Books; a quote; photographs. Poetry.

Somehow, even after 7 hours in the studio today (4 art books due very, very soon), I still love books and writing so much that it’s hard for me to express it in words. I’ll try something James Dickey said:

What you have to realize when you write poetry, or if you love poetry, is that poetry is just naturally the greatest god damn thing that ever was in the whole universe.

And then there’s this book I was given, a tiny little thing, with tiny poems letterpressed into its pages, poems I feel I almost wrote myself (and after taking this book arts class, I actually COULD make this book myself [!!]):

I can’t seem to write anything small these days. I am long-winded, full of things to say, full of poems despite how much I must do in the realm of schoolwork every day to insure that by the time I board a plane to Nashville, on May 11th, everything will be finished. It will be gloriously bound, pressed, researched, written, edited, stapled, sent, dropped off, handed in, handed over, FINISHED!

A list (of of mine).

things I love today/i love today’s things/ today’s love-things/in love, today’s things/a lovely day for things/things of today (love)/a day of love, a love of things

  • flowers in the canyon, my favorite ones possibly a pea relative
  • talking to my mom twice in one day
  • plans for soup (carrot ginger; “what a mom soup!” sarah exclaimed yesterday in her lavish hotel, 2 beds and 2 glass water bottles, filet of salmon, sparkling water & dessert!)
  • finishing a book in bed (“tales of a city” by amistead maupin)
  • starting a new book at the table
  • plans for tonight that involve misha and i sitting close then standing close then coming home
  • the idea of going home in august, and by home i mean, among other things, ladyfriends
  • the film “aimee and jaguar”
  • katie farris’ little book
  • knowing how to make little books because of art class
  • james schuyler (!)
  • loquats (first of the season eaten today, 2-3 browngold seeds per fruit)
  • sun-n-clouds
  • making up more of these names: may gray. june gloom. july cloud-ie, march starch, august smoggest… (san diegans love a rhyme for clouds)
  • the combination of purple & black
  • sideyard poetry reading coming up…april 22nd in the sideyard, poster to come
  • NPR’s all songs 24/7 music station
  • SARAH KATZ HAS A JOB SARAH KATZ HAS A JOB OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMGOMG

Alternative cover (Salinger).

I just happened upon this on the interweb. Salinger surely would’ve hated it, but I sure don’t.

“Few writers since Joyce would risk such a wealth of words upon events that are purely internal and deeds that are purely talk.”

-John Updike, in a 1961 review of “Franny and Zooey” in the NY Times.

Get it while it’s relevant (my chapbook)!

Seventeen poems. One epigraph. Acknowledgements. Photograph & cover design by Misha Marston Johnson. Sewn binding by Heather Garner. Limited edition (50 run). Only 5 small dollars. Click it, people; make it big.

(If you want one of these, write an electronic letter to taylormkatz@gmail.com.)

chapbook (noun): a small paperback pamphlet, typically containing poems or fiction.