Ugly Duckling Presse February 17, 2008: (The “e” at the end, the UDP website explains, comes from Kafka- or K-Presse, a small German publishing house.) First of all, isn’t this like the best name for a press? This art & publishing collective was founded in 1993 by “a couple of college kids who wanted to put together a zine, without really knowing what that is.” Fifteen years [...] by Rigoberto González

OPEN BOOKS: A POEM EMPORIUM February 15, 2008: Here’s an unusual double-duty entry: both a special Thank You to my favorite poetry bookstore Open Books in Seattle, where I stand around and gab for hours about all-things poetic while browsing the fabulous shelves (over 9,000 titles and counting!—indeed the poetry reader’s paradise), and a special Friday Shout Out to its co-proprietor, [...] by Rigoberto González

raúlrsalinas (1934-2008) February 13, 2008: Elder statesman, Xicanindio leader, poet of the people, giver of hope to the oppressed and the incarcerated, Raúl Salinas passed away last night in Austin, Tejaztlán. by Rigoberto González

Wednesday Shout Out February 13, 2008: Arktoi Books is an exciting new imprint of Red Hen Press. The brainchild of beloved poet Eloise Klein Healey this series, which publishes both prose and poetry, highlights the very best writing by lesbian authors. Officially launching this year, the first title is by the poet Elizabeth Bradfield. (more...) by Rigoberto González

Slapering Hol Press February 10, 2008: It means “Sleepy Hollow” in Old Dutch. Yes, that Sleepy Hollow, as in the place Mr. Washington Irving put on the literary map, though for the past twenty years, the Hudson Valley Writers’ Center has been working hard to build on that legacy. The vision of poet and founder Margo Stever has indeed blossomed into an extraordinary place for the [...] by Rigoberto González

A Midsummer Night’s Press February 8, 2008: This small but noble venture begins in 1991 in Connecticut, with hand-printed limited-edition broadsides of original works by writers established and emerging. Two years later it goes on hiatus as the press relocates and regroups, reappearing last year in New York City. This time around, the press produces attractive little chapbooks under its [...] by Rigoberto González

Wednesday Shout Out February 6, 2008: Rick Barot is one of the most elegant, graceful poets I have come across. And I have anticipated the release of his new book after having taught The Darker Fall many times over the years since its first release in 2002. I have always admired his attention to rhythm, to the line, and to the precision of his language. Barot’s carefully chiseled [...] by Rigoberto González

Post AWP Bliss February 4, 2008: Well, I survived my ninth AWP conference. I’ll say what every New Yorker (including me) said about the conference being held in our city this year: it wasn’t fair. We didn’t get to feel as if we were leaving our duties and obligations behind since we simply skipped over from our respective Big Apple dwellings. But to even out the score, I [...] by Rigoberto González

Wednesday Shout Out January 30, 2008: My fifth month of weekly shout outs comes to a close today (only one more month before I too sign off the PF blog—how I’ll miss thee, Harriet!), so I decided to do something different: instead of reaching over to my personal poetry bookshelf or to the review copies pile, I skipped over to my local neighborhood bookstore to browse the [...] by Rigoberto González

In Praise of Cavafy January 28, 2008: As a young gay man growing up closeted in a Mexican household, I had to find my queer role models in books. In high school I heard that Federico García Lorca was gay, and that so was Tennessee Williams, and Truman Capote, and Walt Whitman. Though their works weren’t necessarily queer—I really had to read into them sometimes—knowing that [...] by Rigoberto González