Here’s what we brought back from the Buenos Aires Book Fair, as well as books recommended to us from our new Argentinian authors, or booksellers that we met. Be sure to check our social media to see our recommendations for book stores and other Buenos Aires delight.
Again, Northwest poets, we share these with you and are happy to lend these difficult to get locally books with you if your interest include contemporary Spanish-language poetry. Just drop us an email. Obviously, we are very interested in doing what we can to promote any of this work being translated.
Finally, a note on our selections, and particularly coming from me— a person who is not fluent in Spanish and is new to the literature of Argentina. First, let it be known that we asked our awesome editor, Erin L. McCoy, to select whatever books she found engaging. Second, as per our press, we are definitely interested in women writers and queer writers as a default state of being. We were interested in learning more writers outside of Buenos Aires. Per my current interests with the press, I was looking for interesting looking hybrid texts (much rarer to see than in the US Market) and prose poetry. And I was not interested in poetry that was extremely first person or “flat” which seems to be a trend and one that drives me a bit crazy. Sometimes I would pick up a book and Erin would say, “Oh, that would actually drive you crazy…” and sometimes I would pick up a book and she would say, “Oh, that is an interesting find!” Finally, I might have bought a few of these books just based on something to do with the production and for that, I did not ask Erin. I know what I like on production.
We are once again proud sponsors of the Jackson Street Jazz Walk, happening along Jackson Street and within walking distance of Enter Ríos HQ on Saturday night! For four years, I was the organizer of this event and one of the things I am proud of is always finding a way to include poets: spoken word mic, Fresh Roots, Paul Nelson read last year, William Curtis…
This year, we are happy to bring M. Seven Bremner to the parking lot at Pratt for some impromptu poetry. Marlene Seven Bremner (Seven) was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1983, and currently resides in Olympia, WA. She was first introduced to the Poem Store in 2015 and fell in love with the spontaneity of it and the opportunity to connect with her community through poetry. You can find her with her vintage Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter at the Olympia Farmer’s Market and the Ballard Farmer’s Market in Seattle, typing custom poems based on any topics you provide. When she’s not at the markets you can find Seven writing and painting in her downtown Olympia studio.
Why are they are in the parking lot at Pratt now? Because our venue where we had some awesome spoken word mics complianed the poets didn’t drink as much as the jazz listners/musicians… so you know, poets, some folks have drinking goals for you! Ha!
So learn more about Seven on these links and come get a poem while listening to great music and checking out the art scene at Pratt Fine Arts Center.
Poetry Website: www.yourtopicyourprice.com
Instagram: @m7artist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlenesevenbremner.art/
AND HERE IS THE LINK TO THE JACKSON STREET JAZZ WALK FACEBOOK PAGE!!!
We’ve been over at Jack Straw doing the base recordings for Woodland— a project that becomes our eleventh book, out in March of 2019.
I’d like to tell you most about the incredible Seattle pianist Aaron Otheim, because the writer is the publisher here at Entre Ríos Books, me (and so that just feels a bit awkward). For folks on the experimental jazz side of music in Seattle, you might know Aaron from his years organizing the Cafe Racer Sessions (RIP, CAFE RACER). He’s phenominal, has interest in all kinds of genre-bending music, and so we highly recommend you take a listen to his work on SoundCloud.
Last summer, a batch of quite broken writing started happening for me during the weeks of hazy dreadful smoke-filled days we had due to fires in British Columbia and then Oregon. As it became very clear that I was writing about fire, I thought it might be interesting to base the center section of the book around the music of Edward McDowell (1860-1908), and in particular, “Woodland Sketches”— popular, beautiful parlor music. It’s racist, it’s sexist, it’s completely of it’s era of industrialization and the beginnings of mass-markets. I asked Aaron to think about updating it for the era of climate change and endless fires. Riffing on an idea of mine, he took the score and burnt it, altered it with the goal of making it “sound like ash”.
So here’s a short video showing some of the process as the end music won’t be like this— but the process to me is so intriguing. Jack Straw has a great piano and set up the mics around the room to allow Aaron great control in mixing the soundfield. With plenty of takes, improvisations, and experiments with the instrument, he’ll take these recordings to add electronic sounds and alterations.
Like all our books, this one comes with an audio download— so when you buy the book, you’ll have the password to download his new music. That download will also come with my reading of the book— and I am planning on some version that will also include some experiments in sound design.
Here’s an early experiment on my side with sound. I can’t say this is the final— it’s a process!