Guerilla Poetics Project (2 Viewers)

bospress.net

www.bospress.net
Hi There,
There is a movement that we have started. You are invited to join. Please see below for details.

The movement is called the Guerilla Poetics Project. We have a website. http://www.guerillapoetics.org/

This is a non-profit, of sorts. By non-profit, I mean that no one involved in this, will make one cent. We are all volunteering our time. I'm printing all of the broadsides for the project and will help with distribution, as will everyone.

We are asking that all people that join, also donate a bit of money to the cause and also agree to distribute broadsides. The requested amount is $25. To give you an idea about how much this does NOT cover, that will get you 2 LETTERPRESSED broadsides a month (11 copies of each broadside). You are requested to COVERTLY insert the 10 broadsdides each into books in libraries and bookstores. The extra copy of each broadside will be for you to keep. The $25 will barely cover postage to get these broadsides to you for a year. The paper is being purchased by me, using donation funds (a few people have domated more that the minimum), but again, All of my labor, etc is 100% free to the group.

In addition to being asked to distribute these broadsides monthly, all members are allowed to send submissions for monthly broadsides, but must understand that we intend to have a minimum of 30 members and are only printing 2 different poems a month, so there is a better than great chance that most involved will not be published.

This project is not about money, or seeing the poet's name in print. It is about forcing great poetry on those that we know will love it. We have a list of target books and they include Bukowski, Hemingway, Fante, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and some newer writers like William T. Vollmann & Douglas Coupland. We are confident that once they realize that there is a small press that is actively writing, they will notify us and get involved.

Our goal is nothing short of global domination. We want "operatives" in all cities, states and in as many continents as possible. The group as it stands consists of people from three continents.

If you are not interested, no big deal. REALLY. We wanted to let you know about it, but if you are not interested, please don't feel like I'm trying to pressure you. We think that it will be fun going into corporate bookstores and "hiding" these poetry broadsides. Kind of using the small press to subvert the large presses....

Anyway, if interested, please check out the website. There is also an interesting blog set up (you can get to that through the website).

The biggest requirement that we ask of members is to place these broadsides every month. It only will work if we can start to get noticed by the people that will love the writing. Once we get fully running, we hope to add more letterpress printers and do more broadsides every month. If it gets bigger, we have some "in's" with larger newspapers that may want to do human interest stories on the subversive poets giving away their beautiful letterpress printed broadsides, etc...

It could be huge.

Again, please let me know either way and again, there is no pressure.

All best,
Bill

p.s. I know that this is not really Bukowski related (although I think that he would dig the idea) and asked the moderator before posting this. He believes in the movement and thought that the posting would be fine on the forum. I would not have posted it had I not thought that there would be a few people here that were interested. Thanks for your time.
 
Bill, I just noticed the "Register The Broadside You Found!" section of the site. That's a clever twist, and an insidiously 'viral' way to get people involved, ala bookcrossing.com.
 
Hi,
Yes, our goal is to have these show up all over the place. We will have instructions on the reverse of the broadsides on how to register them. Each broadside will have a unique number printyed on the reverse, so we will be able to find out where they were placed and wher they ended up. It is an unusual enough idea that we think we can get some press (human interest story type). We are looking for press that is outside the normal small press circles.


Best,
Bill
 
This reminds me of something my friends were involved in back around 2000: http://www.droplift.org/pressrelease.html http://www.droplift.org/

I wasn't involved in the Droplift Project as I am not an audio collage artist but still an honorary member of these folks whose work was included in it: http://www.nationalcynical.com/faq.html

I like the spirit of the GPP...but christ how I hate poetry!! I sometimes can't stop myself from writing a poem but nonetheless detest 99% of any non-Buk poetry I come across (including my own). And that's not out of any loyalty to Buk, it's just because most of what I run across lacks "moxie" & originality & verve (like the odorless shite by Gerald Locklin which pollutes the Wormwood Reviews I own).

If nothing else the GPP will certainly create some collector's items which will one day show up on Ebay, no doubt about it.

I sincerely hope the ideals & goals of the GPP are realized and made manifest.

Good luck and best wishes!!
 
We think that it will be fun going into corporate bookstores and "hiding" these poetry broadsides. Kind of using the small press to subvert the large presses....
What about college libraries? Or heck, even public libraries? I understand the principle of infiltrating the larger publishers to secretly promote the smaller ones, but I also think that there is a potentially huge group of supporters among college students. We are the ones who will frequently devote ourselves to small groups and causes, sometimes even just to be different.
However, which books to target in a library?
Oooh, I just had an idea! I could acquire a syllabus for an intro to poetry English course and target particular pages of anthologies available in the library that most of the class would likely read.
I don't know, maybe it's not that great an idea. Either way, I'd love to be involved. Although I'm just curious to see how you respond, Bill, before I fill out that "register to become an operative" thingy.
Great stuff. Cheers.
Brendan
 
Hi Brendan,
Our manifesto states that the operatives are to put these in specific books in bookstores (large and small) and libraries. I agree 100% that the college libraries are a great place to put these. The idea of putting them in books that the professors are requiring is a GREAT idea. The only catch is that they would have to be like-minded books. For example, if the professor is requiring a Hemingway, then YES, but if they are requiring The Odyssey, then that would probably be one that we would want to stay out of.

The goal is to advance literature. To let them know that there is still GREAT literature being written and published today. It is to let them know that just because they hate the poetry that they are required to read, does not mean that they hate poetry. They just are not given great choices to read.

If you could get a sylabusand send us a list of the books, trhen we could proceed from there. I imagine that there would be a great assortment of books that we could subvert!

Thanks for your interest and ideas!
I like the spirit of the GPP...but christ how I hate poetry!! I sometimes can't stop myself from writing a poem but nonetheless detest 99% of any non-Buk poetry I come across (including my own). And that's not out of any loyalty to Buk, it's just because most of what I run across lacks "moxie" & originality & verve (like the odorless shite by Gerald Locklin which pollutes the Wormwood Reviews I own).
Hi Brother Schenker,
Fair enough, although it sounds like you are EXACTLY who we are targeting. Well read, love great writing, but hate poetry, until.....

All best,
Bill
 
Hi,
Also, we are striving to get the BEST poetry and print it in the best way. No xeroxed or desk jet printed cards. Letterpress printed on a 92 year old 1200lb. Chandler & Price press.

Subversive, but classy & with Moxie!

and how...

Best,
Bill
 
Hi Brendan,
The goal is to advance literature. To let them know that there is still GREAT literature being written and published today. It is to let them know that just because they hate the poetry that they are required to read, does not mean that they hate poetry. They just are not given great choices to read.
Right, which is why I think it would be interesting to put these broadisdes in amongst the horrible poems that are inevitably required in a freshman poetry survey course. I wish that I had been flipping through a boring anthology of sonnets or something freshman year and came across a Buk broadside. It would have saved me some time. But then again, I'm not here to disagree with your manifestoed ideals. Tell me what to do and I'll do it.
If you could get a sylabusand send us a list of the books, trhen we could proceed from there. I imagine that there would be a great assortment of books that we could subvert!
Will do. Classes at my school start up in two weeks, on 8/28. I could most likely get a syllabus within a couple days after that.
Also, we're kinda small, about 2,000 undergrads. Hopefully there are other students at much larger universities that can join the effort and reach a greater number of potential readers....
 
Tell me what to do and I'll do it.

Hi Brendan,
Thanks. Please register on the website www.guerillapoetics.org. Then, when you get a chance, please send a donation. We request a donation of $25. That will basically cover the postage for sending 32 broadsides to you every month. Postage should cost us about $2 a mailing.

Some have given more, but, frankly, at this point, we do not need more. Just enough to cover the raw costs. As this grows and we need more funds, we should be able to pay as we go through other means (selling t-shirts, broadsides, books).

At this point, I have both poems printed for August and one of the two printed for September. I'm only waiting on the logo and then I can print on the reverse an they will hit the streets!

All best,
Bill
 
Hi riverrat,
Many thanks! Have you signed up at the website yet?

Also, please send me your mailing address. I'll need to send you the handbook and the fist 2 broadsides (16 copies of each).

Again, many thanks!

Best,
Bill
 
Hi rrat,
I'm just waiting on the logo to be made into a cut so that I can letterpress the backs. The broadsides will go out two days after I get that. I expect to have that cut by Friday, so I think that they will go out on Monday. Can you send me your address in an e-mail?

Please e-mail it to bill @ bospress.net. Thanks,

BIll
 
Hi,
Please e-mail me at [email protected] with your info. I may have it, but since these names and your real names are not matching up, I am not sure.

Also, we are having the website worked on by one of the best programmers out there! Expect amazing things!

All best,
Bill
 
I just tried to register as an operative and got a firewall warning about non-encryption. I sent my info in through an e-mail, instead. Hope this is OK. Looking forward to participating.
 
I'm just waiting on the logo to be made into a cut so that I can letterpress the backs. The broadsides will go out two days after I get that. I expect to have that cut by Friday, so I think that they will go out on Monday.
Mine have arrived. They look and feel glorious. Can't wait to take them to the nearest Borders and discretely slip a few into some choice books.
Plus the operative's copies make great dorm room wall decorations.
I'll check the college library to see if any of the recommended books are there and whether they get checked out often enough to make it worthwhile to place them there.
Cheers.
That sign up method is going to change soon, so that will all be fixed.
Has this been fixed yet? I have a friend who would like to join, but she can't "register to become a GPP operative."
 
Yeah, there's a new site that is a day or two away from launch. Hang in there.

This project can't be denied. I predict it will eclipse all other subversive poetry placement projects on earth! ;)

It really is great. And the people who started it are all do-ers not try-ers!

Refreshing, and unstoppable.
 
Guerilla Poetics FAQ

Hi,
To clear up a couple questions that have been asked:

1) The $25 joiner fee covers one years worth of broadsides mailed to you monthly. This barely covers postage to those in the US. For those outside the US, this does not even cover postage. We understand that and feel that their is much value in getting these words outside of our borders. Because of that, we do not charge more for those overseas and gladly take a loss on all operatives that sign up and live outside the Unites States.

2) There are two levels of membership OPERATIVE members sign up and receive 22 broadsides a month (11 of each, with one to keep). PATRON members receive 2 broadsides a month (to keep). The patron level is for those that want to support the project, but are not able or not interested in distributing the broadsides themselves.

3) No one in the GPP makes one cent doing this project. All are volunteers. All of the web development is done by an excellent and talented webmaster. All of the printing is done by two printers. All of the administrative dutues, marketing, everything is done by volunteers. The only time that is not the case is when we have to buy paper (paper marts could care less about the project), etc....

This is done to spread poetry to those that need it. Many of those that would love small press poets (Like Bukowski was), do not know that there even IS a small press. This is our goal.

We were started 6 months ago with 10 members. We are now 130 members strong and growing every day. We have only advertised with word of mouth and a small ad in SPR.

Anyone with any questions can e-mail me at [email protected], or the GPP e-mail at [email protected].

Thanks,
Bill
 
I was in my local bookstore yesterday innocently flipping through Kerouac's Book of Sketches and BAM! I found a 3x3 (estimated dimensions) card with a beautiful poem on it. I had been attacked by the guerilla poetics project. Pleasantly attacked, more like being hugged from behind by a friend that you have not seen in a few years. Yeah, like that. So, thanks to Bill and all of your operatives for the underground-smile-providing service.

Cheers and keep it up.
 
I filled out the form. I would love to be a part of this. It's a very cool idea. Hopefully you are still accepting applicants for San Francisco and Los Angeles. I go to LA quite a bit.
 
The new Broadsides are arrived. They are absolutely beautiful! Justin Barrett must be smiling...

For more GPP: www.quercusreview.com

Featured POETS: Guerilla Poetics Project
with poems by David Barker, Doug Draime, Christopher Harter, Michael Phillips, Ross Runfola, Justin Barrett, Luis C. Berriozabal, Glenn W. Cooper, Tom Kryss, Glenn W. Cooper, C. Allen Rearick, William Taylor Jr., Soheyl Dahi, Michael Kriesel, & Kathleen Paul-Flanagan

Issue 7: Only 8 dollars plus 1 dollar shippingcosts! (Worldwide.)
 

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