Welcome to Issue I, Volume VI: September 2014 of Connotation Press: An Online Artifact.IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY! WOOHOO! Today we begin our sixth year of publication with our 61st issue and 116th installment.
Last month I caught you up on the state of the magazine and changes to our publishing schedule. This month I think it’s fair to guess you’re about tired of me and ready for some new content. Well, you have come to the right place. We have a full house this month for the launch of our sixth year so let’s waste no time and kick this pig to see what it’ll do!
Our pal John Hoppenthaler dives headfirst into A Poetry Congeries this year with dynamic new poetry by, and an interview with, novelist Daniel Chacón. And yes, John spends a little time inquiring as to why that last sentence makes sense. John then continues to deliver strong new poetry from Kimiko Hahn, Chana Bloch, Randall Horton, Jennifer Perrine, Phillip B. Williams, Jay Nebel, John Poch, and Matthew Thorburn. And don’t miss John’s blog, too. Great stuff there as always. Welcome to all the new contributors, and a big thank you to John!
This month we’re also privileged to have a Featured Guest Editor. Recently, I announced that Paul Scot August joined the Connotation Press crew of misplaced children when he became the newest member of Kaite Hillenbrand’s poetry team. As we had a little time before Paul started working with Kaite, I decided to offer him the chance to helm our guest editor column. He jumped at the offer and did one hell of a good job putting together a strong list of contemporary authors. Paul opens a wonderful level of intimacy with his choice of poets; all of whom at one time or another affected the course of his personal journey with poetry. He opens the column with his introductions to the authors and leads with especially strong work by John Walser; his poetry, a pleasure to read. From there Paul brings April Manteris back to the pages of Connotation Press (Yay, April!), along with Charles Coté, Kim Dower, Johanna C. Dominguez, Kaite Chaple, J.S. Belote, William Stratton, Travis Wayne Denton, and Shawn Delgado. Welcome, everyone, and GREAT JOB, PAUL! We’re all looking forward to working with you, pal.
On the video-poetry front, The Third Form, with Erica Goss this month gets into the poetry of Gaia Holmes, whose work is a favorite amongst video-poetry makers, and she interviews both Ms Holmes and also poet Matt Mullins who recently created three new videos based on three of his own poems with director and Connotation Press frequent contributor, Swoon (Marc Neys). A great start to our new publishing year, Erica!
Our Book Review Editor Julia Bouwsma gracefully opens Volume VI with a look at Sawako Nakayasu’s short prose collection, The Ants. Of the work, Julia writes, “It is a book about alienation and disorientation and the need for constant negotiation and re-negotiation with one’s circumstances and surroundings, about the difficulty that lies in deciding which pair of shoes to jump on in order to take a ride to the next unknown.” To be honest, I like Julia’s reviews as much as most of the creative work we publish. It’s a damn pleasure to read a well written review, and Julia writes them as good as anyone. Congratulations, Ms Nakayasu. Your book was chosen to be praised by one of the best.
Our intrepid globetrotter Nicholas Baker is BACK with another fun and interesting travelogue to help open your mind to some new surroundings. This month it’s skylines, ferry rides, and street corner hot dogs for Nicholas and Freddy in the city that never sleeps as the boys continue on their US tour this time in New York City. SWEET! We have a grip of pictures Nicholas took along with his take on THE city. A great escape and one in which Mr. Baker's mantra of Travel, Travel, Travel is proven to be once again one of the best life recommendations we’re likely to get all month. Thanks, Nicholas!
A Drinker with a Wine Problem, by John Turi sips, slurps, and sloshes into Volume VI with a 2009 Blanc de Noirs from the talented team of Keith Hock and Hugh Davies at Schramsberg winery in Calistoga, California. John loves him some varietals, and at 87% Pinot Noir, 13% Chardonnay this one suits him just fine. This month welcomes, also, the release of John’s first bound collection of critiques, A Drinker with a Writing Problem: A Wine Lovers Retrospective. This is a lovely collection of the reviews John has written for Connotation Press and his website Y9Review.com. We’ll have more info on where to purchase your copy of the book as soon as it hits the stands, and I was deeply touched to have been asked to write the forward to this beautiful collection. I’m sure this book will do quite well. Congratulations, John!
Finally, our Fiction Editor Meg Tuite takes a slight adjustment in her normal routine as she spends a little time reviewing When Doves Cry, the newest Creative Nonfiction offering by the brilliant Emily Stern. Meg takes a look at the book and discusses with the author, amongst other things, the similarities between Fiction & Creative Nonfiction writing. And don’t forget, the Fiction column in its complete form along with our Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, and Drama columns will be here in our mid-month post on the 15th. We have a VERY special surprise in our Poetry column, then, too. We can hardly wait!
I guess that’s about it for now except to say THANK YOU to all our supportive and kind readers, contributors, and editorial staff who together have made Connotation Press a good home for some amazing art.
See you on the 15th!
Connotation Press: And On Into The Fall
Ken Robidoux
Publisher/Founding Editor-in-Chief
Connotation Press
This issue of Connotation Press is dedicated to the memory of my father, Larry Charles Robidoux. Love & miss you, old man.