Distinctions

On finissait par discuter nos ex, et il me dévoilait cette distinction qui pour lui avait beaucoup éclairé, entre d’un côté, l’honnêteté, et de l’autre, la franchise. L’honnêteté se résumait à se dire, entre amis, ce qu’on pensait vraiment, mais la franchise, prétendait-il, consistait à toujours, de ces pensées honnêtes, tout dire. A savoir, de ne rien cacher, surtout de ces mécontentements que mettent de coté les membres d’un couple pour mieux se servir comme arme ou comme béquille, comme preuve ou comme accusation, selon les circonstances, lorsqu’éclate une de ces disputes—tout membre d’un couple, présent ou passé, saurait parfaitement de quoi je parle—faites des contrariétés qui s’intensifiaient depuis des semaines où l’on refusait d’en parler. De tour au tour, on les cache puis on les sort, ces déceptions que chérit la vie du couple, qui s’enrichit des jeux malsains.

Reading at Bowery Poetry Club, Wed. 3/25/09

Apparently I’m to be giving a mini-reading at this Wednesday event, from “Ecorcheville,” Chateaureynaud’s print premiere from last spring:

NAKED PSYCHES ON THE BOWERY
Epiphany is proud to announce the release of its Winter/Spring ’09 issue, Naked Psyches. Contributors to this eclectic issue explore experiences ranging from the rapture of Dionysus (George Franklin, “Talking Head”) to the ragged dissociations of a girl addicted to crank (Keith Hendershot, “I Heart You Past August”), along the way touching on the underground blues scene in New York (Susan Ruel, “Medium Shuffle Blues in E”), the snobberies of official Washington (Sallie Bingham, “The Monkey’s Uncle”), and the vicissitudes of growing up with a famous literary father (Kaylie Jones, “City of Lights”). The issue also features a verse playlet by Hairspray author Mark O’Donnell (“The Goblins Plot to Murder God”), nine brilliant lyric poems by Martin Edmunds, and much more. If there is a common thread running through the issue, it is the authors’ faithful tracing of the fault lines of inner reality, wherever they may lead. If you aren’t already a subscriber, visit our website, http://www.epiphanyzine.com, to become one today! Also, Epiphany will be celebrating the release of Naked Psyches with a reading and launch party on March 25th from 6-8 at the Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery, N.Y.C. (Admission: $5, Admission + Naked Psyches: $10, Admission + one-year subscription: $15.) Thank you for your support of Epiphany!

Young Man, Blow Your Horn

Back! After a month of inaction, and about to clap shock paddles to the blog. Defibrillation will the take the form of some brief announcements, either what I’ve been up to or what’s upcoming (all updates have been added to the Translations page):

In Interfictions 2, the anthology of the Interstitial Arts Foundation
* “L’Ile Close” by Lionel Davoust, forthcoming from Small Beer Press, Fall 2009

An excellent and enlightening time had working on this idiosyncratic Arthurian analysis-fantasia.

At Tara Online, the site of HRH Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian, author of the bestselling Tara Duncan series
* Chapters 1-3 from Tara Duncan, Book 1: The Spellweavers

I’ve had the pleasure of working not only the author’s magical YA series, but also La Danse des obeses, her horror novel for adults last spring. It had a meat hook on the cover. Some of you may have heard me mention it. She was kind enough to post my translation at her site! Which just goes to prove Her Highness’ royal graciousness.

Conjunctions
* “La Tete” by Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, forthcoming, Spring 2009

300 pages of Post-Fantasy goodness featuring my friend Scott Geiger and a host of amazing names: Jeff VanderMeer, Ben Marcus, Joyce Carol Oates, China Miéville, Elizabeth Hand, Shelley Jackson, Stephen Wright, Jedediah Berry, Jonathan Carroll… and those are just the ones I know! Plus Karen Russell and Conjunctions editors Micaela Morrissette, and J.W. McCormack, whom I’ve met at readings.
I am deeply proud to have Châteaureynaud stand among them.

The Brooklyn Rail
* “Le seul mortel” by Georges-Olivier Châteaureynaud, Dec. 2008-Jan. 2009

This has been available for some time now, but I never flogged it yet. The print version is unfortunately no longer available on stands, but the virtual survives.

Absinthe: New European Writing
* from Cioran et compagnie, by Roland Jaccard, forthcoming in issue 11, Spring 2009

Very excited about the debut of Jaccard the triste esprit nihiliste, and the fact that Absinthe is still afloat.

Words Without Borders
* from Contre la B.D. by Jochen Gerner, April 2009
* from Lettre aux survivants by Gébé, April 2009
* from Farniente by Lewis Trondheim, April 2009

These last dates are still provisional, as is any guest blogging I do with them; these pieces, slated to appear in February’s graphic issue, were delayed for purposes of hand-lettering by artists.