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"Flower Power" © Anne Doolittle
| No. 27 ~ August 1999 |
But Is It Art?
by Michael Dunaway
Art is a funny thing. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, one man’s Philip Glass is another man’s clanging cymbal, and one man’s bold new post-structuralist statement is another man’s chicken scratch on a canvas.
A Poetry Student's Commonplace
by Anne Doolittle
Pif's Poetry Editor offers up her commonplace book of poetry, a listing of various snatches of stuff - universal and profound.
Bold Wurg
by Scott Wold and Michael Burgin
Read the latest installment of Bold Wurg, an exciting new comic strip with a literary bent by the dynamic-duo of Scott Wold and Michael Burgin.
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<- ONE ON ONE ->
Interview with Naomi Shihab Nye
by Rachel Barenblat
The author of FUEL talks about the nuts and bolts of publishing, the art of storytelling, and the importance of reading.
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<- STICK IT IN YOUR EAR ->
Music Reviews
by Curt Cloninger
Curt runs down the list of the 15 all-time greatest cover songs ever recorded, from the great John Coltrane's hour-long rendition of "My Favorite Things" and Jimi Hendrix's "Star-Spangled Banner," to Sonic Youth's unforgettable remake of "Now I Want to Be Your Dog."
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<- REMOTE CONTROL ->
Video Reviews
by Nick Burton
For the first meeting of the Dead Director's Society, Nick takes a look at four films that explore poetry both as subject-matter and as an expressive form transferred directly to celluloid.
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<- ZINE-O-RAMA ->
Zine Reviewsby Jill Hill
Jill takes a romp through the Wild West and discovers some mighty-fine "Cowboy Poetry" waiting on the Web. Also discovered: a haven for poets where the view is fine, but the words are ... well ...
<- POETRY ->
"Such Waltzing Was Not Easy"
by Anne McCarty
"In The Manner Of The Sonnet"
by Sharon Preiss
"A Platter of Red Blossoms"
by Laima Donela
"The Terror of Public Places"
by Laima Donela
"In Memory of Mrs. Hannah Osbourn"
by Laima Donela
"It's Not Easy Being The Card Catalogue"
by Linda Thomas
"Henry's Fantasy"
by Linda McCauley Freeman
"The Power of Titles"
by David McDonald
"No Pact"
by Chris Gregory
"Overheard in the Confessional"
by Rachel Baron
"Wash, Dry Rub"
by Holly Pettit
"Forever Fair"
by Alexander Wilson
"Apocrypha"
by Steven Fernier Lee
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<- BOOK LOVERS ->
Turnip Blues
Novel by Helen Campbell
Reviewed by Vivian Dorsel
"When Mrs. Lemack reads in a newspaper article that
the late blues singer, Bessie Smith — her lifetime idol — rests in an untended grave in a run-down cemetery, she is determined to go there and make sure that Bessie receives the care and respect she deserves..."
Robert Frost: A Life
Biography by Jay Parini
Reviewed by Melanie Kirkpatrick
"According to Parini, Frost was initially viewed as a wise
and genial man. Then he was perceived as the 'farmer-poet offering homespun
wisdom from the lecture platform.' Finally, and most recently, Frost has been
condemned a monster....."
Jackstraws
Poems by Charles Simic
Reviewed by Elizabeth Knapp
"In the deep sea of American poetry, Simic is our winning angler. He reels
in the catch, and we sit down for the feast, supping on a poetry of
succulent thrill and delight."
Amnesia
Novel by Douglas Cooper
Reviewed by Scott Urban
"Cooper's novel moves like a dream in which one knows one is dreaming and yet can't wake up. The narrative voice shifts so often that the first half of the book is unnecessarily confusing ... [and] not everything is neatly explained by the end – but
then, it rarely is in a dream...."
What To Read
Recommendations by Camille Renshaw
So many books come out each year,
and it's difficult for readers to know what to expect at bookstores next,
much less what's any good. Our Senior Editor's picks from the list
of upcoming fall releases.
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