In this episode, you’ll hear a conversation between Professors Harvey Hix and Stephen Dillon about Hix’s book American Outrage: A Testamentary, a work of poetry that is also a compendium of extensive research about gun violence in the United States. It memorializes the lives lost, while also representing the data, concepts, and ideas through which we attempt to make sense of the problem. 

The conversation reflects the breadth and depth of the book under discussion, covering Hix’s motivation for writing American Outrage, the book’s unique structure, the challenges of comprehending gun violence, inequities in how human lives are valued and recorded, and much more.

If you'd like to read passages from the book before listening, you can find scans of pages read during the podcast here.

Billy Mills Review : Friday March 21, 2025

https://ellipticalmovements.wordpress.com/2025/03/21/recent-reading-march-2025-a-review/

Geoffrey Gatza is a poet, publisher and, it turns out, a visual artist, an aspect of his work that features heavily in his latest book, Self Geofferential, which contains a large number of his mixed media collages, a couple of drawings, and a painting and photograph alongside, and interacting with, a set of very interesting poems. I claim no expertise in visual art, but the collages in particular strike me as being a cross between the best kind of children’s book illustration, say Eric Carle, Dada and 1960s Vispo. The poems, despite the title, are personal but not confessional, and approach the real by way of the imagined, or maybe the other way round,  as in these lines from ‘America’:

I can see the pleasant house I live in from here.
This house is Kenmore, but it is not what I see when I walk by.
On the orange and red leaf-covered street, my home lifts the skies.
It has been here since time began, or maybe 1924, when it was built.

I purchase goods in the shops near my home in Kenmore,
But these shops are not what I imagine when I see my home.
I see the many different businesses these buildings have housed,
They have moved forward, stopping only to mark the passing time.

Kenmore being a ‘real’ place, one where Gatza lives in both real and imagined life. And the imagination enables a clearer, more comprehensive, view of the real, so that you see not just what is now, but where it has come from. And this depends on the power of actually seeing what’s in front of you, of seeing:

Maybe he had never really looked at anything, ever.
He adjusted his glasses and looked deeply
Into the daffodils standing in their crystal vase.

They looked so familiar yet the drawing he rendered
Was squiggles and shapes resembling yellow flowers,
But they were not what he saw in the vase.
(from ‘Drawing Daffodils’)

In other poems. Gatza reimagines fables and fairy stories as ways into that imaginary reality:

Even though you know all the story by heart, your heart skips a beat
When your grandmother reads out the wolf’s lines. Her voice becomes
Quite growly, wolf-like, and dangerous. It feels real when she pretends.

That last sentence could stand as epigraph for the entire collection, while the matter-of-fact surface of the language is representative Gatza’s style in the book. It’s a style that owes something to Ashbery and the New York poets, but the poet’s distinctive approach absorbs any such influences into a coherent tone that revolves around the nuances of language:

In Cooking, apples are pommes.
In Cooking, potatoes are pommes.

Under the unity of naming
I hoped to bridge that gap, but

The hungry spirit of time
looks truth in the eyes.

No amount of experiment,
experience, and discovery
can change my disappointment

Apples are not potatoes,
And burn in hot oil.
(from ‘Disappointment Apples’)

Language, specifically poetry, being the medium by which the imagined and real worlds are brought into alignment:

At the bar we read
In the New Yorker
John Ashbery has died.

Also, hurricane Irma
is barreling down
On the Leeward Islands.

Turns out
The whole world is a hurricane.

The whole fucking world is a poem
About hurricanes flooding
Our streets with red geraniums.

But enough. It’s always telling when I find myself quoting more than writing about a book; I can only hope that the bits I’ve quoted are enough to inspire you to go read the full thing. You won’t regret it.

Geoffrey Gatza's Self Geofferential Now Available

Order Your Copy Here

$22.00

BlazeVOX [books] is proud to announce the release of Self Geofferential by Geoffrey Gatza, a captivating hybrid of poetry and collage that redefines the boundaries of artistic expression. Gatza's latest work is a vibrant exploration of language and visual art, combining playful self-reflection with a deeply felt elegiac tone.

Renowned poet and critic Tony Trigilio describes Self Geofferential as "a hybrid extravaganza of poetry and collage that unfolds in a range of innovative literary and visual forms." Trigilio praises Gatza's "exuberant inventiveness" that reveals "new lights shining in a night sky filled with stars." Gatza's work offers both meditative reflection and imaginative exuberance, encouraging readers to see the world anew: “Flowers growing / in bits of broken everything.”

Poet Deborah Meadows notes that Self Geofferential blends the imagined world with the everyday, capturing the poignancy of loss and the enduring hope found in everyday beauty. As Meadows writes, "Gatza's poems urge us to see, feel exalted in the ordinary beauty of our surround, look out at a new world each moment."

Gatza's innovative collages further enrich the book's unique aesthetic, inviting readers to engage deeply with his artistic vision. With a Zen-like focus on the present, Self Geofferential encourages us to embrace both the magic and fragility of life.

About the Author:
Geoffrey Gatza is the author of acclaimed poetry collections including The House of Forgetting (2012), Apollo: A Conceptual Poem (2014), and A Dog Lost in the Brick City of Outlawed Trees (2018). His works have been featured in leading journals such as Fence, Tarpaulin Sky, The Pickled Body, Peach Mag, and Tupelo Quarterly. Divya Victor, writing for Poetry Foundation, hailed Gatza's Apollo: A Conceptual Poem for its "heightened relationship between the interior self and the exterior world."

In addition to his literary achievements, Gatza is an award-winning editor, publisher, and the driving force behind BlazeVOX [books], an independent press based in Buffalo, NY. He lives in Kenmore, NY.

Order Now:
Self Geofferential is available for purchase for $22.00. Add this remarkable book to your collection today and immerse yourself in the brilliance of Geoffrey Gatza's poetic and visual artistry.

A Book Launch Poetry Reading will happen in Buffalo in late April. 

Self Geofferential is available for purchase here
https://www.blazevox.org/shop-1/p/self-geofferential-by-geoffrey-gatza

+ Poetry review – Self Geofferential: Charles Rammelkamp

https://londongrip.co.uk/2025/01/london-grip-poetry-review-geoffrey-gatza/

+ Disappointment Apples by Geoffrey Gatza 

JUST BUFFALO Poem of the Week, chosen by R.D. Pohl

https://www.justbuffalo.org/geoffrey-gatza-2025-02-02/

Infinite gratitude for the read-through and your support of my work over the years. 

Rockets, Geoffrey

Geoffrey Gatza

me: http://www.blazevox.org  

e: editor@blazevox.org

you: Self Geofferential: https://www.blazevox.org/shop-1/p/self-geofferential-by-geoffrey-gatza

https://youtu.be/SvqOzBhUxzo


Gloria Frym Unveils the Truth in Lies & More Lies at City Lights Bookstore

On February 3, 2025, City Lights and BlazeVOX Books joined forces to present a captivating video reading event featuring Gloria Frym in conversation with Peter Maravelis. The occasion celebrated the publication of Frym’s latest book, Lies & More Lies, a work that masterfully intertwines comedy and tragedy to confront the deceit woven through our daily lives and political landscapes.

A Dynamic Conversation on Truth and Art

In this engaging session, Frym’s commanding presence and incisive wit shine through as she reads selections from Lies & More Lies. The discussion, led by Peter Maravelis of City Lights, delves into the multifaceted nature of truth in an era marked by misinformation and the deliberate twisting of words by those in power. The conversation is not just a reading—it’s an invitation to witness how language, in its most honest form, can both expose and transform the pervasive "bag of doubt" that defines our contemporary reality.

Exploring the Layers of Lies & More Lies

At its heart, Lies & More Lies is a collection of prose poems, satires, and short fictions that navigates the complex terrain of personal and civic deception. Frym’s work challenges the reader to observe the dual nature of lies: the public falsehoods peddled by political and corporate entities, and the quieter, intimate fabrications of everyday life. With a style that echoes the playful abandon of Gertrude Stein and the relentless poetic spirit of Baudelaire—“toujours poète, même en prose”—Frym defies conventional structure, allowing digressions and associations to breathe life into each paragraph.

An undercurrent of ecological and social mourning runs through the text, suggesting that the lies serving political and corporate interests are not merely abstract wrongs; they are active contributors to global decay. This blend of humor, pathos, and urgency marks Lies & More Lies as a necessary work for our time—a literary mirror reflecting both our absurdities and our aspirations for justice.

Critical Acclaim and Resonant Themes

The book has already garnered glowing praise from literary figures. Jonathan Lethem marvels at Frym’s ability to dissect the regime of falsehoods without resorting to grandiosity, noting that she “holds the receipts” of our collective deceptions with an awestruck beauty. Maxine Chernoff praises the work as a “jewel” of prose poems and short fictions that not only entertains but offers profoundly accurate advice on navigating life’s myriad challenges—from eccentric neighbors to the universal upheavals that mark our times. Maureen Owen encapsulates the spirit of the book by describing it as a series of modern fables that boldly question the quality of truth in our “Age of Lies.”

Gloria Frym: A Literary Trailblazer

Beyond Lies & More Lies, Gloria Frym’s career is a tapestry of innovative writing. As a poet, prose writer, and Professor Emerita of Writing & Literature at California College of the Arts, her works—ranging from the introspective How Proust Ruined My Life & Other Essays to the critically acclaimed short story collections Distance No Object and How I Learned—have consistently pushed the boundaries of language and form. Frym’s legacy is further cemented by accolades such as the American Book Award for her poetry collection Homeless at Home.

Reflecting on the Moment

The video reading not only celebrated a new publication but also underscored the timeless relevance of honest, daring art. In a world where the distortion of facts can lead to societal and ecological peril, Frym’s work stands as a beacon of clarity and resilience. The interplay of humor and sorrow in her prose challenges us to re-examine the narratives we accept and to find strength in the beauty of truth—even when that truth is wrapped in layers of irony and wit.

For those eager to explore this literary journey, Lies & More Lies is available for purchase through City Lights. As the reading reminds us, words imbued with honesty are among the highest forms of art, offering both a reflection on our current state and a hopeful call for transformation.

*Made possible by the support of the City Lights Foundation.*

ENTWINE by Mary Newell Now Available!

RESTLESS MESSENGERS: POETRY IN REVIEW PAST REVIEWS ABOUT BUY ME A COFFEE Book Cover Aldon Lynn Nielsen, with E. Ethelbert Miller, MemeWars BlazeVOX Books, 2022, Review by Andrew R. Mossin

Hurray and congrats to Alejandro Crawford! A new book by João Paulo Guimarães, Experimental American Poetry and the New Organic Form has a chapter on his BlazeVOX [book], Morpheu. Below is a bit more about the book and where you can buy it: 

Disappointment Apples by Geoffrey Gatza

JUST BUFFALO Poem of the Week, chosen by R.D. Pohl

I am very pleased to announce that 'The Words Already Around Us: A Conversation Between Rupert Loydell and H. L. Hix' is now published in volume 10 of Writing in Practice, which can be downloaded for free at https://www.nawe.co.uk/writing-in-education/writing-at-university/writing-in-practice/current-issue.html

The issue also includes a wide range of other material including a fascinating piece'Kinepoetics: An Embodied Journey Through Poetry, Dance And Therapy' by Scott Thurston



The Words Already Around Us: 
A Conversation Between Rupert Loydell and H. L. Hix

In this dialogue H. L. Hix and Rupert Loydell discuss the reasons for “impersonal” methodologies in writing, in response to the overcrowded information age we live in and to fragmentation, appropriation and remixology. Philosophy, creativity, politics and the personal inform this debate, with the authors interrogating one another’s recent and past books of poetry as a springboard to think about the nature of 21st Century writing and current poetics.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2025, 7:00 PM PST

Gloria Frym

This event will be held onsite at City Lights. It will also be broadcast on zoom. To experience the virtual part of the event you will need a device that can access the internet and registration is required.

City Lights and BlazeVox Books celebrate the publication of Lies & More Lies  – by Gloria Frym – Published by BlazeVOX

Geoffrey Gatza's Self Geofferential Reviewed

Jan 16

Geoffrey Gatza's Self Geofferential, his latest collection of poetry and mixed media art, invites readers to embark on a journey that is as visually captivating as it is intellectually stimulating. In this intricate blend of words and images, Gatza creates a world where dreams, nature, memory, and myth intersect, all while referencing the self in ways both playful and profound. With echoes of John Ashbery’s surrealism and a bold, pop-art flair reminiscent of Andy Warhol, Gatza’s work is a celebration of the art of representation—whether it be in the form of text, visual collage, or the quiet spaces in between. This duality of form and content provides readers not only with a collection of beautiful poetry but also with striking, thought-provoking artwork that speaks to both the eye and the mind. In his self-referential exploration of life, death, and the imagination, Gatza offers a rich tapestry of meaning, weaving wisdom from the natural world and the realm of dreams into each poem. Charles Rammelkamp, in his review of Self Geofferential, takes us through Gatza's work, revealing its multilayered richness and the two-fold pleasure that both the poems and the artworks provide.

THE ALWAYS ALREADY ABSENT PRESENT BY ANNE TARDOS by Greg Bem in North of Oxford

Happy New Year!!!

Charles Rammelkamp talks about his book, THE TRAPEZE OF YOUR FLESH on Meat for Teacast

Linda Norton, Cloud of Witnesses named one of The Progressive Magazine’s Favorite Books of 2024