As Noir As It Gets

Poets are sick.

Sick.

Every fucking one of them, going all the way back to Homer—and still countless generations before that blind old fart set the standard for Western literature, some Cro-Mag with a rancid animal hide swaddling his junk stood up beside a campfire and wove stories about a great hunt or the cruelty of gods or the downright fun of slamming a handaxe into your enemy’s face.

Get it now?

Poets are bat-shit crazy because more than anyone else, they feel the power of words.

And poetry is the world’s oldest form of storytelling.

Embrace these simple concepts and we'll get along just fine.

Which brings me to volume four of The Lineup: Poems on Crime.

As someone who had a small hand in shaping the first two anthologies, I’m proud to say The Lineup gets better every year. This time around, we see a man haunted by war crimes (Reed Farrel Coleman’s “Slider, Part 7”), a woman getting revenge on her dead lover’s ex-wife (Germaine Welch’s “Houston Oil Man Missing”), the cold lives of prostitutes (“Street Girls: Selected Memories” by Stephen Jay Schwartz) and the beginning of a rape victim’s endless nightmare (J.D. Smith’s “From a Deposition”). Kieran Shea (“In Oaxaca, 2006”) and Keith Rawson (“A Story to Tell Our Daughter”) deliver the goods, too. From Ken Bruen, whose novels are epic noir poetry disguised as prose, we get “Funeral: Of the Wino”:

For far too long
I’d lived
a lithium above despair.

Which brings me back around to my point about poets being sick.

These poems are as noir as it gets, buddy. Each one is a distillation of pain, greed, loss, false hope, betrayal, desperation and death. The poets themselves are hard men and dangerous women. The difference between them and the rest of the tribe? The poets don’t turn away from the darkness. Poets don’t flinch.

Crime poetry seeks an understanding of what drives us to rob, cheat, torture and kill each other. Some of the stories in The Lineup are true. Others are made up. But every one of them is real. Editors Gerald So, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez and Richie Narvaez have put together a crew of poets who aren't fucking around. Charles Bukowski would have felt right at home in these pages. Not to mention Johnny Cash and Bon Scott.

Poets are sick.

And it's a good fucking thing for all of us.

Who's in the New Lineup?

Editors Gerald So, Richie Narvaez, Anthony Rainone and Sarah Cortez have announced the list of contributors for the third annual issue of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Check out these names...Patti Abbott, Joe Barnes, Henry Chang, Reed Farrel Coleman, Sarah Cortez, Michael A. Flanagan, Anne Frasier, James W. Hall, David Hernandez, Amy MacLennan, Carrie McGath, James M. McGowan, Kristine Ong Muslim, David S. Pointer, James Sallis, Jackie Sheeler, Wallace Stroby, Larry D. Thomas and Francine Witte.

I don't know when this thing is coming out, but I'm looking forward to reading it. You can still order the first two issues (for which I was a co-editor, besides having a poem in issue #1 and writing the introduction to #2) from Amazon.

Poetry Readings

I want to tell you about a couple of exciting poetry readings happening this month.

On October 22, the KGB Bar at 85 East 4th Street in New York will host a reading of work from The Lineup: Poems on Crime from 7 to 9 p.m. Karen Peterson, Gerald So, Jennifer L. Knox, R, Narvaez, Carol Novack and Anthony Rainone are the featured poets. In addition, I've just learned that Anthony will be reading my poem "11o M.P.H. in a Stolen Pickup" (from The Lineup's first issue).

On October 24, The Bangor Public Library (145 Harlow St., Bangor, ME) presents a 350 Poetry Reading: 13 Poets and a Chemist from 12 to 3 p.m. This reading is part of the International Day of Climate Action.

From the press release: "The world has only a very narrow window of opportunity to undertake a dramatic shift towards a low-carbon society and prevent the worst scenarios of scientists from coming true. In anticipation of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen thisDecember, an International Day of Climate Action has been spearheaded by 350.org, the brainchild of environmental writer Bill McKibben. More than a number, 350 signifies the safe upper limit of CO2 in our atmosphere. Join an impressive gathering of Maine poets for readings that reflect their concerns for the environment. The afternoon will be hosted by Kathleen Ellis & will include live jazz, a closing reception, & book sales & signings."

Featured poets include Christian Barter, Henry Braun, Linda Buckmaster, Cheryl Daigle, Kathleen Ellis (with chemist Francois Amarleonore Hildebrandt), Gary Lawless, Kristen Lindquist, Carl Little, Dawn Potter, Candace Stover, Elizabeth Tibbetts and Jeffrey Thomson.

Call for Submissions

Gerald So has announced that he and his co-editors (Richie Narvaez, Sarah Cortez and Anthony Rainone) are now taking submissions for the third issue of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Go here for all the info. The Lineup #2 has been out for a month or so, and issue #1 is still available. And if you're a real fan--and you are, aren't you?--you can now buy The Lineup hats and t-shirts.

Hey, you didn't think I'd stop hyping this thing just because I'm no longer on the editorial board, did you?

Don't Tell Mom (Unless She's Sick Like You)

Yeah, it's Mother's Day and you'd better be treating Mom right. But afterward, be sure to tool on over to CrimeWav for their special podcast of selected work from the first two issues of The Lineup: Poems on Crime.

Big honkin' thanks to Aldo "Mysterydawg" Calcagno and Seth Harwood for making it all possible. And, hey, don't forget that Seth's novel Jack Wakes Up is now available in bookstores everywhere (and racking up some killer reviews).

Get Lined Up

The Lineup: Poems on Crime #2 (my final issue as a member of the editorial board) is on sale now. Thought I'd post the introduction I wrote for this issue...

Introduction: Crime Poetry?

What does poetry have to do with crime?

Almost a year after the first volume of The Lineup: Poems on Crime was published, and two or three years since Anthony Rainone’s article on noir poetry appeared in Mystery Scene Magazine, I still hear that same question. The people who seem most bewildered by the notion tend to be fans of mystery and crime prose. I suspect their last exposure to poetry came in high school, where they were likely forced to read odes to various sorts of classical pottery, sonnets comparing summer days to dark ladies and verse after verse about tasting liquor never brewed, mending walls or daring to disturb the universe.

So what does poetry have to do with crime?

Poets do not ask that question.

People for whom poetry is a vital part of their reading life do not ask that question.

They do not need to. One cannot separate the medium’s affinity for what Czeslaw Milosz called “luminous things” from its need to examine the darker side of nature, society and the self. American poets have long dealt with the consequences of criminal acts. For a mere handful of examples, track down Claude McKay’s “The Lynching” (1920), Robert Hayden’s “Night, Death, Mississippi” (1966), C.K. Williams’ “Hood” (1969), Ai’s “Child Beater” (1973) or Amy Uyematsu’s “Ten Million Flames of Los Angeles” (1998). With his 1968 poem “Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane,” Etheridge Knight accomplished in just six stanzas something that took Ken Kesey an entire novel.

Weldon Kees’ “Crime Club” (1947) screamed “that nothing can be solved.” So why do we write crime fiction, let alone crime poetry? One may as well ask why we write—or read—anything at all. We do it in an attempt to understand. We do it to find some kind of meaning in events that all too often leave victims, perpetrators and everyone around them damaged or destroyed.

The poems in this volume of The Lineup carry that tradition forward. In the following pages, you will find prison guards, losers heading for the final fall, burned out detectives, victims of sexual abuse, victims of random violence, shoplifters, rubberneckers and people who slide into crime as their only remaining means of survival. Here you will find proof beyond any reasonable doubt of poetry’s relevance to modern life.

Any questions?

Patrick Shawn Bagley
Madison, Maine
March 2009

May 10 on CrimeWAV: The Lineup Podcast

On May 10, Seth Harwood and Aldo Calcagno will present a special poetry episode of CrimeWAV. These guys have done an amazing job podcasting crime and mystery short stories, and they're kind enough to give The Lineup some airtime (webtime?). So be sure to listen.


The featured poems are:

From The Lineup #1:

"110 M.P.H. in a Stolen Pickup" by Patrick Shawn Bagley
"Prayer of an Arson Investigator" by Sarah Cortez
"Metro" by R. Narvaez
"Don Henley Will Be Mine" by Misti Rainwater-Lites
"Four Minutes" by Gerald So

From The Lineup #2:

"Visiting Hours, State Pen" by Amy MacLennan
"A Whisper of Smoke" by Stephen D. Rogers
"A Wild Flaw Amongst Us" by Christopher Watkins

Stepping Down from The Lineup

I just finished writing the introduction to this year's volume of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. It feels good to have it done because Richie, Gerald and Anthony have been waiting for it. At the same time, I'm saddened because this is my final issue as a co-editor of The Lineup. With so many things competing for my time, I haven't been able to give the project the attention it deserves. Rather than make the other guys carry my weight, I decided it would be best to bow out. My great thanks to all three of them for their hard work and dedication. It's been fun and rewarding. There will be a new co-editor taking my place for volume three, but I'll leave that announcement to Mr. So.

The Lineup: Poems on Crime #2 comes out this summer.

The Lineup for The Lineup #2

The selection process was a long one, but Gerald So, Richie Narvaez, Anthony Rainone and I have finally settled on the material to be published in our second annual anthology of hard-boiled poems. The new installment of The Lineup, due out this summer, will feature these poets:

Patrick Carrington
Reed Farrel Coleman
Sophie Hannah
John Harvey
Janis Butler Holm
Jennifer L. Knox
Amy MacLennan
Carol Novack
Deshant Paul
Karen Petersen
Manuel Ramos
Stephen D. Rogers
Christopher Watkins

Now that's an exciting bunch of writers. If you liked The Lineup #1, then #2 will hit you like a 300-pound gorilla come to collect the vig on that ten large you still owe Vinnie the Squid. The Lineup #1 is still available; just click the link in the sidebar over there. Do it. Do it now.

Roachkiller

I was flipping through The Best American Mystery Stories 2008 (edited by George Pelecanos) yesterday, when I noticed that The Lineup co-conspirator Richie Narvaez got a nod. While his story "Roachkiller" (which appeared in the second issue of the late, lamented Murdaland) was not selected for the anthology, it did make Pelecanos and Penzler's list of Other Distinguished Mystery Stories of 2008. That's still pretty damn cool.

It was also nice to see stories from ThugLit and Expletive Deleted get some love.

The Wild Man of Borneo, Disney Fatigue, Crime Poems and Short Fiction Mayhem

My eight days in solitary ended Sunday when Tonia and the girls came home from Florida. Sarah, who turns five next Saturday, slept from 3:30 Sunday afternoon until just after 8:00 Monday morning. Rowan was tired too, but spent the day doing the homework she had promised to do while she was gone. I think she was actually glad to head back to school this morning.

I got a call from my brother Rob yesterday. It was the first time I'd heard his voice since the middle of June. He's a lieutenant on a submarine, and they've been out on a cruise or mission or whatever it's called. Rob called from a hotel in Borneo. It was the first time he'd been above the surface of the ocean in 42 days. 42 days! I'd go nuts.

Rob's a golfer, and he played a round at the local course, which is surrounded by jungle. Golf balls are five bucks apiece in Borneo, but whenever he hit one into the jungle he said fuck it. He wasn't going to lost, stung, bitten or possibly eaten for a stupid little ball. A few monitor lizards hung out on the green, too. Rob and his buddies gave those monsters plenty of room. It was weird to hear Rob complain about the heat so close to the equator when our weather forecast for today calls for rain that might turn into snow this evening.

I read 81 pages of poetry submissions for the Lineup and sent my ratings to Gerald So. We got at least twice as many submissions this time around. That's a good sign. I think next spring's anthology will be even stronger than the first one.

I started work on a new short story--something I haven't had time to do since last spring. This one is about a gay gun-runner with serious anger issues. I have no idea where the story will go, though. All I have so far is a couple of pages.

Got confirmation yesterday that my story "Welcome to Wal-Mart, Motherfucker" will appear in Uncaged, editor Jen Jordan's sequel to Expletive Deleted. The new anthology comes out in the spring, courtesy of Bleak House Books.

Not the Usual (Poetry) Suspects

“You ask me, those guys are doing God's work, taking poetry back from the beret set.” —Chris F. Holm

I know what you’re thinking. Yeah, I do.

Ewww, poetry. I hate poetry. All that stuff about Greek urns, lilacs in dooryards and Hiawatha. Symbolism? Rhyme and meter? Rod fucking McKuen. Booooooring. Poetry sucks.

If you believe that’s all there is to poetry, then I pity you. You’re missing out on a lot of great writing. You’ve missed Charles Bukowski, Hayden Carruth, Victor Hernández Cruz, Martín Espada, Louise Glück, Mary Oliver, Sharon Olds, Tim Seibles, Ann Sexton, Charles Simic, Patricia Smith, Christopher Watkins, James Wright, Kevin Young and far too many others. But it’s not too late, my friend.

One way to wrap your head around some of the good stuff is to order your very own copy of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Our first annual anthology has poems by the likes of Ken Bruen, Sarah Cortez, Daniel Hatadi, R. Narvaez and Sandra Seamans. Do you think Ken Bruen would write poetry if it did not kick serious ass?

But crime poetry? That’s just, like, weird.

You’ll find everything you love about crime fiction in these poems: murderers, shylocks, dope fiends, bent cops, good cops, punk-ass kids, kidnappers and just plain old normal folks who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. As far as I know, The Lineup is the first-ever anthology of crime poems. It’s literary history in the making. This is noir poetry, buddy. The hard-boiled stuff. It’s a hell of a lot of fun to read, too.

Wanted

Gerald So has posted the submission guidelines for next year's edition of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Our reading period begins soon, so get crackin'.

All Lined Up

The Lineup: Poems on Crime is now available from Murder by the Book in Austin, TX and online from Lulu.com. Our first annual issue delivers twenty-five poems by fourteen hard-hitting poets for just $6.50 plus shipping.

“The Lineup is packed with passionate portraits of lust, revenge, guilt, obsession, regret…all the good things in life. Some of these poems will make you smile, others will put a lump in your throat. And some will stay with you for a very long time after you’ve closed the book.”
—Sean Chercover, author of Big City, Bad Blood and Trigger City.

This debut issue features poems by Patrick Shawn Bagley, Ken Bruen, Sarah Cortez, Graham Everett, Daniel Hatadi, Daniel Thomas Moran, R. Narvaez, Robert Plath, Misti Rainwater-Lites, Stephen D. Rogers, A.E. Roman, Sandra Seamans, Gerald So and KC Trommer. The Lineup: Poems on Crime is published by Poetic Justice Press and edited by Gerald So (fiction editor of Thrilling Detective e-zine), with Patrick Shawn Bagley, R. Narvaez and Anthony Rainone.

The Eyes of Texas are Upon Us.

The fine folks at Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas will carry copies of The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Once again, Texas leads the way (as Bill Crider might say); Muder by the Book is the first store to offer this cool anthology. We don't yet have a release date, but it should hit the streets and shelves soon.

The Lineup features hard-boiled poems by Ken Bruen, Robert Plath, Sandra Seamans, KC Trommer, Graham Everett, Daniel Thomas Moran, R. Narvaez, A.E. Roman, Gerald So, Daniel Hatadi, Sarah Cortez, Stephen D. Rogers, Misti Rainwater-Lites and some fat bastard from Maine.

The Lineup

Click on the image for a closer view.

A Quick Update

February was a hectic month, and March is shaping up to top it. I'm trying to finish Bitter Water Blues, as well as a short story for an anthology, by mid-month. This, along with part-time teaching while trying to find more work, family stuff and the day-to-day drudgery that comes with winter in Maine, makes it seem like spring is a hell of a long way off.

I've been reading less than usual, but have found time for The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, the latest issue of Asimov's Science Fiction and a re-read of Victor Gischler's Suicide Squeeze. Sometime next week, I should be able tear through Ken Bruen's Cross (thanks to my friend Ellen) and the new Crimespree.

Forthcoming work:
My poem "Daddy Fat" will be in the Winter/Spring issue of Off the Coast.

My short story "Bank Job" will appear in the Spring issue of Spinetingler Magazine. It's a revised version of a flash fiction piece that first appeared in Flashing in the Gutters a couple of years ago.

The debut issue of The Lineup: Poems on Crime will feature my poem "110 M.P.H. in a Stolen Pickup," along with fine work by writers like Daniel Hatadi, Sandra Seamans, Richie Narvaez and Ken Bruen. You can get more details on The Lineup blog.

The Lineup

Gerald So had a great idea: put together an anthology of poems about crime. He found willing accomplices in Richie Narvaez, Anthony Rainone and me. We've gathered some fine work from several crime writer/poets and the results will appear in a chapbook-sized print anthology called The Lineup: Poems on Crime. Look for it sometime this spring. You can get more details at our official blog.