An Interview with Derek White

*Calamari Press is an independent publisher of literary text & art book objects, including Sleepingfish magazine. Below is an interview I had the pleasure of conducting with the Publisher, Derek White. Derek is also a writer, artist and musician.

Is there any special method to your writing?

DW> Not Really. I guess I think of writing like art. You start with a blank canvas and just start putting words and sentences and images down until they interact and do something. I don’t like to have a preconceived notion of how things will turn out. I have nothing against methods, but each work deserves it’s own methodology.

What art medium do you prefer to use for your book jackets and why?

DW> It depends on what the book inspires. Usually there are a lot of things I like to include or juxtapose, so I often end up with some sort of collage or mixed media. Plus I don’t know how to paint or draw so I don’t have a lot of options. If you’re talking about tools, I use my scanner a lot. I don’t like to use Photoshop too much, I like things to have a human feel to them. I tend to integrate photos, especially for background textures.

I've read that you have a degree in Computational Mathematics and Physics. How did you end up becoming a writer?

DW> The question I ask myself is, how did I end up getting degrees in math and physics! I never really though of art (or writing or music) as something you could “study,” or why you’d need a degree in it. I was interested in math at the time and was good at it so when it came time to graduating, I realized I had taken enough classes for a degree. I went back to study physics because math seemed like a useless language for communicating on a general level without something to apply it to. Obviously I didn’t receive a lot of career guidance or practical advice!

Have you ever thought about getting back into music? I heard a few of your songs on your myspace and it's a shame you haven't re recorded in 20 something years.

DW> I’d like to, but it’s hard to get back into it as it requires a commitment financially and spatially in terms of having the equipment and a place to make noise, and the time to do it. In high school I had a garage to store all the instruments I used to collect, and a place to record. It was fun, and very addicting and consuming. I was only interested in recording and not playing live, and musicians seem to only amount to anything if they play live. Living in New York City now, it seems like it would be a pain to be a musician. Writing is easy, all you need is a pad of paper or a laptop.

And do you have a list of favorite books/authors?

DW> I don’t have a list for such occasions, but off the top of my head books that come to my mind (in no particular order):
Ben Okri’s — The Famished Road (perhaps because I just read it)
Amos Tutuola — My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Frank Stanford — Battlefield Where the Moon Says I Love You
Anything by Gary Lutz
Cormac McCarthy — Blood Meridian
Richard Dawkins — The Selfish Gene
D’arcy Thompson — On Growth and Form
Anything by Raymond Carver
David Ohle — Motorman & Age of Sinatra
anything by James Tate
The Popol Vuh
Carl Jung — Man and His Symbols
Schopenhauer — The World as Will and Representation
Joseph Campbell — The Hero With a Thousand Faces
Scott’s Last Expedition (the notebooks of Sir Robert Falcon Scott)
The Feymann Lectures in Physics
Don Quixote
J.D. Salinger — Catcher in the Rye
Faulkner — The Sound and the Fury & As I Lay Dying
Hemingway — For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ben Marcus — The Age of Wire and String
Pynchon — The Crying of Lot 49
anything by Borges
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
And of course anything by any Calamari Press authors: Peter Markus, Norman Lock, Robert Lopez, Miranda Mellis, etc.

And then there’s the books I haven’t read yet...

Week Thirty Nine, Book Fifty Two

Vaast Bin; n ephemerisi

by
Michael Peters

Review:

This is the second book I read from Calamari Press and definitely not the last. I am not really sure what to make of this collection of poems and images. Supporting the poem objects are drawings by Michael Peters, that compliment the text objects. At first, it was hard to process all the math and science terminology (if that is even a correct label) and interpret the visuals at the same time. As I let myself go and scamper through the language, I could not help but hear ambient sounds in my head. Thus begins the ironic part of my week. A fellow writer and friend made me a double CD of ambient sounds this past week and I could have easily listened to them and read this book simultaneously. I am not going to pretend to understand what Peters is talking about in his poetry, but I do love that he turned me on to some interesting vocabulary. I will be looking for more writings by Peters and plan on checking out the band he performs in called Poem Rocket. If you want to know more about the author; his visual poetry has appeared in galleries, anthologies, and exhibits, and can be found in various special collections and avant-garde libraries.

[ Vaast Bin is available now through Calamari Press]

Michael Peters performance

Week Thirty Nine, Book Fifty One

Everyman

by Philip Roth

Review:

I loved Roth before this novel and find myself now comparing him to one of my current favorite writers, Ian McEwan. He sticks to his usual themes of Jewishness, Americanness, sex, aging and family. Everyman begins with the end of a man. The main character is a tortured Jewish guy from Newark, NJ who is a thrice-married father and a philanderer. He is
70-something and spends his last days lamenting his lost prowess (physical and sexual), envying his healthy and beloved older brother, and refusing to apologize for his many years of bad behavior, although he clearly regrets them. Roth really is one of America's greatest writers. This is his 27th novel.

Lecture and Book Signing Tonight

Jonathan Lethem:

Philip K. Dick: Four Novels of the 1960s

Lecture and book signing
Thursday, September 27, 6:30 pm

The Great Hall

7 East 7th Street at Third Avenue

Free

for more information: http://www.cooper.edu/

Ken Burns

The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945

by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns

I don't think there is such a thing as a good war. There are sometimes necessary wars. And I think one might say, "just" wars. I never questioned the necessity of that war. And I still do not question it. It was something that had to be done. --Samuel Hynes

History buffs, Ken Burns fans, and anyone whose life has been touched by war will be awed by Burns's new book, The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945, a stunning companion to his PBS series airing in September 2007. Focusing on the citizens of four towns, The War follows more than forty people from 1941 to 1945. Maps and hundreds of photographs enrich this compelling, unflinching narrative.

taken from: http://www.amazon.com/

What are Kids Talking About?

*Today I took all of my classes to the annual school book fair and found myself wondering, "what are they reading?"

You would be surprised, yet here are a few titles to think about.

Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer

Clique #8, The: Sealed with a Diss: A Clique Novel (Clique Series)

by Lisi Harrison

Ark Angel (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz

Travel Team by Mike Lupica

Navy Seal Memoir

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10

by Marcus Luttrell

It was June 2005. The United States had just suffered its worst loss of life in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001. Taliban forces had attacked Luttrell's four-man team on a remote ridge shortly after 1 p.m. on June 28. By day's end, 19 Americans had died. Now U.S. aircraft scoured the hills for survivors.
taken from: The Sole Survivor - washingtonpost.com

Memoir Alert

Shattered Dreams:

My Life as a Polygamist's Wife
by Irene Spencer

*I am a complete sucker for memoirs and I am hooked on the show from

HBO: Big Love, so this book looks perfect for me. Now 70, Spencer was born into a secret, illegal community of Mormon fundamentalists. This is her story of being a polygamist's wife for 28 years.

Scar Tissue: Poems

by Charles Wright

Review:
A philosopher-poet of the Appalachian South, Wright's newest collection investigates the relationship between description and reality of nature. I read throughout the day his poems and felt a deep connection to his images of time, love, death and creation. Although, not my style of poetry, this was an enjoyable read. This was the international winner for the Griffin Poetry Prize.
listen to this:
Early Saturday Afternoon, Early Evening (audio only)

Edge

"The one-woman play deals with Plath’s life as a whole, including her early years in Boston, the untimely death of her brilliant father, and her infamous suicide attempt of 1953, which became the basis of her classic novel, The Bell Jar. Edge also examines her tumultuous marriage to the dark, enigmatic poet, Ted Hughes, and ultimately reveals the unsettling sequence of events that ended with her death."
taken from: http://www.nytheatre.com/

VENUE: Arclight Theatre
OPENED: September 9, 2007
CLOSES:October 6, 2007

www.edgeonstage.com/index.php

Philip Booth

Lifelines: Selected Poems 1950-1999

by Philip Booth

Nightsong
Beside you,
lying down at dark,
my waking fits your sleep.
Your turning
flares the slow-banked fire
between our mingled feet,
and there,
curved close and warm
against the nape of love,
held there,
who holds your dreaming
shape, I match my breathing
to your breath;
and sightless, keep my hand
on your heart's breast, keep
nightwatch
on your sleep to prove
there is no dark, nor death.

about the poet:

Booth's honors include Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, and the Theodore Roethke Prize. In 1983 he was elected a Fellow of The Academy of American Poets.Philip Booth died in Hanover, New Hampshire, on July 2, 2007 from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
taken from: www.poets.org/index.php

Poetswednesday

This fall Poetswednesday is celebrating 27 years of readings. On Oct. 12 at 8 p.m., poets Lamont Steptoe of Camden and Rick Kearns of Harrisburg, Pa. will be featured readers. Readings take place on the second Wednesday of each month.

where:

Barron Arts Center

582 Rahway Ave.

Woodbridge, NJ

Edie Eustice and Deborah LaVeglia co-direct the series. Support comes from the Woodbridge Township Cultural Arts Commission and audience contributions.For further information, call Edie at (732) 381-7691.

The Pearl

The Pearl
Split Knuckle Theatre

Tuesday, April 08, 2008, 10:00am & 12:00pm
Wednesday, April 09, 2008, 10:00am & 12:00pm

Venue: Crossroads Theatre

Program Length: 1 hour

For Students in Grades: 5-9

All Seats:$8

www.statetheatrenj.org/

Catch 22

Joseph Heller's Catch 22

15 Livingston Avenue

New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Aquila Theatre Company

Tuesday, November 13, 2007, 10:30am

Program Length: approximately 2 hours

For Students in Grades: 9-12

All Seats:$12

www.statetheatrenj.org/

Rules of the Game

Rules of the Game

from The Joy Luck Club

by Amy Tan

Review:
Great book, excellent short story! This was another great story to use for teaching "characterization" and "dialect". The stereotypes and prejudices are very poignant. Below is a good resource for teachers, especially if you are teaching the whole novel.



Study Guide: www.hostos.cuny.edu/oaa/book/guideat.htm

The Beach Umbrella

The Beach Umbrella

by Cyrus Colter

Review:
This is a great semi- short story to use when teaching "characterization". I picked this story because of it's main characters comparison with A Raisin in the Sun. I could tell my class hated it and thought, oh well another story about prejudice. It was interesting to see the looks on their faces when we got to the curses at the very end. I stressed to them the importance of the use of dialect and they seemed at ease, but I could still hear the giggles. Please, like they don't say worse things to each other.



About the author:
(b. 1910), novelist, lawyer, U.S. Army captain, and professor. After careers in government service, law, the Army, and academia, Cyrus Colter began writing at fifty. Colter placed his first short story, “A Chance Meeting,” in Threshold in 1960. He went on to place stories in such little magazines as New Letters, Chicago Review, and Prairie Schooner. Fourteen of his stories are collected in his first book, The Beach Umbrella (1970). In 1990 Colter published a second collection of short fiction, The Amoralists and Other Tales.
taken from: www.answers.com/

Open Air Book Fair

BOOKS!

Boxes and boxes of modern fiction and classics; art books, cook books, children’s books and more!

Housing Works is very happy to announce the third annual Open Air Book Fair on Crosby St. (between Broadway and Lafayette) at Prince Street. Rain date Sunday, September 30



check out the site: www.housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/index.html

Don DeLillo’s “Falling Man”

DeLillo speaks tonight at the 92nd Street Y.

If it wasn't for the whole President of Iran invading the city, I would be at this event.

Sorry, call me a wimp, but safety first!

Don DeLillo is the author of the novels Running Dog, Underworld, White Noise, Libra, Cosmopolis and Falling Man.

Week Thirty Eight, Book Fifty

Wow! I made it to 50 books! The year is not over yet, so stay tuned for the next few weeks left of 2007's "A Book A Week".

Poste Restante
by Derek White

"Poste Restante (literally, 'post remaining' or 'residual mail') is an ad hoc destination for mail sent to recipients who are just passing through a place they do not permanently reside. It's what you say when you don't have a place you call "home"."

-taken from the "For/Word Post" in Poste Restante

Review:

I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival a week ago and met Derek White, founder of Calamari Press and creator of Sleepingfish magazine. He also keeps a blog called

5¢ense. At the time, I did not realize that Derek was part of this huge independent literary text and art book object family called Calamari Press. So to say I am glad I stopped by his table is an understatement. I purchased three books from their catalog: Sleepingfish issue 0.9375, The Singing Fish by Peter Markus and Poste Restante by Derek White. I just finished Poste Restante today and found myself wishing it was longer. I have been reading full length novels lately with the exception of my school/teaching required reading, so to read a little Flash Fiction felt good. At least I think that is what you would call this style of writing, but I could be wrong. The image fragments or postcards connected to each story really were put together nicely and reminded me of this art form that I recently have become interested in involving artists' journals and sketchbooks. Artists' Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages by Lynne Perrella is a great starter book on the form and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to create spectacular journals. As I was reading this collection of "postcards sent from the subconscious", I myself was experiencing more intense dreams and was capable of remembering most of them, which does not always happen often for me. I have not kept a notebook of my dreams in years, so I started again, hoping to wake in the middle of the night and jot down any that seemed worth recapping. Thank you Mr. White for not only a contagious read, but for the beautiful imagery that goes along with all good writing. Look to this blog for future reviews of Calamari Press releases.

sites to check out:

http://www.calamaripress.com/

http://www.sleepingfish.net/
http://www.5cense.com/

From the South Pacific to the Arctic

Curves and Angles: Poems

by Brad Leithauser

Review:

I plowed through this collection of art and science only to come up short. This is Leithauser's first collection since the widely acclaimed Darlington's Fall: A novel in verse and the journey in my opinion wasn't fulfilling. There weren't any poems that spoke to me and I felt at times like I was reading a science fiction novel. Sorry to say, but I did not find joy in the readings and will not be passing this book on to anyone anytime soon.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate

Man and Camel: Poems

by Mark Strand

biography:

Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More - Mark Strand

Review:
Here is Strand's eleventh collection of poetry and hopefully not his last. You can definitely tell that he has an extraordinary background in art from the imagery he paints in each piece. This is American poetry at its finest.

"The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture."

Thirst: Poems

by Mary Oliver

Review:

This is a collection of forty- three new poems from Pulitzer Prize winner Oliver. You could tell that the poet is dealing with a loss of a lover in this collection and is wrestling with religious questions. I would like to compare her to the Transcendentalist poets like Emerson and Thoreau.

Belief isn’t always easy.

But this much I have learned—if not enough else—to live with my eyes open. (P.63 “In the Storm”)

Tongass

The Last American Rainforest: Tongass

by Shelley Gill and Shannon Cartwright

Review:
If you are teaching recycling, the ecosystem and want to explore "one of the best places on the planet", then this book is for you. I do not teach any of these topics, but I loved the science lesson and the illustrations were very engaging. I especially enjoyed the labelling of each cultural symbol. This is a must read for folk tale lovers alike.



sites to check out:
The Last American Rainforest
South & Central American Rainforest Conservation News ...
EcologyFund.com, Amazon Info - Save, preserve and protect Amazon ...

Alaska's Three Pigs

Alaska's Three Pigs

by Arlene Laverde and Mindy Dwyer

Review:

This is a funny children's classic retold in the setting of an Alaska homestead. The illustrations are incredibly clever. A must read for the child in all of us.

sites to check out:

Variants of "The Three Little Pigs"

Three Little Pigs

Flannery O'Connor

Everything That Rises Must Converge

by Flannery O'Connor

Review:

This is O'Connor at her best. I just read this story with my Honors English class today and was really impressed at how much they grasped from it. Of course, they did not get any of the religious symbolism, but we did have a heated conversation about racism and rebellion. If you are teaching a unit on prejudices, this is a great story to read and there are tons of lesson plans online that can help you with your class discussions.

sites to check out:

Everything That Rises Must Converge

O'Connor, Flannery : Everything That Rises Must Converge

Mrs. Flowers

Mrs. Flowers, from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

by Maya Angelou

Review:

This is a great little piece taken from a powerful novel. I used this in my English class in order to teach indirect/direct characterization.

At the age of eight Maya Angelou retreated into a world of silence... the result of a traumatic experience that occurred while living with her mother for a short time in St. Louis. After returning to live with her grandmother in Stamps, a neighbor, Mrs. Flowers, befriended Maya. "I was liked, and what a difference it made. I was respected not as Mrs. Henderson's grandchild or Bailey's sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson..."
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou. Copyright 1969

sites to check out:

www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/maya-angelou/

Who Mentored Maya Angelou?

Alaska's Three Bears

Alaska's Three Bears

(Last Wilderness Adventure)

by Shelley Gill and Shannon Cartwright

Review:

I borrowed a handful of picture books from a colleague (Robin) who went to Alaska this summer and decided to post the ones that were worth mentioning. This story is especially interesting if you are fascinated with "bear facts". It is told as a "once upon a time" storybook, but with a scientific flare. I enjoyed the illustrations and think it would be good for an elementary classroom.

Week Thirty Seven, Book Forty Nine

The House Of The Scorpion

by Nancy Farmer

Review:

I could not put this 380 page book down or even shut the CD off in the car all week long. All and all, I probably read more than I listened, due to the rich storyline and pace of this young adult science fiction tome. This is a thought-provoking novel, presenting issues like human cloning, the value of human life, the importance of responsibility and friendship. You will fall in love with the main character and hope for a sequel. If you love adventure, today's sociopolitical, and ethical issues, then look no further.

Adventure of the Hero

Frog Girl

by Paul Owen Lewis

Review:

This was one of the oddest folklore's I have read. The setting is the Northwest Coast, near a volcano in a dangerous area by a village lake. The artwork reminded me of Paul Gauguin's world of natives. I found myself thinking about this story into the evening and highly recommend it to anyone.

John Muir

Stickeen: John Muir and the Brave Little Dog

by John Muir and Donnell Rubay

Review:

I loved that this story was true. John Muir really lived a pretty amazing life, from explorer to environmentalist to writer. This is a beautiful biographical piece with a heartfelt message about friendship. The illustrations of the dog are probably the best I have seen in a long time.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Wonderful Tonight:

George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me

by Pattie Boyd and Penny Junor

* Did you ever wonder who inspired the songs "Layla", "Something" and "Wonderful Tonight"? Pattie Boyd writes about the love triangle she was in with George Harrison and Eric Clapton in her novel Wonderful Tonight.

check out these sites:
Eric Clapton Wonderful Tonight lyrics
YouTube - Eric Clapton - Layla
Something by The Beatles Songfacts

The New Yorker Festival Returns

The New Yorker Festival

Tickets available at 12 noon E.T. on September 15th, at ticketmaster.com, at all outlets in the New York metropolitan area, or by calling 1.877.391.0545. Tickets will also be sold during Festival weekend, October 5th through October 7th, at Festival Headquarters, located at 125 West 18th Street, and at event doors.

visit the website: http://festival.newyorker.com

Brooklyn Book Festival

Brooklyn Book Festival
The second annual Brooklyn Book Festival on September 16, 2007 is a book lover’s dream come true! The festival presents exciting and innovative fiction and non-fiction programs with author discussions and readings—come early to get a seat! Nearly 100 booksellers and thousands of books will fill beautiful Borough Hall Plaza and Columbus Park. You can hear a poetry slam, participate in a define-a-thon, and have your favorite book signed by the author. Children can hear their best-loved books read at the Target Children’s Pavilion; teenagers will find sports, fantasy, graphic novels and more at the Independence Community Foundation Youth Pavilion. The Brooklyn Book Festival is a best seller! See you there! ---Marty Markowitz

visit the website: http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org/

The Twilight Zone

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

by Rod Serling

Review:

I just reread this short play with my class and loved it. We are watching the TV episode on Friday and have been practicing tableaux (slide show) interpretations of it all week long. The setting is anywhere, any town, Maple Street when a meteor supposedly hits the earth. Everyone in town is in a panic and accusations fly. I love the exploration of fear and prejudice in this story and the ending is eerie. If you haven't seen this episode and do not mind reading a script alone, you should pick this story up, it is only 10 pages long.

Week Thirty Six, Book Forty Eight

Last Rituals: An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft, and Modern Murder

by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
(Hardcover - Oct 1, 2007)

Review:

I picked this book up a few weeks ago, but only skimmed the first chapter and quickly put it down. Since school started last week, I knew I had to give this book another try and plow through to hit my mark of one book a week. Hooray, I did it, even with a busy week and busier weekend. The story takes place in Iceland and all the characters have strange names, that I couldn't pronounce even with a pronunciation key. I found this story impossible to put down, with all the elements of a great mystery weaved throughout the book. The two investigating the murder were a perfect duo that you rooted for from beginning to end. A must read for anyone who loves books set in far off lands and can handle a dark and gritty tale. Imagine Agatha Christie meeting Dan Brown. Sigurdardottir's sure to be a big hit in this genre and I look forward to reading more of her work. She is the winning author of five children's novels, so this was very different from her usual style. Look for the book to come out in hardcover this October.

Yrsa sale sets new record: http://www.verold.is/yrsa.asp

Spook Country

Spook Country

by William Gibson

Who is William Gibson?
Gibson is an American-born science fiction author who has been called the father of the cyberpunk sub genre of science fiction, partly due to coining the term cyberspace in 1982, and partly because of the success of his first novel, Neuromancer, which has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide since its publication in 1984.

William Gibson discusses Spook Country:http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/8127

official website: http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/

The Darwin Awards

* A couple of years back I owned a few volumes of The Darwin Awards and haven't heard much about them until recently. Below is the official website for the Awards and a link to the movie. I actually watched the movie last night and it was pretty decent. The best part for me was seeing different parts of San Fran and beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

website:

A Chronicle of Enterprising Demises Honoring those who improve the species... by accidentally removing themselves from it! http://www.darwinawards.com/

book:

The Darwin Awards Evolution in Action by Wendy Northcutt

movie:

The Darwin Awards by David Arquette, Josh Charles, Kevin Dunn, and Nora Dunn

http://darwinawardsdvd.com/

Bill Hicks

*I met with my friend Jim yesterday and he highly recommends I watch this DVD and read this rare analysis of Bill Hicks. Having limited knowledge of Hicks, I will be plunging in head first and hoping to get a glimpse of this amazing man's life and comedy.

book:

One Consciousness: An Analysis of Bill Hicks' Comedy

by Paul Outhwaite

DVD:

Bill Hicks - Sane Man [2005] DVD

Bill Hicks (II)