crab cakes w/blue berries by david donnell
this perfectly bound chapbook was produced for the toronto press &
antiquarian bookfair spring 1995. i had heard of this chapbook for some
time, but it wasn't until a friend of mine finally located a copy in toronto,
and i used some thinly veiled begging, that i was able to get my hands
on a copy. besides being a chapbook of good poetry by david donnell, it's
layout/design make this a true collectors item.
donnell produced one of my favourite books of poetry china blues published by mclellan & stewart. in crab cakes w/blue berries, you will find a good sampling of his work. he writes the best prose/poetry in canada. my favourite poem from this small collection is sousa, maybe that's because i'm not very fond of his music and when i hear it i think of marines on parade in smartly creased uniforms and living death masks. and like donnell, i too like taps and reveille
"I have no idea if they played
that music in Vietnam,
I wasn't there. I just remember
that crazy "crazy ride of the Valkyries" shit w/
Robert Duvall
coming down in the attack helicopters. They probably have
different music now. Brass bands play Sousa. Except for Reveille
& Taps. All those deaths horrify me,
& yet it is Taps & Reveille that I often like among the best
when I happen to hear them."
crab cakes w/blue berries is a small chapbook of 7 poems, produced by nicky drumbolis & his letters bookshop. if you're a collector of fine chapbooks or a fan of david donnell i strongly recommend this work. if there are any copies left try the letters' bookshop, 77 florence street, studio 104, toronto on m6k 1p4 canada. price ?
concrete thoughts ~ an anthology of street youth poetry ~, Edited
by Agatha Bedynski
this anthology is a great idea and forum for aspiring writers or for those
who just need an opportunity to convey their experiences. this is particularly
important for street kids, because they are part of the truly disenfranchised
of society. most of those who start their life on the street do so before
they're of the age to vote, shave or even wear a bra, yet the circumstances
of their lives often ask them to make choices most adults would find difficult.
though some of this poetry is not very good and filled with cliché,
their are some poems that we should pay attention to such as; klynos' night
and days. and will i be safe to go home by anon.
"There was only one day of peace last September,
Daddy bought me school clothes for the year,
I wish his smiling face could reappear.
But after the trip he picked up his beer,
That's when I always knew beating time was near."
this was made so clear by the second of a two part series on cbc fm last night (feb. 20, '96) when i learned that the life span of a child on the street is seven years, and they children who die lonely or often violent deaths. in the voice of time by anon., we hear with could easily be an anthem/plea for a generation of kids who feel they are being left out of the promised land of their parents. maybe this is a statement that parents, administrators and politics should listen to.
"No more excuses
Never again will we be afraid to speak out.
Please,
Give us freedom
Or we will not give you peace."
buy a copy of this anthology to support rideau street youth enterprises, send $4.23 to rideau street youth enterprises, 101a-112 nelson street, ottawa on k1n 7r5 canada.
for those of you who live in ottawa and missed bard's third annual robbie burns poetry reading held at the royal oak on laurier, i can only say, "too bad", because it was a great time. opening this evening of haggis and single malt was the launching of two new chapbooks from the friday circle chapbook series; kukoo by robert craig and surcharges sometimes apply by b stephen harding. for copies of these chapbooks ask robert or myself, or send $4.00 dollars to friday circle, dept. of english, university of ottawa, ottawa on k1n 6n5 canada.
i would like to apologize to robin hannah (i fear for the things outside) and george elliot clarke (april 19--: sonnet) for the linebreak errors in the january issue of graffito.
we would also like to announce that graffito will now have guest editors, as a replacement for our retired editor christal steck. the guest editor will serve for a period of three months (three issues) and will be responsible for nominating their successor, on approval of the standing editors. gRaffito's first guest editor will be tamara fairchild, a local poet, performer, past contributor of graffito and member of the mpd editorial collective.
we would like to apologize for the lateness of this issue, but due to some reprogramming of the writing centre lan system the delay was unavoidable.
b stephen harding
Have you seen the writing on the wall
Managing Editor: b stephen harding,
Editor: Robert Craig, Consulting Editor: Seymour Mayne
Guest Editor: Tamara Fairchild
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