(photo by Geof Huth [nb: not my basement])
On Bloomsday, a day in which I gave not one but four separate readings (albeit one a homophonic translation of Sappho, another a translation of Joyce into English) in Rotterdam, a pipe in the furnace room that adjoins my basement study burst, sending water shooting into the room that houses the majority of my ten thousand books. Fortunately, my wife & one of my sons were home, and they (along with one of my son’s friends) responded the instant they realized that the aqueous sound from downstairs didn’t sound right. Today, the bottom foot-and-a-half to two feet of wall around the room are entirely torn up, a consequence of the industrial processes the flood disaster company put into place, ensuring that the insulation didn’t turn into a sponge followed by mold. My books are upstairs, or on tables & pallets in the garage – 150 cartons or so. We’ve had to discard a number of bookcases themselves and a few others still need to be pulled to the curb. But gradually things are returning if not to normal, at least to a place from which “normal” might be glimpsed on the horizon.
Nonetheless, over 140 books and journals were water damaged beyond salvation. As somebody who grew up in a house without books, and who has grown to love books intensely, it’s a consequence I can’t even depict without getting a little hysterical. Worse still, many of these are by favorite authors and favorite presses. Almost without exception, they’re books I had not yet gotten to reading. Several were signed; more than a few are already out of print. It’s all I can do to just take a deep breath and remember that objects are only that.
Anyway, I thought I would list them in the hopes that if you wrote or published one (or more) of these, and/or if you have an extra copy that could use a good home, I can assure you that this is that home. Thanks.
Author, Title, Publisher
Scott Abels, Rambo Goes to Idaho, BlazeVOX Books
Amanda Ackerman, Parrot 8 I Fell in Love with a Monster Truck, Insert Press
Lanny Bierman, About There, Beggar Books
Marianne Bouche, The Book of Hours, Copper Canyon Press
Mairéad Byrne, Lucky, Little Red Leaves
Tom Comitta, Badveritisements, publisher unknown
Tom Comitta, Blueprint for Realist Cinema, publisher unknown
CA Conrad, A Beautiful Marsupial Afternoon, Wave Books
Louis de Gongora, The Solitudes, Penguin Classics
W.S. di Piero, Nitro Nights, Copper Canyon Press
Ben Doller, Dead Ahead, Fence Books
Thomas Fink, Peace Conference, Marsh Hawk Press
Ed Foster & Joseph Donohue (editors), The World in Time and Space, Towards a History of Innovative American Poetry in Our Time, Talisman Press
Vernon Frazer, Asterisk, Axon
Vernon Frazer, Styling Sanpaku, Beneath the Underground
Gloria Frym, Mind Over Matter, BlazeVOX Books
Nada Gordon, Scented Rushed, Roof Books
Susan Gevirtz, Aerodrome Orion + Starry Messenger, publisher unknown
Merrill Gilfillan, The Bank of the Dog, Flood Editions
Peter Gizzi, Threshold Songs, Wesleyan University Press
Andrew Grace, Sancta, Ahsahta Press
Hillary Gravendyk, Harm, Omnidawn Publishing
Nathaniel Handel, Poet in Andalucía, University of Pittsburg Press
J/J Hastain, Prurient Anarchic Omnibus, Meeting Eyes Binding
Lyn Hejinian, Saga/Circus, Omnidawn Publishing
Derek Henderson, This &, if p then q
Barbara Henning, Looking Up: Harryette Mullen Interview on Sleeping With, the Dictionary + Other Works, Belladonna
Brian Henry, Doppelganger, Talisman House
Colin Herd, Too Ok, BlazeVOX Books
Rick Hiller, A Map of the Lost World, University of Pittsburg Press
Geoffy Hillsabeck, Vaudeville, The Song Cave
Susan Holbrook, Joy is So Exhausting, Coach House Books
Paul Hoover, Desolation: Souvenir, Omnidawn Publishing
Brenda Iijima, revv. You'll - ution, Displaced Press
Charles Jensen, The Nanopedia Quick-Reference Pocket Lexicon of, Contemporary American Culture, Poets & Artists
Aisha Sasha John, The Shining Material, Book Thug
Jamey Jones, Blue Rain Morning, Farfalla, McMillan & Parrish
Paul Killebrew, Flowers, Canarium Books
Burt Kimmelman, The Way We Dive, Dos Madres Press
Basil King, Mirage, Marsh Hawk Press
Martha Kinney, The Fall of Heartless Horse, Akashic Books
Joanna Klink, Raptus, Penguin Poets
Jason Koo, Man on Extremely Small Island, C+R Press
Dana Teen Lomax, Disclosure, Black Radish Books
Travis Macdonald, Title Bout, Shadow Mountain Press
Richard Makin, Dwelling, Reality Street Editions
Sabrina Orah Mark, Tsim Tsum, Saturnalia Books
Todd Marshall, The Tangled Line, Canarium Books
Ted Mathys, The Spoils, Coffee House Press
Anita Mohan, Letters to an Albatross, BlazeVOX Books
Hoa Nguyen, Hecate Lochia, Hot Whiskey Press
Harry E Northup, The Ragged Vertical, Cahuenga Press
Harry E Northup, Enough the Great Running Chapel, Momentum Press
Alice Notley, Songs and Stories of the Ghouls, Wesleyan University Press
Sarah O'Brien, Catch Light, Coffee House Press
Karl Parker, Personationskin, No Tell Books
Allessandro Porco, Augustine in Carthage, ECW Press
Christopher William Purdom, Banana Magnet Vol. VIII, 226 Press.com
Sina Queyras, Expressway, Coach House Books
Lawrance Raab, The History of Forgetting, Penguin Poets
Margaret Randall, Something's Wrong With the Cornfields, Skylight Press
Thibault Raoult, El P.E., Projective Industries
E. Emil Reutter, Blue Collar Poet, Stonopidion.net Publishing
Barbara Jane Reyes, Easter Sunday, Publishing Genius
Andrew Michael Roberts, Something Has to Happen Next, University of Iowa Press
Mercedes Roffe, Like the Rains Come, Shearsman Books
Matthew Rohrer, A Plate of Chicken, Ugly Duckling Presse
Matthew Rohrer, Destroyer and Preserver, Wave Books
Robert Ronnous, New Selected Poems 1975-2005, Barnwood
Claude Royet-Journoud, Theory of Prepositions, La Presse
Casey Salerno, Shelter, Alice James Books
Edward Sanders, Thirsting For Peace, Coffee House Press
Sarah Sarai, The Future is Happy, BlazeVOX Books
Leslie Scalapino, The Dihedrons Gazelle-Dihedrals Zoom, The Post-Apollo Press
Steven D. Schroeder, Torched Verse Ends, BlazeVOX Books
Creed Shepard, Distraction Contra Diaspora, Enduring Puberty Press
Ed Skoog, Mister Skylight, Copper Canyon Press
Matt Shears, Where a Road Had Been, BlazeVOX Books
Andre Spears, Nexus of Evil Late Fragments 1-7, First Intensity Press
Daniel Stanford, Weaver in the Sluices, Skylight Press
Gavin Stein, Vita Graph, Binnacle Press London
Suzanne Stein, Hole in Space, OMG!
Jordan Stempleman, The Travels, Otoliths
Bert Stern, Steerage, Ibbotson Street Press
Catherine Strisik, Thousand Cricket Song, Stray Dog Media
Eileen R. Tabios, Roman Holiday, Chapbookpublisher.com
Eileen R. Tabios, The Thorn Rosary, Marsh Hawk Press
Brian Teare, Sight Map, University of California Press
Philip Terry, Advanced Immorality, if p then q classics
Ted Thillerman and Richard Blevins, Breathing, Meeting Eyes Binding
Susan Tichy, Gallowglass, Ahsahta Press
Steve Tills, Rugh Stuff, Theenk Books
Georg Trakl, In an Abandoned Room, Erbacce Press
Tomas Tranströmer, The Sorrow Gondola, Green Integer
Jane Unrue, Life of a Star, Burning Deck
Cesar Vallejo, Against Professional Secrets, Roof Books
Anne Valley-Fox, How Shadows are Bundled, University of New Mexico Press
Nico Vassilakis, Disparate Magnets, BlazeVOX Books
Nico Vassilakis, Protracted Type, Blue Lion Books
Sara Veglahn, Another Random Heart, Letter Machine Editions
Lina ramona Vitkauskas, The Range of Your Amazing Nothing, Ravenna Press
Arthur Vogelsang, A Planet, An Owl Book
Arthur Vogelsang, Left Wing of a Bird, Sarabande Books
Arthur Vogelsang, Cities and Towers, University of Massachusetts Press
Fred Wah, Isadora Blue, La Mano Impresora
Diane Wakoski, The Diamond Dogs, Anhinga Press
Diane Wald, Wonderbender, 1913 Press
Liz Waldner, Trust, Cleveland State University Poetry Center
Liz Waldner, Play, Rightful Press
G.C. Waldrep, Archicembalo, Tupelo Press
Dana Ward, The Squeakquel pt. 1, The Song Cave
Dana Ward, The Squeakquel pt. 2, The Song Cave
Craig Watson, Sleeping with Orphans, Shearsman Books
Emily Watson, Micrographia, University of Iowa Press
Phoebe Wayne, Lovejoy, c_L Books
Eric Weinstein, Vivisection, New Michigan Press
Mac Wellman, Left Glove, Solid Objects
Joe Wenderoth, No Real Light, Wave Books
Karen Weiser, To Light Out, Ugly Duckling Presse
Calvin Wharton, The Song Collides, Amrilpress
Anne-Adele White, Sidestep Catapult, BlazeVOX Books
Allison Benis White, Self Portrait with Crayon, Cleveland State University Poetry Center
J.P. White, All Good Water, Holy Cow Press
Elizabeth Willis, Address, Wesleyan University Press
Rob Winger, The Chimney Stone, Nightwood Editions
David Wollach, Occultations, Black Radish Books
Lisa Wolsak, Squeezed Light, Station Hill Press
Michael Woods, World News Story, Book Thug
Gail Wronsky, Blue Shadow Behind Everything Dazzling, Hollyridge Press
William Wroth, All Worlds in One, Coyote’s Journal
Dean Young, Primitive Mentor, University of Pittsburg Press
Mark Young, Genji Monogatari, Otoliths
Mike Young, We Are All Good if They Try Hard Enough, Publishing Genius
Michaek Zanol, Kval, Talisman House Publishers
Andrew Zawacki, Petals of Zero, Petals of One, Talisman House Publishers
Andrew Zawacki, By Reason of Breakings, University of Georgia Press
Andrew Zawacki, Anabranch, Wesleyan University Press
Scott Zeiker, Impatience, Emergency Press
Scott Zieker, Virga, Emergency Press
Various, House Organ 77,
Various, Filling Station #4
Various, Letterbox Magazine issue 5,
