Upcoming Readings/Events

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It’s the beginning of a new year, so I’ve started to schedule some readings.

On Thursday, Jan. 10, I’m reading at Wilkes University’s M.F.A. Alumni Night. The reading will begin at 7 p.m. and take place at the  Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, 84 W. South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA. I’ll be joined by fellow poets Laura Moran, Jason Carney, Phil Brady, and Thom Ward. The reading is free and open to the public. Books will be for sale.

On Saturday, Jan. 19, I’m reading at the Osterhauht Library, 71 S. Franklin St., Wilkes-Barre, PA. The reading begins at 2 p.m. and  a is celebration of the new issue of  the literary magazine Word Fountain.  Other contributors will also read. Copies of the journal will be for sale, and all money made will be given to flood victims of Luzerne County.

In February, I’m taking part in the local author night at the Valley Community Library in Peckville. More details on that to come soon.

Later in the year, my first full-length book of poems will be out through Unbound Content. Once I schedule more readings for the book, I’ll post them here and on my website.

 

 

 

End of the Year Movies

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Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and successful 2013. Since it’s the end of 2012, a lot of the big movies up for various awards flooded the theaters over the last few weeks, and I’ve found myself going to the theater a lot  lately. Most recently, I saw Les Miserables, which I enjoyed and recomend, and Django Unchained, which I also recomend. I’ll admit that I don’t like a lot of Quentin Tarantino’s films, except for Pulp Fiction. I find a lot of his work outlandish, flat on character development/growth, and overly violent and profane. However, I liked Django Unchained quite a lot, especially Tarantino’s decision as the film’s director/writer to make a nearly 3-hour long picture that addresses America’s ugly past of slavery, and in doing so, Tarantino juxtaposes scenes that are at times humorous and cartoonish with scenes that are utterly brutal and violent to show the violence white slaveowners unleashed on black slaves. One scene in particular shows Mississippi plantation owner Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, release a set of hungry dogs on a slave who tried to run away. As you can imagine ,the dogs literally tear him to pieces, and the audience witnesses this with long slow motion shots.

Another reason I enjoy the film is for its character development, especially Django, played by Jamie Foxx. The filmmaker incoporates several flashbacks  to illustrated how Django was treated on the plantation, how he ran away, and how he lost his wife, as well as what happened to her during their separation. The audience ends up rooting for the protagonist throughout the film, as he mauls down one white slaver after another, and Jamie Foxx is stellar in the role as a gunslinging, freed slave out to save his wife.

The film has also opened up a dialogue about race between Spike Lee and Tarantino, after Lee said he refuses to see the movie because it turns the history of slavery into a spaghetti western. Furthermore, Salon.com recently ran an article stating that only Tarantino, a rich white filmmaker, could have made such a movie. The article can be read here, and it’s worth a read for anyone interested in the movie or film criticism in general. The article is not critical of Tarantino, and in fact, it praises him for choosing such a project when he can make any type of film with any type of story that he wants, but it does raise questions about how far we have or have not progressed as a country and who can make what type of art.

 

Final Print Issue of Newsweek

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The end of this month not only marks the conclusion of 2012, but also the grand finale of Newsweek’s run as a print magazine. The current issue, out now, features a vintage photo of the old New York Newsweek offices with a hashtag title “Last Print Issue.” It’s a great cover and title, one that marks the end of the era and marks the age of social media and e-readers. The  issue was first made available through e-reader tablets, and starting in 2013, the magazine will only be available online through a fee. The editor, Tina Brown, believes this is the only way to sustain the magazine.  The final print issue is worth reading, if you have any interest in journalism and media. It features an oral history of the publication and some lengthy essays by current and past editors and writers about covering some of the biggest stories of the last 80 years since the magazine started, including the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, AIDs, and 9/11.

When I was an undergraduate student and had a minor in journalism, I had a particular reading habit and routine. Every weekend, I would stop at a local Barnes ‘n Noble in the Philly area where I was living at the time and read copies of The New Yorker, Time, The Nation, and Newsweek, since I didn’t have money to subscribe to them. For a few years, I really enjoyed Newsweek, especially for its political reporting and photojournalism. Newsweek is certainly one of the reasons I became so interested in politics, but over the years, especially since Brown took over, I enjoyed it less and less. The covers became too sensational, especially in the last two years or so, with titles such as “Is Heaven Real?” and “Hit the Road, Barack.” The number of words per article shrank and shrank, replaced by a lot of ads, and so did a lot of the a colorful photos. Now, the magazine is a shell of what it used to be.  I’m skeptical that Brown will be able to save it from extinction by making it web only and charging a fee for its content. I doubt people will pay for the online version, especially since a lot of other publications can be read online for free, including The New York Times and Washington Post.  However, I’ll miss sitting down at a local cafe with a cup of tea and reading the magazine, or at least what the magazine used to be. I hope Time, The New Yorker, and other print magazines I read ever week stay in business a while. When publications go online, I tend to forget about them and no longer read them. I assume that will be the case for a lot of Newsweek readers.

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What Does It Mean to Grow Up With a Band?

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The AV Club, a music/culture publication owned by The Onion, has a wonderful new segment called “What’s Does It Mean to Grow Up With a Band?” and the first entry, written by Jason Heller, focuses on the 1990s  indie/punk trio Jawbreaker. The article is worth a read for any music lovers, not just fans of that band or scene. Heller captures the experience of discovering a band for the first time and being so young that you’re sure you’ll be into one type of music forever. His article made me feel 18 again, when I first discovered Jawbreaker’s albums Bivouac and 24-Hour Revenge Therapy, which I still consider one of the best pop-punk albums ever recorded. Like Heller, I was astounded by the band because prior to hearing them, I mostly listened to punk standards The Clash, The Ramones, Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys. But Jawbreaker did something a lot different with that style of music, creating a sound that was even more grizzled and gruff, complimented by the layered lyrics of Blake Schwarzenbach, who later quit music  to obtain a Ph.D. in English literature. When I was in college, Jawbreaker and Blake’s following band, the more tempered Jets to Brazil, were staples for me, constantly booming in my headphones as I walked around campus.  As a literature major, I was in awe of Blake’s ability to spin a metaphor and write about meaning found in daily conversations and occurrences. Heller compares some of the band’s lyrics to Raymond Carver’s stories, in the sense that they often end with an epiphany, sparked by an ordinary occurrence. I was also fascinated by Jawbreaker’s story, how soon they imploded after releasing a major label album, how close the band got to stardom, including opening for Nirvana in 1993.

Like Heller, I eventually left the punk/indie scene behind, exploring other genres of music. Still, I never skip over a Jawbreaker tune when it comes up on my I-Pod, and the music still sounds as fresh, exciting, and interesting to me as it did when I was 18. Like a lot of other fans, I have my fingers crossed that the band will play a reunion show one day, especially since a lot of the albums have just been re-released on CD and vinyl. In the meantime, there’s Blake’s new band to enjoy, The Forgetters.

Which Way Is the Country Moving Post-Election?

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John Cassidy, staff writer for the New Yorker, has an interesting blog post regarding which way the country is shifting politically. Cassidy’s post presents some evidence that is good news for progressives, especially in regards to ending trickle down economics and creating a fairer tax system. Cassidy cites a new poll from Politico/George Washington University showing that 60 percent of Americans now back higher taxes on those earning more than $250,000 a year, and 64 percent support raising taxes on larger corporations. He goes on to state that support for higher taxes on the rich extends across the political spectrum, and even among Republicans, there is almost a 40 percent backing for a more progressive tax policy.

Cassidy also notes that support for gay marriage is at an all-time high, referencing a Gallup poll conducted in late November that showed 53 percent of Americans now support gay marriage or some form of a civil union. However, it’s important to point out that on other issues, the country is not shifting that much. Most Americans do not favor major cuts to the Pentagon budget or increased government spending to create stimulus programs.

The blog post reminds me of some comments I’ve heard from friends lately, friends so sure the country is shifting to the left because Obama won re-election and the Dems gained seats in the Senate. Some of them have even stated it will be nearly impossible for the GOP to win national elections again. However, these conversations have occurred before, and history has shown the opposing party has a way of bouncing back. After Barry Goldwater was soundly defeated in the 1960s, it was said the GOP was dead, but after a generation, they bounced back with the likes of Ronald Reagan and George Bush I. Then, after losing to Clinton twice, the GOP resurrected itself yet again in the 2000s, maintaining control of Congress and the White House for a few election cycles.

Right now, the GOP has a lot of soul searching to do, and the party is in disarray. For the party to stay relevant, it is going to have to produce a broader range of national candidates, perhaps pushing to the national stage politicians like South Carolina Gov. Nikky Haley, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, or Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. It can no longer be the party of old white guys. The party also needs to move more to the center, especially on social issues and the tax code, because as Cassidy’s reporting points out, the country no longer favors trickle down economics, and that is indeed a huge victory for progressives and a sign that on the tax system at least, the country has indeed moved to the left.

The left, meanwhile, needs to keep the momentum and organization used throughout the election cycle, especially to pressure the president to close Gitmo, truly draw down the war in Afghanistan, and create more economic stimulus. Without maintaining organization, activism, and discipline, the Democrats could face some major losses in 2014, especially since they will have more Senate seats to defend than the GOP. For the country to truly move forward on a number of issues, the movements that got Obama elected twice have to continue.

Don’t Forget the Indie Bookstores This Holiday Season

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The Atlantic has a wonderful feature story in its current issue about novelist Ann Patchett’s Nashville bookstore, Parnassus Books. The article, written by Patchett, makes a compelling case for indie bookstores and highlights how well her store is doing, so well that she has several orders to fill a day. The bestselling author notes that indie bookstores are a true benefit to the local community, especially since most of them host events and author readings that foster intellectual discussion and allow audience members to interact with writers and have books signed. When asked about the age of the e-reader, Patchett says that most indie bookstores do sell e-books, so it’s possible to shop at such stores and still read a book on your I-Pad.

The article made me miss the bookstores I used to frequent, especially Anthology New and Used Books in Scranton, which used to host several community events, before it closed in 2011. Any writer will tell you that having an indie bookstore in a community only makes for a stronger local literary scene. They provide a homebase, a meeting space, thus building community. Over the last few years, I’ve read poetry at several indie bookstores throughout the tri-state area. Here is a list of some of my favorites, and most of them sell stock online.

Sellers Used Books and Fine Art: Located in Jim Thorpe, this bookstore is run by fine artist, Randall Sellers. He has hundreds of books for sale, used and at a fair price.

The Doylestown Bookshop: This store mostly has new books, across all genres. It also has a strong monthly poetry series that includes one featured reader, then an open mic. The store’s website is easy to navigate, so you can shop from home.

Farley’s Bookshop: Located in the historic town of New Hope, this store has the most impressive selection of poetry I’ve seen at any bookstore I’ve visted in PA. Furthermore, the store supports several indie presses/publishers. It also has a strong, well-known monthly poetry series that includes a featured reader and open mic.

The Wise Owl Bookstore: Located in West Reading, this bookstore is quaint and small, but has some surprising, interesting selections and several community events.

Autumn Leaves Bookstore: This is a large new and used bookstore located at the Itacha Commons, in Ithaca, NY.  If you ever go there, make sure to stop by the record store in the basement and the Wise Owl Cafe on the top floor.

Caroll & Caroll Booksellers: Located in Stroudburg’s downtown, this store has rows and rows of used books, with a heavy concentration in fiction. It’s worth visiting if you’re in the Poconos, especially since the store doesn’t have much of an online presence.

RiverRead Books:  This Binghamton, NY-based store has several community events and a decent selection of stock that can be purchased online or at the store. Check it out.

I’m sure there are some stores I’m forgetting, but these are the ones I know well because I’ve read at them over the last year or two, and I came home with several books that I purchased. If you have an indie bookstore in your community, please support it. As Patchett mentions in her article, the success of indie bookstores depends largely on the power of the consumer and the choices we make with our money.

Looking for Poetry Books This Holiday Season?

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Every year, the poetry conference/festival/organization Split This Rock offers its recommended poetry books to close out the year. A lot of other organizations and publications do this, but out of all of them, I enjoy Split This Rock’s  recommendations the most. Like other years, this year’s selection is diverse, featuring a wide range of voices and styles; however, the presses/publishers are well-known and include Norton, Graywolf,  and the Pitt Series, among others. Some of the poets are just as recognizable, including Adrienne Rich, Lucille Cifton, Patricia Smith, and current Poet Laureate Natasha Tretheway, but there are some writers I’ve never heard of, including Eduardo C. Corral, whose book, Slow Lightening, was published by the Yale Series of Younger Poets. That is one I plan to purchase, along with Looking for the Gulf Motel by Richard Blanco.

These books make great presents, and for the most part, you’d be supporting an indie press/publisher. If you want to read the full list and descriptions about each book, click here. It’s well worth you attention!

A Forthcoming Anthology Dedicated to Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

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I wanted to share news with readers that the poetry press Unbound Content plans to release an anthology of poetry and prose focusing on the Jersey Shore. All proceeds will benefit Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Here is more info about the submission process and the anthology:

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
 
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Unbound Content is publishing an anthology (title TBD) celebrating the Jersey Shore. The book, edited by poet Joanie DiMartino, is expected to release in late 2013, and proceeds from the sale will be donated to ongoing restoration charities. We are looking for prose, poetry, and artwork inspired by your recollections and reimaginings of the Jersey Shore. The focus should be more on love than loss, but send your best work for consideration. No restrictions or length limit on submissions, within reason. Send submissions to annmarie@unboundcontent.com and include JERSEY in the subject line.
 
Writers and artists do not need to be residents of New Jersey to submit work for consideration. Deadline for submissions is 3/31/2013.
 
Joanie DiMartino is the author of  two collections of poetry, Licking the Spoon, (Finishing Line Press) and Strange Girls, (Little Red Tree Publishing). She is the director of the Hidden Treasures Poetry Series in downtown Mystic, CT, and hosts the Soup & Sonnets Literary Salon for women. Raised in southern New Jersey, she holds history degrees from both Rowan and Rutgers. She has fond memories of summers at the shore, and is a true Jersey Girl.

Some Fall Publishing Credits

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It’s been a fairly productive fall for me in terms of publishing credits, so I thought I’d share some of the news.

Two of my poems, “Mr. Dobson” and “After Working Hours,” appeared in the print and online fall issue of Boston Literary Magazine. They can be read here.

Three of my poems, “At 18,” “Country Girl,” and “Road Fears,” appeared in the November issue of Foliate Oak Literary Magazine, which is run out of the University of Arkansas-Monticello. The poems can be read here.

Finally, three of my poems were published in the fall issue of Red Rock Review, based out of the College of Southern Nevada. The poems only appear in print. I’m especially happy to be part of that issue because there’s a lot of wonderful work in there, including an elegy about poet Ruth Stone, written by Dorraine Laux, winner of Guggenheim Fellowships and NEA fellowships.

I’m hoping to be just a productive and fortunate heading into the winter months and new year.

 

Salon.com Rips the Walking Dead Over Race and Gender Issues

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A few blog posts ago, I wrote about the 2012 election results and how this has been the year of the female voter and women’s issues.  Following the 2012 election and all of the discussion over women’s rights, Salon.com posted an interesting article slamming AMC’s hit TV show “The Walking Dead” over its portrayal of female and minority characters.  The article can be read here.

I will admit that I am a fan of the TV show, but I do agree with several of the points Salon raises, especially that minority characters are nearly invisible and women are reduced to domestic spaces and depicted as constantly needing protection.

Salon’s writer, Lorraine Berry,  analyzes a few of the main characters on the show, including Andrea, Lori, Michonne, and T-Dog, raising valid points about each. Regarding Lori, the writer is especially critical that Lori’s main role by the third season is only to carry Rick’s baby (or Shane’s), and she sacrifices herself to fulfill the pregnancy. She is not even given a choice as to whether or not she wants to have the baby in a world where its chances  of survival are slim to none.

Berry also points out that Andrea too is depicted as weak, especially at the start of the third season when she can barely survive on her own and has a gushing crush on the governor, probably because of the false sense of security and protection he provides, and who, like Rick Grimes, can be viewed as an example of a white patriarchy ruling in the post-apocolpytic world. This is quite a contrast to Andrea’s depiction in the comic; she becomes a sharpshooter and critical to the group’s survival, even as early as the prison arc. Meanwhile, the govenor’s right-hand man is Merle Dixon, absent from the comics, but one of the most outwardly racist characters on the show, frequently dropping racist and sexist slurs.

The writer does acknowledge that hope for a strong female lead  is introduced at the end of season two, when the katana-wielding comic favorite Michonne is shown during the last few minutes of the season finale. However, Berry points out that so far, her role has been reduced to a captive of the governor and his Woodberry crew, which doesn’t happen until a little later in the comic. Still, I have hope that the writers  will illustrate Michonne’s strength and perseverance evident in the comic, and she will indeed take on a grander role. I hope she  enacts vegence on the governor like she does in the comic, and I have my fingers crossed that she’ll take her katana to Merle’s neck.

Berry’s criticism extends to the shows few minority characters. The show’s only black character, T-Dog, has already been killed off. The only ones remaining, excluding Michonne and Glen, are depicted as prisoners or lackeys for the governor. This is another aspect where the show and comic differ. Throughout most of the arcs in the comic, the group has minority characters that are key to survival, but for whatever reason, they’re absent from the show.

The comic certainly avoids some of the racial and gender stereotypes and clichés that are prevalent on the show, which is surprising since the comic’s main writer also pens several of the screenplays. My hope is that these stereotypes and the white patriarchy Salon describes will change as this season progresses. Bigger, stronger roles should be written for Michonne and Andrea, once they flee Woodbury. Meanwhile, the writers should introduce a multi-layered minority character, like Tyrese or some of the others featured in the comic.

I am curious as to whether or not anyone else who has read the comic and watched the show has noticed a difference in regards to character development and gender and minority stereotyopes.