Best Poem-In-Which-Every-Word-Is-Spelled-Wrong Bee

Write a really good poem in which every word is really badly spelled!

Win a $100 SPD Gift Certificate!

Now everyone can get in on the action that will take place May 18th at the Crown Point Gallery in San Francisco when we have our Bee-In, a Spelling Bee to Benefit SPD.

We realize that conceptual poets might have the edge in this competition, but feel that SPD readers and writers will be equal to the challenge.

Two things that are true on the internet is that no one knows you are a dog and, with very little effort, everyone can spell. Hence the challenge to misspell, but with élan!

Here’s the deal:

1. Poem can be of any length but, you know, give us a break here, man.


2. All words in the poem must be misspelled but must also be legible in some way or other.


3. SPD staff will judge the entries.


4. Email your poem to contest@spdbooks.org by May 18th, the day of the Bee-In, a Spelling Bee to Benefit SPD.

JUST IN!

LOGOS AND LANGUAGE: A POST-JAZZ METAPHORICAL DIALOGUE by Steve Dalachinsky (RogueArt)
DRIVING GRAVEL ROADS: 50 PROSE POEMS by Jim Johnson (Red Dragonfly Press)
VERTEBRAE ROSARIES: 50 SONNETS by Philip Dacey (Red Dragonfly Press)
THE FIRST LIGHT TOUCHES ME by Lyle Daggett (Red Dragonfly Press)
THE EXTENDED WORDS: AN IMAGINARY DICTIONARY by Sid Gershgoren (Red Dragonfly Press)
AMONG FRIENDS by Mary Lou Sanelli (Aequitas Books)
LIGHT FROM A BULLET HOLE: POEMS NEW AND SELECTED, 1950-2008 by Ralph Salisbury (Silverfish Review Press)
TEMPORARY BUNK by Lori Anderson Moseman (Swank Books)
THE MISSING by Maurizio Cucchi (Agincourt Press)
GOODBYE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE by James Sanders (BlazeVOX Books)
SOMETHING TO EXCHANGE by Celia Gilbert (BlazeVOX Books)
GEEK MAFIA: BLACK HAT BLUES by Rick Dakan (PM Press)
HANGING LOOSE 94 edited by Robert Hershon, Dick Lourie, Mark Pawlak, and Ron Schreiber (Hanging Loose Press)
MIDNIGHT HIGHWAY: A BRIGHT RIDE INSIDE A MAGICAL ROAD SHOW by Ken Wilkerson (Xenos Books)
TRANSPARENCIES by Robert Edwards (Red Dragonfly Press)
PETE'S GOLD by Luanne Armstrong (Ronsdale Press)

JUST IN!

THE DANGEROUS SHIRT By Alberto Ríos (Copper Canyon Press)
TERM AS IN AFTERMATH by Alan Halsey (Ahadada Books)
DEMOSTHENES' LEGACY by Jonathan Monroe (Ahadada Books)
PITCH BLACK by Youme Landowne and Anthony Horton (Cinco Puntos Press)
PRAYERS LIKE SHOES by Ruth Forman (Whit Press)
TO HELL WITH SLEEP by Anselm Berrigan (Letter Machine Editions)
ANOTHER RANDOM HEART by Sara Veglahn (Letter Machine Editions)
THE RUSSIAN VERSION: SELECTED POEMS OF ELENA FANAILOVA by Elena Fanailova (Ugly Duckling Presse)
I-5 by Summer Brenner (PM Press/Switchblade)
THERE'S THE HAND AND THERE'S THE ARID CHAIR by Tomaž Šalamun (Counterpath Press)
THE KINGDOM OF POSSIBILITIES by Tim Mayo (Mayapple Press)
PERFORMING WORLDS INTO BEING: NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN'S THEATER edited by Ann Elizabeth Armstrong, Kelli Lyon Johnson & William A. Wortman (Miami University Press)
BEEN AND GONE by Julian Kornhauser (Marick Press)
VISIONS FROM FINIS TERRAE: CHILEAN VOICES IN THE UNITED STATES edited by Pablo Arriarán (Inter-American Dialogue/Marick Press)
LIGHT LIGHT OR THE CURVATURE OF THE EARTH by Harriet Zinnes (Marsh Hawk Press)
FORT DAD by Stephen Paul Miller (Marsh Hawk Press)
IN WAYS IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLD by Michael Rerick (Marsh Hawk Press)
THE COMEBACK'S EXOSKELETON by Matthew Rotando (UpSet Press)
STRANGER by Laura Sims (Fence Books)

JUST IN!

FROM DAME QUICKLY by Jennifer Scappettone (Litmus Press)
THE RUST LIFE by Jack Crimmins (earthworm press & projects)
STRANGE TERRAIN: A POETRY HANDBOOK FOR THE RELUCTANT READER by Alice B. Fogel (Hobblebush Books)
SUBWAY MOON by Roy Nathanson (Buddy's Knife Jazz Edition)
COMPOSITIONS FOR COMPUTER, VOLUME 1 by Joel Mellin (Kolourmeim Press)

FRANKLIN ROSEMONT

SPD is saddened to learn of the passing of surrealist Franklin Rosemont.

An obituary from the Chicago Surrealist Group is here.

SPD Archive, 1990

Here's Steve Dickison deciding if SPD can take on this case. As can be seen from his desk, Steve had many jobs at SPD—essentially three present-day positions in one. This is from the San Pablo era (1986-1995).

JUST IN!

BODY OF TEXT by David Ellingsen and Michael V. Smith (BookThug)
TALKING MASKS (OEDIPUSSY) by Adam Seelig (BookThug)
FACE by Melissa Buzzeo (BookThug)
IN STEREO by Paul Hegedus (BookThug)
SELF-PORTRAIT WITH CRAYON by Allison Benis White (Cleveland State U Poetry Center)
TRUST by Liz Waldner (Cleveland State U Poetry Center)
HORSE DANCE UNDERWATER by Helena Mesa (Cleveland State U Poetry Center)
CHANT by Rick Henry (BlazeVOX Books)
SIDEWALK PORTRAIT by Rick Henry (BlazeVOX Books)
POEMS IN CONVERSATION AND A CONVERSATION by Elizabeth Alexander & Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon (Slapering Hol Press)
THE DANCE OF THE DEMONS by Esther Singer Kreitman (The Feminist Press at CUNY)
CITY OF WATER by Robert Thompson (Ahadada Books)
WHAT ARE INTELLECTUALS GOOD FOR? by George Scialabba (Pressed Wafer)
SIDEBROW 01 J. Snyder, J. Cleary & K. Leja, Eds. (Sidebrow)
A MILLION IN PRIZES by Justin Marks (New Issues Poetry & Prose)
HILARITY by Patty Seyburn (New Issues Poetry & Prose)

JUST IN!

Hurry Home Honey by Sawako Nakayasu (Burning Deck)
World Ball Notebook by Sesshu Foster (City Lights)
Zero at the Bone by Stacie Cassarino (New Issues Poetry & Prose)
Dirt Angels by Donald Platt (New Issues Poetry & Prose)
Islands Linked by Ocean by Lisa Linn Kanae (Bamboo Ridge Press)
Dine-Rite: Breakfast Poems by Louis Daniel Brodsky (Time Being Books)
Columbine: A True Crime Story, a Victim, the Killers and the Nation's Search for Answers by Jeff Kass (Ghost Road Press)
Seaweed, Salmon, and Manzanita Cider: A California Indian Feast by Margaret Dubin and Sara-Larus Tolley (Heyday Books)
Gospel by Samiya Bashir (Redbone Press)
Apology for the Book of Creatures by Dan Beachy-Quick (Ahsahta Press)
Trillions & Trillions of Heartbeats by Meg Hamill (Resonant Books)

SPD Archive, 1986

A sunny afternoon outside celebrating SPD's move to San Pablo Avenue. From left to right: Eileen Corder, Columbine Robinson, Nick Robinson, Lyn Hejinian snapshotting the photographer, Simone Fattal, and a suit. In the background is a barsign for The Bird, now known as The Albatross.

And here's Kit Robinson on the same occasion dashingly cutting the ribbon with gardening shears.

SPD Archive, 1979

Season's Greetings from 1979! From left to right: David Bullen, Chuck Miller, Jeannetta Jones Miller, Jean Day with Casey Miller, and Nick Robinson. This photo was probably taken outside SPD's storefront on Shattuck, next to Serendipity Books.

BLOW-OUT VIDEOS!

From our Open House last weekend, shot by Oscar Bermeo:

SPD Archive, 1978

The stunning cover of SPD's 1978 catalog. A mysterious neo-constructivist trend runs sporadically through SPD design history. This may be the only extant copy of this catalog, from way back when SPD was SBD: Serendipity Books Distribution.

PHOTOS BY OSCAR BERMEO

JUST IN!

YOUNG REVOLUTIONARIES WHO ROCK by Dallas Jessup (Sutton Hart Press)
THE HARDSHIP POST by Jehanne Dubrow (Three Candles Press)
EXQUISITE CORPSE ANNUAL, NO. 1, 2009 edited by Andrei Codrescu and Mark Spitzer (Exquisite Corpse Annual/Chum Books)
GETTING LOST IN A CITY LIKE THIS by Jack Anderson (Hanging Loose Press)
THE KANSHI POEMS OF TAIGU RYŌKAN by Taigu Ryōkan (Bottom Dog Press)
FIRST BABY POEMS by Anne Waldman (BlazeVOX Books)
IT MIGHT DO WELL WITH STRAWBERRIES by David Matlin (Marick Press)
VARIATIONS ON A NATURAL THEME: A LOON YEAR by Hugh Hennedy (Hobblebush Books)
IN THE ARENA: LIFE AND TIMES OF WILLIAM W. TREAT by Merle Drown (Hobblebush Books)
IN SEARCH OF SMALL GODS by Jim Harrison (Copper Canyon Press)
FUMBLING IN THE LIGHT by Sidney Hall Jr. (Hobblebush Books)
VOLT: ART ON ART SPRING 2009 edited by Gillian Conoley (Volt)
LEMON PEELED THE MOMENT BEFORE: NEW & SELECTED POEMS, 1967-2008 by Roger Mitchell (Ausable Press)
THE MONSTER LOVES HIS LABYRINTH by Charles Simic (Ausable Press)
AMORISCO by Zhaled Mattawa (Ausable Press)
THE SKELETON OF THE CROW: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS, 1980-2008 by Seido Ray Ronci (Ausable Press)
MADE FLESH by Craig Arnold (Ausable Press)

SPD's 4OTH ANNIVERSARY POETRY BLOW-OUT!

CLARK COOLIDGE ● NORMA COLE ● GRAHAM FOUST ● TENNESSEE REED ● ERICA LEWIS ● ALEX ESPINOZA ● ANDREA LOPEZ

Sunday, April 5, 2009, 12-4PM
Small Press Distribution
1341 7TH Street (at Gilman)
Berkeley
MAP

► 20-50% OFF ALL BOOKS
► READINGS AT 2PM

Brand new books by Clark Coolidge, Norma Cole, and Tennessee Reed!

Cheap Books, Free Readings, Free Snacks & a Poetry Trading Post—It's the SPD Spring Open House!

JUST IN: JENNIFER MOXLEY'S CLAMPDOWN

Jennifer Moxley's Clampdown captures a time of political despair and self-doubt. Our "so-called common ground" erodes where liberal thought, implicated in the systems it critiques, finds no traction and becomes the site of new divisions. Against the reality of distant wars, everyday pleasures—even love itself—become frayed by anxiety and shame. Likewise, the past and the future prove unstable, both close to oblivion in a "maddeningly quiescent landscape" of winter. Throughout Clampdown, Moxley responds to the evanescence of both life and art with all her poetic resources, at times declamatory and incisive, at others "freely espousing" and conversational.

Handsome Young Men

Really?

► SPD IN THE SF EXAMINER

SPD's 4OTH ANNIVERSARY POETRY BLOW-OUT!

CLARK COOLIDGE ● NORMA COLE ● GRAHAM FOUST ● TENNESSEE REED ● ERICA LEWIS ● ALEX ESPINOZA ● ANDREA LOPEZ

Sunday, April 5, 2009, 12-4PM
Small Press Distribution
1341 7TH Street (at Gilman)
Berkeley
MAP

► 20-50% OFF ALL BOOKS
► READINGS AT 2PM

Brand new books by Clark Coolidge, Norma Cole, and Tennessee Reed!

Cheap Books, Free Readings, Free Snacks, and a Poetry Trading Post—It's the SPD Spring Open House!