Apparently I was Wrong

Okay, I was wrong. Notice, I avoided writing the first thing people my age tend to say these days when in error: "I lied." I didn't know I would be proven wrong (in a good way), hence no lying took place. My Millennial Generation, take note. Lying means you have willfully evaded the truth and told people something was the case when you knew otherwise. Then again, can we be blamed for not knowing what lying really is after Nixon, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush II? Anyway, it turns out I have another poem to share before the ball drops on New Year's. It is up at Dark Chaos.

Last Publications of the Year (Probably)

Isn't that how we all feel when we have a bunch of poems online? No? Okay maybe just me. In case you are wondering why the image, it's because I have several new works up on Winamop. They have not given me a mop yet, though. If you scroll to the bottom you can vote for the poem. Please, be gentle.

I have a poem based on Wikileaks' latest hits, a remix of their diplomatic cables all tied up in a knot.

And to relax you after all that, here is a soothing poem from work to a calm.

Also, if anyone who reads this blog is interested, which includes the people who leave me comments in Chinese or about Ugg Boots, I am in the DC area for the holidays. This may or may not include the whole twelve days of Christmas.

On Strike for Christmas

No, this is not a review of the book or the Lifetime movie of the same name. It is instead an invitation to read a poem of mine that was posted up at Vis a Tergo, a literary outfit whose editorial decisions are being made by Yukio Mishima.

My Life in Six Words

Over at SMITH's six word memoir project

Just Call Me "Jelly Roll" Nardolilli, for a Day

Two poems of mine rolled in confection and published online at Jellyroll Magazine.

Would You Like A Pamphlet?

Go on a PDF adventure over at Guerrilla Pamphlets. Not to be confused with Gorilla Pamphlets. Volume 5 has a poem of mine in it. Also, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Look for a return of the Eddie Cantor Balloon at this year's Macy's Day parade.

Target the Ear Drums of Your Audience

New work of mine has been added online. Check out a poem I wrote at Target Audience and a short story about catching whooping cough at summer camp down at Sick of 'Em.

Marco...Polo...Poem...Essay

My first ever poem accepted through the good ole' postal service. It's up at the Marco Polo Quarterly. A wonderful publication. It was also the first poem I ever showed in a workshop that got acknowledgment from my peers. So consider it a real piece of history in its creation, though I cannot speak for the history contained within the lines themselves. A poet's license to to reveal his tricks. In addition, read an essay by my friend Andrea Kannes.

Listen to the Whale Sounds

Nic Sebastian reads a poem of mine up at Whale Sounds. Grab a sweater, fix yourself a cup of hot tea, and let her voice take you away.

On the Inside of Outside Writers

Two poems up in the Agit Prop 101 section of Outside Writers. Check them out here.

I Will Show You New Poems in a Handful of Dust

New works (a poet shall be judged by works and works alone) at several places. First off, two poems at the Medulla Review. To quote them: "Poems of place; that examine the city beneath the city."

Then we have two poems up at Psychic Meatloaf. Which is about as close to real meatloaf as I'll get.

And finally there is work in the latest issue of Handful of Dust.

Make Your Nights Longer and Your Antiques Everlasting

Two poems up in The Literary Burlesque. I hope the "burlesque" doesn't make it unsafe for work.

Late October Poems

I have a few more poems on the interwebs you should check out. Here are the links so you don't have to google my name and search for all my online bounties. I have a poem up at Eye of the Needle in honor of Jack Kerouac's death (the site has a picture of the house I failed to see). I also have work up at Poemwriters, three poems to be exact: here, here, and here. The picture above is in honor of Jack. When I saw his scroll exhibit at the NY Public Library I wanted to do something similar, so created a poem that I cut up in bits and pieces and rearranged on the second floor of Broome Street.

Why Vandalism?

Because they a poem of mine up after a lengthy hiatus, Six Hands, that's why!

Come Take a Journey to the Rufous City...

I have work up in the latest Rufous City Review. Follow the link and read it as a PDF. If the above picture does not match your mental image for a Rufous City, then please, by all means, substitute one of your own.

Hold My Poems in Your Hands

Well, you can now read a whole mess of my poems in a new book called Hawthorn Road from the same people who brought you Inwood, Indiana (namely Glenn Lyvers).

Buy it here

Call Me Bill...

Several poems in two different places. The first is Raven Images, where I have SIX, count 'em 6, not 5, not 4, and not just 1, not 7, not EIGHT, but SIX, 6, SEI, poems up on the site.

The other is Definitely Mag, where I have definitely one poem up, despite the mistaken identity. I wonder how successful Bill Nardolilli would be for me as a pseudonym?

New Poems and the World's Least Successful Meme

First bit of news. I have three poems in this edition of MungBeing Magazine.

Second, a new game I thought of. I was reading about St. John Chrysostom, and learned his named means "golden mouthed," in reference to his articulate speaking abilities. So I decided to come up with the Chrysostom game, whereby one adds "Chrysostom" to the end of some inept speaker's name.

Example: Phil Davison Chrysostom

Welcome, Welcome October

I have two poems up in the first issue of Howls and Pushycats. Download it and read them. The issue also features work by David McLean and William Doreski.

The first poem is In Abstentia, the refrain of which might be familiar to anyone who has seen the musical 1776.

The second is a little lyrical lot of lines I wrote while at SEP.

A Year-Old Sestina and Other Goodies

Editors, this is why you have to make sure you have sent acceptance letters out, and writers, this is why you have to make sure your spam settings can let them through. I just found out through a casual search on Google, that I had some poems published in Troubadour 21, over a year ago. Well, better late than never, and Troubadour 21, thank you for the acceptance! Another birthday present!

Note: Sestina Karbala 5 is named for a battle of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

Howl: A Movie Review

For Allen Ginsberg

Except for epics, poems usually don't get movies of their own. The poets are the ones who get the films, though rarely. Eliot and Keats were famous enough to have them. The reasons are simple, most poems do not have stories and are not long enough to sustain a film. Unfortunately, people also do not give the same attention to poetry as they do to prose as well, which means there is less of an in-built audience for an adaptation.

Ginsberg's Howl is one of the few poems that could be turned into a movie, or at least be used as the centerpiece of one. The poem is long enough and it has a story, not just in its creation, but also in its publication and the obscenity trial that ensued. It has been read by millions of people (including the lady who sold me my movie ticket) and many know parts of it by heart. It helped usher in the social revolutions of the 1960s, and changed the nature of American poetry forever.

Of course, a straight adaption would be difficult, if not impossible. The poem contains many surreal images and symbols. It does not have a conventional narrative with any identifiable hero (other than Neal Cassady). These are its great strengths, along with an openness and frank discussion of once taboo topics of sex and drugs. Yet they prevent a conventional movie adaptation from happening. Besides, trying to literally present the poem in unimaginative ways would betray the revolutionary nature of Howl itself.

So it was up to writers and directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman to craft an unconventional movie that mostly stays true to the spirit of the poem and helps educate viewers about Ginsberg and the piece. It combines James Franco as Ginsberg giving an interview where he talks about Howl, scenes of him presenting it at its first reading, the court case over it in San Francisco, and animated sequences that give an artistic interpretation of the poem. Despite these different strands, the directors weave them together well, though the animated portions are not as well integrated. Their tone and color seems out of place, as such sequences often do when used in movies, and the images suffer from being too literal and cliche at times.

The performances were good, though many of the actors did not have time to shine. James Franco plays a young Allen Ginsberg perfectly. He has the poet's vocal and physical mannerisms, and captures his cadences when reciting Howl for his audience. Ginsberg's sensitive and intellectual nature is reflected in Franco's portrayal along with his shyness and physical longing for companionship and affection. John Hamm is confident and bold as defense attorney Jake Ehrlich and his opponent David Strathairn is equally compelling in his performance as the prosecutor. The rest of the Beats who feature in the movie get shortchanged, with not enough opportunities to portray their characters and show their charisma and influence on Ginsberg.

What the movie needed most was to explore the development of the poem, which was only hinted at. James Franco's Allen Ginsberg talks about his fears of his father reading the poem, without telling the audience that he did send it to his father Louis (also a poet) and it was his way of coming out. His father only commented on the blue language. He also sent it to William Carlos Williams, whose role as a mentor of sorts is missing. The movie also fails to spend much time on his relationship with his mother, a critical influence on his life and poetry. There is mention of it, but the true nature of what happened is never revealed.

The ending of the film discusses the fates of those involved with Howl and its writing, with Ginsberg's "Father Death Blues," played over it, and is highly moving. The face of the real Allen Ginsberg appears as an old man, along with the fact he died in 1997. I think this is one of the most important sections in the movie, and most reviews of Howl will probably miss out on its significance. It helps remind the young aspiring writers watching it that the Beat Generation is pretty much gone, its leaders dead, some for a long time. It is up to us to now create literary movements of our own, giving eyeball kicks to the culture in hopes of jump starting it.

Overall, I give the movie a B+ grade. The performances redeem the animated parts, though more on the other Beats could have been included. The genesis of the poem needed more explanation, to show how Ginsberg took the exploits of his friends and turned them into surreal spiritual situations. The film gets points for dealing with Ginsberg's homosexuality and discussing it, showing his relationship to Peter Orlovsky as well. The discussion about censorship and what counts as literature is valuable to listen to and makes one think about their own positions on these issues. The movie is best for those who are just discovering Ginsberg and the Beats and want to learn more about them. Those who are long term fans of the work will probably get less out of the film.

1001 Albums I’m Trying to Hear Before I Get Bored

So, the past couple of months I have been on this Romanian site, listening to their collection of the 1001 Albums one is supposed to listen to before they die. One could listen to them alphabetically by band or by album name as well, which would produce some interesting juxtapositions, no doubt. But I decided on a chronological approach. This way, I can listen to them in the context of their times. It lets me compare and contrast and see how certain albums truly broke from their peers, or were the perfect embodiment of a particular musical zeitgeist. Or, I would be able to judge for myself if an album was overrated and did not deserve a place on the list.

Now, with any list, there are going to be problems. A list of the greatest movies or greatest books, as well as greatest albums will always be open to subjective interpretation. However, having a list of 1001 albums does offer the advantage of a wide net being cast, allowing many more artists and styles to be included. Those who compiled the list clearly are diverse in their interests, there have been inclusions of not just British and American albums, but Brazilian, French, and German ones as well. Of course, more international work could be included, but it was not fully excluded from the list.

Anyone looking over who was include and who wasn’t will see the three major limitations of the writers’ approach. The first is that the list is only for albums. Why this is a problem may not seem apparent, until one realizes how many musicians and artists are missing from the list because all they released were singles. Indeed, music released before the 1960s is at a disadvantage because the single was the primary vehicle for music sales. Consequently, the list underrepresents many African-American musicians and genres such as soul, R&B, and funk. It is not a question of these artists producing good music, but spending their careers focusing mainly on singles instead. This is why, for instance Chuck Berry, without whom most of the music on this listed would never have been recorded, is not present.

Another problem is that the list is biased in favor of Pop music, of course this makes sense, the list is part of a book series that has to appeal to a wide audience to be sold. Most of the albums, or at least the bands that made them, need to be familiar to readers, even if they never listened to them. This slant does mean that certain works are left out if they do not fall within the parameters of popular music. Jazz, along with Indian and Brazilian music seem to be the main exceptions to this rule. Some of the music might be called experimental, but much is missing from post1950 classical music and folk. Two figures I wished the list included are Philip Glass and John Fahey. Even though Glass is part of the list of classical albums to listen to, much of his early work is in the same vein as someone like Brian Eno (whom he later collaborated with) and his album “Songs for Liquid Days” involved figures from pop music such as Paul Simon. The more publicity Koyanisqaatsi gets, the better. I think Fahey deserved to be added to showcase his unique approach to the American folk tradition.

The final issue is the time frame. I am not scholar of early 20th century music, but I wonder if influential albums were missed from the pre-World War II era, especially those for swing, jazz, and bluegrass. I cannot think of any off the top of my head, but they might be out there and I think the arbitrary start for the list unfairly disqualifies them. Right now, I have not yet listened to the whole list. These are only my thoughts having listened up to early 1980. Only the fifties, sixties, and seventies have been completely listened to. Despite this, I know enough to be able to point out the above mentioned problems. I am not sure the exact number album I am on, but I have roughly completed and heard half the list. Strange that there is still so much more to go despite having experienced the birth of rock, the British Invasion, psychedelia and the Summer of Love, the rise of glam rock, the folk revival, the eruption of punk, the disco era, and electronic music’s genesis. Hip-Hop has yet to take off, as does techno music, grunge, and a host of hybrids between punk, hard rock, and rap, but I will be surprised if I find myself liking the next 500 or so albums as much as the first.

Let’s get down to the albums themselves. Do they belong? Most, yes, though there are some real curious inclusions and serious omissions. However, there are also some gems by people I had either not heard of before, or were only vaguely familiar with. What works did I find to be less than stellar? Well, (and I know this will raise my Aunt Donna’s ire) I wasn’t that impressed with Elvis’ work. I understand his value as an entertainer who acted as a point of transmission for Black culture into White, as well as a figure who tapped into the repressed libidos of White teenagers. That said, his works does not hold up well, even compared with his contemporaries, let alone the musicians that came after him. Buddy Holly is a better songwriter, while Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard could perform just as well as him.

“Beach Samba” by Astrud Gilberto was also not a strong work. Captain Beefheart was no special attraction despite his perennial high rankings. Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum hardly made an impression. I like Dr. John but “Gris Gris” was uneven. Tim Buckley was good, but he only needed one album on the list. “Space Ritual” by Hawkwind was too campy and maudlin. Joan Armatrading self-titled debut lacked any stand-out material. “Slayed?” and “New Boots & Panties!!” were too amateurish. “DOA: Third & Final Report” was dull and pretentious. “Stardust” by Willie Nelson, as much as I like the guy, doesn’t belong here. “GI” by the Germs just sucks as an album. My test for evaluating the work the late 1970s has been, if I could have done it, it’s not that good.

What albums should have been included? I can think of a few. There are some by Bob Dylan, especially “The Times They Are a-Changin.” I really don’t understand why this album was not included, since it has some of his most famous work and is pretty solid all around. More work from The Who needed to be included. The Beatles deserved more mention. I imagine there was probably a fear of the editors in letting these bands dominate the list for 60s and 70s, but the truth is, they did and for a very good reason. “Help!” “Magical Mystery Tour,” and “Let it Be” should have been included. Heck, I would even make a case for the first half of “Yellow Submarine,” but that energy is better spent elsewhere on this blog. Seriously though, give them a listen.

But, a list of the greatest albums is only as good as those works which it introduces to the listener for the first time and that the listener enjoys thoroughly. The purpose of these lists is not just to be an intellectual exercise, but to also expand the musical horizons of people who are not music critics and have listened to every album under the sun. The music of the 1960s and 1970s is probably my favorite, so I went into this era with a strong footing, yet there were new albums that I really enjoyed, in many cases by artists I never heard before. There were also many artists I had heard of and liked, but I received a deeper understanding of through the list. These included Nick Drake, the Velvet Underground, Parliament, T. Rex, The Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, and the Kinks (though Lola vs. Powerman should have been on the list).

The following were gems I found exclusively through the list, that is they were new to me:

Spector, Phil & Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You (Worth it alone for Phil Spector coming on at the end wishing everyone a Merry Christmas)

Monks – Black Monk Time (If there ever was a band before its time)

Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!

Incredible String Band – Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter

Nyro, Laura – Eli & the Thirteenth Confession

United States of America – United States of America

Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake (You either love or hate the second half, if you like the way they speak in A Clockwork Orange, then you may enjoy it)

Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking

Derek & the Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (The only song my father cares about)

Shankar, Ananda – Ananda Shankar (1970)

Gainsbourg, Serge – Histoire de Melody Nelson (Boy did I feel hip when I recognized it in the movie Greenberg!)

Nilsson, Harry – Nilsson Schmilsson (More than just "Coconut")

Flamin' Groovies - Teenage Head

Ackles, David – American Gothic

Newman, Randy – Sail Away

Big Star – # 1 Record (Who doesn't wish they had listened to “Thirteen” when I was thirteen)

Faust – IV

Cale, John – Paris 1919 (The title track makes the album all by itself)

Sparks – Kimono My House (Declaring this a guilty pleasure)

Dion – Born to Be With You (If you took the sound of the late 50s/early60s and added a crippling heroin addiction, this is what you would get)

Penguin Café Orchestra – Music from the Penguin Café (If this can make the list, why not Songs from Liquid Days?)

Television – Marquee Moon

Eno, Brian – Ambient 1: Music for Airports (All his albums from the list are good)

Numan, Gary – Pleasure Principle (He actually knew how to use a synthesizer)

Muskel und Blut

Don't let the image scare you. This Blog has not come under the influence of the Masons, I swear. I am only trying to catch your attention for something far more important, a poem of mine at Muscle and Blood.

My Contemporary Voice

Five poems of mine up at Contemporary American Voices. One is a friendly Jeremiad, another is part of my series The Personal Ads, one comes from my endless mornings spent at the Lyric Diner (give a shout out if you know what I'm talking about), one is based on an experience with my main man David Henry Sterry, and another comes from wandering the development out at National Harbor.

Flying Into the Gutter

I think this rat should be classed up a bit. Anyway, check out a new poem of mine on display at Gutter Eloquence

"You Carried Losses With You..."

Watching John Berryman in 1970 is even more depressing than Jack Kerouac's last interview.

Nighttime Rumblings in Technicolor Magazine

Read about them here.

Vexing Vexillological News

In case you do not get your news from the Wikipedia front page, the African nation of Malawi has changed its flag. Some of you may recall Malawi as the former Nyasaland. In which, I would suggest getting a new map. Unlike Georgia or the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi made a few major changes, but it was more noticeable than what Iraq did to its flag after the current invasion.

Malawi's flag from 1964 to 2010 was this:

It had a pretty standard color scheme in use among African countries, based on the colors of the Pan-African movement. It also added a sun at the top, in red. I think Malawi's old flag was decent, although I never liked that sun being red. It made the flag too dark overall, and did not stand out enough.

Now Malawi has a new flag, though there is some debate how long it will last:

The color scheme was maintained, which is good, and the usage of the sun as a symbol to help distinguish the flag remains. Overall these were good ideas, and changing the color to white does brighten up the flag significantly.

Still, I think problems remain. The white is too striking a color. Malawi should have gone with yellow or gold instead, creating a flag reminiscent of the now defunct Biafra. Maybe though, that is what they were trying to avoid. I think having so many rays around the sun is distracting and makes it hard for people to replicate the flag. One of the cardinal rules of flag design is to make flags simple enough for children to draw. On this basis, both the flag of the United States and Malawi fail, too many unnecessary little pieces. A white circle set inside another one empty in the middle would have sufficed.

Those are my thoughts, what are yours?

No Barrier to Entry

Two, count 'em TWO, poems of mine are up in the August issue of the Barrier Islands Review!

I'm Clutching at Straws...

...come and see how in my new poem.

Games to Take With You on the Road!

If only Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty had these to pass the time, they would have avoided a lot of trouble, and everything that ended up making On the Road worth Reading. Anyways, here are three nifty games for all of you blessed with an intellect and too much time!

1) The Robert Byrd Game

Normally I would think it is too soon to be talking about West Virginia’s beloved and recently deceased senator-for-life. Sometimes you should be nice to the dead, because they may come and haunt you. However, since I named something after him (along with half of West Virginia) I feel it is okay.

The rules? Well, basically all anyone does is talk about how old Robert Byrd is, and how long he has been a senator. The game can take several forms, but the one I use with my friends involves the “fun fact” method”

Person 1: Want to hear a Robert Byrd fun fact?

Person 2: Okay.

Person 1: Robert Byrd voted against the Gadsden Purchase!

You can replace Byrd with the oldest current senator, if you like.

2) The Before and After Game

This one is taken form Jeopardy and Wheel of fortune. You simply combine the end of one name with the beginning of another. It also works with laws, songs, battles, cities, movies, novels, really anything.

Here is one that recently stumped my friends, and by friends, I mean people I pester on Facebook:

Before and after: name me a famous boxer and a failed conqueror of Mexico.

I like the answer to this one because it has two answers and involves people on both ends who knew one another. You can either have Archduke Maximilian Schmeling or Joe Louis Napoleon Bonaparte.

The chains of names can be as long as you want:

Before and after: name me the creator of King of the Hill, a British comic strip hero, an important Supreme Court case, and the cartoonist behind Dilbert.

The answer is Mike Judge Dread Scott Adams.

The winner is the first person who can figure out a way to use this guy.

3) The Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall Game

This one is best played while under the influence, so playing it in the car can be risky. Personally I find it easiest to play while walking up and down Second Avenue (I’m not positive about Fourth Street). Unlike the other games, this one can be done with just one person. Playing it is simple enough, you try and make up verses for Bob Dylan’s song, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” based on whatever you see around. You can incorporate any person, place, or thing. Random combinations and descriptions that could be symbolic are the goal of the singer, and yes, this game has to be sung.

Ignore the Topless Woman...

...and read my new poem at the Camel Saloon underneath.

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by brevity”

I recently read an attempt to create a Howl for my generation. I do not make the allusion myself, the author set it up so, with a single word title meant to juxtaposition with Ginsberg's poem. So comparisons can be made, the point of the poem in the first place. Doing so, one sees that it has its moments but it is no reincarnation, only a parody. However, it was not as good a parody as reading The Waste Land by Orson Welles. "Tweet" does not make it new, as another poet known for his use of homages would say.

I think it may have suffered from the formating of the website. Such a work needs space for the words to breathe. But mostly, it falls flat not in its diagnosing of the problem, but in its referencing. Instead of Ginsberg's use of his friend's adventures and his own intellectual endeavors as a source for an epic, Miller's work reads like a laundry list. It is in need of eyeball kicks and more skillful use in condensing.

These sorts of things have been written before. I remember reading a different one that was about the yuppies. A direction adaptation and twisting worked in this case because it was meant to comment on hos a generation had sold out, or at least refused to carry the flame of challenging assumptions. A Howl for my generation, to be taken seriously, requires a different sort of indignation and rage. It must tell the tale of us not destroying ourselves, but our being witnesses the self-destruction of everything around us. It must deal with how our birthright has been lost. I think it is fitting to consider ourselves a sort of Generation Esau.

Above all, the interesting thing is how Howl, a poem that was as free as any verse could be at the time, has now become its own form. Poems come from it, they have the same structure and make the same stops. A series of expectations is built into the nature of the references, how they are voiced, made, and changed, if indeed they are changed. The process starts right at the beginning. What minds did the author see, and how were they destroyed?

Issue #5 of Instigatorzine is Out!

And I'm in it with a new poem. Order it here.

She's Leaving Home

Go and read another new poem of mine up at Indood. Consider it an archeological dig. It's from the summer of 2006, four freakin' years ago!

A Declaration For the Day

Time to celebrate July 5th over at the Camel Saloon!

A Fine Air

Ah, the air is fine and the heat so wonderful, you curse the wind for taking it away on a day like this. Find a patch of grass and sleep on it for half an hour, if you have clear skies. That should be your recipe for today. Don't forget the garnish, a poem by me at the Momo Reader. Thanks for reading, as always.

Don't Kill the Coccinellidae

For a change of pace, here's some prose that I have up in the current summer issue of The Toucan. The story is titled, "Gods Little Cows." Read it and enjoy!

Wrote This? Yes, I did

A link to another short poem of mine

Won't take up too much of your time,

Maybe you will find the bliss you miss,

By going to Write this, Right this?

A Poem With Tonic

A new poem of mine is up at Literary Tonic. It is called Catacomb. Read it and weep...tears of joy. Maybe even leave a comment or two.

Looking for Something FREE on Saturday?

Okay kids, this is probably going to be my last mention of the wonderful GWIAF for a while. This Saturday will be the fruit of our efforts, a night of art, poetry, music, dance, and possibly ceramics down at the Arlington Arts Center. Don't have a car? Don't have a cow man! You can take the Metro down there. Get off at Virginia Square, the hip place to be. The event runs from 7 PM to 11 PM. The cost is ZILCH and you can come and go as you please, so come!

Rising Up with Indigo Rising

The poetry revolution continues at Indigo Rising! There you will find three poems by me engaging in propaganda by the deed, which for verse is the word itself. Be on the lookout for "Emerging Out," "Old After All," and "An Intermittent River."

Sleep. Snort. F**K

A prose poem and a new poem of mine for you to read.

Muddy Rivers and Other Updates

First of all, a shout out to my 26 followers. I hope I am not disappointing you.

Second, a poem of mine is the Muddy River Poetry Review. Just go to my name (B-E-N N-A-R-D-O-L-I-L-L-I) and click on the link to see the poem. It will download as a word document.

Third, more GWIAF News!

Okay, I guess I will break this down using letters.

a) We are having a silent auction at Liberty Tavern, 5-7 p.m. It is in Clarendon Arlington, Virginia on June 4th. We're auctioning many various things.

b)June 5th, we will be at the Greenway Community Yard Sale, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., if you;re in Arlington, come by. We will be selling all kinds of things, housewares, linens, artwork, toys, books, and other things.

c)There will be further yard sales and a cocktail party with details to follow later.

d)Consider signing up to help at, give money to, and/or perform at the Greater Washington Indie Arts Festival.

This Poem is Rated MA

A poem of mine in Censored Poets, nothing too extreme, but it might some people with heart conditions uncomfortable. Vulgarity commenting on vulgarity.

Yard Sale! Yard Sale!

Anyone in the market for a totally 80s and slightly used stroller? This Sunday, May 22, come by for a yard sale to help support the Greater Washington Indie Arts Festival. We will be having the sale itself at 2101 N. Powhatan St. in Arlington, Virginia. Nothing will be priced too high and plenty of good deals are to be had. For a fact there will be two Barry Manilow albums, aquariums, a wine cooling device, an espresso maker, china, some keychains, one unused thesaurus, stuffed animals, a few belts, and a biography of Crispus Attucks. It will begin at 9 AM.

A Quail of a Poem

Oh, my old beautiful, overpriced neighborhood. Anyways, a poem of mine is in Quail Bell Magazine. It was based on my stay at the hotel pictured above, which has a few stories attached to it. Read it and enjoy the mountain of symbolism, especially for all of you scholars of Rhodes.

An Unlikely Story

Short story of mine is up at Unlikely 2.0. It has been divided into several parts. Go and read it here. It is a tale of twisted brotherly love and the underbelly of the music industry. I hope you enjoy it.

Observation of the Day

When this Manuel Miranda guy talks about Elena Kagan, he sounds like Alvy Singer from Annie Hall:


"She comes from that background. I grew up in New York, she grew up in New York. I'm very familiar with the sort of Jewish socialist culture in New York, which has an enormous pedigree, has done wonderful things in promoting a way of life and developing American society, but at the end of the day is still socialist."

(go to 4:14 on the video for the reference)

Digging Up New Poems at the Bare Root

Two poems of mine are up at the Bare Root (not to be confused with Beirut). Hope you enjoy them and the picture of yours truly posted alongside. The longer one was written way back in 2005 for a creative writing class at NYU. It was a "creative response" to a short story from Jesus' Son by Daniel Johnson. The shorter poem has no story behind it that I can recall now. But as the date suggests, it was written over a year ago.

Yes, I'm in Yes, Poetry

Read two poems of mine in the latest issue of Yes, Poetry. The first one is an updated attempt at a troubadour poem, taken from my poetry collection "The Contemporary Wing." If anyone is wondering what a sommelier is, well, look it up. See, you always learn something new at Lo Specchio e La Spugna.

Possible Book Titles

Okay, I have one more post let to make for the month, so I'm going to make it count. A few years ago (2005) I wrote a novel and have been editing it here and there for half a decade. It is a coming of age story for two young college freshmen, set in New York City, with an updating of sorts of Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther. One of these days it will end up on somebody's bookshelf, but before then it needs a better title. The default one is "Brief Smiles," but it doesn't stand out enough. Here are some I have been considering, some more than others, what do you all think?

Brief Smiles

Everything With Wings Is Restless

Combination of the Two

Born to Go

The Millennials

Intercession Hours

The Late Great Planet Werner

War, What is it Good For?

The Bearditudes

The Towers and the Streets

Between the Windows of the Sea

Far From Perfect

Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment

In the Devil’s Territory

Stained to Perfection

Trimalchio in West Egg

The City and its Discontents

I don't know what it is, but italics sure do make everything look bibliographical!

An Anemone Sidecar Sideshow

A poem of mine is in the current issue of Anemone Sidecar. It also features a poem from the GWIAF president Christine Stoddard herself.

Black Words on White Paper

Scroll through to page 16 of the first issue of Black Words on White Paper to see my poem, "Desdansa." Here's some information on the inspiration for the title.

News Poems Harvested by Scythe

Hello All, I hope you all are enjoying the weather. It feels like summer in DC, which obviously means Global Warming is true. I was worried February would prove it wrong, but things have gone back to being hot. Anyways, I have four poems up at Scythe. Click on the link to volume II of the magazine, then scroll down to see my name. It isn't that hard, and you will be rewarded with a picture of me dressed as a pirate, seriously. Those of you who had workshops with me might recognize the poem "College Days."

New Poetry, New Fiction, News

Well time marches on and brings with it all that is inevitable about the world: decay, death, taxes, and store shelves covered in saccharine celebrations of the crucified Easter Bunny.

However, we can celebrate all that is not inevitable and comes and goes in spikes of seeming randomness, yet harms us little and maybe does us a little good, such as getting our work published.

Here are several poems that recently hit the web at near-light speed:

Some thoughts on the nature of humor at Down in the Dirt Magazine

A Shakespearean reference at Polyphony

Shindler-like observations on the economy at Black-Listed Magazine

For those of you who prefer narrative, grammar, character, and prose, I have a treat for you, a short story of mine at Writing Raw. Kafka finally meeting eczema! Ah, Freshman year all over again.

GWIAF Art and Poetry Share

Hello everyone. We are having another GWIAF fundraiser event at Shirlington Library (4200 Campbell Avenue) in Arlington this week. It'll run from 6:30 p.m. 'til 8:30 p.m. Expect a standard art & poetry share. Bring spare change!

Also, if you are interested in signing up to perform for the Greater Washington Arts Festival or volunteer to help us put it on, go here for the form!

I WON! I WON! I WON!

Thanks to everyone who came out and made democracy count where it is most vital: helping to select which poems to put in a video production for Folded Word!

Acoustic and Electric

A poem of mine is up at Litsnack, where the motto is "Easy in. Easy out. Nobody gets hurt."

GET OUT AND VOTE!

Okay, I have three poems that are up for the 3Cheers Winter 2010 contest. If I win, they will turn my work into a video. So, go to the site, vote for the other poems, but be sure to scroll down and vote for mine!

Also, is there anyone interested in reading a poetry manuscript that I am planning to enter for the Hudson Prize? I will repay the favor with a manuscript swap. The only caveat is that it would have to be done soon.

A Leaf on a Stray Branch

Well, not much else to report on the home front but another venue to observe my poetry is up. The Stray Branch can be viewed here, or it can be purchased here. I am on page 58-59. That's right, I'm spread out.

Other than that, it is a beautiful day out, which I only enjoy briefly while going to get the mail. I'm tired from the weekend still, a mammoth of a trip to Columbia Heights and back, along with chemical excursions into the unknown. But I am recovering. Eggs and coffee always helps. I did some calculations and I realized it's been 7 months since my last hair cut. To be fair, the last time I had my hair cut I also had everything shaves, including a nascent beard.

Now, I am back to looking Biblical.

The Poet Speaks in Whispers and Screams

Read me

Hear me

To Ease Me In

First off, here is a small interview with me in Survival By Storytelling in case you want to delve deeper into my spiritual/gray matter.

I have a poem up in the latest issue of Physiognomy in Letters

The Puritan has been ever so kind to put up three of my poems in their magazine

And lastly, for your listening pleasure, hurdy-gurdy man

Storytime!

Well, for a change of pace, here is no verse, but prose instead. A short story of mine is in the latest edition of ESC! Magazine, in fact it leads the whole thing. It is titled, The Heathen Chronicles. Read on!

An Introduction to Poetry

A poem of mine is up at amphibi.us, based on a poetry class I took THREE FRIGGIN' years ago. Spring semester 2007, ah so far away it now seems. Though overall experience was educational for me reading poems about nothing more than bodily harm got old. The highlight of the class was at the end, watching Il Postino and drinking wine, then going to a bar afterwards.

Versify While You Work

A new poem is up at Work Literary Magazine. Read it and enjoy. I know you DC area folks have time on your hands. Out in Arlington we have 24 inches of snow.

More Things of Mine to Stare At

I have a poem hidden inside the folds of the Hidden City Quarterly Winter issue. Don't be afraid to look around, it won't bite your cursor. Also, I have a poem up at Black-Listed Magazine, with more to follow.

My Words Uncrumpled

Three short poems up at unFold. They won't take up too much of your time. I promise.

Lines Scribbled on the Gate of Hell

Two poems of mine are up at the Hell Gate Review. One is entitled "When the Rain Comes" and the other is called "The Millennials," a shout-out of sorts for today's generation of which I am a part. I prefer that term to Generation (or Gen) Y, unless you want to say Generation Why? But that's not much better. The "Millennials" has much more of a, well, millennialist tone to it.

A Poem in Physiognomy in Letters

Hello there, thanks to all who came to the GWIAF fundraiser last night. We raised $27, so the arts festival event in June is going to have mad toothpicks with countries' flags on them! Anyways, read a poem of mine in the latest issue of Physiognomy in Letters, page 27.

GWIAF FUNDRAISER @ DA BIBLIOTECA

Come one! Come all! Please, somebody come,

Date:	Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Time:	18:00 - 20:30
Location:	Arlington County Central Library
Street:	1015 North Quincy Street
Town/City:	Arlington, VA

The GWIAF is the Great Washington "Indie" Arts Festival

Hear Me Read a Poem Here

I have a poem up at Poetspeak, which is devoted to presenting poets reading their work. Enjoy.

My Last Year Begins on Page 14

I'm in this collection issued by the South Jersey Underground that is composed of their contributors reflecting on the end of the month/year/decade/aughts. I hope you enjoy it. Like the title says, my epic, MMIX, is on page 14 and goes until page 15.