Thanks to Mike Rothenberg’s latest Big Bridge colossal webzine for including a small snapshot of my life, c. 1971, and its connection to Lew Welch and David Meltzer via the classic The San Francisco Poets (which I still have on my book shelf, by the way.) Thanks also for the great mention of “The Passion of Phineas Gage” in Jonathan Penton’s mini-review of “Golden Handcuffs Review” in the same issue.

More surprises came my way via the experimental composer, writer and film maker Ralph Lichtensteiger who sent me his “4 Videos” DVD (working on a review of this for Eileen Tabios’ popular blog) as well as his CD Le Language de l’espace. The great story about Ralph’s DVD is that in two of the pieces he presents fabulous aural and visual realizations of Ishikawa Jozan’s “Homing Crows” and “Sudden Shower,” using translations of the original kanshi by my friend Burton Watson.
I hope to present copies of this DVD to Burton as well as to Burton’s friend Donald Richie, who writes about all things Japanese in the Japan Times. I’m sure they’ll be pleased. For those who may be interested in obtaining a copy of “4 Videos”–the other two pieces are based on texts by Ned Rorem and Plotinus, by the way–you may contact Ralph at at lichtconlon[at]t-online.de or visit his great website at www.lichtensteiger.de.

My final thank you for the day goes to Katerina Canyon for her chapbook Fly. Her poems “Feet” and “The Haircut” are worth the $10.00 USD admission fee. Canyon has an eye for the telling detail, but more than that–an ear for the nuances of the talk of her community. Canyon’s best poems immediately involve you in that talk and that community. For more information, and to purchase her book, please visit her website at www.poetickat.com. Ms. Canyon has read her work on NPR and has held the title of Poet Laureate of Tujunga. She hosts a reading series in the same city.