Sleeping With My Sock and other poems
by Jack McGuane – a deep cleveland press publication
Mark Kuhar has suggested all of the profits from sales of his deep cleveland press publications and all sales of my old ArtCrimes back issues (which Mark has been handling since Lady and I left the country in 2006) will be donated to the new homeless Grapevine newspaper.
I have no idea of how many chapbooks Mark has published, but he’s been doing it for years and has an incredible inventory of poets. I published ArtCrimes from 1986 through 2006 — 21 issues, 517 poets and artists published — for which I lost $20,000 over the life of the project.
Here is poet/publisher Mark Kuhar’s announcement:
Let the words of the homeless be heard!
Cleveland poets are trying to raise money for a new version of the The Homeless Grapevine, the newspaper that the homeless used to give away to folks in return for donations. The publication closed last year. So far, almost $1,000 has been raised thanks to poet Larry Smith’s Bottom Dog Press, poet Mary Weems, poet Ben Gulyas and his friends, and poets Kathy and Steve Smith. That leaves the fund-raising effort $600 short.
I can’t think of anyone better qualified to raise money to print the words of the homeless than the word-loving poets of Cleveland. After all, if we don’t stand behind words for humanity, who will? I know that the late poet Daniel Thompson, a fierce advocate for the homeless, would want us to do this and we can’t let him down. To aid the effort, poet Mark Kuhar of deep cleveland press will donate all of the profits from the purchase of any deep cleveland press book, or any publication from the historic Agents of Chaos “ArtCrimes” series to the effort. Go to the below links and make a purchase today, and tell all your friends!
for back issues of ArtCrimes:
deepcleveland.com/artcrimes.html
for publications of deep cleveland press:
deepcleveland.com/deepclevelandbooks.html
ArtCrimes #15 front cover art by Jim Lang & Smith
published June 1994 – 8.5″ x 11″ – ©smith
Four Play With Heads – co-editors Jim Lang, Ben Gulyas, Mike Thomas & Smith / publisher Steven B. Smith
left to right: Jim Lang, Ben Gulyas, Mike Thomas – Smith reflected in car hood far right
foto by Smith
Might be a good time for me to fill in the gaps in my ArtCrimes and deep cleveland collections. Part of me feels bad doing it when the publishers won’t profit – another part feels selfish doing it instead of just donating the money – and another part feels good doing it to support a great cause while getting some great books. Plus, I suspect it’ll be easier to sell my wife on an investment than on a donation. 😉
Crisis Chronicles Press only has two books currently in print: Suburban Monastery Death Poem by d.a. levy and Elyria: Point A in Ohio Triangle by Alex Gildzen (the rest are sold out). If anyone buys either of these titles, I will happily donate all profits to the cause. They’re five bucks a piece. If someone buys ’em in person, I’ll donate the whole five. If they buy ’em online or via mail, I’ll donate all but the cost of postage. I’ll post a blog about it later when I have time.