KSE POETRY YEAR 2009 Project—-Line-Up

I’ve spent about three months putting together a massive 12-poet, 12-chapbook project for next year, tentatively called KSE POETRY YEAR 2009. In some ways, it’s a natural follow-up to the NEXT EXIT series, which will be ending in December 2008 with volume 10 from Misti Rainwater-Lites. This time, however, instead of juxtaposing pairs of poets (except for the  Christopher Cunningham and Misti solo efforts, placed strategically at #5 and #10 in the series), each poet will have a solo chapbook.

A few years back, I discovered a 12-part electronic music piece called A SOUND YEAR, by the Danish composer GUNNER MOLLER PEDERSEN. It consisted of 12 “sound installations”, one for each month of the year. It then dawned on me that such a project would lend itself well to poetry. A series of 12 chapbooks from 12 different poets, each interpreting a particular month, chosen by the poet, in whatever way he or she chooses.

Next was putting together a “dream team” of contemporary poetry, starting with Doug Draime. Just last night the final poet was put into place, so here is the line-up for KSE POETRY YEAR 2009:

JANUARY—-MK CHAVEZ  (california);

FEBRUARY—-DEBBIE KIRK  (california);

MARCH—-CHRISTOPHER CUNNINGHAM  (georgia);

APRIL—-RONALD BAATZ  (new york);

MAY—-BILL SHUTE  (texas);

JUNE—-LUIS CUAUHTEMOC BERRIOZABAL  (california);

JULY—-MISTI RAINWATER-LITES  (texas);

AUGUST—-BRAD KOHLER  (pennsylvania);

SEPTEMBER—-K.M. DERSLEY  (england);

OCTOBER—-ADRIAN MANNING  (england);

NOVEMBER—-ALEATHIA DREHMER  (new york);

DECEMBER—-DOUG DRAIME  (oregon).

Each chapbook will appear in the respective month of 2009, beginning with MK Chavez in January.

AND, to give everyone an early taste of the series and to kick it off along with this announcement, KSE is publishing a new chapbook from Aleathia Drehmer called THICKETS OF MAYAPPLE: LETTERS FOR EDWARD (KSE #99), which is an “advance” volume in the series set in the month of MAY 2009 and composed especially for this project by Aleathia (she will also have another chap in the regular series in 2009). I’ll whip out a post about THICKETS OF MAYAPPLE soon, but it’s available right now for ordering, so don’t wait!

This KSE POETRY YEAR 2009 Project should be an exciting series, and I hope it will make a significant mark on the contemporary poetry scene. There will be a lot of diversity in style, attitude, content, region, lifestyle, and poetic aesthetic among the 12 poets. Check the blog for details as they emerge. For now, however, get a copy of Aleathia’s THICKETS OF MAYAPPLE and while writing that check, why not score copies of the other recent chapbooks:

#98  ADRIAN MANNING, wide asleep, fast awake;

#96  JIM D. DEUCHARS, pieces of eight;

#94  DOUG DRAIME, love & blues in oregon;

#92  BILL SHUTE, shore access;

#90  MK CHAVEZ, visitation;

#89  HOSHO McCREESH/CALEB PUCKETT, next exit: eight;

#88  BILL SHUTE, luna americana;

#87  DOUG DRAIME, last may (1968);

#83  GLENN W. COOPER, rimbaud in the city.

See “available KSE poetry chapbooks” page to your right for ordering information.

And remember, our 100th poetry chapbook (!!!!) will be appearing in July,

KSE #100, RONALD BAATZ / LUIS CUAUHTEMOC BERRIOZABAL, NEXT EXIT: SEVEN         (available 7/15/08).