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| North of Easie, by Robert J. Romano, Jr. |
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√Newest&Forthcoming Titles
Over the 28 years of BBP's publishing history,
we have attempted to share with readers the
work of the most intriguing writers and artists
we could find--without consideration of how
well their books or art might sell. Here are a few
of the newest examples of this continuing
search: some of these books are in print, others
are in production or in manuscripts.
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"Poetry is simply literature reduced to the essence of its
active principle. It is purged of idols of every kind, of
realistic illusions, of any conceivable equivocation
between the language of 'truth' and the language of
'creation.' " -- Paul Valery
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Contents: 1/Newest Titles. 2/Forthcoming Titles
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1/≈Newest Titles≈
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NORTH OF EASIE, by Robert J. Romano, Jr. After writing an
important novel, fishing guide Sal d'Amico builds a cabin in the back
woods of western Maine, where his outdoors and social adventures
are surrounded by the lakes and forests of this great wilderness.
A bright, attractive woman, Christine Bailey, rolls into Easie with a
black eye and a longing to refresh her life. That's when the fun
begins. Handsome trade paperback features cover art by the noted
outdoors artist John Swan. Romano is also the author of Shadows
in the Stream and Fishing with Faeries. "A fine tribute to one of the
last wilderness enclaves of New England, and to the tough,
resourceful, kind-hearted, independent-minded people who eke
out a living here..."--Howard Frank Mosher, author of Waiting for
Teddy Williams."Romano knows the lakes, woods, and small towns
of Maine, and he writes about them in clear, evocative prose. I
enjoyed his novel immensely..."--William G. Tapply, author of the
Brady Coyne novels. "I assumed North of Easie was another how
to book on fishing, but it's a novel about the Rangeley Lakes area
of Maine. Is there fishing? Yes, early morning, late afternoon, and
nighttime as the moonrises.Plenty of fly-fishing and guiding where
moose crossings are an everyday occurrence..."--Wayne Hooper,
PORTLAND HERALD. "Romano brings us nature as nuturer, the
chemistry and characters of the small town, the restorative
powers of fishing, and a sense of place that rings true..."-- Joseph
Heywood, author, The Snow Fly. A Staff Pick at The Book Mailer.
220 pages. $20. ISBN: 9780978997465.
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THE BELLS OF MOSES HENRY, by Peter Skinner
Skinner's new novel is rich with drama, humor, insight, and peopled
by a cast of credible, endearing characters as a mulatto boy, Willie
Graves, travels from whore houses to railroad boxcars to the homes
of folk in search of security, love, and redemption. "A beautiful
coming of age story tht is poetic, rich, and deeply affirming..."
--Peter Walpole, Author/NPR Essayist. "Skinner's latest is an
exciting, generous novel which tours Virginia from the mountains
to Charlottesville to Chesapeake Bay. It's a pleasure to see, hear,
and feel his array of characters, some up to no good and some
doing the right thing against heavy odds..."--John D. Casey,
Author. "With shimmering scenes, memorable characters,
overseen by the University of Virginia's old bell-ringer, the hard
truths that keep people apart are wrestled with..."--Donovan
Webster, Journalist/Author. "This story plays out with an utterly
entertaining style. For fans of literary fiction or those searching
for a look into the soul of Virginia, this is a top pick."--MIDWEST
BOOK REVIEW. "A lovely book. Like a little Southern gothic Dos
Passos."--Elizabeth Kiem, Member, National Book Critics Circle.
"'Moses Henry' not only tells a mesmerizing story, but has a
cast of disparate characters whose lives blend together n a
deceptively simple way...Skinner has the gift--as do all good
writers--of creating sentences that linger long after after they've
been read..."--Barbara Rich, DAILY PROGRESS. "Skinner seems a
novelist in the Steinbeck tradition, marrying history, nature, social
issues, vivid characters, and enough troubles and hi-jinks to keep
the pages turning... His obvious affection for all of creation is
contagious. Inspiring and heartwarming--but first and foremost
a damn good read."--Phillip Wagner, ICONOCLAST. 366 pages.
Trade paper: $24.95. ISBN: 9780978997458. Hardcover: $34.95.
ISBN: 9780978997441.
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TONY'S WORLD, by Barry Wallenstein. The fictional
Tony in this series of living poems exists on the margins of the
urban scene and the character's own self-awareness as he
strives to establish a universally identifiable consciousness.
Tony's strong, and quick-minded, and not to be trifled with.
"Wallenstein's a splendid urban poet who is alert to the music
of New York -- its dialects, generational inflections, and jazz..."
-- Marilyn Hacker, winner, National Book Award. "Tony's a Kool
Kat, a Sharp Shooter, a Steady Hand, a Best Friend, a No-Way
Average Joe who folds in on himself when life gets too tough,
then pops out on the other side, more alive than ever."--F.D.
Reeve, author, The Urban Stampede. "The author uses these
poems as a vehicle to tell a story about the life of Tony, a city
man of the world -- a unique collection that'll keep people
reading..." MIDWEST REVIEW OF BOOKS. A letterpress edition
printed on Mohawk Vellum, and featuring cover art by Janet
Aulisio with hand-coloration on Periwinkle vellum. Softcover.
64 pages of handset metal type. $16. ISBN: 9780978997489.
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SEASONS OF DEFIANCE, poetry by Lance Lee. The
poet's effects are achieved through a classically informed
richness of language, incorporating insights which ring true
while disclosing an abiding respect for the sensibilities, and
history, of the art of poetry. "Splendid, lovely writing from a
poet who has channeled George Herbert, Walt Whitman, and
Beethoven as witnesses to the knowledge that a man's fate
is to find and lose/what must be found and held..."--
Jackson Wheeler, Editor, SOLO. "Unashamedly post-Keatsian
in tone, and transatlantic in bias, Lee's strongest strain of
originality lies in his marrying of lyric celebration with pre-
cise imagistic clarity."--Tim Liardet, author, The Blood Choir.
"His musings about life and the lessons you learn day to day
are honest and insightful, giving the reader much to think
about.... Lee's latest collection is highly recommended
for personal reading lists, as well as both academic and
community library collections..."--MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW.
Striking original cover art by noted UK artist Ron Sandford.
96 pages. Softcover. ISBN: 978-0-97899747-2. $17.50 +
$3.50 shipping/handling.
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AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, by
Marcus Rome. The latest collection of poetry by this NYC
psychoanalyst sets forth an up-to-the-minute perspective
on what is happening to our national character as a result
of the pressures arising out of present-day social and
political anxieties in America--from the shocking financial
destabilization, the wild merry-go-round surrounding the
health care debate, corporate and government incursions
into our private lives, the corruption and incompetence
in both of those sectors, and of course our "itchy trigger
fingers" in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rome strategically
employs taut language and gripping rhythmic patterns
to drive home his central concern that, if we do not regain
control of our lives within the current millieu, America
could face a total breakdown of its culture and values. "Rome
poses many questions to us as we read this wonderfully
cryptic/metaphorical book. He is whispering loudly enough
for us to hear; but will we listen to this profound poet?"--
WATER FOREST PRESS. "The poetry of Marcus Rome
documents him as a master wordsmith dealing with the
world of today with true poetic flair..." MIDWEST BOOK
REVIEW. Cover art by Bertha Rogers. 72 pages. Offset
trade edition. $16.50. ISBN: 9780978997496.
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THE SEA-CROSSING OF ST. BRENDAN, by Matthew Brennan
A classic of Irish literature: a sparkling new verse version of this great sea
adventure which originally appeared in Latin prose. The tale centers
around St. Brendan the Navigator's seven-year search for the isle known
as the "Land of Saints," and in the course of which a giant fish lifts his ship
on its back. "Brennan's rendering uses an adaptation of alliterative meter
tempered by some effects of more familiar verse forms. This achieves a
swift-moving and eminently readable text full of concrete details and
direct action that should strongly appeal both to students and to more
general readers."--W.D. Snodgrass, poet. "Brennan offers an invention
worthy of Borges, and the result is an enchanting tale in which the real
and spiritual worlds blend as convincingly as its diverse linguistic
elements do."--Timothy Steele, author, Toward the Winter Solstice.
"I liked SEA-CROSSING because it's adventurous and involves a
bygone era of great belief and simplicity..."--Indianapolis Star.
"SEA-CROSSING is highly readable, and very approachable..."
--SOUTH CAROLINA REVIEW. Original art by Trish Romano. 64 pages.
Softcover letterpress edition printed on 70 lb. Cool White Vellum.
$15. ISBN: 9780978997-43-4
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WHERE THINGS ARE WHEN YOU LOSE THEM, by
Martin Golan. This tightly written collection of twelve short
stories by a veteran journalist confronts contemporary issues in
relationships, and the nature of loss, with the keen eye of a reporter,
a poet's ear for language, and the insights of one who has "been there."
As Golan leads us through a landscape of loss, he doesn't merely
illuminate these moments but seems to celebrate them: "Loss," he
says, "comes with being human, with any life lived fully and well."
"Golan writes of contemporary marriage with humor and reckless
candor. He voices our marital anxieties, its frustrations, losses and
joys. Somewhere between the lies we tell each other and those we tell
ourselves, Golan finds a vast human neediness for romantic love."
--Ken Kalfus, author, A Disorder Peculiar to the Country. "A novel is
like a marriage," says Golan in THE MONTCLAIR TIMES. "A short story
is like a brief but intense affair. And a poem is like a one-night stand."
"Precisely written stories which shimmer with humanity..."--
CERVENA BARVA NEWSLETTER. Stories include these intriguing titles:
"The Shape of Water," "The Loneliness of Men," "Intimacy," "The
Cicadas are Throbbing," "Nora, Standing Naked," "The Perfect Woman."
Published in a handsome trade paperback, featuring cover photography
by Peter Jacobs. 175 pages. $18.95. ISBN: 9780978997427.
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WOODSTOVES & RAVENS, by Robert Farmer.
A wild-land sojourn with woodstoves and ravens in the boreal forest on
the Canadian north shore of Lake Superior, near Thunder Bay. The
author, a forest-ecologist, distills two decades of back-country living
into tight, lyrical poems--on wildness, the mind's seasonal darkness,
relationships with plants, animals and, occasionally, people.
Grounded in Tang Dynasty poetry and Buddhist philosophy, his work
moves beyond description to focus on the irony and agony of self-
awareness. These poems reflect the author's deep fondness for northern
wild lands and life in remote regions. Seven original artworks by
Alanna Marohnic, a resident of Ontario. "Farmer's meditative poetry on
some twenty years of life on a homestead near Ferguson Creek is like an
extended visit with the best of tour guides--one who knows when to tell
you about some feature you might have missed; and one who knows
when to shut up and let you simply take it all in...."--Peter Fergus-Moore,
THUNDER BAY CHRONICLE-JOURNAL. "Thoreau and Frost would be
pleased with this book's natural softness of aura..."--David Castleman,
THE NEW FORMALIST. "Depicts in broad brushstrokes a scene or
moment whose ultimate meaning may be transitional, decisive, or
eternal..."--Phil Wagner, THE ICONOCLAST. Letterpress softcover:
$16. (U.S.) $20. (Canada) 88 pages. ISBN: 978-0-9789974-0-3.
Ship/pack: $4.50 (U.S.) $6.00 (Canada).
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IN THE GARDEN OF DETRITUS, by Stanley Nelson.
A handset, handbound letterpress-printed chapbook
from the author of 15 previous books of poetry, including
the brilliant four-volume epic poem, IMMIGRANT, also
published by Birch Brook Press. Through staggered lines
and rhythms and internal rhymes In the Garden of Detritus
wanders through the nature of and relationship between
dreams and memory, unveiling "vapors" of reality in a
garden of statues and artificers. Original cover wood
engraving by Frank C. Eckmair. $12. Ship/pack: $4.50
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WIND & WATER, by Osmond Beckwith
An engaging collection of poetry which invokes classical
allusions while immersing itself in the land the poet loves,
echoing early days in Michigan growing up on a farm, or
listening to the wind soughing the pines through a screen
door in Maine, or even as he absords the tableau of Manhattan's
streets. But no matter where the poet observes human and
natural life, his ambition remains the same: to become one
with the wind, to remember the rain. Original wood engraving
by Michael McCurdy. $15. + $4.50 shipping/packing. 56 pages.
ISBN: 978-7-913559-92-4
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2/≈Forthcoming Titles≈
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BIRTHRIGHT, poetry by Gwendolyn Jensen. A fine collection
of tightly framed poems which are like close-up photographs of childhood,
family, relationships, and the fragile line between life and death. Author
is the former president of Wilson College, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
This book is expected to appear in soft and hardcover editions, printed
letterpress on 80 lb. Mohawk Vellum from handset 14 pt. Perpetua metal
type. Publication is due late in 2010.
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