Tuesday, May 6, 2014

New May Release: Jerry in the Bardo by Tsaurah Litzky!

National Poetry Month never ends here at NightBallet Press!  And to prove that we're still celebrating, we've published a brand new bookJerry in the Bardoby Tsaurah Litzky!




Jerry in the Bardo by Brooklyn, New York poet Tsaurah Litzky is a 32 page book of 22 poems, printed on bright white cotton paper. The textured ivory cover of Jerry in the Bardo features gorgeous collage art by Litzky titled "Jerry Enters the Bardo".  (NBP admits we had to look up bardo, which is a Tibetan word meaning "intermediate state"—in Tibetan Buddhism, the bardo is the state of the soul between its death and rebirth.)  The colors in the collage are enhanced by a heavy blue-gray cardstock insert.

A fascinating character study, Jerry in the Bardo explores the complex relationship between an adult daughter and her aging father, and does so with honesty, sensitivity, and discovery.  Mostly written, according to Litzky, in the four years before her father Jerry's death on March 7, 2011,  Litzky says "Jerry in the Bardo does not offer comforts or platitudes.  I only hope its truth comes punching out off the page, the way my father taught me to live my days."

Jerry and Tsaurah,, 2008 (photo used with permission)

Tsaurah Litzky writes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, erotica, plays, and commentary, but says "poetry is (her) heart".  Her poems have appeared in over ninety publications, including the New York Times and The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.  In 2006, she was named one of the 20 Poets Laureate of New York City by the People's Poetry Gathering.

Jerry in the Bardo, selling for $10 plus $3 postage/handling, is available beginning this week of May 6, 2014, right here on the NBP page (see the PayPal box to the right of this posting, on Amazon, and of course, as always, directly from the author!