Tuesday, August 21, 2007

it's official!

remember this? the collaboration project alex stolis invited me to do with him late last year? the chapbook of "letters"? remember that we sent it out to rubicon press in january? a month ago we heard that we had made it to the final round. and last night ... well, last night we heard that jenna and yvonne have decided to publish the chapbook in the fall! this is what jenna had to say:

After going through your collection several times with Yvonne, we have decided that we would very much like to publish your chapbook this fall. We found the poems you and Alex have written to be incredibly rich in imagery, texture and emotion -- an outstanding collection!
we are sooo, soooooo thrilled! and i am glad alex asked me to write that collection with him in the first place, and that i said yes. :)

so - small confessions and pebbles of regret will be out some time in october if all goes as planned - a kind of twin to my other chapbook. *g*

and thanks to everyone who was there during the process, and helped inspire me, and supported me in some way - the ITWS crowd, mainly. and to teresa for looking the manuscript over!


here are poems 5 (alex) and 6 (me):

8358 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90069

July 25, 19__


Dear J_______,

You told me you have dreams of Italy, bright-winged birds
and Byzantine churches. We made love in a bell tower and tasted
redemption—there were yellow hills, uneven fields, there was a sun
that created a halo above the clouds.

Now you say no to silence—believe only blues and reds will fill the void,
the void left when the last remnants of your first vision disappeared.
You say you don't want to hear the sound of water as it rushes down
the throat of First Avenue—

say you no longer care for words strung together, so carefully,
by boys who misunderstand the meaning of a wink.
You would rather comment on the beauty of stars, wait for them to fall
asleep, then leave by the backdoor without saying a word.

I was in a dream once—walking down Sunset Boulevard, a wine bottle
in my hand—there didn't seem to be an end in sight though I could see
the beginning very clearly. You were there too— Venetian-blonde hair
drying in the wind—the geometry of your face in contrast to an oblong moon.


Yours,

L_______

* * * * *

Gellertgasse 42
1100 Vienna

August 23, 19__


Dear L_______,

Yesterday the sun rose at 6.24. I carried its heat within me all day;
it triggered a longing for the sea that did not subside until I licked
salt off my thumbs, someone else's collarbone. I felt like a cradle,
a wave, a riptide in the night. You were the one I wanted to drown.
After sunset, nothing remained of the moon, the only thing that
could have plugged my well of dreams. This is what I saw—

I was bedded on pillows of kindling—throat zipped up, dry between
my legs. My tongue flicked out to spark a flame, set fire to neatly
stacked rows of corned pork, corned beef in cans with bevelled
edges. I watched it raging across the sacred rooms of childhood,
fuelled by bedtime stories, teddy bear fuzz. The attic went last,
with its nibble of mice, skeleton dolls dangling from sooty rafters.

I woke up kneeling, prayer on my parched lips. Frantic fingers
counted out colours like a wish list, all of them shades of red or
blue, all of them wearing a stranger's tired face. A siren wailed
an answer to my call. Hysterical shadows slithered down half-
closed curtains, pooled at my feet. I bit down hard on cold metal,
on glass; I sharpened blades. The noose tightened around my neck.


J_______


song of the day: happy by jenny lewis with the watson twins.

16 comments:

Collin Kelley said...

Congrats!!! The images in those letters is amazing...especially yours.

I was bedded on pillows of kindling—throat zipped up, dry between my legs.

What a line! Can't wait to read the whole thing.

michi said...

awww, thank you, collin! :)

i was well warmed up for the letter series, because i had just finished two rounds of a-poem-a-day (ie 60 days). i wrote them as part of the third round, barely changed anything afterwards, but spent hours on them each day. it was a challenge, but i am sooo glad i took it on.

m

Cheryl Snell said...

Twin chaps! So much to congratulate you on, Michi!

Loved wordspread at first sight, btw.

michi said...

thank you, cheryl! :)
i'm glad you liked wordspread! that was one of those poems that just happen ...

m

SarahJane said...

many congrats, michi. i imagine how tickled you are...! wunderbah!

michi said...

thanks, sarah! funny, i was just over at your blog. :)

mx

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Oh, I'm just over the moon about this! I can't wait to savor every word. Congratulations!!

michi said...

not as much as me, sharon! i am probably not just over the moon, but also over venus, mars AND jupiter. ;)

thanks, m

Merc said...

Bravo, Michi. The poems sounded great when you read them at the Open Mic in Vienna. So glad to see that they'll all be out there soon.
Best,
Merc

michi said...

sylvia, thanks! :) both alex and i are really, really over the moon about this.

will you be around for any of the labyrinth in the park events? i need to check your blog to see where you are right now ... *g*

m x

Amanda Auchter said...

How awesome! Much, much congrats! That project sounds amazing!

michi said...

thanks, amanda! :)))

Anonymous said...

amazing news, dear. 2 of my favorite poets together: the mind boggles and can't wait to get its grubby little cells all over it. it makes me feel *fdlxqyk* all over!!
WHOOP!


yours in bated breath,
nico

michi said...

grubby little cells? as in, PLURAL?? i find *that* amazing news, my dear. ;)

thanks for popping in, your bated-breath-ness!

mx

Sara Kearns said...

add mine to all these well-deserved kudos! i thought i'd like this project as soon as i saw the authors' names, as i've been a fan of alex's work for quite some time, and am So glad i've discovered yours. 'can't wait to read more. congratulations and bravo.

michi said...

sara, thank you! :)

i can understand being a fan of alex's work, i've been in his "fan club" for years. *g* and i was and am really happy that he suggested this collab.

cheers, m