Sunday, June 25, 2006

It won't take long

Work beginning on the chapbook. I'm asked if I have any ideas for cover art and really, I don't. I'm giving it some thought. It's strange to have this other project, a third, to think about. Notes takes primacy, followed by the memoir, and now the chapbook has jumped on board. I don't really know many artists, so I'm not sure where to go.

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England vs. Ecuador: not the greatest game but I enjoyed it. Cool to see Beckham's tremendous free kick goal followed by bouts of on-field vomiting due to heat/dehydration.

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I sometimes get down on myself, thinking things like I haven't written very much good since leaving Tuscaloosa in the rear view mirrow. But thoughts like that are often not based in reality. Looking at the latest manuscript for Notes, I realized only 13 out of 45 poems date from those days. And all of them were written just before my book came out, so most of the book has been written in the last two years. I feel very strongly about it. It's good to rediscover things that way.

7 comments:

Josh Hanson said...

Hey Paul,

What's the title of the chap?

Paul said...

Exit Interview.

Name: Matthew Guenette said...

I have a chapbook coming out this fall as well, from the fledgling Ropewalk Press. The book is called "Hush of Something Endless". Limited run--150-200 last I heard--but it looks good for a first attempt (Ropewalk's) at a chapbook. It's not a book, but I guess I should feel good about it. When they're ready, I'll show you mine if you show me yours...

Paul said...

Deal.

Ron said...

Paul, what are the parameters re: cover art? Will it be black-and-white or can they do a four-color? Line drawing or photo?

I look at art online pretty often, thinking about covers for WB, even with our somewhat limited parameters (must be color painting, no abstracts, no photographs, no b&w, must be narrative or representational art, etc.).

Of all the chapbooks I've bought (and there are many), only a few really stand out in terms of their covers. I think GreenTower really got it right with Jamie Simpson's _Catch and Release_. And does anyone else have H L Hix's _The Kindling Point_? It was produced by the St Louis Poetry Center as part of their Stanley Hanks chapbook series: roughly 8x8 square cover, RED, with a stylized black flame in the center, nicely minimalistic.

Ron said...

And not to toot my own horn, but I was really pleased with the job New Michigan Press did on my chap. I entered their competition in the first place after reading Michael Sowder's _A Calendar of Crows_ (another nice cover).

I was very lucky to run across my artwork and even more fortunate that the artist was local. Getting her permission to "chop" the etching into thirds was the hardest part.

Paul said...

B&W cover, photography possible.