This is the time of year for cooking, and with the pandemic, that means even more cooking. My partners in this endeavor, otherwise employed as my writing assistants, communicate by means of dagger-looks which I, by long experience, know to translate as “Gimme me the ham!” and then again, “Gimme the ham!” And then: “Gimme the ham!” Thank goodness for podcasts!
My go-to podcast for the past week has been Cal Newport’s “Deep Questions.” He’s the Joyce Carol Oates of best-sellerdom, that is, to say, how in thundernation does he manage to do so much (and be a tenured professor of computer science)? He tries to explain it in his podcast! As I stir soup and chop the potatoes (…and, as commanded, distribute tiny bites of ham…) I find his podcast strangely soothing.
While it is a joy to be able to publish without gatekeepers– joy enough that I for one have been blogging every Monday and oftentimes more often since 2006– a curated presentation of poetry and prose, that is, the traditionally edited literary magazine on ye olde paper, has not disappeared, nor will it, and thank goodness.
As an ex-literary magazine editor myself (Tameme), I have a big heart full of appreciation for such magazines. And when they are as unique, and as beautifully edited and exceptionally well-designed as these two, I want to get up on the top of the roof and toot a tuba– or something!
CATAMARAN LITERARY READER
Founding editor Catherine Segurson describes Catamaran
as “pages full of color, inviting images, and engrossing stories, poems and
essays—all from curious and inventive minds.”
Indeed: standouts in this issue include a poem
and an essay by Richard Blanco, and the
several paintings by Bo Bartlett, whose “Via
Mal Contenti” graces the cover. More about artist Bo Bartlett in this
brief video:
Catamaran makes a special effort to
include literary translation in every issue. N.B.: Catamaran’s contributing
editors include essayist and translator Thomas Christensen and
poet, teacher, and noted translator Zack Rogow.
“Thank you for this journal which combines spiritual issues, imaginative issues, esthetic issues. All of those, I think, need to be in the mix for the richly lived life, the richly observed life.”
This Fall 2016 issue opens with a splendid essay
by poet Mark Doty, “Luckier / Rowdyish, Carlacue, Wormfence and Foosfoos.” Just
for that yonder-galaxy-beyond-the-Cineplex-title: Another thank you!
ABOUTFRANCISCO I. MADERO, Leader of Mexico’s 1910 Revolution; President of Mexico, 1911-1913
My piece in Tiferet about Madero’s 1911 Spiritist Manual did not include any of my translation, but you can read some of that here. Caveat: If you are unfamiliar with metaphysics you might find Madero’s Spiritist Manual… oh, I guess I would say… wiggy-zoomy.
In which case, I invite you to read my book about that book, my own wiggy-zoomy attempt to give it some cultural-historical-political context, which is available from amazon and other major sellers, and the website offers several lengthy excerpts, as well as extentive Q & A, a podcast of my talk for the University of California San Diego US Mexican Studies Center, the Centennial Lecture for University of Texas El Paso, and several other talks and interviews here. (My personal fave is Greg Kaminsky’s Occult of Personality.)
P.S. & P.S.S.
P.S. For those of you, dear readers, looking to
publish in literary magazines, everything I have to say about the oftentimes
crazy-making lottery-like ritual is here. If
you are audacious enough to start your own journal, I say, go for it! Please!
(But bring a case of apirin and a few wheelbarrows of dough. The green kind.) I
have more to say about literary magazines, past, mine, and future, here.
And for an interview with an editor who managed to establish an unusual level
of financial viability, be sure to check out my podcast
interview with Dallas Baxter, founder of Cenizo Journal.
P.S.S. If you’re wondering what’s up with Marfa Mondays, stay tuned,
the long overdue podcast 21 is still in-progress. Listen in to the other 20
podcasts posted to date here.
