorain Arts Council's Sweet & Savory Bistro, 737 Broadway in Lorain Ohio. An open mic will precede the featured poets.
9/16 thru 9/18 — The Poet's Haven will host poetry all weekend at Cleveland's Ingenuity Fest 2011 under the Detroit-Superior bridge. They'll also be selling all sorts of small press publications, including recently published works by Crisis Chronicles.
9/24 from 10 am to 7 pm — Crisis Chronicles will be hosting the Elyria edition of the worldwide 100 Thousand Poets for Change project at the Bur Oak picnic area in Black River Reservation, 1350 Ford Rd., Elyria, Ohio.
9/25 from 11 am to 4 pm — Crisis Chronicles Press will have a table at the the first annual Invest Elyria Art Show at Ely Square in downtown Elyria, Ohio. We'll also have issues of ArtCrimes and publications by The City Poetry Press on hand. Dianne Borsenik will be there to sign copies of Blue Graffiti.
Recent Contest
As you may know, we held a 24-hour Crisis Chronicles Press chapbook submission challenge last week on Facebook. I still haven't had a chance to read all the entries, but I'm really excited by what I've read so far, and I'll probably end up pulling a winner from my hat (I warned you!) and publishing several of the entries. I hope to make an announcement on that front before the end of September.
As always, peace and poetry,
John Burroughs, publisher
Crisis Chronicles Press
Fracture Mechanics / TRAP DOORS - by Michael Bernstein (CC#13)
Fracture Mechanics / TRAP DOORS is a new chapbook by Cleveland Heights author Michael Bernstein. This 18-page chapbook, saddle stitched and hand-assembled with care, features the text for two poetic/intermedia performance pieces on purple and gold paper. Fracture Mechanics / TRAP DOORS is available for only $4 US from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035. You may also order via PayPal.
Michael Bernstein is a Chicago-born writer and musician. He is the author of 12 chapbooks, including 8bitskulls, the Fire District, and Well. His work has appeared in publications such as New American Writing, milk, Moria, and BlazeVOX. With Michael Crake, he edits the online literary arts magazine Pinstripe Fedora. Michael currently resides in Cleveland Heights, OH with his partner and fellow poet, Suzanne Savickas.
Michael Bernstein 1/23/2011 at Jim's Coffeehouse in Elyria, Ohio
Unruly - by Steven B. Smith (CC#12)
Unruly is a new collection of poetry by Cleveland art legend Steven B. Smith. This 25-page chapbook includes 25 poems on sideways college-ruled paper — saddle stitched and lovingly hand-assembled — and features cover fotos by Smith. Unruly is available for only $5 US from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035. You may also order via PayPal.
Steven B. Smith is a poet, memoirist, photographer, blogger and collage/assemblage artist who makes his home in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. He's been writing poetry for nearly five decades, and for more than twenty years he published the famed ArtCrimes journal. He created a massive online art/poetry archive at agentofchaos.com, and a wide array of his poetry and collages have been published in the critically acclaimed book Zen Over Zero: Selected Poems 1964-2008 [published by The City Poetry Press]. Smith and his wife Lady have traveled the world extensively, creating and living art in places like Croatia, Morocco and Mexico, while blogging about the best, worst and most unique bits of their journey at walkingthinice.com. They've also collaborated on a soon-to-be published book about Smith's life entitled Criminal – a true story of armed robbery, stolen cars, alternative art, mainstream poetry, underground publishing, robbing the cradle, and leaving the country. For more information on Smith, read his mutant bio. Check out his musical collaborations at reverbnation.com/mutantsmith.
[cover fotos by Smith, text added by JC]
Blue Graffiti - by Dianne Borsenik (CC#11)
Blue Graffiti is a new collection of Dianne Borsenik's best haiku/senryu. A careful hand creation, this 34-page chapbook is saddle stitched, uses high quality cotton paper and features cover art by Steven Smith. A feast for both the eyes and mind, Blue Graffiti is available for only $5 US from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035. You may also order via PayPal.
Dianne Borsenik, a former flower child and current redhead, lives with husband James near Elyria, Ohio's beautiful Cascade Park, where she found the "blue graffiti." She has had poems and haiku published in a number of journals and anthologies, including Rosebud, Slipstream, Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac and The Magnetic Poetry Book of Poetry. With poetry partner John Burroughs, she co-produces/co-hosts the Lix & Kix Poetry Extravaganza and Snoetry: A Winter Wordfest series. Find her at http://www.pw.org/content/dianne_borsenik_0.
Contact editor John Burroughs at jc@crisischronicles.com for bulk order discounts on all Crisis Chronicles titles.
Fever Dreams - by Yahia Lababidi (CC#10)
Fever Dreams by Yahia Lababidi is Crisis Chronicles Press' tenth poetry publication and our largest yet. It features over 70 pages of the poet's best and most popular works. Perfect bound and brilliantly illustrated by John Tillson, Fever Dreams is available in a 6" x 9" paperback for a limited time at the discounted price of $9.74. It's also available as a file download for $5.00.
If you prefer to order using cash, personal check or money order, Fever Dreams by Yahia Lababidi is available by mail for $12 US (includes shipping and handling) from Crisis Chronicles Press; 420 Cleveland Street; Elyria, Ohio 44035.
Poet's biography:
Yahia Lababidi is a Pushcart-nominated poet, aphorist and essayist with work appearing in such publications as AGNI, Harper's, Rain Taxi, New Internationalist and Philosophy Now. His work has also appeared in several anthologies, such as Geary’s Guide to the World's Great Aphorists, where he is the only contemporary Arab poet featured, and the best-selling US college textbook, Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. To date, Lababidi’s writing has been translated into Arabic, Slovak, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, and Turkish. He was recently chosen as a juror for the 2012 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
Lababidi’s first book Signposts to Elsewhere (Jane Street Press) was selected as a 2008 Book of the Year by The Independent, UK. His latest book is a critically-acclaimed collection of twenty-one literary and cultural essays, Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Belly-dancing (Common Ground Publishing).
Find out more about the author at http://www.pw.org/content/yahia_lababidi
Visit his YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/jadkfja
If you prefer to order using cash, personal check or money order, Fever Dreams by Yahia Lababidi is available by mail for $12 US (includes shipping and handling) from Crisis Chronicles Press; 420 Cleveland Street; Elyria, Ohio 44035.
Poet's biography:
Yahia Lababidi is a Pushcart-nominated poet, aphorist and essayist with work appearing in such publications as AGNI, Harper's, Rain Taxi, New Internationalist and Philosophy Now. His work has also appeared in several anthologies, such as Geary’s Guide to the World's Great Aphorists, where he is the only contemporary Arab poet featured, and the best-selling US college textbook, Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. To date, Lababidi’s writing has been translated into Arabic, Slovak, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, and Turkish. He was recently chosen as a juror for the 2012 Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
Lababidi’s first book Signposts to Elsewhere (Jane Street Press) was selected as a 2008 Book of the Year by The Independent, UK. His latest book is a critically-acclaimed collection of twenty-one literary and cultural essays, Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Belly-dancing (Common Ground Publishing).
Find out more about the author at http://www.pw.org/content/yahia_lababidi
Visit his YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/jadkfja
Titles available from Crisis Chronicles Press (so far)
CC#17 — Rapid Eye Movement by J.E. Stanley (2011)
CC#16 — Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam by William Merricle (2011)
CC#15 — the melody, i swear, its just around that way by Bree (2011)
CC#14 — Burnin' Shadows by Kevin Eberhardt (2011)
CC#13 — Fracture Mechanics / TRAP DOORS by Michael Bernstein (2011)
CC#12 — Unruly by Steven B. Smith (2011)
CC#11 — Blue Graffiti by Dianne Borsenik (2011)
CC#10 — Fever Dreams by Yahia Lababidi (2011)
CC#9 — Transient Angels by Heather Ann Schmidt (2011)
CC#8 — Identity Crisis by Jesus Crisis (2010)
CC#7 — Fuck Poetry (anti-censorship anthology) by various authors (2011)
CC#6 — The Bat's Love Song: American Haiku by Heather Ann Schmidt (2009)
CC#5 — Suburban Monastery Death Poem by d.a. levy (2009)
CC#4 — Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle by Alex Gildzen (2009)
CC#3 — 6/9: Improvisations in Dependence by Jesus Crisis (2009)
CC#2 — HardDrive/SoftWear by Dianne Borsenik (2009)
CC#1 — Bloggerel by Jesus Crisis (2008)
Forthcoming Crisis Chronicles Press volumes include works by Chansonette Buck, Catherine Criswell, John G. Hall, Jay Passer, John Swain, Susan A. Sheppard, Frankie Metro, Steven B. Smith, William Merricle, Robert Miltner, Helen Shepard, Tim Murray, Kevin Reid, Lisa Cihlar, Paul Corman-Roberts, Shelley Chernin, Heather Ann Schmidt, Langston Hughes, Hart Crane, d.a. levy, John Burroughs and more.
In the near future, we'll post revised information on submissions for print publication. In the meantime, we encourage you to submit work to the Crisis Chronicles Online Library. Email: jc@crisischronicles.com
CC#16 — Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam by William Merricle (2011)
CC#15 — the melody, i swear, its just around that way by Bree (2011)
CC#14 — Burnin' Shadows by Kevin Eberhardt (2011)
CC#13 — Fracture Mechanics / TRAP DOORS by Michael Bernstein (2011)
CC#12 — Unruly by Steven B. Smith (2011)
CC#11 — Blue Graffiti by Dianne Borsenik (2011)
CC#10 — Fever Dreams by Yahia Lababidi (2011)
CC#9 — Transient Angels by Heather Ann Schmidt (2011)
CC#8 — Identity Crisis by Jesus Crisis (2010)
CC#7 — Fuck Poetry (anti-censorship anthology) by various authors (2011)
CC#6 — The Bat's Love Song: American Haiku by Heather Ann Schmidt (2009)
CC#5 — Suburban Monastery Death Poem by d.a. levy (2009)
CC#4 — Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle by Alex Gildzen (2009)
CC#3 — 6/9: Improvisations in Dependence by Jesus Crisis (2009)
CC#2 — HardDrive/SoftWear by Dianne Borsenik (2009)
CC#1 — Bloggerel by Jesus Crisis (2008)
Forthcoming Crisis Chronicles Press volumes include works by Chansonette Buck, Catherine Criswell, John G. Hall, Jay Passer, John Swain, Susan A. Sheppard, Frankie Metro, Steven B. Smith, William Merricle, Robert Miltner, Helen Shepard, Tim Murray, Kevin Reid, Lisa Cihlar, Paul Corman-Roberts, Shelley Chernin, Heather Ann Schmidt, Langston Hughes, Hart Crane, d.a. levy, John Burroughs and more.
In the near future, we'll post revised information on submissions for print publication. In the meantime, we encourage you to submit work to the Crisis Chronicles Online Library. Email: jc@crisischronicles.com