Jennifer Hambrick emerges UNSCATHED!

Ohio poet Jennifer Hambrick emerges Unscathed,  and NightBallet Press is there to see it happen!

 

NightBallet Press is enormously pleased to present Unscathed, the brand new debut chapbook by Jennifer Hambrick!

Unscathed is a 32 page chapbook of 26 poems, and features a simply beautiful color photo by local artist-photographer Chandra Alderman.  The text is printed on thick, creamy soft white paper, and the covers are brilliant white cardstock with a seafoam-blue cardstock insert.  The poems, delicate yet profound vignettes of childhood and mortality, nature and family, loss and triumph, are sketched with a deft hand by Hambrick.

                                                    
                                           (bio photo by Barb Schwartz, used with permission)


Jennifer Hambrick's poetry has been published in Pudding Magazine, WestWard Quarterly, Common Threads, A Narrow Fellow, the 2013 Ohio Poetry Association anthology Everything Stops and Listens, the Columbus Creative Cooperative’s Ides of March anthology, and the Ohio Poetry Day Best of 2011 prizewinners’ collection.  Jennifer won the Ohio Poetry Association’s 2013 Ides of March contest, was a prize winner in The Poetry Forum’s 2011 William Redding Memorial Poetry Contest (Columbus), and received multiple recognitions in the 2011 Ohio Poetry Day contests.  By day, Jennifer Hambrick is a classical musician and public radio broadcaster, producer, and blogger.

Watch for Jennifer to be reading from her new chapbook around her stomping grounds, the Columbus, Ohio area,  soon!

Unscathed is available beginning today, for only $10 plus $3 shipping/handling, right here on this website...also available on Amazon!

2013 NightBallet Pushcart Prize Nominations for The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses XXXIX

NightBallet Press announces, with great pride and excitement, the six nominees for The Pushcart Prize XXXIX Best of the Small Presses:

J. E. Stanley—“Random Facts About Halley’s Comet”—from Selected Regions of the Moon
Christopher Franke—“Knot Final Words”—from As the Caffeine Kicks In
James Valvis—“My Mother’s Pills”—from What Exactly Is a Valvis?
Lyn Lifshin—“Chora Church Daze”—from Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems
Chansonette Buck—“test pattern”—from talisman
Alex Gildzen—“Sea Salt on Green Pepper”—from Blossoms—a collection of poems (1955 to 2013)in celebration of the poet's 70th birthday

Congratulations to the nominees!  As was the case the past two years, the decision about who to nominate was an incredibly difficult one.  This editor struggled with making the final choices right up to the deadline of "postmarked by December 1st".  There were so many outstanding poems from so many superb manuscripts this past season we found it to be almost impossible to narrow down the chaps and the poems to only six nominations.  But in keeping with the NBP tradition that it's important to recognize achievement and promote excellence even if we can't be all-encompassing, we have once again participated in the nomination process.

I sincerely wish I could have nominated a poem from every book published by NBP this past year.  Each one of the NightBallet Press poets deserves to be recognized.  You are all winners IMHO.  I am extremely honored and humbled to have had the opportunity to publish a book for you.

For those of you unfamiliar with the process, the Pushcart Prize nominations will be reviewed by the Pushcart editors and the final selections will be made by April of 2014.  At that time, the small presses selected will be notified.  If NBP doesn't hear from them by the end of April, we'll know our nominees won't be reprinted in The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses XXXIX in November.
You can read more and check out the Pushcart website here.

Once again, please join the NightBallet Press family in congratulating these six outstanding poets!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

 

Double Your Pleasure! Double Your Fun! Why Not Get Both? You Can't Read Just One!

NightBallet Press is SO excited to announce the publication of not one but two new chaps this weekend!

 What Exactly Is a Valvis? by Seattle poet James Valvis

                            
with a stunning cover photograph taken by Tucson artist/photographer Elizabeth A. Soroka,
and
The Liquid of Her Skin, the Suns of Her Eyes by Cleveland's own dan smith,

featuring a made-especially-for-this-chap cover collage by Joanne Cornelius!

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James Valvis's What Exactly Is a Valvis? is a 28 page chapbook of 23 stunning poems with intriguing titles like "My Mother's Pills", "The Tragedy of Laundry", "Friendly Mutton Chops", and "Upon Receiving a Fan Letter Asking Me to Explain One of My Poems".  Valvis's poems and stories have appeared in literally hundreds of journals, including Barrow Street, Rattle, Hanging Loose, River Styx, and  LA Review.  His poetry has been featured in Verse Daily and the Best American Poetry website, and his fiction was chosen for the 2013 Sundress Best of the Net.  A former US Army soldier, he lives near Seattle with his wife and daughter.

 

What Exactly Is a Valvis? is printed on creamy white paper with a bark-brown cover featuring a fantastic starling-in-a-cage-of-branches photo by Tucson artist and photographer Elizabeth A. Soroka.  The heavy cardstock insert is golden-ocher.  NightBallet Press is very pleased to have this opportunity of publishing Valvis; his poems are glittering coins in the treasure chest of observation and remembering. Beginning today, November 17, 2013, What Exactly Is a Valvis? is available for only $5 plus $3 postage/handling, right here on the NightBallet Press website!  Just hit the PayPal button in this post.

So, What Exactly Is a Valvis?  This editor can tell you a Valvis is a delicious, delightful treat that you need to discover for yourself, and you should do it today!  Don't wait.  Once you've experienced Valvis, you'll wonder just how it was you lived without him all these years. 

 

 

                                                       
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The Liquid of Her Skin, the Suns of Her Eyes by dan smith is a delightful and surprising departure from his usual (and wonderful) beat poetry.  This 40-page chapbook contains a collection of 53 of his science-fiction/horror (speculative genre) short poems, and range from a vampire haibun through explorations of alien cultures, dangerous conditions, and future speculations, to a haiku trip aboard a sentient spaceship.  Smith goes where no poet has gone before!

Clevelander dan smith, author of the epic poem "i am down with you crooked river", is widely published.  His speculative poetry has been nominated for the SFPA Rhysling Award.  His spoken word cd, Matinee Motel (2012) is described as "surreal urban poetry...paired with the music of the Deep Cleveland Trio, from jazz to rock to noise".  Smith's previous chapbook, Crooked River, was published by Deep Cleveland Press in 2005.

The Liquid of Her Skin, the Suns of Her Eyes is printed on brilliant white paper and features a textured white cardstock cover with a neon-orange cardstock insert.  The cover art includes a beautifully surreal cover collage by Clevelander Joanne Cornelius, plus an additional original art piece by Cornelius on the back cover.  Inside the pages is a wonderfully spooky and very apt original art photograph by Steven B. Smith. 

Available beginning today, November 17, 2013, The Liquid of Her Skin, the Suns of Her Eyes is available on Amazon.  Get your copy today!

We heard smith read his poetry last night...or should I say, we experienced smith's performance?  He is utterly brilliant, and you owe it to yourself to check out The Liquid of Her Skin, the Suns of Her Eyes today!

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        Double your pleasure, double your fun...why not get both?  You can't read just one! 

Louisiana Calling by Bill Gainer Published Today!

NightBallet Press is very pleased and excited to announce a fantastic new chap of poetry, Louisiana Calling, by Californian Bill Gainer!

Bill Gainer was one of the many exciting poets who visited Cleveland during the Broken Pulpit event back in March of 2013...and he blew the roof off the place when he read!

Louisiana Calling kicks off the third season of NightBallet Press publications, and we couldn't be more thrilled! 

Boasting beautiful cover art by Elizabeth A. Soroka on a tan cardstock cover with a pale slate blue cardstock insert, and with text printed on soft-white cotton paper,  Louisiana Calling  is packed with tasty nuggets of Gainer's wry wisdom and wit.  Here's what others have to say about it:

"Bill Gainer is one of the masters of the short form.  He can remove vital organs from your body and replace them with his vital poetry before you even know they are gone."—D. R. Wagner

"Bill is known for his short poems and his sense of humor--he doesn't disappoint with this collection..."—A. D. Winans

 

"Bill Gainer's Louisiana Calling is a zany journey in short sentences that will grab you by your best and worst instincts.  When the wind stops howling, the lights go out, and the moon dances overhead, you need something--a laugh, a smile, a drink, a warning--it's all here in these romantic, lusty, bitchy poems."—Ann Menebroker

Gainer is recognized as one of the founding contributors to the modern movement of "After Hours Poetry".  As writer, editor, promoter, publicist and poet, he has read and worked with a wide range of poets and writers from the emerging to the nationally known, including readings on KUSF with punk rocker Patti Smith and performances with California's Poet Laureate, Al Young.  His work has appeared in The Bukowski Review, The Oregonian, and many others.  A past winner of the San Francisco Beat Museum's Poetry Contest and the Sacramento News and Review's Flash Fiction Contest, he currently edits for the Pen Award winning R. L. Crow Publications and hosts Poetry With Legs in Sacramento, California.

Available today from NightBallet Press for only $5 plus $3 shipping/handling, Louisiana Calling is a both a treasure and a steal!  Order your copy today and see what everyone's raving about!

New Book by Lyn Lifshin! Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems

 NightBallet Press is enormously pleased to announce the publication of Lyn Lifshin's new book, Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems.

                                               cover photo by Chansonette Buck, used with permission
  
Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems is a 68-page collection poems written during and about her trip to Turkey last year.  Haunting, lovely, and at times surreal, her journey through the city of Istanbul and the Cappadocian landscape will introduce you to blue-tiled mosques, mornings scented with incense and exotic flowers, a grandmother's protection against the evil eye, fairy chimney rock formations, and a people immersed in history.  As a special treat, the book contains 10 color photos taken by Lifshin and her friend Jordan during their trip! 

                                                     bio photo by Jordan, used with permission

The cover of Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems is a textured brilliant white with a chartreuse cardstock insert and boasts a stunning color photograph by Chansonette Buck.  The text is printed on thick, soft, snow-white paper.  In the book's 57 poems, Lifshin takes you by the hand, opens her heart, and whispers to you of a land that's foreign yet welcoming, alien yet familiar.  NBP promises you won't be able to put aside Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems once you've begun reading it!

(Another one of Lifshin's poems written during her trip to Turkey, "Dust Pink Tuff", appears in  Lipsmack!  A Sampler Platter of Poets from NightBallet Press Year Two 2013, also available on this website.  "Dust Pink Tuff' does not appear in Tangled as the Alphabet.)

The lovely and legendary Lyn Lifshin has written more than 125 books and chapbooks and has appeared in most of the poetry and literary magazines in the United States.  Her work has been praised by Robert Frost and Ken Kesey, and she is the subject of the award-winning documentary film  Not Made of Glass.  In 2012, NightBallet Press published her book-length collection of poems about her passion for dance, Knife Edge and Absinthe—The Tango Poems.  You can learn more about Lyn Lifshin on her website.

Tangled as the Alphabet—The Istanbul Poems is only $10 plus $4 shipping/handling, and is available beginning today, October 19, 2013!  Please see the link on this page. (For orders outside the United States, please contact the publisher at nightballetpress@gmail.com.)

Hungry for good poetry? Smack your lips for LIPSMACK 2!

 As incredible as it seems, NightBallet Press has just celebrated its second anniversary, and is delighted to announce the publication of Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NBP Year Two 2013!

 

 

                                                      

This second Lipsmack! anthology is forty pages long and celebrates the twenty-one poets who’ve had collections published this past season (September to September) by NBP.  With new poems by Joey Nicoletti, John Burroughs, Andrew Rihn, Erren Geraud Kelly, Steven B. Smith, Zachary Fishel, J. E. Stanley, Jean Brandt, Kevin Eberhardt, Christopher Franke, Chansonette Buck, William Merricle, Alex Gildzen, Margie Shaheed, John Dorsey, Laraine Seidl, George Wallace, Steve Brightman, Mike Finley, Jack McGuane, and Lyn Lifshin, there's something to satisfy every poetic palate!

Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NBP Year Two 2013 represents the high quality of writing and sincere dedication to the craft of poetry that characterizes NBP poets.  It has been my distinct pleasure to work with these poets and their heart wrenching, breathtaking, humorous, profound, magical words.  NBP is also pleased to feature the work of several outstanding photographers and artists on its covers and as illustrations inside the books.   Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NBP Year Two 2013 features a gorgeous cover photo by Kathy "Lady" Smith.  

 

 

                                                     

Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NBP Year Two 2013 is available beginning today, Sunday September 29, 2013, for only $5 plus $3 shipping/handling through PayPal on this website.  If you live in or near Cleveland, copies will soon be available at Mac's Backs, Guide to Kulchur, and Visible Voice Books, and at the Words Dance event at Mahall's next Saturday, October 5th (see Facebook or contact us at nightballetpress@gmail.com for details).

(Contributors, you will be receiving your copies in the coming week.)

 

The cover of Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NBP Year Two 2013 is printed on confettied white cardstock with a heavy candy-apple red cardstock insert.  The text is printed on a creamy white cotton paper.  And the 21 poems within...the 21 poems within are simply scrumptious!  Take a bite of this apple, and you'll want the whole tree!  Hell, you're going to want the whole orchard!

Sink your teeth into Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NBP Year Two 2013 today!

Omigosh! Jack McGuane's new chap has been published UNFINISHED!

NightBallet Press is astonished to discover the latest chapbook we've published is...UNFINISHED!

 

 

That's right, NBP has just published Lakewood, Ohio poet Jack McGuane's chapbook Unfinished.  But don't worry; you won't miss a thing, because although the first poem in the book is titled "Unfinished Poems", all the poems are finished!

Unfinished is 28 pages long and contains 18 poems that explore an 86-year-old's philosophical questions and topics from the smell of elephants to the predictability of a potluck, from rebirth to relevance to "arriving in Cleveland from the east coast".

Featuring a stunning photo taken by Cleveland photographer Michael Spear, the cover is an ivory cardstock with a royal purple cardstock insert.  The text is printed on a thick, creamy white paper.  With additional photos taken by Ohioan Shelly Brewster, the chap is both visually pleasing and intellectually stimulating. 

Jack McGuane, a treasure among the Ohio poets, has been a resident of Lakewood, Ohio since 1974, when he moved there from New York's Long Island.  He served for three years as poetry editor of Whiskey Island Magazine, won the Haiku Death Match (sponsored by Cleveland Heights Arts), and was named Poet Laureate of Lakewood 2006-2007 by a board of judges and by proclamation of the Mayor.  His poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies, and his collection of poems Chickenhawk was the first-ever chapbook to be published by NightBallet Press.

Unfinished is available on Amazon-  or get your copy, here, now!

We Are Killing the Fatted Calf for Mike Finley!

The Prodigal Son returns, and we are killing the metaphorical fatted calf in celebration of his first reading in the Cleveland area in 30 years!  Originally from Amherst, Ohio and now living in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mike Finley, award-winning writer, poet, and videographer, will be visiting northeast Ohio...and on Sunday, August 18, 2013, will present a very special reading of his poetry right here in Cleveland!

poster by John Burroughs of Crisis Chronicles Press

And when we say "award-winning", we ain't kiddin'.  Mike Finley is one of only two Lorain County poets, and one of only three Cleveland-area poets, who's won the prestigious Pushcart Prize in poetry!  He's also written for the Rolling Stone, and in the Rock and Roll city of Cleveland, that's no small thing to note!

John Burroughs of Crisis Chronicles Press will be the host for Finley's reading in the basement party room at the Old Angle Tavern in the historic West Side Market area of Cleveland.  NightBallet Press editor/publisher Dianne Borsenik will be there to aid and abet.  All are welcome, it's free to get in, there's a full menu available if you're hungry, and yes, there will be an open mic as well!  From all accounts, Finley is an excellent and entertaining speaker, so you will not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime event!



In honor of the occasion of his return to this area, NightBallet Press is pleased as punch to present Finley's brand new chap of poetry, For the Young Poets of Cleveland.  For the Young Poets of Cleveland is a short-but-sweet, limited-edition collection especially assembled for this weekend's reading:

For the Young Poets of Cleveland is a twenty-paged chapbook containing eleven of Finley's delightful poems, with illustrating photographs by Chandra Alderman, Chansonette Buck, Lady Smith, Steve Brightman, and the editor.  The cover shot of downtown Cleveand at dusk is by John Burroughs, and is printed on a textured white cardstock.  At only $5, it's a steal...and if you order a copy of For the Young Poets of Cleveland right now, NBP will send it to you free of postage costs.Please join us this weekend for this very special reading by a very special person, and meet the one and only Mike Finley in person!  The party begins at 5pm.  And if you smile at Finley reeeeeallllly niiiiiiiiice, he might sign your copy of  For the Young Poets of Cleveland.  ;)

Brightman Has Balls, and NightBallet Can Prove It!

Steve Brightman has balls, and NightBallet Press can prove it!  BASEballs, that is! (Whatever did you think we meant?)

 

 

NightBallet Press is honored and absolutely delighted to present Brightman's newest chapbook, In Brilliant Explosions Alone!  In Brilliant Explosions Alone is a special treat, blending his love of poetry with his passion for baseball.  In Brightman's own words,

"This chap is a breakdown of the 2008 season of former Cleveland Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers.  Each poem represents, in chronological order, one of the games in which he pitched.  It is, however, not merely a baseball chapbook.  It is a chapbook about individual struggle with expectation, the desire for success in the field in which you show talent, and about how others perceive you in that struggle.  It is, perhaps, best summed up by the epigraph which I use (from the Gaslight Anthem song "Biloxi Parish"): All of our heroes are failures or ghosts, burned up in brilliant explosions alone..."

In Brilliant Explosions Alone boasts a cover photo taken by Steve Brightman himself, and is printed on a brilliant white textured cardstock, with a bright red-and-black cardstock insert.  The 32 pages of poetry are printed on a bright white cotton paper, and include a Statistics Chart from the 2008 season.

Brightman, an accomplished poet, skillfully interweaves baseball references with soulful reflection and childlike excitement.  With the Cleveland Indians giving us another roller-coaster ride this season, now is the perfect time to pick up a copy of In Brilliant Explosions Alone!  It's sure to appeal to poetry lovers and sports lovers alike!

Available TODAY Friday August 9, 2013, a single copy is only $5 plus $3 shipping and handling.  Order through PayPal right here on this website. 

George Wallace is bustin' out with Belt Buckles & Bibles!

Watch out, world...George Wallace is bustin' out with Belt Buckles & Bibles!

 

 

    

 

Yeah, baby!  George Wallace has a brand new chap of poems telling the tales of life Out West, in the way that only George Wallace can—with help from such characters as Sally Mae Thundercloud, Little Miss Shit Storm, Old Gene Hill, a Juke House Girl, a couple of dispirited waitresses, and a denim-clad angel!

Here's what others have said about Belt Buckles & Bibles!

“George Wallace’s poetry rolls onto the page like a Kansas thunderstorm, broad and bold and flashing lightning. Belt Buckles & Bibles travels the Midwest from Arkansas to Iowa, from the Flint Hills of central Kansas to the blue rooms of Kansas City, an excursion of ‘hip talk, loose dreams, songs sung in parking lots.’ The characters we meet are tough ‘like clay baked in a ferocious oven’ and plaintive with ‘faces, lonely as flower pots.’ Wallace takes us on a journey through the heart, as well as the Heartland.”—Al Ortolani, co-editor of The Little Balkans Review, Frontenac, Kansas

"In Belt Buckles & Bibles New York Poet George Wallace enters into the soul and the language of place. When he talks about the ‘pig kissing competition’ and ‘a muskrat out of water,’ you believe him. Wallace is not some New York poet come to meddle in the Southern Plains. He’s done his time, and is an honored instigator and ongoing host of our annual Woody Poets poetry gathering every year at the Woody Guthrie Festival in Okemah, Oklahoma. He’s earned it."—Nathan Brown, Oklahoma Poet Laureate 2013-2014

Belt Buckles & Bibles is 32 pages packed with poems and photos by George Wallace .  The cover is a textured white cardstock with a charcoal gray textured cardstock insert; the cover photo is also by Wallace.  Belt Buckles & Bibles is  now available for mailing...ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!  Just use the convenient PayPal button at the top of the right column of this website, and you will be among the first to receive your copy of the bold, brash, brimming with beauty Belt Buckles & Bibles!

How much outside the US?

United States $5.00 USD Outside the US $9.00 USD

Laraine Seidl is (gasp!) Stitched Together!

O my gosh, NightBallet Press has learned that Laraine Seidl is Stitched Together!

Noooo, she didn't have an accident...she had a chapbook!  That's right, NightBallet Press is enormously pleased to present Stitched Together, poems by Laraine Seidl! 

Stitched Together is a 20 page chap of 15 poems detailing the arc, angst, anticipation, agony, and amor of a relationship in the way that only Seidl can do it—with wry, self-deprecating humor, and a wink at the world.  Her observations are consistently right on target, and you will feel yourself inexorably drawn into her world of Bukowski tattoos, text messages, and hippie iced tea; you'll find yourself immersed in the lives of an "adorable temptress" and "the reincarnation of Jack Kerouac".

 

Stitched Together features an ice-white cardstock cover with an olive cardstock insert.  The stark, stunning feather photo is by Ohio photographer/visual artist Chandra Alderman (a.k.a. Peggy Honeydew on Facebook).  The text is printed on white cotton paper...but the true treasure is found in the lines of the text; each poem by Seidl is a glistening gem.  Stitched Together is available beginning today, June 30, 2013, through PayPal right on this website for only $5 plus $3 postage!

Of course, if you are truly fortunate, you'll catch Laraine Seidl at a local poetry reading and buy it directly from the poet...be sure to have her sign it for you!

Laraine Seidl was born in Cleveland and grew up in Parma, Ohio.  She spent five years living in Columbus with her cat Zoe, and they are currently in the process of relocating.  Seidl has a BA in Psychology and a BA in Political Science from Ohio State University.  Previous publications include her chapbook The History of Chickpeas (The Poet's Haven, 2010).  She also enjoys expressing herself via photography, and spends her free time obsessively listening to music, reading, and collecting vintage glassware, clothing, and jewelry.  She is a welcomed guest at many featured readings and open mics; if you get a chance to meet her and hear her read, you don't want to miss it!

John Dorsey Is Responsible for the Fall of the Ramen Empire!

It's true, I tell you!  NightBallet Press has learned that John Dorsey is responsible for the Fall of the Ramen Empire!

 

...and what a resounding fall it is!  Fall of the Ramen Empire is the latest chapbook by the one and only John Dorsey. His fourteen poems of longing and remembrance, of wonder and wisdom, fill this 20 page chapbook with a haunting beauty. 

S. A. Griffin, co-editor of The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry and contributing writer for The Underground Guide to Los Angeles says of John Dorsey and Fall of the Ramen Empire:

 "John Dorsey is simply one of the best wordslingers on the scene, a small press legend in the making. In his ghost world of the Ramen Empire, lovers pray to Godzilla under crumbling drive in signs for clean sheets as the moon shines down upon the beautiful madness that is John's poetry.”

With a warm dove-gray cardstock cover and a textured turquoise cardstock insert, Fall of the Ramen Empire boasts a simply gorgeous illustration by artist Elizabeth Soroka.  The text is printed on soft-white cotton paper. Published Monday June 24 2013, Fall of the Ramen Empire is immediately available to order for $5 plus $3 postage. You may order Fall of the Ramen Empire directly through PayPal on this website, or you can get your very own signed copy from the poet himself.  John Dorsey's books are much sought after and always go quickly, so get your copy today! 

 

                                                             
John Dorsey holds a BFA in Writing for Film & Television from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.  His short "Buffalo Diamonds" was made into a full feature independent film by producer/director Chris Lance of Paladin Knight Pictures.  He is the author of numerous collections of poetry, including Teaching the Dead to Sing: The Outlaw's Prayer (Rose of Sharon Press, 2006), Sodomy is a City in New Jersey (American Mettle Books, 2010), Leaves of Ass (Unadorned Press, 2011), Street Maps for Lost Souls (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2012), and White Girl Problems (NBP, 2012).  His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. 

Dive into a MOSAIC of Beauty and Truth!

 

NightBallet Press is enormously pleased to present a brand new chapbook:  Mosaic by Margie Shaheed!



Mosaic is filled with storytelling poetry about the glory, the mystery, the promise, and the pain of being a Black woman.  Shaheed's poetic Voice is strong and clear, and she offers unflinching glimpses of her struggles, her dreams, and her treasured memories.

Mosaic—packaged between double cardstock covers of ivory and rust, and with soft ivory paper—contains 11 poems on 24 pages.  The cover boasts a beautiful photo by Clevelander John Burroughs (www.crisischronicles.com).  You may obtain a copy from NBP for only $10 plus $3 postage right here on this site...simply look in the right column and click on the PayPal button.  Don't wait until they're all sold out—get your copy today!

For those of you in the Memphis, Tennessee area, Mosaic's official book release and reading will be held this coming Tuesday,  June 18, 2013:


                

 Margie Shaheed is a community poet, writer, and performance artist who conducts creative writing workshops for children and adults in a variety of settings, including traditional classrooms, libraries, theatres, community arts centers, mental health centers, and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs.  Her poems have appeared in Essence Magazine, Black Magnolias, the Mom Egg Review, Blackberry: A Magazine, and Femficatio.  Her work can also be found in Liberation Poetry: An Anthology, edited by Tontongi and Jill Netchinsky (Trilingual Press, 2011) and Lipsmack! A Sampler Platter of Poets from NightBallet Press Year Two 2013.  She currently works in Memphis, but returns frequently to Cleveland.

(Bio photo photo by Coco, used with permission)

This Just In! Video by Alex Gildzen!

Alex Gildzen, who turned 70 on his birthday April 25, made this wonderful film!  In it, we celebrate his birthday, his visit to Elyria, Ohio, and the release of his new book Blossoms-a collection of poems (1955 to 2013) in celebration of the poet's 70th birthday!  Thank you and congratulations, Alex! 

Join Alex in his ongoing celebration of life and growing- growing up, growing older, growing on, blossoming at 70!  You can purchase your very own copy of Blossoms right here on this website- see the sidebar to the right of this blog...or better yet, order directly from the poet at http://www.arroyochamisa.blogspot.com/!

Alex Gildzen's 70th Birthday BLOSSOMS into Being TODAY!!!

NightBallet Press is enormously pleased to wish Santa Fe, New Mexico poet Alex Gildzen a very Happy Birthday today, and to celebrate his birthday with the publication of Blossoms—a collection of poems (1955 to 2013) in celebration of the poet's 70th birthday!

Blossoms—a collection of poems (1955 to 2013) in celebration of the poet's 70th birthday is exactly that- a marvelous book-length collection of poems ranging from Gildzen's earliest surviving poem, "Blossoms, Blossoms, Oh Lovely Blossoms" to one of his most recent ones, "Hawaiian Coffee and Bartok".  Blossoms is a bright, lush garden full of plant life and real life:  rosebuds, lilacs, poppies, mulberry, basil, aloe, hollyhock, orchids, and cereus snuggle and thrive next to celebration, contemplation, loss, remembrance, love, enlightenment, and joie de vivre. 

With 60 pages of 42 poems, 2 portraits of the poet, 3 breathtaking "Moonflower" images from photographer extraordinaire Chandra Alderman, and an introduction by poet Tom Kryss,  Blossoms is a tribute to and testimony of a life well-lived for 70 years.

Take time to stop and savor the sweet scents of the flowers, celebrate Alex Gildzen and celebrate life—get your copy of Blossoms—a collection of poems (1955 to 2013) in celebration of the poet's 70th birthday today!  Available on this website for only $10 plus $3 shipping and handling!  And very soon, this title will also be available on Amazon!

Twice the punch! Twice the poetry! CHANSONETTE BUCK & WILLIAM MERRICLE!!!

Thaaaat's riiiiiight, NightBallet Press presents, for your reading bliss, to continue the grooviness throughout National Poetry Month, and to celebrate the poetry extravaganza of the Broken Pulpit weekend here in Cleveland, Ohio, not one but TWO über-fantastic chaps!

                                  

                                        

 



IT'S A MERRICLE!

NightBallet Press is tickled (hot) pink to publish Ohio poet William Merricle's brand new chap, Chaos Theory!  Merricle does for poetry what Dali did for painting; his writing is a surreal romp through landscapes of sight and sound, of sophistication and silliness, of chaos and construction, of  "The Y Chromosome Polka" and "Creation Porn". 

Here's a delicious sample poem from Chaos Theory to whet your appetite!

What Is the Distance Between
Rahway and South Plainfield?

Virtually all the evil in
this world is in the
form of information.
Morning is too late at night.
Every pixel tells a story.
Sexual fulfillment formats itself
as the frost on the pumpkin.
Every question contains an answer.
Better probes are required.
All my learning comes
face-to-face with
the prosecutorial moonlight.
High hopes are difficult to master.
One can’t make a circle with one.
Satire is the best credit card.
Your shadow delivered
an erudite lecture on
the frailty of your love.
Every answer births a question.
The golden age of wisdom
was the Middle Pleistocene.
I learned that online.

 William Merricle's previous publications include Heimlich the Donut (Pudding House Publications, 2010) and Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2011).  His poems have appeared in Pudding Magazine, Portland Review, Slipstream, and in the Crisis Chronicles Online Library.

 

Chaos Theory is 36 pages long and contains 28 poems.  The cover is a (very) pale green with a charcoal gray cardstock insert, and the text is printed on a creamy, soft-white paper.  You can obtain your very own copy for only $5 plus $3 shipping and handling! 

YOU CAN BUCK THE SYSTEM!

NightBallet Press is extremely honored and excited to announce the publication of Berkely, California poet Chansonette Buck's newest chap, talisman!  George Wallace says of talisman:

 "One cannot fail to be impressed with the courage of poets who lay bare their most troubling personal moments in their work.  But it requires a special level of courage—and talent, as in adroitness of expression and dispassionate perspective—for such poets to stand out in the crowd.  That's Chansonette Buck's achievement in this fine little collection.  Yes, she has experienced pain, risen from it and found sustenance in the telling.  But more than that, she has approached the telling with an unflinching eye and a sure technical hand, and produced poem after memorable poem."

Chansonette Buck, who holds a PhD in English from the University of California, has been published in, among others, Why We Ride: Women Writers on the Horses in Their Lives (Seal Press, 2011) and Polarity eMagazine (Fall, 2010).  Previous chapbooks include blood oranges (NBP, 2011) and desire lines (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2012). 

Here's a teaser from talisman:

pain-body

she writes
i need him...then
rushes, retching
to the sink. later,
drained, she lies
on her bed, willing
hard winter rain's
change to rose
petals, watching
the sky clear
and pale to silver
under the full moon
so the pepper-tree's
leaves flicker
like tiny diamonds
in the wind,
she wonders
how such
a bright sky
could empty
so much loss
into her world.

                                                          

talisman is 32 pages long and contains 20 poems.  The cover is a pale ecru with a brilliant turquoise blue cardstock insert, and the text is printed on a creamy, soft-white paper.  The cover and inside pages feature photos taken from a beautiful mixed-media collage by book artist Bonné de Blas.  Get your copy today for only $5 plus $3 shipping/handling! 

Twice the punch!  Twice the power!  Twice the poetry!  Merricle and Buck!  Buck and Merricle!  Order your copies today!  Available through PayPal right here on this website, and through Amazon!