Crisis Chronicles Press

Fuck Poetry published by Crisis Chronicles Press (CC#7)

Jesus Crisis — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:16:00 GMT

I've called it an anthology, a periodical, and other less polite names, but I'm still not sure what it is exactly. I do know, however, what's in it. Fuck Poetry includes 80 works by 38 poets from across the globe (with probably half of them from northern Ohio). I'm very excited about it! And it is finally available this month from Crisis Chronicles Press.

Order yours in time for Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and even the New Year for $10 (includes shipping) from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria, Ohio 44035. Even quicker, you can order securely via PayPal:

I especially appreciate the patience of the contributors, at least one of whom submitted his poems as far back as 2008, when the project was barely a sperm cell in my mind sac. Fuck Poetry features words by (in quasi-alphabetical order) Susan Amethyst, Sarah Black, Dianne Borsenik, Bree, Christina Brooks, Geri Lynne Burroughs, John Burroughs, Patricia Carragon, John Dorsey, DubbleX, Kevin Eberhardt, Mike Finley, Herb Fuerst, Maria Gornell, Sammy Greenspan, Charles Hice, Roxanne Hoffman, Colin James, Joy Leftow, David McLean, Jennifer Napier, Puma Perl, Jen Pezzo, Dan Provost, rjs, Suzanne Savickas, Teleri Schakel, Heather Ann Schmidt, Helen Shepard, Dan Smith, Kathy Ireland Smith, Steven B. Smith, Willie Smith, Don Stabler, Cheryl Townsend, Lisa Vicious, Chocolate Waters, and Linnea Waters. (I'll make sure each contributor gets his or her Fuck Poetry as soon as possible.)

Thank you for supporting independent presses!

The Bat's Love Song: American Haiku - by Heather Ann Schmidt (CC#6)

Jesus Crisis — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:36:00 GMT

The Bat's Love Song by Heather Ann Schmidt just published by Crisis Chronicles Press!

     two selections
      from The Bat's Love Song: American Haiku


     March 20

     Three golden finches
     sing in the white birch trees:
     pieces of sunshine.

     June 25

     Rain on my roof:
     tears of a goddess leaving the
     world heavier now.

The Bat's Love Song: American Haiku is available for $5 (includes shipping) from Crisis Chronicles Press; 420 Cleveland Street; Elyria, Ohio 44035. You may also order securely through PayPal:

Poet's biography:

Heather Ann Schmidt is an adjunct professor at Oakland Community College in Michigan. She edits tinfoildresses poetry journal. Her poems can be found in various online and print journals. Her other books include Channeling Isadora Duncan (Gold Wake Press, 2009), The Owl & the Muse: Collected Tanka (recycled karma press, 2009) and a full collection of poems forthcoming from Village Green Press. She received her MFA from National University.

Crisis Chronicles will publish another collection of her poems, Transient Angels, sometime in 2010.

Keep track of Heather Ann Schmidt's upcoming publications, readings and more at
http://heatherannschmidt.synthasite.com.

Coming Soon from Crisis Chronicles Press (updated 12/10/2009)

Jesus Crisis — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:29:00 GMT

*Books:

Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle - by Alex Gildzen (published 9 Oct. 2009)
Suburban Monastery Death Poem - by d.a. levy (published in Oct. 2009)
The Bat's Love Song: American Haiku - by Heather Ann Schmidt (published 1 Dec. 2009)
The Hart of Cleveland: Early Poems - by Hart Crane
Cleveland: The Rectal Eye Visions - by d.a. levy
Fever Dreams and Other Poems - by Yahia Lababidi
Transient Angels - by Heather Ann Schmidt
Poems in Crisis - by Langston Hughes
PITH - by Will Northerner

as well as new works by Kent Brown, Dianne Borsenik, Jesus Crisis & more.

*Periodicals:

Fuck Poetry - an anti-censorship anthology featuring 80 or so poems by 38 authors (including, in quasi-alphabetical order, Susan Amethyst, Sarah Black, Dianne Borsenik, Bree, Christina Brooks, Geri Lynne Burroughs, John Burroughs, Patricia Carragon, John Dorsey, DubbleX, Kevin Eberhardt, Mike Finley, Herb Fuerst, Maria Gornell, Sammy Greenspan, Charles Hice, Roxanne Hoffman, Colin James, Joy Leftow, David McLean, Jennifer Napier, Puma Perl, Jen Pezzo, Dan Provost, rjs, Suzanne Savickas, Teleri Schakel, Heather Ann Schmidt, Helen Shepard, Dan Smith, Kathy Ireland Smith, Steven B. Smith, Willie Smith, Don Stabler, Cheryl Townsend, Lisa Vicious, Chocolate Waters, and Linnea Waters). WILL FINALLY BE PUBLISHED IN DECEMBER 2009 (and available at Lix and Kix on 15 December)!

*Submissions:

Because Crisis Chronicles Press has plenty to work on for at least the next six months, there is no guarantee we will be able to give new chapbook submissions the reading they deserve and/or get back to you anytime soon. However, we still encourage submissions of individual poems and stories to the Crisis Chronicles Online Library and will try to respond to these more quickly. Please specify in the subject line of your email (to jc@crisischronicles.com) whether you are submitting to the Press, the Online Library or both.

Please note: if we select your work for publication by Crisis Chronicles Press, we reserve the right to subsequently publish it in the Online Library as well.

Thank you for stopping by our newly redesigned press page!

Peace and poetry,
John B. Burroughs, editor
Crisis Chronicles Press

Suburban Monastery Death Poem - by d.a. levy (CC#5)

Jesus Crisis — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:32:00 GMT

Crisis Chronicles Press is pleased to announce our publication of d.a. levy's Suburban Monastery Death Poem! This epic work originally appeared in print in the late 1960s. But I copied the text for this new CC version from the second zero edition, an Offense Fund reprint published in Cleveland in 1976 -- a copy of which levy's friend rjs (who also edited the zero edition) kindly sent me several months ago. At the time, I made this long poem (36 pages or so) available in its entirety for free in the Crisis Chronicles Online Library. And it's still there (click here to read it). The point of republishing it isn't really to make money (might be nice, though it's not necessary, to recoup my costs -- and if there is any profit, invest it in future publishing projects). It's more a labor of love -- a way to honor levy's legacy and further broadcast his finest work. Without d.a. levy, neither our Cleveland poetry scene nor our small poetry press community would be as rich (I don't mean financially) as they are. And levy's Suburban Monastery Death Poem is, in my humble opinion, one of the finest pieces of literature to come out of not only Cleveland, but also America. I feel richer for having read it -- and I trust you will, too. If you want a copy of our new edition of levy's masterwork, please send $5 to Crisis Chronicles Press; 420 Cleveland Street; Elyria, OH 44035. You can also order securely through the PayPal button below. Or write to me at jc@crisischronicles.com and we can barter or make other arrangements.

Peace and poetry,
John

Find more d.a. levy at http://www.clevelandmemory.org/levy/

Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle - by Alex Gildzen (CC#4)

Jesus Crisis — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:17:00 GMT

Muriel Rukeyser said that the universe is composed not of atoms, but of stories. Alex Gildzen sees this clearly and is, of all the living writers I've been privileged to know, one of the most adept at putting his life's universe(s) into poetry.

One of the first things I noticed about Alex's work on the page was his often idiosyncratic spelling. For example, where you and I write "started," he spells it "startd" — eliminating the unnecessary letter. He's equally economical in his use of words, distilling the essence of champagne stories into high quality poetic cognac. No mixer, no filler....

I then had the opportunity to meet him at Tres Versing the Panda in May, where he read some of his Elyria poems. I was most impressed. A week or few later, when he offered me the opportunity to publish them, I was nearly giddy with excitement.

Alex's first chapbook (Into the Sea by Abraxas Press of Madison, WI) was published in 1969. Dozens of other books have followed. His most recent, Beth (by Green Panda Press of Cleveland Heights), was released in early 2009. Now Crisis Chronicles Press is pleased to join in this 40th anniversary celebration by announcing our publication of his brand new poetry collection, Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle.

This collection of poems is particularly meaningful to me because, like Alex, I was raised in Elyria, Ohio. Albeit in different generations,we grew up in the same neighborhood — even lived on the same street (Lexington Avenue, only three blocks from my current home) at points in our respective childhoods. In Elyria, Alex writes about Cascade Park, where as a young man I slept on picnic tables and wrote poetry on post glacial boulders; about Ely Park, where I waded in the fountain with friends while listening to Prince's Around the World in a Day and drinking Wild Irish Rose; about Black River, which runs behind my dad's old house; and about Kenyon Avenue, where my now-wife lived during the first few years I was in prison. Alex's poems aren't about my experiences with those places. They're about his own. But that makes them all the more evocative for me.

Not only does 2009 mark 40 years since his first chapbook. It also marks 60 years since Alex's first ever published work — when a painting he made of his grade school at age six (now gracing the above cover) appeared in a 1949 Elyria City Schools publication called We Go To School.

I invite you to join in this celebration of Alex's fine work, our unique city of Elyria, and these two very special anniversaries by getting your hands on a copy of Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle. The poems in it are perfect true story microcosms of a universe I've always enjoyed exploring. And I believe you'll enjoy the journey as well.

Buy a copy for $5 (which includes shipping) from Crisis Chronicles Press, 420 Cleveland Street, Elyria OH 44035. Or order securely using PayPal:

To read a poem from Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle, click here.

Visit Alex Gildzen's blog at http://arroyochamisa.blogspot.com
View some of his videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/Gildzen
Explore his papers at: http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/faculty/gildzen.html

Sample poem from Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle:

VIEW FROM THE PORCH

    on the swing
    Mother spots
    chipmunk & squirrel
    Betty next door
    every car that turns
    on to Winckles St.

    since all politics
    is local
    she’s the mayor
    of the block
    & knows
    her constituents
    well

    she tells
    me the stories
    of each
    who pass

    then goes inside
    to stir the stew
    she shares
    with half
    the neighbors

Poet's biography:

Alex Gildzen was born in California in 1943 but took the train to Ohio at two weeks. He grew up in Elyria -- moving from Lexington to Warren to Winckles. He began school at Garford which he painted at age 6.

He attended Kent State, where he was drama critic for the student paper and began the little magazine Toucan with R.L. Carothers. Later he taught English at Kent and became curator of special collections, cataloguing the papers of James Broughton and Jean-Claude van Italie, and the archives of the Open Theater. There he co-edited the bibliographic journal The Serif, with Dean Keller. He also edited the library's Occasional Papers which published poetry by John Ashberry and Gary Snyder, prose by Richard Grossinger and Anais Nin, and art by Alex Katz and Robert Smithson. He took an early retirement so he could move to Santa Fe to write full time. While serving on the board of the local AIDS organization, he produced the first pop concert in the history of Santa Fe opera.

One of Gildzen's works in progress is Ohio Triangle. The other points in the collection are Cleveland and Kent.

Find Alex Gildzen's
blog: http://arroyochamisa.blogspot.com
videos: http://youtube.com/gildzen
papers: http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/faculty/gildzen.html

* * *

6/9: Improvisations in Dependence - by John Burroughs (CC#3)

Jesus Crisis — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:34:00 GMT

6/9: Improvisations in Dependence (Crisis Chronicles #3) was published 4 July 2009 in a limited edition of 69 signed and erratically numbered copies. Fewer than five of these remain.

Just published on July 4th — a limited edition of 69 copies!

a steal at only three dollars (plus two for shipping) from

Crisis Chronicles Press
420 Cleveland Street
Elyria, Ohio 44035

Contents include:

Karma Souptra
"One of the Most Illuminating"
Tol' Story
Met a Mat, a Door I Didn't Like
17 June 2009
Do Dew
Rough Love
Preacher Gunn
Tell a Vision
rip

Poet's biography (from the chapbook):

Jesus Crisis, a.k.a. John B. Burroughs, is a playwright, pacifist, composer and seeker in Elyria, Ohio. His work has appeared in dozens of print and online publications since 1983, and his first chapbook, Bloggerel, was published by Crisis Chronicles Press in June 2008. His second, Identity Crises (with Doug Manson and Bree), was published by Green Panda Press in February 2009. Founder of the Crisis Chronicles Online Library and co-host of the Lix and Kix poetry series in Cleveland, JC is in the process of writing a book about his 11 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Discover more at www.crisischronicles.com.

Sample poem:

Do Dew

Half awake thoughts
Are often the clearest
Unclouded by day dreams
Day schemes
Day screams
Still cool
Gently coated with dew
Soon to be evaporated into
Do.

* * *

HardDrive/SoftWear - by Dianne Borsenik (CC#2)

Jesus Crisis — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:24:00 GMT

HardDrive/SoftWear by Cleveland poet Dianne Borsenik was published 10 March 2009.

   Muse
    by Dianne Borsenik

   She has been with you again,
   I can tell.
   You have that furtive look
   about you, and you have the smell
   of ink on your breath.

   I know that she has taken you
   by your thin white wrist,
   and caressed the fine hair
   that furs your arm. I imagine
   her guiding your hand
   to her lap, you touching her,
   her touching you.

   I close my eyes, and I can see
   her moving closer to you, whispering
   in your ear, her exhalations
   hot on your stubbled cheek.

   I know
   you took her
   in your arms, opened your lips
   for her kiss; I know you let her
   explore your teeth, the roof of your
   mouth, your tongue.

   And I am quite certain
   that when you wake up
   in the morning, the indentation
   of her wanton form
   will be reflected in the crumpled sheets
   of your poetry.

A limited number of copies are still available for $5 (plus $2 for shipping) from Crisis Chronicles Press; 420 Cleveland Street; Elyria, Ohio 44035. To buy more than one copy and save significantly on shipping, contact the editor: jc@crisischronicles.com. You may also order securely through PayPal:

Contents include:

gentle curve
Age of Aquarius
Muse
Blue Moon
Butterfly
Communication Breakdown
Mother's Milk
As She Turns Down the Bed
Black and White
The Way He Says Fuck
Greenheart
Mr. Pensive
Argument
Pink Hell
Possession
Black Sheep
Merrily, Merrily
Pet This
Undressed
Writers' Strike
entwined morning glories

Poet's biography (from the chapbook):

Dianne Borsenik, former flower child, current redhead, and Ohioan born and bred, lives in a temple of happiness with her husband James. She is active in the Cleveland poetry scene and attends as many local readings as possible. She has been the featured reader at Mac's Backs in Coventry, Borders in Akron, the Collingwood Arts Center in Toledo, Bela Dubby in Lakewood, the Poet’s Haven podcast at Phoenix Coffee in South Euclid, and was the "house poet" at Northrops Books in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. Her signature poem "Lovechild" was chosen by the RTA "Moving Minds" Project to ride the buses and trains of Cleveland in 2008, and her poem "HardDrive/SoftWear" was chosen for inclusion in the 2009 Cleveland RTA project. She is also founder and co-host of the Lix and Kix poetry series.

Her poems, haiku, and lyrics have appeared in a number of publications, including: the Voices of Cleveland anthology, The New Haiku anthology (Great Britain), Slipstream, Nerve Cowboy, Ship Of Fools, Blue Unicorn, iota (Great Britain), Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Haiku World: An International Poetry Almanac, Ko (Japan), Lyricist Review, The Magnetic Poetry Book Of Poetry, The City Poetry, Zygote In My Coffee (online), The Cartier Street Review, and Naturally magazine. Actor Jonathan Frid, who played "Barnabas" on Dark Shadows, used three of her poems in his one-man performance "Genesis Of Evil."

Find Dianne Borsenik at
www.myspace.com/poetofthelotus,
www.myspace.com/lixandkix and
http://www.pw.org/content/dianne_borsenik_0

Bloggerel - by John Burroughs, aka Jesus Crisis (CC#1)

Jesus Crisis — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:47:00 GMT

Bloggerel (Crisis Chronicles #1) was originally published in a home-printed, hand assembled edition of (if I remember correctly) 80 copies on 7/7/2008. Those are sold out -- though the last I heard, Mac's Backs in Cleveland Heights still has a few for sale.

I began printing an ongoing 2nd (final) edition (which included revised versions of two of the poems) on 8/15/2009. I am no longer keeping track of the number of copies and am only printing a few at a time as demand necessitates. To order a signed copy, please send a check or money order for five US dollars (shipping included) to John B. Burroughs; Crisis Chronicles Press; 420 Cleveland Street; Elyria, Ohio 44035.

You may also purchase Bloggerel securely through PayPal:

Contents include:

Peer through
Prison Scene
Oppressed
At Mass
Holier than Thou
Past Present Future Tense
Allen Ginsberg Wants You
John Cage Engaged and Uncaged
Lobal Warman
Bloodshot (aka Rapists)
Gas Hike Coup

Sample poem:

Bloodshot

Indian summer sun squints, bloodshot like the
Wide wounded eyes of my cynical Seneca ancestors.
On and on

and anon,

An endless queue of unrelenting conquistadors,
Lusting for booty

or bust,
Defile our trust and defame the name of God

in the name of God.
Opportunity does not knock for trusting tribesmen,

be they from Arizona

Africa

the Amazon

or Akron.
Riding roughshod over every allegedly endless empire

Including America the beautifully dutiful,

The cursed hearse of history leads a parade of pathetic

and unsympathetic plotters,

plodders,

priests and presidents,

Electable eels who feel their forked tongues

and dung

Make them agents of distinction

instead of

extinction.
Sweetly sighing lullabies of liberty

and expediency,

These leaders open

Their bomb bays

as they pray

First for the unconditional surrender of their enemies

And last,

if at all,

For the bloodshot souls

Of the soon to be charred

Children of Hiroshima

Hanoi

Belfast

Belgrade

Baghdad

Bethlehem and

Coming soon

to a theatre

of war

near

you

* * *