My 2012 Writing Year In Review

The extraordinary Catherrine Lundoff recently posted her 2012 Writing Year in Review and an admirably productive year it was for her.  Be sure to check out her many amazing new works, including a well-reviewed novel, which, incidentally gets mentioned obliquely in my poem "The Dream Highway of Ms. Mannivongsa." That poem is appearing in my forthcoming book DEMONSTRA along with a poem regarding Catherine and Peg Powler powling about in those pages.)

As I have only a handful of hours left in the day and many, many, many errands to run, including a turducken in the oven, I'm obliged to say that in regards to my own year in writing, it was big. Really big. And fun. Thanks to all of you. :) As I hit the Big 40, I got most of the items marked off of my bucket list, and set in motion many exciting things for the Year of the Snake coming up ahead. I had a few surprises, a few challenges, but more than enough triumphs to make up for it.

From the Olympics to new books and publications in many, many journals, being a guest at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival, and inventing a new holiday, Lao Minnesotan Artists Heritage Month (precursor to the first National Lao American Artists Heritage Month next year), I think we can call that a year's work.

So, cheers, well wishes, and as I mentioned elsewhere, my advice going into the next year is: Apple carts are made to be emptied. "How" is where the art comes in.

Make it exceptional!

[Horror] Lao Ancients and Old Ones up at Innsmouth Free Press

My lastest article, Lao Ancients and Old Ones: An Introduction to Writing Lovecraftian Lan Xang was recently posted at Innsmouth Free Press and as my last article for the year there seems a good way to cap things off before I start up my new regular column over there for 2013.

In this article, I posit that readers "can accept rampaging orcs, hobbits, and great Cthulhu himself. So, an able writer should be able to present epics set in ancient Lane Xang as heroes live by their wits and a big, sharp dap nyai."

This of course remains the constant challenge for the Lao horror writer. We should be making our own legends and fantastic realms, for we have centuries of material that could rival Conan or the Lord of the Rings, but we must also be pushing forward new myths and new legends for the next age as well, if we are to create work that endures, not just makes a profit. 

There's a wide range of material and issues I had to leave out for this article, but I hope it gets some of the more salient points across and encourages readers and writers to look for the imaginative work of the Lao, not just memoirs and histories. 

While I think there's a space for these in every culture, if we remain fixated merely on the past, we cannot begin to articulate a present. Nor can we pass on interesting ideas to the next generation that can speak of a greater Laos, the kind that might one day reach stars and new planets.  That's why I think the work of directors like Mattie Do or playwrights like Saymoukda Vongsay or K.P. Phagnasay will become so crucial in this generation to avoid locking us into the old cliches and tropes or, worse, an appalling century of mediocre art.

Forest hermits of Laos

Lao tradition features many tales of the forest hermits who often help guide heroes and other people along the way to fulfill their quests. The raiments made from tiger pelts has always been intriguing to me, given the relationship of tigers to other traditions in Lao myth.You don't see these images in every temple, but when you do, it's intriguing.

DEMONSTRA Kickstarter cover preview!

Vongduane Manivong recently finished the preliminary design for the exclusive Kickstarter edition of the cover for DEMONSTRA. This will be different from the art used for the Innsmouth Free Press edition. There will be a few last-minute tweaks and adjustments, but this is very close to what the final will look like.

Backers who get a postcard will be getting a copy of this image (in its final form). In addition, those who get a poster will be getting an 18" x 24" version because we met our $2,000 stretch goal. The Kickstarter is still going on until January 1st at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thaoworra/demonstra-lao-american-art-and-poetry

All of our backers get an e-preview of some of the poems included in DEMONSTRA. You can currently go see it at slideshare at: http://www.slideshare.net/thaoworra/demonstra-preview-2012

Miss Minnesota helping Lao children

Miss Minnesota USA, Nitaya Panemalaythong, was invited by the U.S. Embassy in Laos. The goal of her trip is "to help promote business, charitable, and cultural ties between Laos and the U.S."

Sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) for January 13-27, 2013, she is asking community members to consider making a donation to this special opportunity. It's a tight deadline to work with, but often that's the hand people get dealt when working on issues of international development.

The organizations she's visiting are in need of "school supplies, hygiene materials, toys, shoes, clothes and international shipping services." Monetary donations are also welcomed, and honestly, I think more helpful, to help purchase the items listed, and to assist the staff of the schools, orphanages and non-profits she'll be visiting. She'd be able to get better prices in Southeast Asia and reduce the overall transit costs compared to trying to pack them in the US and take them with her and waiting for them to clear customs.

If you can help Nitaya on her effort to give back to the children of Laos, even just a few dollars it will help. $5 (A cup of coffee or a modest lunch in America) turns into 39,800 kip in Laos. Only 63% of the girls in Laos can read. Nitaya is visiting groups trying to change that and to give them more opportunities for a brighter future.

Even $5 helps to keep the lights and power on at the schools for a day (although, honestly, $20 or even $100 goes a lot further, as you know.) $10 a month would be $120 but imagine how far that would go in Laos (955,500 kip, if you're curious.)

She will be working with the charity Peuan Mit. Supported by the U.S. Embassy, the staff and volunteers of Peuan Mit provide counseling and support to Lao street children who have limited opportunities. She will also visit remote villages near Luang Prabang with the non-profit organization Pencils of Promise.

Miss Panemalaythong will also visit the Vientiane Youth Center for Health and Development, an organization "that does incredible work with Lao teenagers." I'm very impressed by the outpouring of support for her so far. It's not often we also see a Miss Minnesota rising up to the occasion and taking a place on the international stage.

Miss Panemalaythong was born in the refugee camps of Thailand, so her taking this first trip, and where she goes from this point forward ought to be very interesting.

I think it would be worthwhile to assist her on her first trip back. For me, this is the 10th anniversary since my first trip back to Laos after 30 years, and I can honestly say that trip changed the entire direction of my life in a meaningful and positive way. I hope her journey will be just as positive as my first trip was. Who knows where  she'll be, 10 years from now. But let's do our best to help her get off to a good start.

I would hope she continues to go on to advocate for her community and to connect with other Lao expatriates around the world to change things for the better. Dr. Ketmani Kouanchao recently reflected on her first trip back while also encouraging Miss Panemalaythong over at Little Laos on the Prairie. It's an article well worth reading to get some perspective on the issue.

As far as positive learning experiences go, I think she's chosen wisely in this instance, and I have high hopes for her in the future and her ability to bring attention to the positive causes that need help most.

You can visit the site listed (http://www.gofundme.com/hok38) to make your donation. As we said above, any amount helps.

They are hoping to reach $5,000 to support children in Laos, which would convert to 39,812,519 kip. That seems very doable given the 200,000+ Lao in the US, and so many more around the world, and I think would set a great example of Lao commitment to charitable causes.

Chanthaly Lao horror film taking off

Is Chanthaly finally starting to get traction? It was recently covered at Twitch.

Chanthaly stands out as the first Lao horror film, and the first Lao film directed by a woman, Mattie Do. It made an impression on viewers at the Luang Prabang Film Festival recently.

The plot synopsis has been: "Raised alone by her overprotective father sequestered in their home in Vientiane, Chanthaly suspects that her dead mother's ghost is trying to deliver a message to her from the afterlife. After a change in her medication, intended to treat her hereditary heart condition, causes the hallucinations to cease, Chanthaly must decide whether or not to risk succumbing to her terminal illness in order to hear her mother's last words."

Will Lao horror go on to be on par with films like Shutter, The Ring, or The Grudge? Will we see a focus on fearful topics from a Lao perspective or will they aim for more marketable, accessible tales that eschew authentic Lao culture? It would appear Chanthaly is getting us off on the right foot. As many know, I didn't particularly find Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives satisfying because I could appreciate what he was trying to do as an artist, but as whole, it left me cold. But this looks promising.

The poster's a little overcrowded with sponsor logos, but it also suggests some interesting things about the modern Lao movie-making process at the moment and the marketing aesthetics. I suppose the end question is: Will it get people into seats? Time will tell.

No trailers have been presented for Chanthaly yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing it when the opportunity presents itself.

Emerging Lao American Director: Nakhone Keodara

Nakhone Keodara has been a vocal presence in the Lao American community for many years, taking a journey that can easily be described as labyrinthine at times. But there's no doubt of his earnest pursuit of the arts, whether it's projects like Roses and Red Ants, or his new short, Black Swan, which was posted online recently at Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/55485364 Be sure to give him some feedback and keep an eye out for his future projects.

Pondering weretigers of Laos

We just cleared the funds needed to commission a depiction of a Lao weretiger or man-tiger for my new book, DEMONSTRA coming out in 2013. But what's the deal with weretigers?

Of significant interest are the beliefs among several of the Lao Soung tribes in the mountains of Laos. Weretigers are common supernatural concerns in this area.

 In "Peoples of the Golden Triangle," Paul and Elaine Lewis noted the Akha erect a gate with protective wooden figures to “protect the village from hawks and wildcats, leopards and tigers, illness and plague, leprosy and epilepsy, vampires and weretigers, and all other bad and wicked things’. (Lewis, p. 224)

Lewis also examined Lisu beliefs. The Lisu historically have believed weretigers (phi pheu) and 'vampires' (phu seu) were capable of possessing others, and that family members of the possessed were capable of becoming possessed as well. This affected courtship practices, including Lisu youth wishing to avoid courting people who came from villages where someone had been possessed by a weretiger. (Lewis, 260.)

A particularly distinctive belief among the Lisu is that “Sometimes a possessed person causes the essence of the weretiger to go into some valuable object, such as a silver ornament or a piece of fine fabric, and leaves it lying on a path. Anyone who picks up that object will in turn be possessed by the weretiger.” (Lewis, 260.) 

Lewis further noted that to Lisu, “A person possessed by a vampire (phu seu) takes the shape of a cat, a dog, or some other animal, and goes around biting and sucking the blood of people and animals, both the living and the newly dead. On the morning after a Lisu corpse has been buried someone goes to the grave and shoots a gun over it, and the tells the deceased, ‘the vampire is dead’. Lisu believe that if there is a vampire in a village many children will die.” (Lewis, 260) This has had an effect on the way they engage with doctors and physicians. “In the past Lisu were not willing to take their sick to hospitals, fearing that they might be bitten by ‘vampires’, for they believe wherever many people are sick and dying, vampires must be present.” (Lewis, 266)

Another community examined were the Lahu. There are approximately 10,000 Lahu in Laos. Lahu believe in spirits known collectively as ne. Some are beneficial or neutral, but some are vicious and known to attack others if they are offended. “Spirits capable of invading people are greatly feared. When possession takes place, they must be exorcised.” (Lewis, 192) Lewis notes that ‘Lahu are very concerned about weretigers (taw) trying to get to the corpse. If they hear mysterious noises, or see many insects near the grave soon after the burial, they fear that a weretiger may be lurking about. Relatives sometimes wait by the grave with machete in hand ready to attack any weretiger which might try to molest the body.” (Lewis, 192)

The Mien cosmology is a unique blend of Taoism learned over five hundred years ago that also integrates animist beliefs in the spirits and ancestors. Mien recognize the spirits as “beings who live in a world opposite to that of people; they work at night, while humans work in the day; they are stupid while people are clever; and they are strong, while humans are weak.” (Lewis, 156-157) Mien have a society of priests and shamans. Lesser priests “deal only with the ‘small spirits under the sky’, the evil and often malicious spirits which need to be controlled in order to avoid sickness and misfortune.” (Lewis, 161)

More remains to be studied.

[Poem] Silosoth’s Secret Roads to Himapan

Silosoth’s Secret Roads to Himapan

Read carefully,
There are at least seven secret roads
To fabled Himapan Forest through timeless Laos
Since the nights before Lane Xang and Fa Ngum.

Several routes beyond these are known, some unique,
Opening to a certain watchful eye when the stars are right.
At least one follows the flow of a sacred river,
One lurks within a fractured isle full of fear,
Another, a secluded beach of bleached bones you know
By behemoth buzzards and a dancing ocean of acid.

If you take the journey, bring provisions, seek wisdom.
Be prepared to wander a lifetime.
It is beyond belief how easily you can get sidetracked
Before you even reach the gateless gate.

Suspend assumptions and ego, anchoring you
To ordinary worlds without escape, missing exits
Plain as a fragrant dok champa by the same road
Of profound old Buddhas and young nak princes,
Crafty farmers, lovely kinnaly and compassionate vets.

There are no signs to assure you, and many leaps to make.
Squeezing through caverns, drinking from strange wells,
Someone has been at least that far before, once, seeking.
But doubt is a poisoned golden dagger, honed for you,
A jade cup of surrender and apologies in 10,000 tongues.

Curiosity can sustain.
A good laugh might summon a brave vanon with time enough
To point part of the way, if they aren’t full of mischief that day,
Laughing like Xieng Mieng or some green koala.

Hermits and hunters have found hidden nooks and vales.
True lovers can spot the easiest of the trails but there are trials:
Horrors of hostile titanic elephants, saber-toothed catfish,
Nefarious nyak loitering with bad maps and empty bellies.
Riddles meant for heroes and heroines are labyrinths
There are no true words for.

But if you really arrive, they shall sing songs of you.
Some might offer you the wild heart of a lotus to eat,
Or a delicious dish of sukara-maddava best avoided.
You might be entranced by a wondrous naree pon.
Some will challenge you, convinced you will not stay.
Others want to judge you at the holy peak of Mount Meru,
Claiming even Phou Ngeun Kailath cannot save you.

You cannot catalog the many wandering within these woods:
One leg, two legs, three legs, four legs, five legs,
Six legs, seven legs, eight legs, infinitely more, and none.
Some with wings, with hooves, or the strangest toes,
Tentacles, tusks, talons or tendrils for your tales.

Some part bird, part deer, or part fish or kraken.
Some part cloud, part kirin, part elephant or lean lion.
Some part star, part rhino, or part thundering horse.
Some part cow, part dog, part cat, or part cranky crab.
Some part crocodile, part nak, or part frail human.
Some part learned monkey, part ram, or part slime.
Some part fungi, part bug, or part squamous snake.
Some part tyger, part white rabbit, or part quirky rat.
Some are all of the above, or none.
 Some stay the same like living mountains,
Others are never met the same way twice.

 You can ask them their true name.
Once in a while, they’ll give it to you.
You can ask some for a ride back,
Or a ride forward.
There might be a price in any case.

 Incidentally, if you make it after all we’ve said,
There is a simple sala in one quiet corner,
Where you can rest your dreaming head
For a moment.

If you peek closely, you might find a certain name,
And a last bit of advice before you finish your adventure.

 Laos is, Laos was, Laos will be,
But sometimes you will not recognize it
Or the endless sea of your eternal self,
Returning to cosmic cycles to begin again
Unless you

Next Big Thing Interview!

Today I am taking part in the networked blog interview, The Next Big Thing. I was nominated last week by poet Kristine Ong Muslim

1) What is the working title of your next book? 
DEMONSTRA

2) Where did the idea come from for the book? 
It was originally conceived as a followup to an earlier, hard-to-find chapbook of mine, MONSTRO, but like most literary ideas, spiraled away from there.

3) What genre does your book fall under?
Poetry, mostly, and beyond that we start getting into a quibbling of categories. Lao, Lao American, American, Asian American, Gen X., Speculative, Horror, Weird, Lovecraftian, Fantastic, etc.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition? 
I hadn't given too much thought to that, but Ova Saopeng and Lidet Viravong would be in the running, as would Kulap Vilaylack.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
DEMONSTRA is a poetic meditation on what is shown and what is learned, what we fear, and what we see.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 
I'll be published through Innsmouth Free Press, but they've given me a lot of latitude.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? 
About a month, but the revisions have been going on for six months now.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I wouldn't want to over or undersell the text. But I think it would fit in firmly among my peers' work.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? 
Approaching my 40th birthday, I still hadn't really seen the book I wanted to read, the one that was examining and exploring not just who we are and who we were, but where we were headed as Lao Americans, both internally and externally.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
I'll be working with the Lao American artist Vongduane Manivong who will be providing several modernized interpretations of many of the classic beings of Lao and Southeast Asian mythology.


Now, I'm obliged to tag five other authors, so, I'm starting off tagging:

Nicholas Almand: http://www.sonsofnowhere.com

But apparently most of my other colleagues have already done this interview already...

Hopefully they'll have something neice and juicy for you soon!

Call for 2012 Rhyslings

The Science Fiction Poetry Association calls for the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror poetry published in 2012. Members and nonmembers are eligible for the Rhysling Poetry Award, but only current members can make nominations (from January 1 to February 15, 2013, inclusive). Please carefully read the guidelines found here: http://www.sfpoetry.com/ra/rhysnom.html.

For those of you who are curious, for me, the clearly eligible works of mine that could be nominated from 2012 are:

"Dead End in December," Innsmouth Free Press, December 2012. http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/blog/?p=19819

"Idle Fears" Buddhist Poetry Review, September, 2012 http://www.buddhistpoetryreview.com/archives/issue-six/bryan-thao-worra

 "What is the Southeast Asian American Poem of Tomorrow?" Angry Asian Man, August, 2012 http://blog.angryasianman.com/2012/08/angry-poetry-corner-what-is-southeast.html

 "Bangkok Arrival," Toe Good Poetry, August, 2012
http://toegoodpoetry.com/2012/08/bryan-thao-worra-2/ 

 "Metropolis" Toe Good Poetry Journal, February, 2012
http://toegoodpoetry.com/2012/02/bryan-thao-worra/

Considering the Kickstarter edition of DEMONSTRA

For comparison's sake, the Kickstarter edition of DEMONSTRA will be 6 x 9 inches, the same size as "The Heart, A Brush. The Soul, An Eye." The regular edition from Innsmouth Free Press will be the same size as the first edition of On The Other Side Of The Eye, or 5 x 8 inches.

You can see the difference this would make in terms of the size of the art that will be included from Vongduane Manivong when it is published next year. Images would be larger and the text would have more space to 'breathe' on the page.

You'll only be able to get the Kickstarter edition through the pre-order period going on for the next 14 days. Once the period is over, it's over, and you'll only be able to get the regular edition, otherwise. Which will still be an excellent edition, but it will have a completely different cover and be smaller overall.

Art in progress: The Nakanya

Vongduane Manivong presented some preliminary art for the Nakanya who will appear in my new book, DEMONSTRA coming in April, 2013 from Innsmouth Free Press. This isn't the final, but I hope it gives you some sense of where we're taking the book. We're very excited about this project.

This was funded in part by your support through our kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1064450543/demonstra-lao-american-art-and-poetry which is entering its last two weeks.

We hope to raise additional funds during this time to commission the last 8 beings we wanted to present for this project, namely the Weretiger, Mae Thorani,  Phi Kowpoon, the noodle-selling girl ghost, the flying steed Manikab,  the Kinnon,  the Toad King Khankak,  Phi Kongkoi, the hungry ghost, and the Chameleon Prince Khangkham.

For those of you who are curious, one of the prominent mentions of the Nakanya is regarding the eight-year-old daughter of Sagara, one of the eight great nak kings said to dwell in a palace at the bottom of the sea.

According to the "Devadatta" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the nakanya conceived the desire for enlightenment when she heard the Bodhisattva Manjusri preach the Lotus Sutra in the nak king's palace. It's notable that this led into an argument between her and the disciple Shariputra, who insisted a woman cannot attain nirvana. She put him in his place faster than a human can blink, and opened the way for women across the universe, according to tradition.

Unfortunately, European and American translators often refer to such beings as 'dragon princesses' which really doesn't do them justice. It's not really any more an accurate term than calling Medusa a hag or a witch, or a basilisk a dragon. Is a Zaj a Naga or a Nak, a Lung or a Ryu? Some may think we should consider the terms interchangeable, but I would disagree.

Crowdfunding Lao American Imagination

A post I'd done recently on crowdfunding the Lao American imagination for Little Laos on the Prairie got picked up by the Twin Cities Daily Planet this week. In it I address a number of topics ranging from kickstarter to hobbits, ancient Lao myths and speculative poetry. Check it out, if you get a chance: http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/blog/bryan-thao-worra/crowdfunding-lao-american-imagination

Lao American writer Chay Douangphouxay featured in Asian American Press

Writer Chay Douangphouxay’s chapbook, Remission: Finding Light in the Midst of Social Darkness, is being published with a release party on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Regla De Oro Art Gallery, 3007 Lyndale Ave South, in Minneapolis.

The poems in this collection are inspired by the life and experiences of the author from her humble beginnings in the Thai refugee camps to growing up as a second-class citizen in the Housing Projects of North Minneapolis. You can learn more at Asian American Press.

Haiku Movie Review: The Hobbit

Cash in on good will:
How much can you drag this out,
Middle Earth Hobbits?

One Month Left Until the APIASF Scholarship Deadline

The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the nation's the nation's largest nonprofit organization devoted to providing college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, is accepting applications for the 2013 - 2014 scholarship cycle.

Scholarships are available for high school seniors, GED earners, and currently enrolled college freshmen, sophomores or juniors.

Awards range from $2,500 to $10,000. All applications must be submitted by Friday, January 11, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Late applications will not be considered. Apply here: https://secure.apiasf.org/

[Poem] Dead End in December

Featured over at Innsmouth Free Press this month! And it will also appear in my new book, DEMONSTRA, in 2013.

[Poem] Dragon Fruit, Morning Market

A dragon fruit ponders her fine skull,

Flesh roars garishly, seed germinating
Rife with succulent promise.

This mere box of a particolored cosmos,

A cooling square

Ready to ambush gargantuan frogs,

Collapsing on everything

The little deaths,
From saint to slug,
Midmorning philosopher,

Mothers of demons,

Trains of thought,

Forests are a verdant oraboros
Primal, smoking, orgiastic, still finite

So long a witness

How can it be surprised at an end

That is not an ending any more than

A fruit can be sold for her true worth.

DEMONSTRA Deluxe Edition: Commissioning the Nak

Thanks to everyone's support, we're now just $50 away from being able to commission a Lao American interpretation of the Nak for the deluxe edition of DEMONSTRA.

Also, if we make it to this goal, everyone who's pledged $20 or more will be getting six postcards in the oversized format!  Rather than the standard 5.47" x 4.21", the postcards will now be 8.5" x 5.47"

While many of you are familiar with what a Nak is, for our new readers, the Nak, or Naga, is a famous guardian spirit found at temples throughout Laos, who are believed to dwell underground or in pristine waters. Normally, they appear as giant, serpentine entities, but they can also change shape, and have been known to appear as humans and other beings as the occasion requires.

You can find an amazing variety of interpretations of Nak around the world, so we're very excited to see how Vongduane will interpret them.  To give you some sense of the extraordinary variety possible, here are some photos of Lao Nak I've taken from across Laos and the United States:

So, what will Vongduane's version look like? She's drawing from many of the traditional descriptions found in classic Lao literature, including epics like Phra Lak Phra Lam, andPhadaeng Nang Ai. We're very excited for this!

Arts Writers Grant program winners announced

In its 2012 cycle, the Arts Writers Grant Program has awarded a total of $623,500 to twenty-one writers. Ranging from $8,000 to $50,000 in four categories—articles, blogs, books and short-form writing—these grants support projects addressing both general and specialized art audiences, from scholarly studies to self-published blogs.

Articles 
Jennifer Krasinski, A Rain Check to Oblivion: A Dispatch from the Jill Johnston Archive (Los Angeles)
Daniel R. Quiles, Counterpublic Access: "The Live! Show" and "TV Party," 1978-1984 (Chicago)
Rebekah Rutkoff, Lillian Schwartz: Light Pen/Paintbrush (Brooklyn)

 Blogs
Caryn Coleman, The Girl Who Knew Too Much (Brooklyn)

Farrah Karapetian, Housing Projects (Los Angeles)

Meg Onli, Black Visual Archive (Chicago)

Harbeer Sandhu, Critical Condition (Houston)

Books 
Negar Azimi, The Shahbanou and the Iranian Avant-Garde (New York)
Eva Díaz, The Fuller Effect: Contemporary Art and the Critique of Total Design (Brooklyn)
Jennifer Doyle, The Athletic Turn: Contemporary Art and the Sport Spectacle (Los Angeles)
Elena Filipovic, David Hammons’s Bliz-aard Ball Sale (Berlin)
 Ara H. Merjian, Pier Paolo Pasolini and the Politics of Art History: Heretical Aesthetics (New York)
Alan W. Moore, Art Squats (Madrid)
Zabet Patterson, Visionary Machines: USCO, Techno-Utopia and Technocracy (Brooklyn)
Abigail Solomon-Godeau, Photography in the Age of Catastrophe (San Francisco)
Michael Taussig, Twilight of the Idols (New York)

Stephen Zacks, A Beautiful Ruin: The Generation that Transformed New York, 1967-1985 (Brooklyn)


Short-Form Writing 
Quinn Latimer, Basel, Switzerland
David Rimanelli, New York
Patricia Tumang, Quezon City, Philippines
Harry J. Weil, Brooklyn

Last Call for Eye to the Telescope's Asian American Speculative Poetry Issue!

Last Call! As guest-editor of Eye to the Telescope's January issue, I'm looking for Asian American speculative poems (touching on science fiction, fantasy, horror, mythology, etc.)

Eye to the Telescope, a magazine of speculative poetry, is seeking poems drawn from fantasy, science fiction, mythology, and slipstream. Contributors or poem elements should have some connection to Asian America for the January 2013 Issue’s theme on Asian American Speculative Poetry.

Eye to the Telescope is particularly interested in multicultural, multilingual work that brings forward emerging voices, especially from perspectives often underrepresented in existing literature. Work that considers race, gender, sexuality, identity and/or disability issues is welcome. There are no style limitations although shorter works preferred. Submissions should be previously unpublished.

Send work to thaoworra@gmail.com by Dec. 1, 2012 for consideration. http://eyetothetelescope.com

Update:
I'm extending the deadline to Midnight, Dec. 2, 2012, due to special requests.