The Palace at 2:00 a.m.

Clive grows leafy!

2012-01-29T15:19:00.001-05:00

Green men can be dangerous. Once they open their mouths and the leaves erupt, watch out! While sketching and painting and fooling with green man images for the cover of my upcoming book of poetry, The Foliate Head, the painter Clive Hicks-Jenkins was overcome by the green spirit and cannot stop tossing off magical images... He appears to be inhabited by greenishness and can't stop. He has

Plethora!

2012-01-26T21:47:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: ADDED LINK TO FINALISTS AND LINKS TO SOME OF THE POEMS. Slide down two posts and take a look at the links to the now-five posts of work by Clive Hicks-Jenkins. We'll be deciding on a cover image right away, so feel free to lodge an opinion!

Curmudgeon genius--

2012-01-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Do not miss! Sendak and Colbert part one and part two. Let the wild rumpus start! Update: brilliant little video sent to me on facebook by the inimitable Gary Dietz: The Joy of Books. "After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago (http://youtu.be/zhRT-PM7vpA), my wife and I (Sean Ohlenkamp) decided to take it to the next level. We spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating

Clive and the foliate head!

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

FINAL UPDATE (I think!): Clive has gathered together the cover finalists. http://clivehicksjenkins.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/marlys-book-cover/ "marly's book and henry's window" * * * Note for people interested in how the pictures go with the text: John Coulthart (who definitely ought to have a cover opinion!) mentioned not knowing the text as an issue. If anybody wants a peek / preview,

The Lydian Stones: Sharpe chooses Gautier

2012-01-24T09:41:00.001-05:00

There will be a slight delay on The Lydian Stones for today--I just realized that I have an incomplete translation and need to catch the author of this week's piece before I post... It is by painter and singer Yolanda Sharpe, who was head of the art department at SUNY-Oneonta for twelve years (what a saint!) Watch this space for a link...

Goldsworthy Redux

2012-01-21T11:38:00.000-05:00

I woke up to brighter light—new snow—and thought about Andy Goldsworthy. I’m still wondering if those three stacked stones in the edge of the lake were his, a sort of private conversation with Otsego Lake and Kingfisher Tower, back when he was doing a project near Albany… Perhaps it was simply homage to him, he being so near at the time. He’s such an oddly Old Testament sort of figure,

Farmer chooses Reece

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

The weekly post is up at The Lydian Stones! Jonathan Farmer, mover and shaker of things literary in the Triangle area of North Carolina, chooses Spencer Reece.

What would happen? Quote of the Day.

2012-01-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of sxc.hu and Christopher Glaseof Aberdeen, Maryland, US. Discussing the state of civilization over a leisurely breakfast--particularly children, pregnant women, and the elderly on the Costa Concordia, cracks on the People of Walmart website, the latest romance from the Occupy movement--a teen and a level 3 sex offender--sweet redemption no doubt found... "What would happen if a

Waving not drowning

2012-01-16T20:42:00.001-05:00

I've been busy with distant 12-hour wrestling meets and a near-disaster with freezing pipes, but will be around tomorrow with a new The Lydian Stones post! Also, for any Virginians who did not already see this on facebook--I'll be speaking to MALIA in Roanoke on April 20th. Open to the public. More on that later.

9 poems in "Mezzo Cammin"

2012-01-12T19:59:00.002-05:00

Nine bites from the nine poems up at the brand new issue of Mezzo Cammin, edited by poet Kim Bridgford: lots of good company, too! The last poem is an excerpt from Thaliad, forthcoming from Phoenicia Publishing in Montreal. The eight preceded are from the manuscript, The Book of the Red King. I'll be sending that one out by the end of the year. The Desire for the Red King Certain people live

Another award for Howard Bahr

2012-01-10T10:17:00.002-05:00

Howard Bahr has received the Mississippi Governor's Award for Literary Excellence! And that makes me glad--Howard is one of those writers who quietly works in solitude and semi-obscurity, devoted to the beauty and power of the muse. He is also one of the most charming correspondents in the whole great multi-verse, and he still writes on paper! A letter in the mail from Howard makes the

Hicks-Jenkins chooses Youmans on The Lydian Stones

2012-01-09T09:02:00.000-05:00

The Lydian Stones went on a short hiatus for much of the holidays, and I am pleased to say that I have actually received letters of reproach! In apology, I post the next offering a day early. Clive Hicks-Jenkins was the first off the mark with a post, but I have delayed him because it seemed flaunting and immodest to have the first post be about one of my own poems.

One of those days

2012-01-06T17:30:00.000-05:00

Detail,Yolanda Sharpe painting, Earlville Opera House Show. I am reading A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage for the very last time--it's about to go to the printer. And I am having one of those awful days where absurd things happen, and everything goes wrong. The most recent thing is that I just broke the glass in a biggish watercolor by Louis D. Rubin, Jr. Glass all over the dining room

Current Digby videos of my poems + news

2012-01-03T13:07:00.001-05:00

In Extremis from The Throne of Psyche: film and music by Paul Digby The Exile's Track from The Throne of Psyche: film and music by Paul Digby The Nesting Doll from The Throne of Psyche: film and music by Paul Digby A Fire in Ice from The Throne of Psyche: film and soundscape by Paul Digby The Birthday Roses from the manuscript of fall 2010, The Book of the Red King: film and music by Paul

Collaborations with artists, 2012

2012-01-01T15:50:00.000-05:00

A foliate head by Clive Hicks-Jenkins... With painter Clive Hicks-Jenkins and designer Andrew Wakelin of Wales: Clive is giving me three foliate heads for division pages and painting a head for the cover of The Foliate Head (UK: Stanza Press), and Andrew will be working with us on book design. With painter Graham Ward of England: I'm writing poems for Graham's opening in June--and having

Bookwise

2011-12-30T22:14:00.001-05:00