Episode 0103 Transcript

 [Intro music] (“We know what happened to those who chanced to meet the Great God Pan, and those who are wise know that all symbols are symbols of something, not of nothing.”)

HWAET! Theydies and Gentlethems, you’re listening to the third episode of Pan Left For Poetry, celebrating the Dionysus in us. I’m G.M. Palmer & as always, the jams are provided by the faculty of funk: Professor Doom and Doctor Subtlefish. Hang out for the next half hour and get drunk on poetry! Poetry news, poetry jams, and poetry books! If you like what you hear, support me at ko-fi, cashapp, venmo, and threadless. Links on twitter @panleftpoetry and PanLeftForPoetry.com

[Music]

Each week I’ll share what’s going on in the poetry world. In this week’s poetry news, let’s review some old news that’s still news:

In AWPhilly (again, that’s what I’m calling AWP 22, you can’t stop me) news, AWPhilly event and panel proposals are due by June 8th. If you want a weirdo who makes podcasts and poetry jams for your reading, event, or proposal, hit me up!

Bacopa Literary Review, from the Writers Alliance of Gainesville, online at writersalliance.org, is accepting submissions through May 31st for its 2021 edition. 

Ars Poetica, online and on insta at arspoetica.us has an open call out for disabled poets to submit poems to be published on their blog and Instagram, with a $100 honorarium for each poet. Submit your work to lamarks@arspoetica.us to be considered.

Jenn Koiter, on twitter at jenn (with two ns) koiter, is reading on zoom on May 22nd as a finalist with the 2021 DC Poet Project. Check out all the readers’ bios at dayeight.org. Join the zoom link and give Jenn your support. Eventbrite information at panleftforpoetry.com.

And in new poetry news,

Maryann Corbett, on twitter at MaryannCorbett has a new poem, “Pavement” out in Issue 29 of Ecotone. You can find Ecotone on twitter at EcotoneMagazine. She also has three poems out in the new journal Grand Things, on twitter at GrandThings.

Alexander Long, on insta at alexbasspoem where he makes the FUNNIEST captions for medieval art, has a review of Peter Everwine’s latest up at Poetry International Online. You can find Poetry International on twitter at PoetryIntl.

Chad Abushanab, on twitter at chad_abushanab has written the introduction for Robert McDowell’s New and Selected, titled Sweet Wolf

That’s what I’ve got for this week’s poetry news. You can always at me at PanLeftPoetry on Twitter with your poetry news to keep listeners in the loop. I need news you need to know!

[Music]

If you’ve listened so far, you’re a wonderful human so be sure to show how great you are by picking up your SAPPHO and DIONYSUS shirts at sapphosupreme.threadless.com to support the show and be fuckin rad. That’s sapphosupreme.threadless.com.

[Music]

Each week’s show includes a couple of poetry jams. The right channel is the music and the left channel is the poetry. Music plus poetry equals poetry jam! The music is provided by the faculty of funk: Professor Doom and Doctor Subtlefish. Words by me. Before we get in to our first jam, I want to say that we got a new mic for recording, the Rode NT1. I’m not getting anything to endorse them, although I’d happily take your money, Rode, if you’re offering--but what a difference a good recording mic makes! I hope you can hear the difference going forward. When you support the show, you support new gear! Our first poetry jam this week is The First Reading from my unpublished book The Page of Wands. The Page of Wands is a book of seven tarot-poetry readings and is illustrated with an entirely original tarot deck. Publishers take note! Poetry jams sound best on headphones and remember, Pan Left For Poetry!

(Poetry Jam)

That was The First Reading from my book The Page of Wands. Now it’s time for I’ve Been Drinking!

[Music]

This segment is called “I’ve been drinking” and it’s where I talk a bit about a book of poetry I’ve just been having a wonderful time with. Getting drunk on its rhythm and words. Imbibing its vibing. This week I’ve been drinking Near Hits & Lost Classics, by Quincy R. Lehr, on twitter at QuincyRLehr from Kelsay Books on twitter at BooksKelsay. Shitass. Louwbre. Asshole. These are just some of the phrases lovingly applied to and by Quincy R. Lehr. Dressed like a goth peacock, Lehr power chords his way into journals and readings and panels, all for a good time and to spread the twin gospels of poetic and communistic propaganda. 

I’ve known Quincy for quite some time. As the editor of the Raintown Review, he has even published some of my work. But I don’t have to know you to love your work; if you’ve got a book out and you’d like a chance for it to be featured in I’ve Been Drinking, send me a copy! I love to read and if I’m going to do 50 of these a year, I need more new books.

Near Hits & Lost Classics is a collection of early poems by Lehr, taking hits from his books and chapbooks Across the Grid of Streets, William Montgomery’s Guide to New York City, and Obscure Classics of English Progressive Rock. Like a lot of books from small presses, these are increasingly difficult to find in the original and Lehr wanted to update some of them, hence the new and exciting book from Kelsay Books. 

Lehr’s poetry is, like his persona, shitass, teeth-kicking, louwbre rock. If you’ve ever been an outcast high on PBR, Bauhaus, and RATT, Lehr’s poetry is for you. Also, if you’ve ever spent any time in New York City, you should get the book for the Guide alone.

The first poem I want to read is Lines for my father, originally published in 2008’s Across the Grid of Streets. I like poems about dead fathers. Probably because mine died when I was 23 and pretty much every one I read by another poet feels like home.

[reads poem]

What I especially like about this is the intergenerational critique. Sure his dad’s generation sucks, but so do we. Kicking against what turns out to be nothing, we wonder what all that energy is spent for. Bleak but hopeful.

The second poem I want to read is Jimmy Carter, King of America, originally published in 2012’s Obscure Classics of English Progressive Rock. 

[reads poem]

If I can riff for a moment and skip over the literal, the poem gets at the sense Generation X has of growing up in a world of Family Ties to be living in a Post-Truth, Trumpian world where American Cops can kill anyone they want to, especially if that anyone is Black, and Israel can bomb journalist’s offices and children without consequences or remorse.

And what do we do, what can we do other than “switch off” and “heat a frozen dinner from the fridge”? I’ll note the next poem is titled We all have our needs.

So that’s just a brief sampling of Near Hits & Lost Classics by Quincy R. Lehr from Kelsay Books. Take yourself to kelsaybooks.com and get a copy today. There will be a link provided @PanLeftPoetry as well as on panleftforpoetry.com.

[Music]

Our second and final poetry jam this week is Metaphors for Page, originally published by Veritas. Poetry jams sound best on headphones and remember, Pan Left For Poetry!

(poetry jam)

That was Metaphors for Page, originally published by Veritas.

[Music]

That does it for this week’s show and our THIRD EPISODE! Thanks everyone for listening. All our poetry jams can be listened to at Soundcloud, PanLeftForPoetry.com and your favorite streaming service. You can always find a transcript of this week’s show and every show along with links for donations and to purchase books and shirts and other merch at (PanLeftForPoetry).

Poetry jams are by me, GM Palmer on vocals, Professor Doom on strings, and Dr. Subtlefish on drums and programming. Production and engineering by Genevieve. See you next week and remember, Pan Left for Poetry!

[Outro Music]