Virgogray Press Online

Michael Aaron Casares: This Reality of Man

2011-01-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

We now have in stock & for sale copies of "This Reality of Man" by poet & artist, Michael Aaron Casares. The book is a collection of poetry that delves into the personal, conscience, social, and humanistic paradigms of our grand illusion: life.Its publisher, Lizard's Tale Press, heralds it as "poetry of the new enlightenment." The book gathers new verse, as well as verse previously published in Eviscerator Heaven, Calliope Nerve, Gloom Cupboard, Quib.Nest.Nido., The Dreamcatcher, The San Antonio Express News, Carcinogenic Poetry, The Clockwise Cat, and The Stark Electric Space, among others. This Reality of Man, a collection of poems bursting from the independent underground; new views coming into light for the evolution of thought and the awakening consciousness. 92 pages. $15.00

Doctori Sadisco: NO FEAR

2010-11-11T21:35:00.001-08:00

NO FEAR by Doctori Sadisco is a collection of thirty sonnets that peer into the mystic, the sacred and connotate the metaphysical in light and recognizable form. There a several balances found within this book that acknowledge evils and dispel in truth through beautifully written spells. NO FEAR casts light on the shadows and the demons, demystifies them and continues in its internal/external process of illumination. The first sonnet’s lines, “The Age of Denial is ending so he welcomes the Age of Revelation” is the first mark of duality right out of the snakeskin. There is dark and light throughout NO FEAR, but truth rings out the clearest. Each line is like a snapshot, individual paintings feathered seamlessly:

V

These are not the ghosts or wraiths whom fear has made
Nor the angels on their fluff white clouds
Not the glowing winged beings surrounding Christ
And not the dusky demons of some fiery hell
They do not moan in graveyards round the night
Nor touch your soul with sulfur’s stench and icy chill
These are not the cloudy figures your mind has made

The mother’s scent a father’s frame
Through these mortal minds beheld
Will make inside an unpained tear
And longing deeper than a well
Where only beauty can resound
In echoes deep within the soul
Where no fear but love is what unfurls

Pray thee not forget these are the musings of an artist. So we are given beautiful lines of wonder, lines of passion and love, as seen in Sonnet IX, lines of dreamlike sadist birds (Sonnet XVII), lines of self-realization (Sonnet XXV), lines written for the animals (Sonnet XV). My favorites were lines that spoke of light and, not being in love, but love itself. Sonnet XXVI is a good light poem that seems to speak of something higher than simple illumination:

XXVI

Please don’t fool yourself
Into believing that the Light falls
On some but not others
In the slipstreams of the infinite
Light falls on those who are readiest
While others watch and stare
Not knowing why or when and where

The divisions felt so deeply shift
Off the centers they so resolutely forge
And climb the ladder to the stars
For the answers so long sought
And out of the nightmares of your strife
The cutting edge of Light
Is like a knife

We are happy to share this collection of sonnets, a first for Virgogray Press, with readers and fans of Doctori Sadisco. There is a subtle enchantment to the world of this wizened poet reflected in the words enchanted moment. 30 pages. $10.

VGP Anthology No. 5: Dear Bela

2010-10-13T11:01:00.001-07:00

Just when you thought the vampire genre had lost all its dignity, something with a little class comes along. The latest anthology to spring into existence over here at Virgogray is a tribute to the Lord Vampire himself– Bela Lugosi. I mean Dracula–I mean– You know what I mean. Dear Bela, an anthology of poetry and writing brought together by California poets, Marc Olmsted and Carlye Archibeque is a unique foray I couldn’t resist and there were many treats and a few tricks, I didn’t expect, in this riveting and novel chapbook. It occurred this book was more than a tribute to Mr. Lugosi, who I will speak about in a second, but also an ekphrastic adventure into the austere and mesmeric qualities of the 80′s European band, Bauhaus. Bauhaus was a band that formed in 1978 and broke up in 1983, only to do a group of revival tours in the late ’90s and then regroup in the 2000′s much to their success touring with bands like Nine Inch Nails and headlining festivals in the US like Coachella along side contemporary groups like Coldplay and Ween–it is unfortunate to note, the band has a “bigger in Belgium” type existence in the States as only a few have really ever heard the band. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb in saying that. Bauhaus has always been a gem. Though often considered the forefathers of “labels” like “gothic,” the artistry of the band always outshined that dreary moniker. For those of you in the know, this will be a treat as this group of writers compose a text to the song “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” Naturally.

“Undead Undead Undead Undead. Bela Lugosi is still dead.” opening lines by Suzi Kaplan Olmsted, but for some reason, I really don’t think Bela’s dead. In fact, some way or another this man and his iconic image ressurects like the coming of the moon. I never thought I would learn so much about Bela Lugosi in the brief passing of this anthology. For instance, did you know that Bela Lugosi backed the communist revolution of Bela Khun Hungary, and yet, was never blacklisted in Hollywood. Thanks be that to “Bela Lugosi’s Accomplishments” by Richard Modiano. Did you know Bela wrote poetry? Yessir, he did, as discussed in analysis within these pages. There is a wealth of knowledge and factoids, brought through poetry and art found in Dear Bela, a remarkable anthology; and we here at Virgogray are very grateful to share this precious gem. 22 pages. $10.

Michael Mc Aloran: The Death-Streaked Air

2010-10-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Press is proud to release a new collection of poetry by the dark knight himself, Irish poet and artist phenom, Michael McAloran. This new work brings together another tome of McAloran’s own brand of the dark night of the soul repudiated throughout 34 pages of gritty, succinct poetry that spirals into the depths of death, social and personal distortions and vivid portraits of obscurity. “Cold Colours,” one of the opening poems in the book, is a perfect example of this:

Shadowy nocturne
skull split open
garlands upon the tongue
protruding
excrement in the veins exposed
blood shadow
the skin stretched taut
rolls the emptiness of
unspeakable sound
my existence in a vice of
cold colours
ablaze
in the night

In a world where the want of dark and gloomy poetry has become hackneyed, campy and mundane, Michael McAloran offers something with a genuine brilliance (as scary as that thought might be to the sensitive and empathic reader) that is worth the inclusion to the Virgogray library. Indeed, if you haven’t read any works by this prolific writer and painter, you will see his many volumes spun out by publishers like Calliope Nerve, Erbacce Press and a myriad of internet and print publications. We are not the first to stumble upon the quill of Michael McAloran, nor are we likely to be the last. We do, however, think this a fitting collection to new readers of McAloran’s work that comes together in a quaint and lurid package, wrapped with an original painting by the poet himself. 34 pages. $10.

Felino A. Soriano: Faculties of Interrelated Understanding

2010-09-16T22:21:00.001-07:00

Faculties of Interrelated Understanding by Felino A. Soriano is a continuation of his “Painter’s Exhalations” series of poetry inspired by paintings. The collection is a garnering of poems quite beautiful and thoughtfully shared with an elegance that is not telling. That is to say, Soriano’s style of writing, from imagery to syntax, lends to a touch of the sacred or magical, even through its contemporary, if not collegiate quality. Art does that. One gets the sense that even though these poems are in a series of ekphrastic writing, that they stand alone apart from the artwork. And they do; and that is how we present them. They are their own pieces of art and they pay a very respectable homage to the artists who inspired their creation. Cover art by Duane Locke. 26 pages. $10

Sara Crawford: Coiled and Swallowed

2010-09-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Though Coiled and Swallowed by Sara Crawford begins with a poem anxious and questioning in “Spinning,” readers will find this collection of poetry by Sara Crawford to be honest and even light-hearted, a contrast represented dutifully by the second poem in the book, “Ode to Carpet.” As the book progresses we begin to see the personal and personable experiences whether in regards to love or excesses, adorations or musings; these poems seem to be questions and answers within themselves. In poems like “Flask” or “Green,” readers experience the revelry of youth, access to emotions and feelings as well as the vices of life. Consider the poem “Flask:” “Wednesday was raspberry rum”…”Tuesday was hard cider”…”Wednesday was screwdrivers”…”Thursday was whiskey”…Friday was margaritas”…”Saturday was shots of jagermeister”…”Todays is Sunday. / I’m drinking black coffee, / waiting for you to come out of the bathroom / of this freezing all-night diner. / I wait… / and wait… / and wait… / for you. / But I don’t think you’re coming out this time. / I don’t think you’re coming back . / And my flask is empty.” “Green” exhibits a similar quality, ” The traffic light tells me to move forward / and I’m still choking on this herbal haze / trying to forget the shade your eyes turned / when you saw her. / I stumble out of the car onto tiny blades of grass, / the pine trees look so vibrant in contrast with the sky. / Grasshoppers dance around me and I almost forget / the picture of your lips on hers. ” The beauty of these works, though seemingly heavy, are contrasted in the body of work by poems that reveal the strength of character. Poems like “Music” and “Music Theory” display the writers affinity with audible arts, singing and music making, by drawing on the inspirations of her experience. “Music Theory,” for example, weaves personal experience with music and musicians to a point of seemingly ekphrastic type writing that lauds or reacts to the inspiration as reacts or addresses the point at hand. Of course there are totally light-hearted poems, as “For Frank” which is actually as cute as the kitten it is written for and poems representing absent beauty like “Sunrise.” Personal faves of mine were “The Novelist” about the determination of a writer, that I found quite honorable, and “Dreaming,” a poem endearing to the questions of life and living. All in all, Coiled in Swallowed is a collection of poetry open to all readers, a snapshot of life through the eyes of one Atlanta, Georgia singer/songwriter/playwright/poet (not in that particular order), a vital and well-founded beginning to a promising and proactive vision. 39 pages. $10.

Kevin Brown: Ink on Wood

2010-09-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Kevin Brown of Arkansas has given to readers the world over a phenomenal new collection of prose in Ink on Wood and an astonishing first for Virgogray Press. I found his work quite riveting. In short the work included in Ink on Wood is searing prose at its best. “02:10:31” and “The End, the opener and closer for the book, are dramatic tales of regret and loss told in unconventional and interesting sequence; the former being framed as the story unfolds through video and the latter like flashes of memory. Tragic as they are, one cannot help to turn the pages as the story unfolds and the puzzle pieces itself together. Between these two tales is work that is humorous, as in “Ecdysis,” which frankly I found shocking when I first read. Considering ecdysis means “to shed off skin,” I found this piece to be a masterful literary echo, an elegant step forward for humanity that doesn’t cease to punch you in the jaw. “Learning How to Die,” a nostalgic account between father and son, that is ultimately a tale of acceptance of death, resonated with me. The issue of mortality is lightly punched around by a drunken father teaching his son to box. Other pieces include, “The World (and Everything in it),” a light-hearted look at love loss that reads thickly with poetic hints and crassness. Of course, that’s just skimming the surface, you’ll have to read the story to get the full scoop. Prose fans, fans of flash fiction and short stories, Ink on Wood by Kevin Brown is definitely a collection to pick up—satisfying to the last word.
27 Pages. $10.

Peter Magliocco: Nude Poetry Garage Sale

2010-07-22T22:30:00.001-07:00

The newest release from Virgogray is here! “Nude Poetry Garage Sale” by Peter Magliocco is 30 pages of poetic diversity that kinda hinges on its various abstractions of thought and images as it trips into a variety of ideas, some humorously narrative, others absurdly profane. I walked away from this version of “Nude Poetry Garage Sale” thinking Peter Magliocco is nothing short of a mastermind. Even at its opening we see a writer wanting to buck the current with poems seemingly addressing the state of art and editorialship. But I loved the abstraction of images and how sensibly they address the apparent issue as in the poem, ”Illusion of Art:”

Far from the blank page
on your computer screen
where faint radioactive emanations
persistently grope for
all the imprisoned writers of the world
mentally chained to machines
& inherited obsolete concepts
that should remain unwritten,
unthought, undisturbed
the way mirage water puddles
on distant roads are
in the sunlight,
before you race towards them
and they disappear.

This is also present in “The Hunger Artist” where Magliocco writes about “true art” and censoring “literature befouled by commerce & whatnot” drives the point home with a seeming sarcastic, self-defamatory quip: “I’ll cut this poem-pretension up / & add it to the beef stew / which lacks a saving grace / of sorts.” I found “Narrations from the invidious conflux” humourous with its opening schema of the 1959 Psycho film as it weaves itself into topical briefs on Obama, Valerie Solanis and impending earthquake doom–I rather liked that poem. “Something Behind Everything” tapped into the spiritual and profound, another aspect I find appealing when reading poetry. These lines are wonderful,

Please send good tidings
to the prison where now I sleep
dreaming of us reading together
the skywriting of planes
above the ecliptic tilt
clouds shape ivory hills
for the hiding gods.

Wow. And all this in the first five pages! Could it get better? It could. There were other poems I found to be insightful, if not after a double-take and a closer read through, such as: “Bury Her Heart on Highway 61,” “A Casualty of Permissive Sex in Unorthodox Times (which, by the way, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize),” “From the Nude Christ,” and “The Vision Inescapable.” Another poem I found humorous was, “Host,” but only because I jaywalk and never really looked at it as inviting hard-metal death, but that’s why I like reading poetry. Over all, “Nude Poetry Garage Sale” is a hefty helping of verse, a bit thicker than some, with a little bit of imaginative deciphering required. It is the thoughtfulness that is so inviting, though, and is worthy of those desiring an engaging read. Cover art by Justin Jackley. 30 Pages. $10.

Joseph Goosey: Mostly Spinach

2010-07-13T21:32:00.001-07:00

A 29 page collaboration of light and ornate verse, layered with anecdotal profundities that subtly smirk at literacy and everyday life. One of the highlights for me was the poem “Print Media,” which, as a publisher, caught my attention immediately (as was intended???) I found it funny this state of seeming lack of balance, sad as it is to be “more concerned / with the continued survival / of print media / than… with the contents of any bank account.” The zinger, however, was as the end of the poem where, in a rueful promise to one day edit The Book Review, would be the same day the front lawn would catch fire. Heh. I also quite enjoyed “Difficult to See the Bicyclists This Time of Evening.” It is just this type of poem, should a type even be given, I enjoy. It tells a story, has a point and yet at the same time maintains all these abstractions and images. But you get the point of the poem. Perhaps it is in the compilation of images, “a London born Statistician,” the increase of cigarettes with no decent warning, a ninety pound Russian with a harsh urinary tract infection, and a sun that just won’t stand still. Yes, for its coital profundity, Mostly Spinach is light and entertaining and will easily commute readers from page to page in its brief meander through the realms of Mr. Goosey’s mind and may come out as puzzled with life as they were before reading the book. But, hey, if the job of the poet were not to answer the mysteries of life, would it not be to provoke the mysteries of life? Mostly Spinach was no mystery for me, but was an entertaining book that sometimes makes reading poetry worthwhile and a nice addition to the Virgogray library. 29 pages. $10

VGP Anthology No. 4: America Remembered

2010-06-29T07:48:00.001-07:00

This fine menagerie of writers present a spirit of pride, concern, and honor to the American way of life and that which it once stood for. These poems evoke many images, ask many questions and proffer answers, and affirm commitments to what it means to be American and the many freedoms that are entitled. Contributors include: Danny P. Barbare, Roxanne Hoffman, David S. Pointer, Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti, Michael Aaron Casares, J.P. Christiansen, Christa Pandey, Franklin Metro, Matthew Nadelson, Scot Siegel, Mitchell Waldmen, Thom Moon Bird, Chevalterre Nabil, Sal Treppiedi, James Brush, Elzy Cogswell, Claire Vogel-Camargo, Mikel K. $10.

VGP Anthology No. 3: National Poetry Month 2010

2010-04-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

Virgogray is proud to announce the release of its newest chapbook anthology, The National Poetry Month 2010 edition! Several poems have been compiled by poets and writers the world over to bring a fine anthology celebrating National Poetry. Once a year we are given a month to revel in the written word and we’re releasing this anthology as a commemoration of that revelry. The National Poetry Month VGP chapbook anthology contains several fine contributions to the written word from poets, including: Michael McAloran, Kyle Ferguson, Paul Bralower, Dr. Ehud Sela, Christa Pandey, Anna Coakley, Brian K. Ladd, D.L. Rose, Saroj Gartaula, Felino Sorriano, J.J. Steinfeld, Kevin Reid, Kristina England, David S. Pointer, and Glenn D’Alessio. A wonderful addition to the Virgogray library, Virgogray has not released a finer gathering of voices yet, so get your copy today! $10

Donna Snyder: I am South

2010-03-31T11:47:00.001-07:00

Donna Snyder is the editor on the El Paso Bar Journal and founder of The Tumblewords Project, a non-profit poetry workshop funded by the city of El Paso. Her work has appeared in various journals and on her blog Raw Poetry. We’re pleased to present Donna’s collection of poetry “I am South.” Donna Snyder elegantly begins what will be an examination, or traipse through her voice and vision with “A Pastel Study in Shadow.” The poem opens as a painting created with colors of beautiful wordplay, “Dress the color of morning glory minutes before dusk” that “seems to be about loss / caught up in shades of mourning / all grays and blacks and purples” and closes with certain resignation and resolution for “when the light fades / the shade will eat / the lilac dust.” “Cloud Travel by boat” is another that continues with this imagery use and reads with tones of mystery and suppressed alarm, “I woke up just a nasty specter in someone else’s anxiety nightmare / Animated computer graphics and acid dream gave me a headache.” The poem even transcends this: “The dead wander in and out of the mirror’s frame of reference / I founder lost among random reveries of unspecified dead / There is an electric heart sharp red against the bruised autumn sky / an electric cloud hulas around the scarlet shape like a nimbus / The weather warns me that shadows approach always and soon.” There are many other poems that present the majestic elegance of this raw, impassioned verse. The “dreaming” series is also worth note and include the poems Dreaming in Cards, a jarring poem of contrasts, “Dreaming of Torture,” an alarming tale of love and lust internalizes these contrasts while “Dreaming in Mother of Pearl” answers in resolution and confidence of spirit and self. There is a familiar hint of storytelling in some of Donna’s work, with a southern charm all it’s own that displays her love for its culture, “South is where I learned to swallow Neruda like rum / South is where time stretches out like a bus trip in exotic lands / and South is where I can both swear and sweat in Spanish / There is antiquity here everywhere and I have become part of it.” I am South does what most good poetry books do: create insight and satisfy the senses. 39 Pages. $10.

Anne McMillen: Mind Static Volume 3

2010-03-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

The last installment of Anne McMillen’s Mind Static chapbook series has finally arrived, and is well worth the wait! The third volume continues full stride from the onset of its first poem, The Collective Consciousness: ”really, it’s just the same old bitch / about how no one / wants to be wrong / or on the receiving end / of the dick. /One less breath I’ll ever / have to take. Nearing the photo finish / there is nothing sadder than acceptance of second place. / a general loss of the will to fight… / but, / but, / don’t fight the tide / you’ll only drown faster.” Mind Static as a whole has been a useful glance into the viewpoint of another and at the same time speaks volumes in respect to quality of life and society. At least, that is one view-point considered by this editor when reading literature and Mind Static has been a curious, artistic and powerful voice in this aspect. Consider the books second poem, The Unnatural Life: “eventually we’ll have / wires to replace the veins / that go old and bad. / Reheat our reheatable food. /Slap the tray in the electronic therapy machine ./ Sit to watch it spin. / Meat made from soybean. / Killing cows is inhumane / but if you live in a country / with valuable resources / your life is expendable. / Exploiting the third world / at the expense of this countries impoverished. / Love and cherish peace / by war waging / in the name of it.” Other notable poems included are “Art is Against Life” in which Anne writes about the state of art, calling for a rebirth at the hands of its destruction, and “Purpose of How I Write,” a lesson in attracting readers: “We could play pictionary / with torrents from a florid vocabulary / but you deserve / the slideshow / sideshow. / Torture in small increments / that propel quickly. / Fast enough / to ignore when you / leave the building. / Miniature black holes / to peak through / at what I am living in / on the other side of our / universe.” $11 + S/H.

Gail Gray: Storms at the Edge

2010-03-17T09:36:00.001-07:00

Escaping earth-bound
rules, you form
of us a torch,
arms above all below,
until a sculpture
of conjoined flame
enlightens the universe,
dares binary dying stars
to burn as alive.

-Vulnerable

Virgogray announces the release of its newest collection, “Storms at the Edge” by Gail Gray. The poetry of Gail Gray can best be described as contemporary cauterized with a mystic edge that lucidly delves into realms of myth and fantasy though anchored to realities through the severe connections, emotions and understandings of a world that mystifies the poet sensitive to the true nature of things.. “Storms at the Edge” is a testament to this quality. Gail Gray’s poems are almost mythic in some instances with themes that recall other times beneath society’s veneer. With “Storms at the Edge,” Gail Gray comes a step closer to perfecting that voice. 21 pages; $10 + S/H.

Anne McMillen: Mind Static Volume 2

2010-02-23T11:36:00.001-08:00

expendable.
isolation bliss.
pain is easier to comprehend even when
it’s faked..
you’re another whore reduced from horror. we all deserve
a person
who will throw themselves away
in our name.
you can play jesus,
i’ll play the nail.

- Our Relationship

The second volume of the serial chapbook Mind Static by Anne McMillen. Part two is darker, more cutting, more jarring than the first! Life eviscerated by lost love, dreams and the waking nightmares of coming of age. An observation of the self as much as at society, these poems slice at its fabric. A collection of sobering yet insightful poetic anecdotes and narratives.

Cover Art: Michael Aaron Casares

$11

Anne McMillen: Mind Static Volume 1

2010-02-23T11:32:00.001-08:00

options now:
sell kidneys to grad students
who can’t pay tuition,
just like i can’t
go back to safety in college cocoon.
run off to texas,
can’t find work here
too addicted
to escape affliction.
onward to california
the rest
of the “i’ll be part of the next big thing” brand of
douche bags are there
aren’t they?
illegally immigrating to canada,
do you think if i tell them,
i’m an american radical
they’d be more liberal
in their criteria for legal registration?
i’ll probably end up staying here,
kept warm by others charity,
in the arctic life of psychological isolation,
having pushed everything else away
but my own adaptation of a “writers”
redundancy.

-Where is My Destiny When I Need it

Mind Static is a phenomenal, brutal and honest analysis of the life and times of Anne McMillen. It’s gritty, it’s shocking, and hard to put down. The first in a series of three chapbooks, Mind Static grabs daily life by the head and sends it through a grinder where everything meshes into chaos, confusion, contemplation of sordid images and poetic narratives spoken plainly in easy to understand and cutting language. From childhood on, this first volume examines the earliest years through the development of free thought and independence. Inserts of wit and mental coital interruption make for a blood thirsty read into the savage landscape that Anne McMillen gives readers in her seminal collection Mind Static!

Cover Art: Michael Aaron Casares

$11

The Stark Electric Space (Graffiti Kolkata)

2010-02-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Stark Electric Space: An International Anthology of Indie Writers (Graffiti Kolkata, 2010). Virgogray Press is proud to distribute Graffiti Kolkata's first international anthhology, The stark Electric Space! This 112 page, perfect bound anthology of poets includes names from around the globe and celebrates poetry and the life of underground Bangla literature.

Poetry by Malay Roychoudhury, Aleathia Drehmar, Parnab Mukherjee, Bob Rosenthal, Sharmy Pandey, Samir Roychoudhury, Shankarnath Chakraborty, Yannis Livadas, Boel Schenlaer, Sreedhar Mukhopadhyay, Paula Dawn, Arunabh Banerjee, Joseph Goosey, Ateendriya Pathak, Erik Vatne, Yasmeen Najmi, Pradip Choudhury, Sara Moss, Aloke Biswas, Jeff Callico, Federica Nightingle, Michael Aaron Casares, Subhankar Das, Heather Fowler, Subhash Ghosh, Tim Hall, Jim Wittenberg, Maria Grazia Galata, Henry Avignon, Elli Griva, Swadesh Misra and Selim Morshed.

Art by Ellis Griva and Sharmy Pandey

Photography by Henry Avignon and Swadesh Misra

Poem Art by Mari Grazia Galata

Edited by Subhankar Das

$15

Brendan Kirk: Dreaming Quick

2010-02-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

men with faces of stiletto

shaded voices

long pony-tail

who at poetry workshops

tell old ladies how to make poems better

i do not understand that t.s. elliot poem

sorry mother I may have to disappear for a while

my mind is wet

and to write it hurts

-Observations Written Today

Dreaming Quick is an exhalation of keenly observant, profoundly written script. With a slight attachment to sketch, Brendan Kirk offers readers a glance of insightful youth as experienced moments, fleeting scenes, day trips and thoughtful excursions. The poetry of Dreaming Quick tenaciously calls for truth, though says it through the subtlety of nature or acquisitive interactions. While there is no denying a need for truth, the wonder of curiosity plays on the curves of Kirk's words as well as a sense of knowledge behind man's blind perception. Dreaming Quick is a brief wisp of the profound and luminous.

Cover Art: Joshua Ellis

VGP Anthology No. 2: So it Goes

2009-11-04T12:51:00.001-08:00

So it Goes is a poetic anthology of death. Inside these covers you will read poetry that touches humanity in a spectrum of emotions. Here lies collected works celebrating life by bravely confronting the subject of death or dying and reflections with honest, straight forward and sometimes humorous verse. This anthology includes the work of Elzy Cogswell, Leyna Inberg, Puma Pearl, Chris D’Errico, Gillian Prew, Mike Meraz, Morrie Greene, Ashley Leitner, Doug Tanoury, Larry Lefkowitz, Roxanne Hoffman, Sergio A. Ortiz, Susan Bosler, Gail Gray and Joseph Goosey.

Cover Art: Ruben Amador

OOP!

A.J. Kaufmann: Broke Nuptial Minds

2009-09-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

brings forth the anvil of flesh
in a crucial parody
of devotion

gunned down & pleased
while ripped apart
at the anvil's
rusted edge

the city's all around... watching....
recording... improving.... growing...
seeking a cure for its caner

it's there... your passions reviewed
embracements/enlacements
in crashed corridors of velvet.

- Smothering Camera Still

Broke Nuptial Minds is a collection of some of A.J. Kaufmann's best poetry to date. This prolific young man has quickly gained readership in America & abroad. Now this Polish poet comes to Virgogray Press with a release of dynamic surrealism and incantational verse. Broke Nuptial Minds is a a modern day shaman's journey through the dark roads & caverns of humanity.

Cover Art: Justin Jackley

VGP Chapbook Anthology No.1: Valium

2009-07-30T15:42:00.001-07:00

Valium is the first Chapbook Anthology to be produced by Virgogray Press. This publication collects new work by a spectrum of authors and centers on the topic of psychological prescription drugs. This volume gathers the voices of poets Donna Snyder, Marc Olmsted, Anne McMillen, Jonathan Penton, R.L. Burns, Eneida Garcia, Chevalterre Nabil, Carla Arthur & Michael Aaron Casares. 40+ pages.

Suzi Kaplan Olmsted: Institutional Wallet

2009-07-21T18:57:00.001-07:00

Ex-priest ex-drunk
tells of final suicide morning
February frogs croaking
behind St. Annes Rectory
4 o clock in the morning
ready for rehab
a question of faith"

"If I say I believe in the Three Jewels
but take refuge in Norco
in what do I really believe?"

-Emergency Room Redux

Institutional Wallet is a personal and intrigueing collection of poetry by poet Suzi Kaplan Olmsted. Inside the covers of this collection, readers will find verse that is poignant, upfront, bemusing and even gritty. A great read, Suzi confronts the in and outs of the mental ward, reminisces over psych medication and offers a view so seldom seen by others outside the confines of what is viewed as "normal" living. This is a gem of a collection that contains work delivered with utter humility, quiet disbelief, subtle humor and a penchant for the unexpected.

$10

Justin Blackburn: Farting Fire

2009-07-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

"You are confused
life is war to you
that is perfect
you wouldnt have it any other way
No one understands you
Great, you don't understand yourself
Dont worry about it
all you need to know is you dont need to know"

-Cliche Poem to a Poet Poem

Justin Blackburn's new book of collected poetry, Farting Fire, is 40 pages of hidden wisdoms from this twenty-something poet. This book is an answer to the moody blues that sometimes get us down as Justin tackles many of life's quandries with honest, witty, and youthful verse. Still, readers might be surprised to find the content of his first collection of poetry to be light-hearted and filled with lessons good to learn, though sometimes hard to share.

$10

Marc Olmsted: Fresh Lotus Rehab

2009-07-21T18:54:00.001-07:00

"old Buddha friend out of 3 year retreat and his 20 year old hippie niece
from Seattle come along
even my usual all-in-black unshaven dirty hair
pierced ear with a skull
wraparound shades
wont pass here
bands amped from god knows what power source
a nod to the older gent w/mohawk,
a ferret on his shoulder,
FEEL NO MORE"

- Metal Thoughts

The soft release of Marc Olmsteds Fresh Lotus Rehab is a quixotic and fresh rendering of poems-- a look into the personal planet of the poet, given in a post beat pace that marks the fourth installment of Virgogray Press' self-proclaimed chapbook revolution, which is geared to return poetry to the reader and to the poet. Marcs collection of work hails as a prime example of the type of literature Virgogray Press intends to produce. Olmsteds release is long overdo and offers a personal look into the writers life with observations only a poet could produce over topics from his brothers suicide to The 2008 Olympic Torch mayhem in the streets of San Francisco.

Cover Art: Lango

$10

Michael Aaron Casares: The Terrorist

2009-07-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

" An era has ended," is
the hushed whisper on
the lips of boys and men.

A time has passed when
our hopes and dreams our
strength could steadily transcend.

Shadows we see in this doppelganger reality
erode to distant memories and to dust.
Faces we longed for in this replica country
collapse into clones lacking heart and soul.

Peace and security is the banner of the time
for the stability of the home is a picture
hanging on the walls of empty houses.

The strength of honor
and the courage of truth
are the doormats of notoriety,
successful like our leaders
once noble desire now submits
to the decadence of selfdefeat.

- The Days that are no More

The Terrorist is a collection of poetry that is as much social commentary as a poetic work of art. The Terrorist includes poems that pick at the bones of American life and addresses "parody" issues, or issues suppressed by the general public and media. The Terrorist, a title so chosen for the media's love affair with the idea and word, relates experiences in the current and the after math of the "terror" attacks of 2001 while painting a picture of the politcal and social landscapes. In short, this collection is an alarming indictment against the current power-players (as well as those behind the scenes) of the American government and created with the hopes of awakening readers to the truth hidden behind the theatrics of American politics.

Cover Art: Michael Aaron Casares

$10

Chris D'Errico: Vegas Implosions

2009-07-21T18:47:00.001-07:00

"There should be a motel called
The Scarlett Letter Inn & I could be the concierge,
buzzing in couples that pay with the lint
left in their pockets, a sign in the front window
that flashes Always a Vacancy, Never a Judgment"
"This could be the last honest city in America."

-Honesty in Kitsch IV

Virgogray presents a new volume of poetry by Chris DErrico: Vegas Implosions! The latest release in Virgogray's chapbook series is a collection of witty, socially aware poetry by this East coast native who, now transplanted in Sin City spills his unique view on Vegas. Brutally honest and with a welcoming charm, Mr. DErricos newest offering is sure to be a favorite among poetry readers today and followers of the spoken word circuits!

$10

Michael Aaron Casares: Ghost Roads

2009-07-21T18:45:00.001-07:00

"I am reborn here.
In this conscious, in this body.
I am breathing beneath the sun,
a star that shines like all the others,
but kind to stay it's wrath.
I awaken on this planet amid those
who've forgotten or those usurped
by our times. Lost in this dissention
I have become like a fish swimming
against the current.
Leaping, flying--I've become divided."

-New Paths

Order the new release Ghost Roads, poetry by Michael Aaron Casares. Ghost Roads features 29 poems and is a reflective volume of poetry shifting through the silence of quiet San Antonio.

OOP.

Michael Aaron Casares: Limbo

2009-07-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Released in 2006, this chapbook was reissued in 2010, a second edition with new content and revised work.

Cover Art: Michael Aaron Casares
$10

Jacob Gray: Sad Height

2009-07-21T18:39:00.001-07:00

Sad Height, published in January 2005, is out of print and features many hard to find works by Michael Aaron Casares written as Jacob Gray. There are only a few remaining copies of this limited book, a volume of poetry that includes early drafts of poems like: "The Neighborhood is Silent", "Dream of Sky" and "The Fourth Estate" as well as unknown pieces like "The Queen" and "Inconsequential." The epic-inspired, The Winter King is also included. This particular volume of poetry includes many early works and is the maiden publication of Virgogray Press, an essential in a growing line of poetry collections. 81 pages.

$25

Jacob Gray: NOvember 2nd

2009-07-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

NOvember 2nd was published in 2004 and is the first publication produced by Virgogray. This chap was 12 pages and a precluder to Sad Height which printed in January 2005. NOvember 2nd also included an audio disk of poetry. Long out of print.