Decided on a PayPal Merchants Account for payment options

After researching my options, I went with PayPal. 

the luminist poems, by Brenda Clews, a romance, its dazzling and dangerous light, questions the paradoxes of who we are before the text blazes into visionary rapture.

"Brenda Clews offers us a pellucid voice that presents and interprets so clearly, it is almost as if light is shining through each one of the magnificent images in these mysterious poems." -John F. Walter

Cost: $20.00 CAD, each book is signed 
Size: 6" x 8"; 15.24cm x 20.32cm 
Hardcover: 39 pages
Publisher: LyricalMyrical Press
ISBN: 978-1-897275-84-9
Shipping costs:
        Canada..............$5.00
        US.....................$8.00
        International....$14.00

'luminist poems,' $20.00CAD, choose shipping from drop-down menu

Ship to US- $28.00 CAD Ship in Canada- $25.00 CAD Ship Internationally- $34.00 CAD

the luminist poems is a small hand-made chapbook produced by Luciano Iacobelli, who owns LyricalMyrical Press. They are hard cover, usually in bright primary colours; the poems are printed on fine paper. Each of his chapbooks is a jewel. With an initial print-run of 30 numbered copies, they are collector's items. I am honoured to be among the poets he has published.

A review of the luminist poems:

“Tell me the eternal form of you, in that burning star.” “We are solar explosions. What else could we be?” These two quotes from The Luminist Poems hint at the romance of the book (it’s a great love story – and I love the way the heroine dresses!) and at the central conflict of light and human experience as metaphors for each other, as primal energies that are subject to a thousand laws of time and place even as those laws are bent around the beating star and the pulsing heart. These are deeply thought-out and felt-through poems, as interconnected as planets of a solar system or the organs of a body, and yet they read with the seductive spontaneity of a diary. There is enormous erudition here, both in terms of science and philosophy (from Plato to Bergson) and of literary tradition (Henry Vaughan to Julia Kristeva), but the author wears her learning with the effort-concealing elegance of a dancer whose lead you trust. Her allusions are always at the service of the poet’s tale and the reader’s pleasure. (I’m reminded of Nabokov’s search for “the passion of science, the precision of poetry”.) Like the passage of light, this book can be experienced as both waves and particles: as irresistible forward movement in an unbroken line and an archipelago of individual thoughts. And what thoughts! Few modern poets are so generous, so companionable, so easy to commit to memory. Few writers are so able to combine turbulence and passion with serenity; and for this reader it’s the equilibrium between pain and peace that makes me feel that my own struggles have been seen from afar, recognized from up close, and given a shape that lets me face them, and, finally, bless them.

--Stephen Hatfield (one of Canada's pre-eminent choral composers)

___

 

'the luminist poems' chapbook cover

This took hours because my internet went down and then it started telling me another IP address was using it resulting me calling the internet provider and changing the name and the password, all of which took upward of 3 hours (you know, running back and forth between computers, re-starting the modem, having little bowls of curry and cucumber and bananas and mango chutney, taking the dogs for pit stops). I just got it from my old computer, which is connected to a scanner, via the home network. Ok, you'll see it a lot in the coming weeks or months. And I still have to figure out how to make a 'shop' page... that's tomorrow's task... although I seem to be running a fever, so may need to go in search of a doctor since it's Sunday... we'll see. By tomorrow night's end I aim to have a Google Wallet page or some such - and then I'll become like all the other writers selling their book(s). Lol! It's a good feeling!!!!!

And tonight I managed to transfer the video of my launch reading onto a video drive. And even looked at 30 seconds of it. Who knows if I'll do anything with it... maybe a snippet, maybe the whole thing at some point, or not.

Clearly, though, despite a rising fever, tonight I have finally had time in the midst of a week long family crisis to remember I just had a small chapbook published, and to begin to do the tasks necessary for its little journey in the world.

(That I've got this far is good. A shop page is next. Then I have to start selling it at readings by getting up on open mic and not hiding away in the back row. :) (Though... I am a featured poet in two upcoming poetry events in July, so I'll have to step up to the plate, or mic, somehow.)

It's a small hand-made chapbook... by Luciano Iacobelli who owns LyricalMyrical Press. Bright primary colours. Printed on fine paper. Each of his chapbooks are jewels. He probably does 9 or 10 chapbooks a year. Collector's items. I am honoured to be among the poets he has published.

___

 

The launch of 'luminist poems' went well

I was so nervous I nearly didn't go! My daughter got me there. That was an unexpected reaction. I've been doing open mic for perhaps 6 months almost weekly, and had a few poetry features, and of course have a wack of videos, and I was so stressed I wanted to cancel out of the launch of my first book. You learn something new about yourself every day, I tell you!

It's hard to be present for dear friends with whom you are talking when the crowd around you is in your ears. When you are more of a one-on-one person who likes to get in to actual conversations, the requirements of meet and greet can be a little difficult. I hope I made everyone who came out for the launch feel as special as they felt to me.

Once the readings began, it was okay. Patrick Connors, who launched his chapbook, Scarborough Songs, went first, then me, and Lisa Young closed the evening with readings from her chapbook, This Cabin. They were great. We had been such a team for the promo, it was super to launch with them, and almost a bit sad after, as Lisa said, "Now that the launch is over, it feels a bit like we are breaking up."

My book, the luminist poems, is beautifully produced -Luciano Iacobelli, who hand-crafts all the chapbooks his Press, LyricalMyrical, publishes did a superb job, as always. A decent number of copies were sold. He hosted a warm, comfortable, loving evening of great poetry, camaraderie, and sharing in the best of literary traditions.

Everyone clapped after every single poem each one of us read! It seems so excessive, everyone clapping loudly after each poem, and yet there is such an enthusiasm for poetry in our 'niche' world. Poetry in Toronto rocks, it really does.

I went in terrified and came out the other end of the hours in a warm glow that lasted well into the early hours as I went with a few friends to a friend's apartment to celebrate.

My dear sweet niece, Freya Clews, gave me flowers. The flowers match my favourite lace dress! Almost my whole family came. I am so lucky! And many beautiful friends. All I can say is thank you! xoxoxoxo

My daughter, son and brother helped me take down my show today, and all the paintings are at home. Lots of lovely responses, but, no, no sales. Q Space, being a poetry cafe, I wasn't expecting to sell, but thought that having a show was a good thing for me at this point. You can see my paintings in the photographs - Luciano was kind enough to make sure that the show and the launch co-incided. My brother, Allan, took some fine video too, so I may post that at some point just because.

All in all, a fine experience; it's been an intense month with a solo show and preparations for and then the launch, and I am quite ready to retire from 'be'in public' for awhile! (Though I am a featured poet at two upcoming poetry events, so not totally!)

___

 

Git Yer Socks Movin'!

Many thanks to all of you who are coming. Big hugs!!! And the rest of you? Git yer socks moving to Q this Thurs! Lol!!

___

 

'Dance of the Solar Wind' (3min) video poem

direct link: Dance of the Solar Wind

'Dance of the Solar Wind,' a poem from my forthcoming chapbook, "the luminist poems."'

for my daughter

who liked this video, and asked it remain without filters, untouched

'the luminist poems' will be published by LyricalMyrical Press on June 13, 2013.Two fantastic poets will also launch their LyricalMyrical chapbooks that night: 'The Cabin' by Lisa Young, and 'Scarborough Songs' by Pat Connors. Please come to the launch of our chapbooks if you are in or near Toronto. Q Space, 382 College St., Toronto. 7:30pm - 10pm. Refreshments and desserts available at Q Space.



Yesterday I put in a 15 hour day trying to save the video with the three of us reading poems from our forthcoming chapbooks. I began copying different clips out and trying to save them as .mov files in the hopes that I could patch it back together. The clip in the vid above was weird, it was there, in a 'project file' but when I went back to the main Projects Library it disappeared completely. The "undo" button worked. So I decided to save it, added bits, cover, our 3 book covers, etc. and uploaded to YT. I've captioned in the launch.

Tomorrow I am going to do my damnest to retrieve the 7 min video of all of us - Lisa and Patrick both look great, and they each read two poems in the video - and get it uploaded to YouTube, even if I have to start from scratch. This has never happened before. I even moved all the files to another ext HDD, to no avail. The video plays fine in Final Cut, just won't save out to an upload-able version. It should have been ready to go early yesterday morning. I'm doing what I can.

___