A strange story of the small press and the Internet ... (1 Viewer)

As most of you know, I was involved in the small press back in the 80s, both as a poet and a shoestring-budget publisher. Well, just today, I got a poetry submission from a young lady. The bizarre thing is that she got my name from a Web site that has not been active for almost 12 years!

Here's the Web page. Go there and click "View the previous issue" link at

http://members.cruzio.com/~png/

Notice the date? Winter 1996! The story is, back in late '96 and early '97, Kurt Nimmo -- who had been both editing and doing Web production for the magazine -- asked me if I would edit it and he would do only the production. I had known Nimmo since the mid-80, when he edited a little magazine called Planet Detroit and I edited Pig in a Poke. I had a dandy issue of PNG lined up, featuring some name poets such as Jim Daniels and Judson Crews. (I still have some of the poems I was going to accept from both of them on my computer!)

Unfortunately, what I did NOT know was that Nimmo was getting fed up with Detroit, with the hassle of running a magazine, the whole shootin' match. Quite suddenly, he pulled up roots and moved to Chicago and the magazine never produced another issue. But he also left the Web page standing there. And almost 12 years later, once in a while someone still stumbles on it and submits some poems! Isn't that bizarre??

I always write back and tell them the story and, if their stuff is any good, direct them to another magazine that is still active.

Oh, and by the way, PNG stands for "persona non grata." :)
 
Yes, he is. And a photographer.

Harry,
maybe you could put out the final PNG issue with all the -good- poems you received over the years ;)
 
Hey Cirerita, interesting idea! Unfortunately, while I write marketing copy for a technology giant, I am a technological MORON. That explains why the Web page has been sitting there like a dinosaur egg for 12 years! But I just checked on my home computer and there are six poems by Jim Daniels and four by Judson Crews. I'd be willing to bet that all or at least most of them have already been published elsewhere. If anyone wants to take a look, I can send them to you. (Obviously, don't want to post them publicly ...)

Does look like Nimmo is a political pundit now, Bill. Just Googled his name ... and a photographer? Doesn't surprise me, he was a creative guy.
 
There's a strange and beautiful melancholy to abandoned corners like this. I always get a pang when I visit a favourite band fansite and see I am the only person on the site and my post was the last one and some of the "latest posts" are almost 3 years old. I feel like I am in the mausoleum of the recent past. I wanna go "Echo...co...co...co...co". It cuts my heart to see the "Coming soon" section and see those old dates... Feel like I am in a Ballardian skyscraper looking out over a blasted city....
 
Agree with both mjp and Joseph K ... it's so weird to click on "view the previous issue" and see Winter 1996 pop up. Hard to believe it's been that long ago, but mjp's right, the graphics betray its age. And yeah, Joseph K, it's like a whatchacallit ... a cenotaph, where there is a tombstone but the body is somewhere else ... spooky.

I did post a note on one of Kurt Nimmo's blogs asking him to contact me, so we'll see what happens ...
 
I only knew Nimmo as a 'political pundit'...I would decribe him as a hardcore radical political pundit...then discovered that he had once been heavily involved in the small press. Must be a very interesting guy.
 
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500 copies
 
Kurt Nimmo published a very difficult to find David Barker chapbook, as well as Bukowski's "Relentless as the Tarantula".
Bill, you and Father Luke are AMAZING. Or perhaps I'm just clueless. Nimmo and I crossed paths and corresponded on and off for probably 15 years and I didn't know about either the Barker chap or Relentless as the Tarantula. Thanks for the information!
 
The Gambler by David Barker, published by Kurt Nimmo's Planet Detroit in 1986.

kennyrogers.jpg


I can only assume that Jeffrey's daughter got a hold of his address stamp as I cannot see a bookseller stamping the front cover of a book like this.

This is something that I have worried about for a while and keep my books away from the kids.

Bill
 
There are three interesting copies of Buk's Relentless as the Tarantula on abe right now.

1) a fine copy, unsigned for $125 from Jeff Maser
2) a copy with a stamp on the cover SIGNED for $175 from Bluff Park Rare Books
3) a fine copy, unsigned for $281.25 from David Gregor

My question is "Why would anyone buy Gregor's copy from twice what you would pay for an identical copy from Maser?" It seems like a strange business model. Both are reputable sellers, with Maser really standing out as someone that I go out of my way to buy from. His stuff is always the best and his prices are always (ALWAYS) fair. I'm planning on paying a visit there while I'm in SF. My wallet will never forgive me the damage that I plan on doing to it. For book lovers, it is a massive treasure trove of amazing books that stretches forever.

Bill
 
I am not a big collector type...mainly because I don't think I would be very good at taking care of what I am collecting. But, that Relentless chap by Nimmo is something I will have to think about if I can gather some cash.
 
Planet Detroit also published a GAGAKU book by Steve Richmond that runs for about $10 and is probably being sold right now on ebay....

Bill
 
There are three interesting copies of Buk's Relentless as the Tarantula on abe right now.

1) a fine copy, unsigned for $125 from Jeff Maser
2) a copy with a stamp on the cover SIGNED for $175 from Bluff Park Rare Books
3) a fine copy, unsigned for $281.25 from David Gregor
Looks like someone took #1. Only the higher priced ones are still there. Maser owes you a commission, Bill!
 

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