Publishers Weekly reviews For Girls (& Others)

"'For Girls,' the first of the two sequences that make up the book, responds to, reacts against and takes many phrases from an 1882 'health manual' with the same title: its advice on fashion, bodies and morals gives rise, in Compton's hands, to quirky but politically pointed verse. 'Comedy of Manners,' the second sequence, [...] hints of romantic narrative, frequent sarcasm, riffs on found texts and ambitious range of diction (from elaborate to vulgar) all serve Compton's consistent interest in how and whether the culture will ever let girls grow up."

Link to the full review (& thanks to C. Dale for the tip!)

Right now, you can only get the book here or via Powell's (because it's still not yet showing up in the distro system, alas).

Pretty much every page on this site is now out of date, most especially the blogroll. It's on my (very very very very) long to-do list. Sure it is.

Letter wow fan clever

Whoops. I forgot to post this (very nice!) review of Down Spooky by Adam Fieled, which appears in the new issue of Moria:

Under This Umbrella... is funny and erotic, Contraposto (which begins "To my dear and loving head wound") is funny and poignant, Laundry is funny and knowing, Elegy for a Fictional Strongman is funny and sad, Voluntary Cinderella is funny and corrosive, Hooray for the Differently Sane is funny and anti-moralistic. And so on. The most salient thing about this collection is how entertaining it is. Not that it isn't art; it is art; but it is also capable of giving immediate, unmediated pleasure. This is a profoundly human poetics, that any sensitive person with a sense of humor and a taste for the absurd could enjoy.

& so on. Pink to my toes, & naturally really pleased.

(NB: even tho the press that pub'd poor Spooky has faded, the book remains available via these booksellers, (some of those are used) or directly from me. If you wanna cut a 2-for-25 with For Girls I'd be cool with that.)

Aw shucks

Ian on some poems in Dusie.

Allen in Galatea Resurrects on Down Spooky. (Again! Eileen is so indulgent!)

There's also another review of Down Spooky by Tom Fink in the new Verse. (Print only.)

Thanks, guys.

(Speaking of DS, the most reliable & surely the quickest way to get the book is via the PayPal button to your right. Those come direct from me (& often with surprise extras). Unless you are near one of the bookstores listed here.)

Some belated

Between the moving preparations, holiday travel, & suddenly a head-twisting cold, I've neglected to say congratulations to Jordan & Ali (whom I "know" only through her blog, hello), Laurel (who's owed at *least* two hoorays, if not three!), & Heidi. Good news is an antidote for winter, the extra sun the sky withholds. Be happy, all: you shine.

Also, thanks to Jeannine, Anne, & Adam (& yay for Robin's Books!) for their thoughts on Down Spooky. I'm really pleased my little book has brought enjoyment to *anyone* other than me. That's what it's for.

Review of Down Spooky

Been too busy to breathe, or even read your blogs (and O how I miss you all!), but Peter Davis just shot me an email to say Ron Silliman reviews Down Spooky today!

Wow. Now that's what I call a real kick in the pants. Thanks, Ron, for your wonderfully generous reading and for your support, which means the world.

Another GAMERS review!

Curve will be running a piece in January. Thanks, ladeez!



And did I mention GAMERS is also a pick for the December Holiday Gift Guide in PC Gamer?



My joystick is all atremble.



Meanwhile, hubby is hogging the Xbox playing the newly released Fable. For you nongamers, this is one of those character-development games, in which your avatar's appearance and personality are influenced by your actions. Yeah, like, moral consequences. For instance, if you're a oil-grubbing war profiteer, you might develop an oversized cranium, lizard-like expression, and creepy hand-clasping gestures over time. Ahem.



Shawn's "good" so far, but admits, "I have transgressed."



(Once the GAMERS site is actually up, all these posts will go over there. Still working on that. And GAMERS t-shirts too!)



UPDATE: Just in from Kristin at Soft Skull--Fuze (a soon-to-be-premiered offshoot of XLR8R) and the Seattle-based magazine Tablet are also planning reviews!

GAMERS reviews to come!

Just confirmed: Wired and Harper's!!!!!