Crisis Chronicles Press publishes new book: Arroyo Chamisa by Alex Gildzen

Crisis Chronicles Press is thrilled to announce the publication of Alex Gildzen's latest collection, Arroyo Chamisa: poems rescued from a blog, on March 4th 2022.

Arroyo Chamisa is 76 pages, perfect bound, 6x6". ISBN: 978-1-64092-954-8. Front cover photo by the author. Available now for only $10 from Crisis Chronicles Press, 535 Parkside Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44143 USA.

 

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"Alex Gildzen was one of the first poets' blogs i found & read with great appreciation & gusto.  here was a poet with a gift for vernacular, a wit to match his cinematic range, & an obsession with movies that played upon my own heart.  i've long been a great admirer of Alex ever since those giddy early days of blogging when social media held the promise of uniting poets & creating a community of writers who, in their own unique ways, were dedicated to making & living a life in poetry.  Alex Gildzen is a poet with a life well-lived in poetry & at the movies.  his poems frequent the daily ordinary hard tasks of being a human being in our digital age, along with the practical importance of friendships, art making, family, technology, & the greats of Hollywood past & present.   Alex Gildzen is one of my very favorite poets & human beings.  as he says in a poem, 'go to the movies / you're alive.'"
     —Richard Lopez, co-editor of the anthology The End of the World Project

"Alex Gildzen is a master of his craft, unearthing beauty from the ordinary and celebrity from the common. Nowhere is this more evident than in Arroyo Chamisa: poems rescued from a blog. From the dark atomic whimsy of “swim thru the sea of night little swimmer” to the pure joy of living well in “I call the 3 palms / beside the pool / the Andrews Sisters,” Gildzen’s poetry grooves with the universal and vibrates with the intensely personal. This is an expedition you won’t want to miss."
     —Dianne Borsenik, author of Raga for What Comes Next and Publisher/Editor, NightBallet Press

Alex Gildzen saw his first poem in print 60 years ago. The first of many chapbooks followed in 1969. His poems have been published in Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece and Australia. He has given readings at Bowery Poetry Club, Palm Springs Art Museum, Bisbee Poetry Festival, Captain Brady in Kent, Fort Mason in San Francisco, Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, Antebellum Gallery in Hollywood and a plethora of bars. Currently Gildzen lives in Palm Springs where he has been called the city’s “unofficial poet laureate.” A piece of his is featured on the Poet’s Bench in the uptown design district.

His previous Crisis Chronicles Press titles include Ohio Triangle and Alex in Movieland (1943-1973).

What's Happening?

The past several months have been a whirlwind. Where to begin?

Several dear friends have passed away recently: Kay Easterling (November 10th), Helen Shepard (December 26th), Haymond Holcomb (January 25th), William Merricle (February 5th), and Jake Pavlica (February 12th).  Also during this same time my partner lost her aunt and my cousin lost her partner. My deepest sympathies go out to all who loved them. And then February 8th was the fifth anniversary of Geri's passing. This all on the heels of so many other losses in recent years. I would like to say more about some of these, but such words are difficult for me at the moment.

While I'm here, though, I will update you on what else has been going on in my life (some of which you may already know if you follow my social media posts).

After a couple of years of having a ton of poetry events canceled (or not scheduled at all) due to the pandemic, I have a lot more things on my 2022 calendar. I emceed an in-person Ekphrastacy program on February 17th at Heights Arts and I have about twenty more poetry events confirmed (so far) for the rest of this year, beginning with a March 12th reading at Visible Voice Books with visiting poets Austin Davis (from Arizona), Brooke Nicole Plummer (Michigan) and Tim Heerdink (Indiana). (Click here to see the full event list, which is still being updated.)

My eighteen-year old granddaughter moved in with us on February 1st.

Also in February, I finished writing my first chapbook since 2017, You Can't Trust It to Remain, which will be published by Between Shadows Press on April 1st.

I'm serving on Heights Arts' Heights Writes Community Team and Lit Youngstown's Fall Literary Festival planning committee. And I still help maintain the northeast Ohio literary calendar at clevelandpoetry.com (I have another list of events I plan to add to it today).

Two of my poems appear in the new anthology I Thought I Heard a Cardinal Sing: Ohio's Appalachian Voices (edited by Ohio Poet Laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour).

Crisis Chronicles Press has gotten super busy again, working on publishing at least ten books in 2022 (after only publishing two in 2020 and one in 2021). It was a big deal to me to get William Merricle's Contempt of Gravity published in January before he passed away. When I got sick for three weeks in December and had difficulty working, I feared that it might not get done in time.

It also feels huge to have finally published Lisa Cihlar's Before the Next Ice Age. She first submitted it to me (with a different title) in December 2014. Talk about a long journey to publication. But once I finally received her perfect cover art in November, the process sped up and that became our second book of the year.

I'm currently working on our next three titles: Arroyo Chamisa by Alex Gildzen (due out in March), 47 Poems by Victor Clevenger (April 7th) and Ouroboros by Chansonette Buck with art by Jillian Mardin (April 22nd).

After that, Crisis Chronicles and I will team up with Tohm Bakelas and Between Shadows to put out a huge collection of poems by Kent Taylor.

Then later in the year (and likely into 2023), Crisis Chronicles plans to publish works by Brandon Johnson, Christopher Franke, Chris Howey, John Dorsey and Judith Mansour.

And well, I could keep going. There's always more. But I think I'd better stop writing this and get back to work.

I'm grateful for you.

Crisis Chronicles Press offers 2022 subscription: Everything for $100

Crisis Chronicles Press is back at it, hot and heavy, catching up on our pre-pandemic commitments and so forth. We're putting out 10 titles by some of my favorite writers in 2022, including the just released Contempt of Gravity: The Complete Published Poems, 1981–2020, by William Merricle (a $20 value) - soon to be followed by works by Lisa J. Cihlar, Chansonette Buck, Kent Taylor, Victor Adam Clevenger, Alex Gildzen, Christopher Franke, Brandon Johnson, John Dorsey and more.

Subscribe! Donate $100 to receive all ten 2022 titles and an extra surprise or two.

 

Folks keep asking when we will be taking submissions again, and I've been responding with some variation of "hopefully in the near future when I'm caught up." Well, it looks like we will finally be caught up later this year. But whether we can eventually take on new books and keep going beyond 2022 is gonna depend on whether we can make the press sustainable (which has been a larger challenge than usual during the pandemic with so many events unable to happen). 

 

So please consider treating yourself by picking up a subscription to Crisis Chronicles Press - and thereby also help us to get through 2022 and possibly continue beyond that. Many thanks to the very kind indie lit lovers who have been supportive of this work so far (for nearly 14 years). May the universe smile upon you.

 

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Palm Springs Point of View interviews author Alex Gildzen

Check out this interview! My Crisis Chronicles Press had the distinct privilege of publishing Alex Gildzen's Alex in Movieland (1943-1973) in February 2020, right before the pandemic ground live lit events to a halt, so this is the first time I've heard him read from it. Sharing the video on Facebook, Gildzen says:

 

I have never read more than a few lines from "Alex in Movieland" in public because it's not an easy work to present. however in this interview I read a section that I hope gives some sense of the work.

& once again my unending thx to John Burroughs for publishing the first installment of this important work of which I'm so proud.

 

 

Video permalink: https://youtu.be/O0AD7ALtrnI.

 

If you've been sufficiently tantalized, you may buy the book here.

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U.S. Addresses $12.00 USD Outside the U.S. $16.00 USD

 

Latest Additions to My Library

I am thrilled to have received this motherlode of wow in roughly the past month or so:

Breathturn into Timestead: The Collected Later Poetry: A Bilingual Edition by Paul Celan [2014, Farrar, Straus & Giroux]

Memory Rose into Threshold Speech: The Collected Earlier Poetry: A Bilingual Edition by Paul Celan [2020, Farrar, Straus & Giroux]

Poems of André Breton: A Bilingual Anthology by André Breton (trans/ed. by Jean-Pierre Cauvin & Mary Ann Caws) [2006, Black Widow Press]

The Idea of Perfection: The Poetry and Prose of Paul Valéry: A Bilingual Edition by Paul Valéry (trans. by Nathaniel Rudavsky-Brody) [2020, Farrar, Straus & Giroux]

The Secret Room by Kazim Ali [2017, Kaya Press]

Quinn's Passage by Kazim Ali [2005, BlazeVOX]

The Weight of the Minolta in Her Hand by Marianna Hofer [2017, Finishing Line Press]

A Threadbare Universe by Jason Baldinger [2020, Kung Fu Treachery Press]

Poems: Volume 01 by Camilla Jean Welsch [2021, BookBaby]

Waxworks by Frieda Hughes [2002, HarperCollins]

Tornado by Ted Lardner [2008, The Kent State University Press]

We Practice for It by Ted Lardner [2014, Tupelo Press]

The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck and Guidebook by Kim Krans [2018, HarperOne]

Whirl Away Girl by Tricia Johnson [2021, Atmosphere Press]

I Wonder as I Wander: An Autobiographical Journey by Langston Hughes [2011, Books on Tape]

The Lunch Bucket Brigade #3 by various [2021, The Lunch Bucket Brigade Press]

A Season of Significance by Jared Smith [2021, River Dog]

Still Marching by Alex Gildzen [2021, River Dog]

 

Crisis Chronicles Press publishes Gildzen's new Alex in Movieland (1943-1973)

Crisis Chronicles Press is honored and ecstatic to celebrate Valentine's Day with the publication of Alex in Movieland (1943-1973), a major work by one of our favorite writers and artists, Alex Gildzen.

Alex in Movieland is a monumental work defying easy categorization. It is memoir, list, poetry, history and more, all in one, reading like a movie of the author's life in book form, replete with juicy detail. This new volume is 150 pages, perfect bound, 5.5 x 8.5". ISBN: 978-1-64092-947-0. Front cover art by the author. Available now for only $12 from Crisis Chronicles Press, 3431 George Avenue, Parma, Ohio 44134 USA.

US or Elsewhere?

U.S. Addresses $12.00 USD Outside the U.S. $16.00 USD

Click here to read a 2009 Otoliths interview with Gildzen wherein he talks about the origins and evolution of Alex in Movieland, which he began writing in 1996 and is still writing. Our new Crisis Chronicles volume is the first time the entire first thirty years of it have appeared in print. 

Alex Gildzen lives in Palm Springs where he writes every day. In the past year his poems have appeared in the anthologies "Love Jets" and "The End of the World Project." He also makes art — from collages to conceptual pieces such as "The Century Dimes" and "Box of Little Bags." In addition he's become a model — with and without clothes — for artists and photographers.

What's Up with Crisis Chronicles Press?

People keep asking me what's up with Crisis Chronicles Press. Here's the short answer:

Our 2019 titles so far

1) EVENTS: A) We'll be in Kansas City this weekend (October 11-13) for Fountainverse: KC Small Press Poetry Fest. B) On November 23rd, we will team up with NightBallet Press to present readings by our Class of 2019 authors during Streetlight Imaginations with Crisis Chronicles & NightBallet at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. C) I am also hosting (at least through March 2020) the Poetry+ reading series on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at Art on Madison in Lakewood, Ohio.

2) BOOKS: It's hard to believe we published 5 wonderful books (by John Dorsey, Mindi Kirchner-Greenway, Elaine Schleiffer, Cat Russell and Nicole Hennessy) in the first four months of 2019 and we haven't published a new one since (I've been too busy with a million things). But over the summer several of our recent titles did go into second printings. We still have eight books in our committed-to-publishing queue. We intend to publish three of them (So Marvelously Far by Nick Gardner, Ode to Horatio and Other Saviors by Carolyn Srygley-Moore and Alex in Movieland by Alex Gildzen) by the end of 2019. We'll space the final five out over the course of 2020.

3) SUBMISSIONS: In the past week I've written to dozens of people declining their unsolicited submissions. Technically we haven't even been open for submissions in years, though I sometimes bent that policy for a project I just couldn't pass up. For a while (years?) I flirted with (and at times seriously considered) the idea of reopening submissions after I got caught up. But I never caught up. Now I'm becoming more and more inclined just to wrap up the press for good after I complete my current commitments.

It's been an incredible ride. I've had the honor and privilege of working with some fantastic writers and people. And it's not over yet. Eight phenomenal books are coming. I hope you love them as much as I do.

Meanwhile, there's still time to complete your collection at http://ccpress.blogspot.com/.

Gratefully yours,
John

So Much to See and Hear in the Next Few Weeks

Some upcoming events featuring Crisis Chronicles Press and/or our authors:

4/22 in Barberton, OH - Cat Russell author talk with music by Ed Amann at the Barberton Public Library.

4/23 in Cleveland Heights, OH - CLE Uncorked Performers Showcase featuring John Burroughs and more at CLE Urban Winery.

4/24 in Palm Springs, CA - A Night of Poetry and Art with Alex Gildzen.

4/25 in Marietta, OH - David Dodd Lee & Athens Poet Laureate: Kari Gunter-Seymour at WSCC (https://www.wscc.edu/event/poetry-reading/)

4/27 in Columbus, OH - 2019 Ohioana Book Festival

4/28 in Old Brooklyn, OH - National Poetry Month Book Fair

4/30 in Worthington, OH - Rikki Santer & Jennifer Hambrick at The Light of Seven Matchsticks.

5/4 in Lakewood, OH - Vision of the Gypsy Queen featuring Nicole Hennessy's book launch.

More, More, More

Some great events either Crisis Chronicles Press, recent CCP authors, or I personally am/are involved in through the next few weeks of National Poetry Month include:

4/11 in Canton, OH - Cat Russell reads at Dorrie's Booktique (6:30pm).

4/12 in Canton OH - Cat Russell and others will compete in Writing Knights sWord Fight Showcase & Feature.

4/13 in South Euclid OH - Rikki Santer will read and Shelley Chernin will represent CCP during Publishing Poetry in Northeast Ohio (http://attend.cuyahogalibrary.org/event/1408538).

4/13 in Massillon OH - Cat Russell will participate in Local Author Fair.

4/14 in Cleveland OH - Tongue in Groove Poetry Jam hosted by Raymond McNiece and featuring Dianne Borsenik at The Millard Fillmore Presidential Library.

4/17 in Cleveland OH - The Queer Community Read will feature me, Elaine Schleiffer and a whole lot more.

4/19 in Canton OH - Poetry and Art: Poet Cat Russell with artist Jim Meador.

4/22 in Barberton OH - Cat Russell and Ed Amann Author Talk at the Barberton Public Library.

4/24 in Palm Springs CA - A Night of Poetry and Art with Alex Gildzen.

4/27 in Columbus OH - 2019 Ohioana Book Festival.

4/28 in Old Brooklyn OH - National Poetry Month Book Fair.

I can barely keep all this and so many other great area events in my head, so I probably missed something.

Also, stay tuned for a very important announcement about a fantastic new release in May!

The End is Coming for Crisis Chronicles Press

This has been on my mind for several months, and off and on for longer than that, but I've kept waffling and putting off the announcement because I wasn't sure, and I wanted to keep my options open (including the option of changing my mind) and I didn't want to dampen enthusiasm for our forthcoming books or upcoming events. But I am shutting down Crisis Chronicles Press (or at least placing it on hiatus) at the end of this year or after we have fulfilled our current publishing commitments, whichever comes first. We still have a lot of work to do, as we will be publishing ten excellent new books in the near future, participating in a ton of book fairs and other events, and keeping most of our catalog in print indefinitely. When it's done, I may still work part time in publishing, or reserve the right to do a random unanticipated Crisis Chronicles Press project here or there. But life is short and there are many more things I want to do, including focusing more on my own writing and perhaps completing my memoir and not spending every moment thinking about all the things I have to do or catch up on with seemingly no end ever in sight. I am super grateful for all the interest and support the press and I have received over the past eleven years. And what an honor and privilege it is for me to have worked with (and continue to work with) some of the best writers in the country (and several from other countries) and many from right here in Ohio. You're gonna love the new books we have coming out by Nicole Hennessy, Carolyn Srygley-Moore, Chansonette Buck (with Jillian Mardin), Alex Gildzen, Lisa Cihlar, Nick Gardner, Julie Marchand, Kent Taylor, Christopher Franke, D.R. Wagner.... And there may be a surprise tossed in as well. I love you all.

John Burroughs
Founding Editor

My "Bloodshot" In Big Hammer #20

Hammer time! I feel honored to have a poem in the beautiful behemoth Big Hammer #20 alongside so many writers and artists I love and respect, including Chris Stroffolino, D.R. Wagner, Alex Gildzen, Bree, Lamont Steptoe, Hilary Krzywkowski, Tom Kryss, Rebecca Schumejda, Ingrid Swanberg, Bob Kaufman, John Dorsey, Kevin Ridgeway, Jake St. John, John Bennett, Ron Androla, David S. Pointer, Michael Estabrook, K.W. Peery, Scott Silsbe, Damian Rucci, Russell Salamon, Jen Dunford Roskos and so many more. I first discovered Big Hammer 10-or-so years ago in a bookstore in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and have been a fan ever since. Thanks to Iniquity Press / Vendetta Books and editor Dave Roskos! Big Hammer #20 is 8.5" x 11" and 305 packed pages. Buy your copy for $20 at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1792828284.

My "Whend" nominated for a Pushcart Prize

This Thanksgiving Day, I'm honored and grateful to learn that my poem "Whend" has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize by NightBallet Press, alongside poems by Alex Gildzen, Bill & Pat Hurley, Sandra Feen, Jeanette Powers and M.J. Arcangelini. Many thanks to editor Dianne Borsenik!

"Whend" was the first significant poem I wrote after my wife Geri's untimely death in 2016. It was published in my 2018 chapbook Loss and Foundering.

Read more at https://nightballetpress.blogspot.com/2018/11/pushcart-prize-nominees-from-2018.html.