| DEN POEZIE DAY OF POETRY 16 NOVEMBER English-language readings, Friday, November 16, 20.00 at the Globe Bookstore, Pstrossova 6, Prague 1. LOUIS ARMAND artist & writer who has lived in Prague since 1994. He will be launching his recent book Inexorable Weather (Arc Publications, UK: 2001). GRAEME HETHERINGTON Australian poet living in Hradec Kralove, whose recent books include In the Shadow of Van Dieman's Land. VERA CHASE Czech poet living in Prague. Her most recent book is a bilingual collectuion of poetry & prose, entitled Stava, published by Labyrint, 2001. VINCENT FARNSWORTH Reverend Feedback and front man for Black Mummy, he has recently published a volume of poetry with Lavender Ink press in New Orleans, Immortal Whistleblower. GWENDOLYN ALBERT Poet and translator, and editor of Jejune. She recently translated Baradla Cave by Eva Svankmajerova, for Twisted Spoon Press. LAURA CONWAY Prague correspondent for [email protected]. She is the author of four books of poetry including My Mama Pinned A Rose On Me (Red Flower Ink, 1987), and The Cities of Madame Curie (Zeitgeist Press, 1990), co-editor of a forthcoming Czech translation of 20 of San Francisco's underground poets. SIMON SAFRANEK writer and artist living in Prague. He has recently published a bilingual collection of stories, Fiery Wheels. KATERINA PINOSOVA Prague-based poet and painter, and an active member of the Czech-Slovak Surrealist Group. PHIL SHOENFELT English-born singer-songwriter and frontman for Southern Cross. His books include The Green Hotel/Zeleny Hotel (Prague: Mat'a Books, 1998) and Junkie Love, which was published by in Prague by Twisted Spoon Press. PATRICK SEGUIN Canadian-born poet living in Prague. ROBERT GAL Slovak philosopher-poet living in Prague. His work has appeared in Optimism and The Exquisite Corpse. JOHN LANCASTER English poet living in Scotland. His recent book, Here in Scotland, was published by Vetus Via, Brno 2000. |
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| GAS STATION BLUES XX Tom sits on a rusty barrel, a gas station in flames behind him. Fingers shaking, XX Tom rolls a cigarette, lights up and smokes nervously. Enter a soaking-wet man wearing green jacket with CHAMPION emblazoned in big letters on its back. Champion stands with almost his entire back to the audience. He takes a drag off XX Tom�s cigarette, with his eyebrows furrowing he watches the fire. XX Tom watches the cigarette with a tinge of regret. Champion is about to give the cigarette back to XX Tom. He is about to go back, back to fighting the fire, when an explosion booms out. And another and another. The entire horizon shines red. Champion reconsiders his next move. XX Tom rolls up a new cigarette. Sorrowfully they both smoke on. The Moon above them starts to burn. � Simon Safranek 2000 |
| BIODEGRADABLE arriving elsewhere, there are fundamental questions of locality, modularised space�the dividing line of separate hypotheses & the river charting a passage of illicit traffic, carnal (the bare "that it is" in the "nothing of the world")�a bridge flares into view & recedes again into urban renewal, like time suddenly focused on some inevitable, statistical average or cognitive sculpture arching out of bipolarity disorder in the barely initiated idea, a mere ornament of style�above the skyline remote etymologies wink conspiratorially, faux blond in a fugitive midnight hustle: then just as soon it�s over again, the agitation passing to usedness, wastage�a damaged landform stag- gering upright & dissolving in brief nocturnal laughter � Louis Armand, 2001 |
| from THEY HAVE ARRIVED four to the music of Andrew Swartz the microscopic orbiter he injected to fix his consciousness with a little psycho-surgery went bad, started strafing vehicles on neural highways and he had to poke into that blue vein something even smaller that will also have its own plan � Vincent Farnsworth, 2001 |
| FLUIDLY ALONG THE BEACH A queen-size beauty dances in the aspic on the beach. Her face, arms just as her shoulders are specked with freckles and the translucent jellyfish look like gelatine mud-pies; spat out of water, they swiftly rot. � Vera Chase, 2001 |
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| BLOWN AWAY BY LOVE cars flash by the window (so?) we lay there awake blue mist fading into seconds her voice a low whisper everything is real she says or nothing is eyes full of laughter tears dissolving but the way out leads further in to a room perhaps or the inside of your head from which OF COURSE there is no escape and darkness increases to the ebb and flow of night the confluence of our dreams where pale stallions move the camera shifting out of focus and back in again across the bare landscape across the bare room where the lovers embrace and nothing betrays the illusion and nothing comes between them now as the trigger is pulled as their smiles disappear from the mirror � Phil Shoenfelt, 1998 |
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| from EPIGRAFFITI An indirect proof of God's existence is God's indifference to human fate. � Robert Gal, 1998 |
| from LAKE POEMS I saw your magnificent heels The melting face of your vast breasts Haunts me on this continent I sucked on your stones ...got fucking insane afterwards Will I never be the same Will I ever hail unto your setting brows Unto your wind Which for the first time Led my horns towards the west Of my untouched tail I am desperate for your curves I am desperate for your corrosive lips I need your waves to paralyze me As they used to When I was drowning in my tears � Katerina Pinosova |