Holy&intoxicated Series 4

Life long Hastings-ite and poet, John D. Robinson has produced Series 4 of his Holy&intoxicated Publications Poetry Card Series. Following in the footsteps of the previous Series, John says that Number 4 is “firing full power on all 5 cylinders, with high calibre poetry”. Zelly Restorick asks John about his poetry initiative. 

Tell us about the Holy&intoxicated Series? 

I was inspired to begin something after I was published by the 48th Street Press Broadside Series. I was also inspired to produce something by the ‘Poems-For-All’ Series which is based in San Diego and produces ‘micro chapbooks’ about half the size of a business card. I have had 3 books produced and have edited 2 further books for future publication for this Series. The publisher prints an initial print run of 100 books, sends 50 or 60 to the poet and then the rest of the books are ‘scattered like seeds’ – left in taxi’s: coffee houses, book shops, theatres, etc.

The Poetry Cards in the Holy&intoxicated Series are A5 in size with a poem on each side of quality coloured card. I select the poets and approach them for a submission. Five poets to a Series. I print 20 Cards for each poet: I send the Cards to the poets and request that they number and sign two of the Cards and return to me for my own collection. The remainder of the Cards are gifts to the poets and they may do what they wish with them: sell them, give them away, burn them, do some origami…

What’s the aim of the Series? 

I produce the Poetry Card Series to promote the work of the poets and to have the pleasure and honour of publishing their work. I intend to publish 10 Series – that would be 1000 Poetry Cards out there in the world.

Tell us about your own poetry? 

I am a published poet, my chapbooks are: ‘When You Hear The Bell, There’s Nowhere To Hide’ (Holy&intoxicated Publications 2016); ‘Cowboy Hats & Railways’ (Scars publications 2016): ‘Damned Dirty and Dangerous’ with Ben John Smith  (Holy&intoxicated Publications 2017): ‘Looking Down Both Barrels’ with Adrian Manning (Holy&intoxicated Publications 2017): over three hundred of my poems have appeared in the small press and online literary journals.

I’ve also published chapbooks of poetry: ‘This Life Ain’t For The Faint Hearted’ by Bradford Middleton; ‘Zen In The Art Of Drinking’ by Bradley Mason Hamlin; ‘Worst Things Happen At Sea’ by Martin Appleby; ‘The Ghost Of Kerouac & Other Poems’ by Gerald Nicosia.

Here John writes about the poets who are included in Series 4 with an accompanying poem from each of them:

A.D. Winans, legendary San Francisco poet, who has been publishing chapbooks and full length collections and broadsides since the late 60’s. He was founder editor of the iconic ‘Second Coming’ Publications, publishing such poets as Bukowski, Blazek, Wantling, Locklin, Micheline and publishing books by John Bennett, Jack Micheline and William Wantling. Winans has over 50 titles to his credit and is a tour-de-force giant in the small press.

At 80
You realize you are not immortal
Parents long buried
Friends fallen by the wayside like
Spring leaves from aging trees 
Arthritic Bones that creak and moan
Mile walks turned to blocks

The years flee like months
Bring me to my mother’s grave
Her tombstone chipped words fading

No such fate for me
I’ll go the way of the Indian
My flesh given to flames

No dirt No worms no suffocating box
Ashes and bone my fate
Monterey or San Francisco Bay
The sunset my head stone
My poems my marker

© 2017 A D Winans

Adrian Manning is a UK widely published poet with numerous chapbooks and broadsides to his credit. Manning has also published books with David Barker, Henry Denander, John Dorsey and Janne Karlsson among others: He is the genius behind ‘Concrete Meat Press’ – and ’13 Poems From The Edge Of Extinction’ is his latest publication from Crisis Chronicles Press.

The Kid

when the cops asked him
why he was walking down
the middle of a busy freeway
with his arms outstretched
as if on some imaginary
tightrope

he told them he had been
drinking ‘magic water’
from the corner store

“how old are you?” they asked
“13” he replied
“do you think you’re Harry Potter or something?” they said

“don’t be crazy” he answered
“that kid’s lame and anyway
I’m drunk, not stupid”

2017 Adrian Manning

Paul Tristram is a UK poet, whose poetry, short stories and photography have been published all over the world in the small press and online literary journals. Amongst his books are ‘Poetry From The Nearest Barstool’ and ‘Scribblings Of A Madman’.

Fat Roll-Ups!

We were so poor ‘round our way
that I remember people getting punched
right in the fucking face
& full scale battles erupting…
because somebody, stupidly,
made themselves a ‘FAT’ roll-up
out of their very OWN tobacco.

Not because it was considered a waste
(It was their baccy after all!)

But because,
you had obviously started thinking
that you were better than everyone else…
and that’s just taking the fucking piss, sunshine!

© 2017 Paul Tristram

Arthur Graham is a professional poet, writer, editor and book critic from Salt Lake City. Amongst his published works are ‘Tall Tales With Short Cocks’, ‘Cracker-Ass Honky Blues’ and the recent poetry chapbook, ‘I Wrote A Poem For You’. He is the editor of Horror Sleaze and Trash Poetry Quarterly Series and the recent and wonderful prose fiction collection, ‘Prose In Poor Taste’:

Another One Done

It’s been said
before,but
poetry
is a lazy
form of
literature. 

Anyone
can write a
fucking poem.

Look, I’m
doing it
right now,
and I’m about
as lazy as
they come.

© 2017 Arthur Graham

Bradford Middleton is a UK poet and author: He has published 2 Chapbooks: ‘Drink Drank Drunk’ from Chronicles Crisis Press’ and ‘A Life Like This Ain’t For The Feint Hearted’ from Holy&intoxicated Publications. His poems and short stories appear widely in the small press and online literary journals. He is currently working on his second novel after the success of his first, ‘Dive’.

FUCK

Fuck fuck fuck
I ain’t in a long time
But right now
All i want to do is scream
FUCK FUCK FUCK
My mind is bent all out of shape
Cos shit this week
Has been mostly insane
FUCK FUCK FUCK
A neighbour hung herself
Whilst again I been
Drinking and smoking way too much again
FUCK FUCK FUCK

© 2017 Bradford Middleton 

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