WRITE BLOODY BRINGS POETRY
TO A NEW AUDIENCE

Each generation discovers poetry anew and puts its own mark on it. Derrick Brown hopes to help cast off the "dorkiness" of poetry, and turn it into something as hip as rock and roll. While touring the world as a spoken word artist, Brown, a former paratrooper, gondolier, and weatherman, created the Write Bloody name in order to get a discount on printing books to sell at his shows. Eventually he decided to use the name to create a publishing company to showcase the authors he met in his travels.

"I found out that I was meeting tons of unknown talented writers in all of these underground venues throughout the United States," he told FTW. "I then realized that I had access to more talent than any literary agent as far as new and undiscovered talent, so I researched and set up Write Bloody as a legitimate business where each author must tour and each new book we put out funds the next book, so we don't have a large board of directors telling us what we need to put out."

This year, in addition to Brown's own Scandalabra, Write Bloody has published books by Sarah Morgan, Mike McGee, Matty Byloos, and Steve Abee, who is a favorite of the musician Beck. Each artist travels, putting on unconventional poetry shows in places like London, England; Hamburg, Germany; Narrowsburg, NY; and ForeWord's hometown, Traverse City, MI.

"We are definitely a family. Some of our authors tour as a sort of team and some tour with other authors not on our label. The goal is cross pollination of fanbases. Each of our authors who tour have mailing lists of hundreds to thousands each. There's a whole lot of 'if you like this, then you'll love this' going on."

Brown said that poetry performance hit a "dorky mark" in the early 2000s. He is trying to create a poetry show that can be done with beats, live music, sound effects, and slide projection to create a theatrical feeling.

"I may stop calling it poetry and try to lure even more people in who have been afflicted by the dorky side of poetry," he said.

The books are a nice complement to this mission with their interesting covers, numerous notable endorsements, and addictive poems.

"Our mission is to make reading or hearing poetry and prose as cool and as entertaining as going to the theatre or rock concert," Brown said. "That's why we hire rock album designers and photographers to do our cover art. We feel people are hungry for simple and true, so as the onslaught of new media begins to make people feel like a sack of shit, we hope they turn back to books. Paper in your hands is a million times better than on a screen."

Scandalabra (978-0-9789989-6-7), Brown's latest poetry collection, is, he says, his most exploratory. Many of the poems deal with sex and love ("There is this older woman. / She falls upon me gorgeous, / like an avalanche of slave diamonds."). Others deal with family and religion, as in "The Honest Savior" where the speaker has a conversation with God: "I expected you to speak in Old English or Greek for some reason. // I know no language and I know all languages. // What? That's confusing. // I know, I'm joking."

Animal Ballistics is the first poetry collection by Sarah Morgan, who Brown calls "obscenely young to write a book that comes at you like a night stalker." Her work has been published in literary journals including Mad Swirl, Word Riot, and The Common-Line Project. Her highly visual poems tell stories from her own life and the lives of strangers: "I've known many gutter babies in my day, / though he is by far the bravest; / mentions pneumonia like a thank-you card" ("Two Dollars for Peace").

Don't Smell the Floss by Matty Byloos is Write Bloody's first collection of short stories. Byloos is a former teacher and search engine optimization marketer. His stories are disturbing, mysterious, and full of hyper self-aware protagonists. "A Brief History of the Tupperwear Party," the story of a large, hairy, self-conscious man and his petite girlfriend, is told in the second person. In "The Dead Man," a young man observes a man he believes in dying in the grocery store while simultaneously using his vocabulary words in context. "Matty Byloos is out of his mind. His book is patient and wild," Brown says.

In Search of Midnight: The Mike McGee Handbook of Awesome is a collection of poems and random facts by Mike McGee. Some of the poems are touching, like "Shoulda (For Maureen)," and many are humorous, like "Puddin'," an ode to "a blood of milk and sugar."

McGee has been a guest of Brown's own Elephant Engine High Dive Revival, which will tour throughout the US in the fall.

Great Balls of Flowers by Steve Abee, an English teacher and the author of a novel and a book of poetry and prose, contains both verse and prose poems, many of which are about love and the poet's relationship with his wife and children. In "On the Purchasing of Life Insurance," he writes, "Well, it is official, I accept that one day I am going to die. // I am going to decay and rot in the ground, / this body will finally fail."

"We hope to attract sweet gay babes, fans of slayer, and people who put neon on the bottom of their lowered trucks." Brown said. "We are a niche, a really bad ass niche."

by Whitney Hallberg, Managing Editor

BOOK REVIEW

A Son of the Game: A Story of Golf, Going Home, and Sharing Life's Lessons
by James Dodson
(Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 978-1-56512-506-3)

For some people, golf is merely an occasional early-morning excuse to walk around beautifully landscaped grounds, chatting with friends. But for James Dodson, the sport assumes a much higher level of importance. In fact, it becomes a focal point for lifelong relationships, strong traditions, and family bonding that links generations.

A Son of the Game continues Dodsons memoirs that started with his bestselling book, Final Rounds. In the earlier work, Dodson, then a columnist and contributing editor for Golf magazine, took his aging father on a trip to Scotland and England to play some of the worlds premier courses. Along the way, their conversations about golf and life strengthened the bonds of their father and son relationship.

Now the roles are reversed. Instead of contemplating his ties with the previous generation, he turns his attention to his relationship with his teenage son Jack. Dodson has returned to Pinehurst, North Carolina, where his love for the game was nurtured by his father. Although his home and family are in Maine, he hopes the brief trip to familiar surroundings will reignite his passion for the game, which has been slowly dying.

Dodson eventually accepts an offer from the local newspaper to do some writing on golf topics and events, leading to a schedule of two weeks living in Maine and two weeks in North Carolina. After reestablishing his own deep love of golf, he wonders if Pinehurst would have the same effect on Jack, whose interest in the game constantly wavers. This father-son bond becomes the underlying theme of the book, and each anecdote about golfs notable characters and history illustrates how intensely Dodson wants Jack to feel the same deep love and respect for golf that he does.

Although A Son of the Game will have natural appeal to avid golfers, it truly can be enjoyed by anyone because of its compelling stories of the people Dodson has encountered in his golf life. The father and son storyline is sincere, revealing and heartwarming, and you do not have to be a son of the game to relate to that. (May)

Reviewed by Jeff Friend

Read more reviews at www.forewordmagazine.com.

AUTHOR PAGES: REBECCA UPJOHN

The Author Pages feature nearly 100 interviews with authors whose work has been reviewed in ForeWord magazine. Rebecca Upjohn, author of Lily and the Paper Man (Second Story Press, 978-1-897187-19-7) writes:

"It was inspired by my elder son, Harris, who at four was frightened by and then worried about a man we came across sleeping on the sidewalk. He suggested weeks later that we invite all the homeless people in the city to stay in our apartment while we were away. It made me realize that young children are brave and smart and compassionate and can put the rest of us to shame."

Visit ForeWord’s Author Pages to read more about the authors reviewed in the pages of ForeWord.

This week at Publishing Insider, Sara Dobie begins a series of posts on the basics of blogging for authors.

At Publishing Matters, Eugene Schwartz wonders if the current downturn in the publishing industry is the beginning of a long goodbye or a new beginning.

At Editor’s Notes, Editor-in-Chief Heather Shaw presents the speech given at BookExpo America, announcing the ForeWord's Independent Publisher of the Year.

At Shelf Space, Carlie Webber pens a column titled "They're evil! They're brilliant! They're reviewers!"

Visit www.forewordmagazine.com for publishing news, book reviews, and the ForeWord Book Club.

BOOK CLUB: THE ORANGE WIRE PROBLEM

Joe Parson, editor at University of Iowa Press writes, "Whether recounting the decline and death of a dear friend or meditating on the intersection of art and medicine, The Orange Wire Problem lays bare the nobility and weakness, generosity and churlishness of human nature."

ForeWord's Book Club presents the short story "Anathema" from the collection The Orange Wire Problem and Other Tales from the Doctor's Office (978-1-58729-800-4) by physician and writer David Watts. Download the story for free for one week only.

FOREWORD FOOTNOTES

Art. KENNETH NELSON: FORCES MADE VISIBLE essay by Eleanor Heartney (Hard Press Editions / Hudson Hills Press, 12 x 12, color and b/w illustrations, CD, 193 pages, hardcover, $75.00, 978-1-55595-243-3): contributing editor to Art in America and Artpress and author of Critical Condition: American Culture at the Crossroads analyzes the sculptor's work and discusses the concept of "tensegrity": topics include the combination of "tension" and "structural integrity," atom art, and his Sleeping Dragon sculpture of metal pipes interconnected with cables resembling a monster, which was once on display at the Jardin du Palais Royal in Paris, France.

Biography & Autobiography. REVOLUTION OF THE MIND: THE LIFE OF ANDRÉ BRETON by Mark Polizzotti (Black Widow Press, 50+ b/w photographs, 680 pages, softcover, $29.95, 978-0-9795137-8-7): contributor to ARTnews and director of the publications program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, presents the life (1896-1966) of the French poet and "prime theorist" of the Surrealism movement; among the topics are the Paris Dada group, "induced slumbers," and the chance encounter with "Nadja" whose "presence seemed to be floating in an ethereal haze" and with "extraordinary eyes" that would change shape--also the eponymous title of his famous book.

Biography & Autobiography. SETH BULLOCK: BLACK HILLS LAWMAN by David A. Wolff (South Dakota State Historical Press, 14 b/w photographs, 204 pages, softcover, $12.95, 978-0-9798940-5-3): associate professor of history at Black Hills State University presents the life (1849-1919) of a frontier law enforcer, businessman, and speculator--third in the South Dakota Biography series; among the subjects are his time as sheriff of Deadwood, Dakota, mining in the Black Hills, and his friendship with President Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War.

Biography & Autobiography. TRACING PARADISE: TWO YEARS IN HARMONY WITH JOHN MILTON by Dawn Potter (University of Massachusetts Press, 14 b/w illustrations, 144 pages, softcover, $22.95, 978-1-55849-701-6): associate director of the Frost Place Conference on Poetry and Teaching as well as author of How the Crimes Happened presents her memoir of copying out word for word Paradise Lost and her responses to it; among her comments are "clots of verse throbbed down the page," and "Criticism of the poem no longer involves crowing or complaint but has graduated to scholarly weightlifting."

Cooking. WINDJAMMER COOKING: GREAT RECIPES FROM MAINE'S WINDJAMMER FLEET by Jean Kerr and Spencer Smith (Seapoint Books, 10 x 10, color photographs, 152 pages, softcover w/DVD, $27.00, 978-0-9786899-2-6): old salts and food connoisseurs offer approximately sixty recipes from the owners of graceful schooners that ply the Atlantic coast--spiced with nautical history; recipes include "Scallop and Shrimp Kabobs with Tri-Colored Cous Cous" served on the American Eagle, "Maine Crazy Pudding" proffered on the Lewis R. French, and "Lobster Dip" on the green-hulled Mercantile, built in 1916 with an overall length of 115 feet accommodating 29 guests.

Family & Relationships. ADOPTION IS FOREVER: TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE LOVE, HEARTACHE AND HOPE OF THE JOURNEY TOWARD CHOICE, FAMILY AND FULFILLMENT by Rhonda Pollero and Traci Hall (Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, 156 pages, softcover, $15.00, 978-1-932279-89-4): author once featured in the New York Times and special needs paraprofessional discuss adoptive decisions that last a lifetime; some of the topics are Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the "daunting" process of international adoption, and a "hormonal" teenager's concerns with finding the "right" parents for her child: "'What if I accidentally picked a family of axe murderers?'"

Health & Fitness. LOSE THE DIET: TRANSFORM YOUR BODY BY CONNECTING WITH YOUR SOUL by Kathy Balland (Blissful Publications, 240 pages, softcover, $19.95, 978-0-9821831-0-6): wellness coach, mind-body-soul connection expert, and hypnotherapist reveals "the power" one has to "achieve and maintain a healthy weight naturally without diets"; some of the subjects are use of "self-medicating" foods, slowing down consumption by becoming mindful, using imagination to "release negative emotions that may be causing emotional eating," and finding balance "in the basic areas of our lives."

Health & Fitness. SENIOR DAYS: INSIGHTFUL TALES AND NO-NONSENSE HELP FROM THE FRONTLINES OF ELDERCARE by Colleen and Brian Nicole (Long Lake Press, 134 pages, softcover, $14.95, 978-0-9794896-0-0): in-home senior care companion and former editor of Honolulu Magazine present lessons and anecdotes about caregiving along with aphoristic sidebars, for example, "Old age is no place for sissies" (Bette Davis); among the topics are hallucinations, psychiatrists, and the healing power of pets where a study indicated that some Alzheimer patients wouldn't speak to humans, "but had no trouble talking with a golden retriever."

History. JUST DOING MY JOB: STORIES OF SERVICE FROM WORLD WAR II by Jonna Doolittle Hoppes (Santa Monica Press, b/w photographs, 344 pages, hardcover $24.95, 978-1-59580-042-8): author of Calculated Risk: The Extraordinary Life of Jimmy Doolittle presents nineteen personal narratives by soldiers and civilians who contributed to the war effort; stories are provided by an Army nurse who worked in a prisoners' ward, a soldier on a troop ship thinking about the Titanic, and a copilot who parachuted from a B-25 Bomber over Japan and was captured and tortured.

History. RICH: THE RISE AND FALL OF AMERICAN WEALTH CULTURE by Larry Samuel (AMACOM, b/w photographs, 303 pages, hardcover, $24.95, 978-0-8144-1362-3): Fortune 500 consultant puts the "American obsession with all things money" into perspective; among the references are a millionaire's purchase of a Rolls Royce for his wife because she said, "it goes with my blue hat," a Palm Beach house that was so big the distance between the main salon and the dinning room was a "five iron," and Mrs. Jesse Donahue's "string of emeralds so large she gave the appearance of being marked 'GO.'"

Performing Arts. SOME LIKED IT HOT: JAZZ WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION, 1928-1959 by Kristin A. McGee (Wesleyan University Press, 66 b/w photographs 336 pages, hardcover, $75.00, 978-0-8195-6907-3, softcover, $27.95, 978-0-8195-6908-0): assistant professor of popular music at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) discusses the relationship between the media and popular female jazz performers; among the entries are the Ingenues (the first white vaudeville all girl band), the Hour of Charm orchestra with Evelyn's "magic violin," and television's musical variety guests such as Peggy Lee with her "cool, laid-back performance style" and her "lingering Hollywood aesthetics of spectacle and glamour."

Religion. SINGLED OUT: WHY CELIBACY MUST BE REINVENTED IN TODAY'S CHURCH by Christine A. Colon and Bonnie E. Field (Brazos Press, 256 pages, softcover, $17.99, 978-1-58743-237-8): associate professor of English at Wheaton College and teacher of English at Arizona College of the Bible reflect on their experience trying to reconcile God's plan for their lives "with the messages they receive about singleness from the world around them"; among the chapters are "Chastity & Holiness," "Sin & Selfishness," and "Lust & Avoidance" with a discussion of "fleeing immorality" and "lust triggers."

Religion. VISITS WITH THE AMISH: IMPRESSIONS OF THE PLAIN LIFE by Linda Egenes, Mary Azarian artist (University of Iowa Press, b/w illustrations, 126 pages, softcover, $17.95, 978-1-58729-785-X): adjunct faculty member at Maharishi University of Management presents an introduction to the Amish of southeast Iowa whom she visited for thirteen years; among the topics are harmony as their main value, church services held in homes with removable walls to accommodate large gatherings, and courtship, where young people could only date once they became members of the church. Includes woodcuts by a Caldecott Metal winner

Self-Help. GOOD DATE, BAD DATE: THE MATCHMAKER'S GUIDE TO WHERE THE BOYS ARE-- AND HOW TO GET THEM by Marla Martenson (Hampton Roads Publishing, 154 pages, softcover, $14.95, 978-1-57174-600-9): director of a Beverly Hills, California, matchmaking service "helps single women think about critical issues before they dive into the dating pool" and includes epigraphs such as, "If you want a committed man, look in a mental hospital" (Mae West): among the topics are dating etiquette, where to meet men (car shows), and "five signs that a man isn't really interested in you" such as flirting with the waitress.

Science. WHY DON'T JUMBO JETS FLAP THEIR WINGS? FLYING ANIMALS, FLYING MACHINES, AND HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT by David E. Alexander (Rutgers University Press, 272 pages, hardcover, $26.95, 978-0-8135-4479-3): assistant professor of entomology at the University of Kansas and author of Nature's Flyers: Birds, Insects, and Biomechanics of Flight offers a "fascinating" explanation of how nature and human engineers each arrived at powered flight; some subjects are lifting to drag ratios, the adverse draw of bats, and the Wright Brothers' insight from watching vultures concerning banking as the most effective way to turn.

by Alex Moore, Book Review Editor

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