Available by December 1, 2013: Silver Birch Press NOIR Erasure Poetry Anthology — a collection of poems from authors around the world based on the writings of hardboiled detective novelists such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross MacDonald. A special thank you to Guy Budziak, of filmnoirwoodcuts.com, for his beautiful cover art.
We’re in the final stages of editing the Silver Birch Press NOIR Erasure Poetry Anthology — a collection of poems from authors around the world based on the writings of hardboiled detective novelists such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross MacDonald. A special thank you to Guy Budziak, of filmnoirwoodcuts.com, for his beautiful cover art.
The Silver Birch Press NOIR Erasure Poetry Anthology will be available by December 1st. Stay tuned for updates.
THE MANUSCRIPT
by J. Robert Lennon
A local poet of considerable national fame completed a new collection of poems that had, due to a painful and scandalous series of personal problems, been delayed in editing and publication for some years. When the revisions were finally finished, the poet typed up a clean copy of the manuscript and got into his car to bring it to the copy shop for reproduction.
On the way, however, the poet was pulled over for running a red light and was subsequently found to be drunk…Upon regaining sobriety, the poet realized that his poetry manuscript was still in the car and asked the police to return it to him. The police, however, maintained that the contents of the car no longer belonged to him, and refused. Their refusal resulted in a protracted legal battle, during which our beloved poet died, leaving uncertain the fate of the manuscript.
But the poet’s publisher, eager to issue a posthumous volume, struck a bargain with the police department: if someone at the station would read the finished poems over the phone, an editor would transcribe them and issue them in book form without the manuscript changing hands…The police agreed to this scheme, the phone recitation took place and the book was issued to great acclaim, assuring the poet a place in the literary canon that he had not enjoyed in life.
Eventually, however, the poet’s estate won its legal battle against the city, and the original manuscript was recovered. We were shocked to learn that it bore little resemblance to the published book.
It was not long before a city policeman confessed to having improvised much of the manuscript during its telephone transcription. His only explanation was that he saw room for improvement and could not resist making a few changes here and there. Almost immediately the policeman was asked to leave the force, and the acclaimed book was completely discredited. The true manuscript was published in its entirety, to tepid reviews.
The policeman has continued to write poetry. Most agree that it is excellent, but few will publish the work of someone known to be so dishonest.
Illustration (collage drawing) by Tony Fitzpatrick. Visit Tony at his blog and see more of his amazing artwork.
Note: “The Manuscript” is included in J. Robert Lennon‘s collection Pieces for the Left Hand: 100 Anecdotes, available at Amazon.com.
Artwork: “Statue of Liberty” (silkscreen, 1962) by Andy Warhol
This Andy Warhol silkscreen of the Statue of Liberty sold for $43.8 million at a 2012 Christie’s sale in New York. The artwork features multiple images of the statue, each depicted with a 3-D effect. Christie’s marketed the piece in a catalogue that came with a pair of 3-D glasses — and a private collector with $43.8 million to spare won the auction. As they say, art is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
“The most sublime act is to set another before you.” WILLIAM BLAKE
Art: “Give More Than You Take” by Jim Hodges was designed as an Aspen, Colorado, ski lift ticket in conjunction with the Aspen Art Museum. Hodges wanted to give skiiers something to ponder while they rode up the hill. Read more about New York-based installation artist Jim Hodges here.
“The Artist on the Seashore at Palavas” by Gustave Courbet (1819-1877)
Many of the photographs taken before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy have reminded me of favorite paintings, including the one above by French artist Gustave Courbet.
THE MANUSCRIPT
Story by
J. Robert Lennon
A local poet of considerable national fame completed a new collection of poems that had, due to a painful and scandalous series of personal problems, been delayed in editing and publication for some years. When the revisions were finally finished, the poet typed up a clean copy of the manuscript and got into his car to bring it to the copy shop for reproduction.
On the way, however, the poet was pulled over for running a red light and was subsequently found to be drunk…Upon regaining sobriety, the poet realized that his poetry manuscript was still in the car and asked the police to return it to him. The police, however, maintained that the contents of the car no longer belonged to him, and refused. Their refusal resulted in a protracted legal battle, during which our beloved poet died, leaving uncertain the fate of the manuscript.
But the poet’s publisher, eager to issue a posthumous volume, struck a bargain with the police department: if someone at the station would read the finished poems over the phone, an editor would transcribe them and issue them in book form without the manuscript changing hands…The police agreed to this scheme, the phone recitation took place and the book was issued to great acclaim, assuring the poet a place in the literary canon that he had not enjoyed in life.
Eventually, however, the poet’s estate won its legal battle against the city, and the original manuscript was recovered. We were shocked to learn that it bore little resemblance to the published book.
It was not long before a city policeman confessed to having improvised much of the manuscript during its telephone transcription. His only explanation was that he saw room for improvement and could not resist making a few changes here and there. Almost immediately the policeman was asked to leave the force, and the acclaimed book was completely discredited. The true manuscript was published in its entirety, to tepid reviews.
The policeman has continued to write poetry. Most agree that it is excellent, but few will publish the work of someone known to be so dishonest.
Illustration (collage drawing) by Tony Fitzpatrick — a brilliant (and renowned) artist from Chicago whose many shows I’ve attended. Visit Tony at his blog and see more of his amazing artwork.
Note: “The Manuscript” is included in J. Robert Lennon‘s collection Pieces for the Left Hand: 100 Anecdotes, available at Amazon.com.
Today, Buzzfeed ran an interesting piece called “16 Brilliant Artists and Their Animal Muses” by Summer Anne Burton. After reading the article and studying the photos of the 16 brilliant artists and their animal muses, I was struck by one idea: Three of my favorite artists — David Hockney, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol were crazy for dachshunds!
Dachsuhuds are in a class by themselves (Group 4, according to the World Canine Federation) because they’re the only canines that hunt both above and below ground. Sounds like a wonderful description for an artist’s muse — putting the work out into the world, but burrowing into the unconscious to produce it.
Here are some charming photos of the three famous doxie lovers.
David Hockney took his dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie everywhere — and loved to draw and paint his beloved companions.
Andy Warhol featured his dachshunds Archie (pictured above) and Amos in many of his works.
Pablo Picasso adored his dachshund Lump (German for “rascal”), who lived to age 16.
Silver Birch Press 