Friday, May 22, 2015

Steve Brightman says History, Too, Is A Simple Machine.

It's going to be a glorious weekend here in northern Ohio, and what better way to celebrate than a fantastic new chapbook of poetry by Steve Brightman?  History, Too, Is a Simple Machine has arrived, flaming-hot off the press, on the NightBallet shelves!



History, Too, Is a Simple Machine boasts a stunning cover photograph taken by Ohio artist/poet/photographer Kevin Eberhardt of his original art piece, "The Simple Machine."  (Eberhardt was calling it "Untitled" and graciously gave editor Dianne Borsenik permission to name it.  I'm truly honored to have done so.)

History, Too, Is a Simple Machine contains 36 pages of 28 poems. The cover is a textured ivory, and the thick cardstock insert is a rich goldenrod yellow. The text is printed on textured ivory paper.

The titles of the poems alone are intriguing; they tempt you to turn the pages, step inside the Wonderful World of Brightman, and discover such gems as "Wild Honey in There," "The History of Coaxial Cable," "And Radius Is," "Upon the Snout," "Tracing the Perforation," and of course, " History, Too, Is a Simple Machine."  Brightman's poetry is addicting; the more you read, the more you want!


Steve Brightman, a prolific poet who writes every day, lives in Akron, Ohio.  He firmly believes in two seasons: winter and baseball.  About his biography, he says "Short version: my writing is my author statement.  Long version: my writing is definitely my author statement."  His first full-length collection, The Wild Gospel of Careening and Other Sermons from the Rumble Strip, was recently released by Red Orchid Publishing. NBP has published two previous chapbooks of poetry for Brightman: Sometimes, Illinois, and, based on a season of the Cleveland Indians, In Brilliant Explosions AloneBoth are available through this website, and on Amazon. 

                                           photo by Christina Brooks, used with permission


History, Too, Is a Simple Machine is only $5 plus $3 shipping/handling, and is available right here on this website!  Get your copy today!






Saturday, May 2, 2015

Andy Roberts and the Pencil Pusher!

NightBallet Press is enormously pleased to announce the publication of the second NightBallet Press title by Ohioan Andy Roberts:  Pencil Pusher!
 
 
                                          cover photo by Jeffrey Alfier, used with permission

Pencil Pusher
is a gritty, honest look at the life of a blue collar working man.  It's a poem with its finger on the pulse of addiction.  It's an eye on the trials of growing up poor.  It's "How I Loved Myself On Drugs" and "How I Learned To Play Guitar," it's "Daddy Wasn't Much On Brains" and "The Way They Never Laughed At Home." 
Officially published  and released to the public on Tuesday, April 28, Pencil Pusher is 32 pages long with 23 poems printed on creamy ivory paper.  The cover, a pale tan with a steel-blue cardstock insert, boasts a handsome photo taken by Jeffrey Alfier; the subject of the photo is the shuttered Pabst Brewery in Milwaukee. 

Andy Roberts, a skilled storyteller and accomplished writer, is shown here reading poems from Pencil Pusher at Sips coffeehouse in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He has had poems appear in many small press journals over the last thirty years, including Albatross, Atlanta Review, Hiram Poetry Review, Mudfish, and Slipstream (with a 2014 Pushcart Prize nomination for his poem "Walking to Iceland").  Previous chapbooks include Who's On My Land, Ditch Duty, and Ghost Notes & Candle Smoke (Pudding House Publications), and The Green World (NightBallet Press).
 
 


Pencil Pusher is only $5 plus $3 shipping/handling.  It's available right here on the website, plus it's available on Amazon.  Get your copy today!