Yes I Will

The first is a series of 15-Year-Old Poetry:


Yes I will allow you to look into my eyes
Even he with white-washed walls will not soon arise
Many scores of caverns deep, and lush forests' cries
Have I transversed, beaten, drowned, and let myself despised

Down within the pupil, that murky marred stone
The light of a thousand burnt-out candles has forever shown
The pain inside it, strong and lean, is leagues from having flown
It remains there, drawing, feeding; stalwart in its tomb

Jammed in golden laurel leaves the king stands so tall
Mice to men, and babes to beasts he watches as it falls
In the stillness of that hour, he with rising power to call
Is the chaos of the night, is the demon out of sight

Along the hill of fallen men the glory takes its toll
But in this way they did not drop for you to mete and dole
You would yourself have beaten down, to shake to stir to stone
All in the spite that you just can't see what makes a poet's soul

Two new series: Insomnia Poetry, and 15-Year-Old Poetry

It's been a while since I've added new content (apart from links to publications) so I thought I'd start two new series.

The first is Insomnia Poetry, or things I write in my dayplanner when I can't fall asleep.

The second series will be 15-Year-Old Poetry which is pretty much what it sounds like: stuff I wrote as a young lad o' 15. Some early 16 may be mixed in, but even then I had the tendency to not date my work and thus forever imperiling the research of future generations of literary scholars.

First 15YO poem is coming up soon.

Newest Story up online: Open-Minded Gentleman

My newest story is up online here.

Feel free to join the comments and complain about my usage of colons, "Cock-Sucker Lips," and a narrator who (possibly) dies at the end of the story.

Or is it too much a parody of Russian Literature. I don't know anything about Russian literature, but I have a very strong opinion on the matter.

If you've been redirected from the Everyday Fiction page, welcome! My complete list of short story pubs is here.

New story coming out next week

Dear: My five readers.

I have a new story coming out, that will be published April 7, at Everyday Fiction.

It is a story I have tried to place for three years, and I'm happy to find it a home.

Will update then.

Newest Story up online: Tanya's Bare Legs

My second publication over at Thieves Jargon. You can find the link to the story here and a very unhelpful message board - hijacked by some DB named "Mather" - here.

The tagline they put up with the story is "--Vodka, cotton panties, and how to be a Muscovite." Which really sums it up.

I should also add that this was one of the better editorial experiences I've had with the online publishing ezine smallpress world - they really care about the details over at TJ. I think we went through about 5 drafts of the ending before we felt we had it right, so any comments about that section would be welcome.

That's all, kids.

new story up online - crossroads

My newest story, Crossroads, is up online at Sein und Werden here. The December issue is based around the theme of the Bauhaus, which was not not only the inspiration for a lot of the cooler things at ikea but also a major architectural/furniture movements that fuses form and function.

According to wikipedia it's:

a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933.

Thanks, wikipedia.

So check out how various short story writers have applied this theme to fiction ....

Keep checking this space - I have another short coming up within the month.

inappropriate suicide limerick #1

there once was a writer named Wallace

in grammar he always took solace

and like former betters

defending their letters

did find that a knot will still fall us

Still the time for a Russian bride

I wanted to link to this old post, because I think it is funny.

I recently went back to the website, and amazingly it is exactly the same as it was before. In fact, even though it is two years hence, Jerry H. still has the same message and same claims that he has been using the site for "four years."

If you have some extra time, check out the video at the bottom left of the homepage.

the most annoying thing is that, since I do Russian literature, the "Anastasia" ad is present at least 95% of the time somewhere in my google reader or my gmail.

[addition: I just had to add the "Anastasia" protocal for dating one of their Ladies:

1. Log In to Anastasia.
2. Go to the Lady’s profile with whom you want to meet with.
3. Select * Date Me on the Lady's profile.
4. To invite your Lady to meet with you, simply complete the Date a Lady Request Form. Your credit card is charged once you request a meeting. Please note you may request a meeting no less than 72 hours before you wish to meet with the Lady.
5. Your invitation will be sent to the Lady for confirmation. If your suggested day and time is convenient for the Lady, you will receive a confirmation.
6. If the proposed time is not convenient for the Lady, you will receive a letter suggesting a more convenient appointment.
7. You may either accept the newly suggested time or offer another.
8. As soon as you and the Lady agree on a suitable appointment, you will receive a confirmation. From that point you proceed to the meeting place at the appointed time.

]

[final addition: why are they always only wearing bras?]

Double glaze the windows
And drink tea by the fire
Bake oatmeal cookies at
Night, to reinforce the smell

Fold crisp newspapers on
Steel Gleaming tops,
Laugh as you keep the cold out
To close your eyes til dawn

Separation – kills – the bones
Of – what the bond – must make
In light of – breathing – even
Just not – when heat – removed

Pity - the broken
pigeon
He'll never heal -
again

Bones can - bend
and brains
Can stick -

Wash you out
to - sleep

On the reject side
of the tape
you hear the scratches
the malaise, rushing -
and the genuine
promise that there always
will be time

How to Meet the Irish in Moscow

In case you were ever wondering:




If you would like to add your voice to the chorus of outrage, please contact the Irish Embassy in Moscow.

Stories up Online - as of 1/14/2010**

:: here are the 12-and-counting stories I've placed online so far - I have a few other slipping around slush piles::

[11] - > Open-Minded Gentleman
:: The West really must teach Russia more about multi-cultural inclusion. The narrator of this story will start today, in this very subway car...

... [ published at everyday fiction ] ...

[10] - > Tanya's Bare Legs
:: Vodka, cotton panties, and how to be a Muscovite...

... [ published at thieves jargon ] ...


[10] - > Crossroads

:: a surreal take on yard maintenance and bar etiquette, published in the Bauhaus-themed issue ...

... [ published at sein und werden ] ...


[9] - > If Distance Had its Charm.

:: Because if you want the long distance relationship to work, you have to just believe in the future...

... [ published at 42 Opus ] ...


[8] - > Atomic Age.

:: Traveling through the Moscow outskirts by train for the first time? Careful who you talk to...
[available in pdf download]

... [ published at starfish poetry ] ...


[7] - > In disgrace with fortune and men's eyes

:: the best place to get coffee: clearly in your local suburban department store, one possibly dissolving through time ...

... [ published at sein und werden ] ...


[6] - > Sveta the Flower Dealer

:: Russia's most secret weapon lives in a pedestrian underpass ...

... [ published at underground voices ] ...


[5] - > Three Damsels in the Neon Bath

:: because what happens when you follows the girls from the cafe? ...

... [ published at southern cross review ] ...


[4] - > Wendy's, Honey

:: how a trip to the drive thru can lead you face to face with the Great Abyss ...

... [ published at thieves jargon ] ...


[3] - > Travel Photography

:: maybe they should be suspicious that he's always in the right place at the right time ...

... [ published at contrary ] ...

[2] - > Perfect Crime

:: because is revenge really a dish best served cold ? ...

... [ published at the aggregated press ] ...

* Update! This ezine no longer exists! Sorry!

[1] - > Atomic Age: A Play in One Act

:: two loving parents go on a campus visit to their son's apartment, who is obviously making great strides in graduate school ...

... [ published at ygdrasil ] ...


[0] - > Naughty Blonde on Blonde Bits

:: a borderline porno, only click on this story if you are not offended by rather sexually explicit material: click on JS Walker in the Fiction Menu ...

... [published at the hiss quarterly ] ...

* Update! This story has been "permanently archived" and there is "no public access" whatever all that means. My "publications" appear to be dropping like flies.

**14.1.2010 for my Irish readers. Anna.

Illusion of Control

I’ll tell you when to breathe –

And fill the space between –

I’ll tell you when you fail me most –

Under weight of apology –

Guts in the Basement

Guts in the basement

That’s alright

They’ll do you for today


What fists can’t carry

Revenge Ignites

Pass it – as a stone

"If Distance Had its Charm" - now online

My most recent short fiction publication, If Distance Had its Charm has just gone live up at 42 Opus.

... Because if you want the long distance relationship to work, you have to just believe in the future...

you are a dirty little french girl

the tired symbols won't wear out
because we call them something else
any day now
you'll cut your skin and just
expect to bleed

new color new year new direction new breath!

the reflection of all this

skin on skin the

sheen of soft angles

I see before me

is probably

a hallucination:

the giddy drive to always

find yourself in others

no posting for the weary

dublin at night at night at night at night

Fet's "O Miraculous Painting" [1842]

A poem by Afanasy Fet, 19th century Russian conservative and "poet's poet." From his first volume of published poems.


O miraculous painting,
How familiar and dear you are to me:
With your white plains,
And full moon,

Light streams down from the high heavens,
And the snow sparkles,
And there's a lonely trail
Leading from the distant sleighs.


Чудная картина,
Как ты мне родна:
Белая равнина,
Полная луна,

Свет небес высоких,
И блестящий снег,
И саней далеких
Одинокий бег.

trans. Joshua Walker 2008

comments and concerns welcome!

these days

reaching sky

hurts my eyes


so I stay in

sheltering

dim glade


Leaving you

with a shadow

And two handles

of gin

Anna Marie - Available to Buy Online

At long last, my former honor's thesis / collection of short stories Anna Marie and Other Tales of the Germans in Russia is available through the online AHSGR store -

Here's the publisher's online blurb:

An Honors Thesis from Wesleyan University. This newly published book, containing twelve short stories represents the creative work of an imaginative and young German-Russian American writer including Author’s Notes, and Additional Notes and Source Material. It is a very unusual manuscript, written from a number of different perspectives and in a variety of styles. While the work is historical fiction, it contains some fascinating history and interesting character sketches. AHSGR readers and others might appreciate this kind of literary work. 173 pages.

Why the “West” will never respect Russia Today

The New York Times has recently published an article that calls Russia Today’s journalistic integrity into question, specifically mocking the site's glowing coverage of Medvedev's inauguration. This charge will come as no surprise to anyone who has spent even a little time on their website.

One example of coverage that stretches Russia Today’s credibility as a neutral source is its coverage of Georgian politics, which are presented from the point of view of the opposition party. Protesters are portrayed as lending credence to allegations of voting irregularities - as opposed to evidence that the government allows its opposition the rights to assemble and protest.

Another example is coverage of the Russian political “power-split” following Putin’s installation as Prime Minister. One could argue that Medvedev so far has assumed the responsibilities of a head of state in Russia, and that it doesn't look like a whole lot will change any time soon. Russia Today, however, argues that it's just a quick fix: “Analysts agree that it’s likely the arrangement won’t be permanent.” The only source for any of these analysts or their overwhelming consensus of opinion comes from one political analyst, Boris Makarenko, who toes the party line by arguing that power sharing for now is good for Russia, but that things have to change at some point.

No reason for why they must change - just that they have to. But until that time, everything is "good enough."

How exactly any of this demonstrates that “analysts agree” is left to the imagination of Russia Today’s readership. It is not even clear what Makarenko’s affiliation is, besides that he is “from the Moscow-based Centre for Political Technologies.” Though, considering how much he seems to despise Berezovsky, we can hazard a guess that, if he has no Kremlin connection, he at the very least has little in the way of Kremlin aversion.

You don’t have to go much further than the front page of Russia Today to see why no one from the “West” will ever believe in the news site’s objectivity and political neutrality.

After Dim Bilan’s success in the pop-song contest Eurovision this last Saturday, Russia Today provided the following poll for its reader:

Question:

Euroleague basketball, UEFA Cup, Ice hockey World Champs …now Eurovision. What is Russia’s secret?

Possible Answers:

1. A lucky coincidence
2. Russia’s clearly the best in each field
3. But then Russians can’t play ping pong

The first thing that strikes one about this poll is its inconsistency – that is, the poll conflates a number of unequal terms while claiming that they are all the same. Certainly the World Ice Hockey Championships was a victory for Russia, in that the players were all citizens and represented their country, and the same could basically be said for the Eurovision contest. But that's where the similarities end: the first is a victory is an internationally-recognized sport on the highest level whereas the Eurovision victory represents… what again?

There is also confusion over why “Russia” and “Russians” are unambiguously the victors of all these disparate events. While the hockey and song-contest teams are composed entirely of Russian citizens, the basketball and soccer teams are not; more than half of Zenit-Petersburg is composed of foreigners, and CSKA-Moscow starts an all-foreigner squad with only one Russian player in reserve (the starting players are composed of two Americans, one Lithuanian, one Australian, and one Slovenian).

(USA forever! the Americans could respond)

These two teams (soccer and basketball) also achieved victories on an uneven scale – the UEFA Cup, while a major tournament, is not the pinnacle of soccer success, nor is the Euroleague the height of basketball. Most players in Europe are desperately hoping to get noticed by NBA scouts and maybe get a chance to ride the pine for a year or two in Miami.

So even if we can say that each of these victories represents a triumph for "Russia" in some way, is it a triumph for “Russians”? If I had to guess, I would say that the average Englishman does not consider Manchester United’s victory in the Champions’ League a victory for his own nation. Especially if he supports Liverpool.

Herein lies one of the main problems with this Russia Today poll – there is no room for any kind of subtlety of opinion, or room for you to not be impressed with "Russia" and "Russians". That is because no matter which answer you choose, you are acknowledging a vague kind of "Russian" superiority, and invited to agree that they must have some kind of magical "secret" for all their success.

How do the poll answers achieve this affect? To begin with, option 2 is the most obviously nationalistic, inviting voters to proclaim that "Russia" "clearly” dominates these “fields” – though determining which fields these are (Eastern European pop songs? Second-tier basketball leagues?) and why it is "Russia" who is doing all the dominating (and not individual teams with international players) is more than a little problematic.

But it’s really answers 1 and 3 that give up any pretensions of neutrality. Answer 1 allows the respondent to be less enthusiastic than with response 2, while still demonstrating proper reverence for the monumental nature of “Russia’s” accomplishments. Saying that it was all “a lucky coincidence” seem to deny that there is a definite, tangible link with all of this "Russian" superiority, but it still asks the respondent to admit that each of the victories mentioned in the Question are extremely important. Further, answer 1 concedes that these victories should be attributed, even if just on the “coincidental” level, to “Russia” and to no one else.

Response 3 allows a respondent more of the same – admitting (slightly ironically) that “Russia” is great at everything that matters. Response 3 even goes one step further by making anyone who chooses it seem a little desperate, a little angry - you become a whining sore loser without a valid opinion. Saying that “Russians can’t play ping pong,” makes anyone who chooses this option seem like he or she is clutching at straws. “Russia” still wins out in the end with this answer, then: even if one chooses to try to deflate "Russia’s" glory, they can only do say by seeming ridiculous themselves. The only thing that "Russia" cannot do well is something exceedingly trivial, like ping-pong. But things like Eurovision: that’s what really matters for national glory.

The point I’m trying to make here is not just that the Russia Today poll does not give its readers the options to voice differences of opinion. I am going further by arguing that the all of the answers to the question are essentially the same thing, wrapped up in slightly different tones to as to give the appearance of a real question. Each response (1) acknowledges the monumental nature of all the competitions (2) claims that “Russia” was the agent who won them all and that (3) this really means something great and meaningful about this “Russia," a country that has some natural "secret" for success.

Try to disagree with any one of the above points and you will not have a single option available for you to vote on.

And here’s where the stakes for Russia Today as a reliable news provider come in: the only areas of their site that allow for reader reaction are tightly controlled and only give the appearance of forum for what the readers actually think. Even though the poll may have the tone of a joke, especially represented in option 3, it’s really anything but funny. That’s because polls like this show who Russia Today is really intended for: pleasing the government officials who created a news channel to make positive spin for this idea of Russianness.

And, rather than create a poll that could possibly backfire on them (say, by including an option 4 like “I don’t actually think any of those are that impressive”), they contrive ones that will inevitably read back the same results, no matter which “answer” you choose.

It's for this reason that Russia Today will never become Russia's answer to CNN - not that the world is russophobic, nor that the world doesn't care what Russian journalists have to say. It's that Russia Today hacks together its news and features like a caricature of the BBC, while putting a painfully obvious pro-Russian spin on every and any event. In some ways, I think I feel sorry for its editors - they can either choose to please their masters and remain a mockery of the news, or they actually present a new and informative angle of news and bite the hand that feeds them.

For the record, my personal vote to the questions would be this:

4. The hockey victory was very impressive, and the Russian team boasts some excellent players; the Euroleague victory sounds pretty impressive, well done… CSKA Moscow; I wasn’t even aware there was an UEFA Cup before I encountered this poll; and any country that boasts a Eurovision victory as a mark of superiority deserves more pity than glory.

Any chance you could see to adding my option to the poll, Russia Today?

new story up online: "Atomic Age"

Traveling through the Moscow outskirts by train for the first time? Careful who you talk to ...

Find it here. Published at Starfish Poetry