Sunday, December 10, 2017

Artifacts by Kerry Trautman

NightBallet Press is very pleased to announce the publication
of two new titles by two fantastic Ohio poets:

Artifacts by Kerry Trautman and Beyond the Sidewalk by Jonie McIntire!


The actual print date was November, but due to some unforeseen and unavoidable delays, NightBallet was unable to announce publication until today. These two books are incontrovertible proof that some things are well worth waiting for!
 
 



(This is one-half of two announcements.  For Jonie McIntire's Beyond the Sidewalk, please go here.)





Artifacts is a stunning journey of discovery. Its thirty-two pages contain twenty-two poems, all rich in language and masterfully written. Among Trautman's "Archeological Surveys" are those of "the CD Collection of a Somewhat-Poor Girl," "a Curated Native American Clothing Exhibit," and "Drummers and Poets." Trautman does not hold back, does not flinch, as she explores themes of both darkness and light.


The Archeological Survey of a Girl Who Stumbles Over Words


She's dead now,
       so she doesn't fear in-class presentations
       and unplanned conversations.

Or, at the grocery store, bumping into
someone she doesn't know well but really likes.

Notice how her fingertips are clenched into her palms.
Note the nailmarks.
See where sweat would have pooled--
        the armpits and between the breasts--
where panic would liquefy and try to escape her body
        when she herself could not escape her body,
        could not stop pretending she was true.




 











Kerry Trautman is a founding member of Toledo's Almeda Street Poetry Co-op, the Toledo Poetry Museum, and ToledoPoet.com. She is often seen at local poetry readings and events, such as Artomatic 419, Back to Jack (Toledo's annual Jack Kerouac tribute), 100 Thousand Poets for Change, and the Columbus Arts Festival.  Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in various journals and anthologies, including Midwestern Gothic, The Fourth River, Hawaii Pacific Review, and Journey to Crone (Chuffed Books Press, 2013). Previous books include Things That Come in Boxes (King Craft Press, 2012), and To Have Hoped (Finishing Line Press, 2015).


Artifacts is printed on creamy ivory paper.  The ivory, linen-textured cover features a magnificent art piece by Bree, "Raven Gorget 3.29.16," which is complemented by the deep grape-colored cardstock insert.  Artifacts is available beginning today, December 10, 2017, for only $8 plus $3 shipping!  (For customers outside the U.S., please contact NightBallet Press for postage pricing.)  Get your copy today to unearth its "artifacts" of beauty and truth!




Beyond the Sidewalk by Jonie McIntire

NightBallet Press is very pleased to announce the publication
of two new titles by two fantastic Ohio poets:

Beyond the Sidewalk by Jonie McIntire, and Artifacts by Kerry Trautman!


The actual print date was November, but due to some unforeseen and unavoidable delays, NightBallet was unable to announce publication until today. These two books are incontrovertible proof that some things are well worth waiting for!
 
  

This is one-half of two announcements.  For Kerry Trautman's Artifacts, please go here.
 

                                 
Beyond the Sidewalk is a beautiful homage to McIntire's beloved city, Toledo.  Its thirty-two pages contain twenty-four poems and one photo, including several of her "zip code" poems, written in response to Toledo City Paper's "Ode to the Zip Code" contest. Among the gems contained within its pages are "I Hate the Factory that Takes You So Often" and "What the Dog Buried."  McIntire's love for her hometown shines throughout the book, and her wry humor takes you along with her as you both travel "beyond the sidewalk."

Cycles
(for the poets Toledo has lost)

The open-palmed pushes
of John, Patrice, Don,
Greg move us all
sidewalk blocks forward.
Even after they let
go, we roll on
,
peddling our poetry.


 
(photo by Chuck Schmitt, used with permission)
 

Jonie McIntire is poetry editor of the Toledo Streets Newspaper, a founding member of the Toledo Poetry Museum and Almeda Street Poetry Co-op, and organizer of the annual 100 Thousand Poets for Change events in Toledo.  Her work has appeared in Red Fez, Sam and Andy's Uptown Cafe (Westron Press, 2001), and the 2016 Hessler Street Fair Anthology (Crisis Chronicles Press), among others.  A number of her poems have been stamped into cement as part of the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo's Sidewalk Poetry series (a photo of one of her poems is included in the book).  She is the author of Not All Who Are Lost Wander (Finishing Line Press, 2016). 


 
Beyond the Sidewalk is printed on crisp, thick, white paper.  The white linen-textured cover contains stunning artwork by Kevin Eberhardt, his "The Memory of Sun in an Aqueous Sky," which is complemented by the deep aqua cardstock insert.  Beyond the Sidewalk is available beginning today, December 10, 2017, for only $8 plus $3 shipping!  (For customers outside the U.S., please contact NightBallet Press for postage pricing.)  Get your copy today and discover what treasures exist "beyond the sidewalk"!