Book Review

Please head on over to http://wearduringorangealert.blogspot.com/. There you can read a short review of my book "Through these Eyes", as well as S.A. Griffiin's "The Fucker Inside." It can be found here - http://wearduringorangealert.blogspot.com/2008/06/orange-spotlight_30.html

Thank you.

C. Allen

Zygote In My Coffee Flipbook No. 2

The fine folks at Zygote in My Coffee have just released 2 in their 69 Flipbook Series, which pairs my chapbook LEARNING TO SWIM THROUGH A RIVER OF SHIT with Lisa LaTourette's THE ART OF BEING A QUITTER, the book is 62pgs.
perfect bound trade paperback and is available at the http://www.zygoteinmycoffee.com bookstore for only $6.



A number of copies have already sold at both the CT Beat Poetry Festival and The Kansas City Feedbag sponsored by Offbeat Pulp and Killpoet Press. Pick yours up today.

Kansas City Poetry Reading 2008

Pictures from "Unregulated word: a. summer. accident" coming soon.

Buying books

I do most of my book shopping at Half Priced Books. It's a great book store that sells not only cheap books, but CDs, movies, games etc... Recently, there's been an odd occerrence happening. I've managed to purchace books with dedications in them to other people. All of which I don't notice untill getting home. At the book store, I usually just thumb through the pages. If a poem or two catches my attention, I buy the book. Why would someone sell or give away a personalized book? Death? A fight? Money problems? I'm sure the possibilites are endless. Below are the books, as well as the dedications.

BOOK NO. 1 Satan Says by Sharon Olds:

Dear Shona,

Sharon Olds is one of my favorite
poets + I really want to share
her with you. She writes of being
a daughter a woman a mother
a wife and you will soon be all
of these. Maybe you'll find some
of yourself in these poems?

I'm so happy for you + Jason!
I hope you know that even
though I'm no longer @ the Phoenix,
and (more importantly?) we haven't
been "ladies who lunch" lately,
I am always here for you - I'm
lucky to count you as a friend.
Shona + Jason are getting married!!

Love,
Molly

I'm so excited that I mad the
wedding list "cut!" (it was close
for a few weeks, remember?)


BOOK NO. 2 Laughing Down Lonely Canyons by James Kavanaugh

Dearest Mark.

I hope you
enjoy all of these
writings, I think they
are beautiful, just like you.
Deep and soleful. I can't wait
to sit together in low light, glass
of wine and have you read these to me.
You have such a passion for
beautiful things.
Happy sweetest day.

Always
Patti
1991


BOOK NO. 3 Smolder by Mark Cox

For Frankie,

Warmest wishes for
you and your work.

Mark
12/31/87
VC


BOOK NO. 4 How to Draw Blook from a Stone by Priscila Uppal

To Richard,

Thank you for giving
me the craft and the confidence to make this
book happpen.
Much love and gratitude,

Priscila Uppal


Has this happened to anyone else?

Through these eyes

Through these eyes (2008), is available from Tainted Coffee Press. It's a perfect bound flip-book chapbook. On one side are poems by me. On the other are poems and a short story by S. A. Griffin, co-editor of The Outlaw Bible of american poetry. It is 6 dollars (which includes shipping). It can be ordered here - http://www.zygoteinmycoffee.com. Anyone interested in reviewing it contact me at my email address. Here are some excerpts from the book:


"I scan cracks in sidewalks, search for reference points
in stones and birds, inhale annotations of his being
spilled on grass and dew, but get distracted
with the way words like apparition, supernatural
and esoteric haunt my tongue."

-From WITHIN THIS HOUSE I'VE COME TO LOVE

"Out of boredom, I paint my thumb
across its body,
collapsing it into a sort of ancient hieroglyth.

Its death rattles the wind..."

-From IN THIS CITY, THE BIRDS ARE ALWAYS HUNGRY


“…my body aches. I want
to feel again the touch
of a woman, fall in love
with a complete stranger,
stand barefoot outside atop
the heat of clumsy sidewalks
in the rain – both our bodies
tickled by liquid kisses
as thin as pin-pricks,
content in the imperfection
of our not yet knowing
each others’ needs or secrets…”

- From IN THIS BEDROOM

Revelations of a small town to which I've never been

I am currently workin' on a new book of poems to be called: Revelations of a small town to which I've never been. I've been writin' daily. It feels good. Most of my writin' time has been eatin' up by poems for this book. I feel it's my best work yet. Also, I'm headed back to school in the fall. Hopefully. I plan to take either creative writin', or film. Don't know yet. Back to the book. Editors take note. Thank you and good night.