d.a. levy lives: celebrating the renegade press
BookThug
(Toronto)
this Tues. July 29, 6:00 p.m. sharp, free
ACA Galleries
529 W. 20th St., 5th Flr.
NYC
Event will be hosted by
BookThug publisher Jay MillAr
Featuring readings from
Cara Benson
Melissa Buzzeo
Mark Goldstein
Evan Kennedy
Jay MillAr
Steven Zultanski
with music from
Apostle of Hustle
There will be wine, cheese, and crackers, too.
Curated and with an introduction by Boog City editor David Kirschenbaum
------
**BookThug
http://www.bookthug.com
http://www.bookthug.blogspot.
http://www.apollinaires.com
BookThug is a Canadian independent literary publishing house that grew =20
up with Apollinaire?s Bookshoppe, an online bookshoppe that =20
specializes in the books that no one wants to buy. BookThug chooses to =20
publish no particular stream of poetry or literary content; rather the =20
goal is to loosely follow Eliot?s credo that there are only two kinds =20
of poetry: Good and Bad. BookThug could be said to represent either =20
depending on your point of view. BookThug resists being hegemonic =20
about borders, including those between languages, between genders, =20
between countries, and between genres. Above all, it seeks to promote =20
aMUSEment to the citizens of BookThug Nation through the publication =20
of unexpected literature. BookThug is as BookThug does.
*Performer Bios*
**Apostle of Hustle
http://www.arts-crafts.ca/
http://www.myspace.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.
It?s a long Hitchcockian zoom-in, the omniscient clouds part, the =20
sleazy waterfront scene is set. Like Steve Zissou?s Belafonte =20
cross-section, we can see a number of little hives of activity: a =20
young man loiters behind a cramped bar; faces light by low lights, =20
listens intently while one speaks, gesturing wildly; a captain barks =20
orders at his crew to hurry the fuck up; someone throws flowers into =20
the sea; a vintage jukebox amuses the hipsters on a crawl. Welcome to =20
the borough of a possible nowhere.
Apostle of Hustle first took shape after a two-month sojourn in El =20
Barrio Santo Suarez, in Havana, in 2001. This experience was mind =20
blowing for Apostle of Hustle?s lead (Andrew Whiteman) from the ground =20
up: the community, the fashion, the speed, and the music. Whiteman =20
returned to Toronto invigorated about a possible music that did not =20
yet exist. Knowing he wanted to create it, Whiteman took up residency =20
at a local dive as Apostle Of Hustle, a quartet. The band played =20
Brazilian and Cuban folk songs, as well as Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, and =20
Marc Ribot covers. Whiteman played guitar and tres; plus he recruited =20
Dean Stone on drums and Julian Brown, an old buddy from the mid-?90s =20
indie scene, on upright bass. The fourth position was a kind of ?open =20
door? to whomever might show up on their nights, anyone from Bryden =20
Baird (Feist) on flugel horn to Daniel Stone (cache) on percussion.
Apostle of Hustle?s first endeavor, Folkloric Feel, was released in =20
July of 2004. It was a Frankenstein of a record, recorded in over four =20
different locations at different times. By this point, Whiteman was =20
almost completely consumed with recording and touring with Broken =20
Social Scene and finishing the Apostle of Hustle record could only =20
happen in between tours. A collection of tracks and mixes and ideas =20
was brought to BSS producer David Newfeld?s door and he somehow was =20
able to create the psychedelic debut that came out on the Arts & =20
Crafts label.
National Anthem of Nowhere was recorded in Montreal at Studio =20
Masterkut in March of 2006. This time around the band sought the =20
production talents of Martin Davis Kinack (BSS/Sam Roberts =20
front-of-house man, as well as Sarah Harmer producer). National Anthem =20
of Nowhere was finished in Whiteman?s bedroom in September and mixed =20
in the woods at Marty's secret studio locale. The vibe was almost =20
completely vin rouge, even after the Montreal stint. A few guests =20
lurked?Liam O?Neil from the Stills, Evan Cranley and Chris Seligman =20
from Stars, and Lisa Lobsinger who sang with BSS on their 2006 tours. =20
Daniel Stone is present on almost all the tracks playing conga, bongo, =20
and especially caja. The record sounds so good, he even decided to =20
skip part of the salsa season to tour with Apostle of Hustle in 2007. =20
Nice one, compa=F1ero.
**Cara Benson
http://necessetics.com/
Cara Benson's work appears in print and online. She teaches poetry =20
every Tuesday at a NY State Prison and edits the online lit/art =20
journal Sous Rature. Spell/ing ( ) Bound, written in collaboration =20
with Kai Fierle-Hedrick and Kathrin Schaeppi, is forthcoming from =20
'letrique press. Her BookThug title, Quantum Chaos & Poems: A =20
Manifost(o)ation, tied for first place in this year?s bpNichol =20
Chapbook Award.
**Melissa Buzzeo
http://www.xcp.bfn.org/buzzeo.
Born in 1977 in New York, Melissa Buzzeo has worked as a counselor, =20
curator, professor, and palm reader.City M (Leona Press, New York) is =20
presently being translated into French for inclusion in a Quebecois =20
journal. Disparate work has been translated into Catalan and =20
anticipating publication in Spain. A second chapbook, In The Garden of =20
the Book, is forthcoming from NO press (Calgary). Currently she is =20
reaching toward translation in living space. Face is forthcoming from =20
BookThug.
**Mark Goldstein
http://www.beautifuloutlaw.com
Toronto writer Mark Goldstein?s poems have appeared in periodicals =20
including Matrix and echolocation. An avid small presser, he has =20
issued limited edition books under the Beautiful Outlaw imprint. After =20
Rilke: To Forget You Sang (BookThug) is his first book. From Shore to =20
Shore, a book-length poem will be published in 2009. He is currently =20
translating poems by the late Paul Celan.
**Evan Kennedy
http://thecheer-upbook.
Evan Kennedy is the author of Us Them Poems (BookThug) and The Cheer =20
up Book of Wounded Soldiers(Dirty Swan Projects). He grew up in Texas =20
and has lived in several neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
**Jay MillAr
http://www.jaymillar.blogspot.
Jay MillAr lives in Toronto where he runs BookThug and Apollinaire?s =20
Bookshoppe. He is the author of four collections of poetry, including =20
Mycological Studies, False Maps for Other Creatures, and the small =20
blue. In 2006 he published Double Helix, a collaborative ?novel? =20
written with Stephen Cain. His most recent publication, Lack Lyrics, =20
was written while being downsized out of a comfortable but =20
directionless position at an antiquarian bookstore. It is a =20
pathetically self-published chapbook that has no spine, isn?t eligible =20
for the kinds of funding, attention, or prizes that ?real books? of =20
poetry qualify for, and doesn?t even have any blurbish endorsements =20
from other writers attached to it. It even tied for the 2008 bpNichol =20
Chapbook Award, proving that it lacks even that certain something it =20
takes to win an entire prize, and tied for first place in this year?s =20
bpNichol Chapbook Award.
**Steven Zultanski
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
Steven Zultanski is the author of the chapbook Homoem (Radical =20
Readout), and the forthcoming This and That Lenin (BookThug) and =20
Steve's Poem (Lettermachine). He edits President's Choice magazine, a =20
Lil' Norton publication. His poetry has appeared in Antennae, FO(A)RM, =20
The Physical Poets, and Shiny, among others.
