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Embracing the Geek: A Writers Journey Selected Poems 2010-2013. My first book.

April 10, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

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My first book called “Embracing the Geek: A Writers Journey Selected Poems 2010-2013” is almost ready to be available in PDF tonight.

I need to type in one poem that is still in journal, and then do formatting with my wife tonight.

The goal of the book is in the wonderful quote by Kurt Vonnegut in my 2nd favorite book of his (to Slaughterhouse-Five) “A Man Without a Country”:

“If you want to really hurt you parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

So make something, anything. A pot at a pottery store, it may not be symettrical, it may crack, it may not hold water and need to be used for pens, but it will be your cup, that you made, with your hands. And it will be art.

Or like me and Lanna Lee you could blog every day. If you average 100 words a day it’s a novella, 250 words a day a full modern novel (365 pages). And the post can simply be “today f**king sucks. Ow!” That’s a blogpost you kept up your writing journey. And you will keep improving and if you use a blogging program like WordPress easily archive your work.

It’s also about gratitude to my writer’s journey. From 2nd to 4th grade I wanted to be a writer. I learned to create my work on a computer and let it flow. Then in 5th grade, I had a terrible, horrendous, not very good English teacher that thought me being on a computer was an abomination of his narrow worldview. These terrible teachers have tenure, and continue to infect students for decades. Meanwhile the amazing, creative teachers who inspire art, creativity and writing are on 1 year contracts and not hired on. There is both my amazing 4th grade Language Arts/English teacher and some of my friends I am thinking of here.

The book starts with the Vonnegut quote and then has a very long acknowledgment. If you are listed on it, congratulations! You have earned a free PDF copy of the book. I only have 100 copies of the book, signed and numbered so if you want one assigned (there are about 35/100 books unclaimed before even PDF release) please let me know on the blog, or my e-mail address edquinn at gmail dot com (to avoid spam), my Twitter feed at @rurugby or my Facebook at Edmund Charles Davis-Quinn.

Here is the acknowledgment:

This limited edition chapbook is designed for all the people who have helped me in my writing and poetry journey. So if you have made this list of people who are awesome, you have earned a free chapbook. I would love to do trade for the poets in the room, and to pass the gratitude forward for those who are not. And maybe even inspire you to write.
I first want to dedicate this chapbook to the love of my life, the wonderful, fabulous and amazing Lanna Lee Maheux. She is my rock, my partner, and makes me life immensely richer. I love you.
Next I want to dedicate this book to the radically inclusive and safe space, Rhythmic Cypher. The 2nd poetry slam from the amazing small city of Portland, Maine. This was a dream and vision of my good friend Tina “T Love” Smith, and had a difficult birth in an imperfect space. Now that it has found its true home at the amazing Dobra Teahouse in Portland, Maine at 7pm on Sundays, it’s one of the best poetry slams in America. A place where genderqueers, gays, lesbians, freaks of all size, shapes and colors, and those afflicted with madness can feel safe. Where a 16 year old with panic disorder can read a beautiful and amazing poem about her condition and feel safe. Where Toben Tilgenman can make an amazing poem about what it means to be a man who was born in a woman’s body. Where music backs the poets, and the poets back each other. It is a spectacular success and I am so happy it is part of my community.
Next I want to thank New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover for first creating her wonderful young adult romance “Slammed” that used the power of the poetry slam to make the beautiful story of woman loses dad, woman loves boy across the street, boy across the street has no parents so transcendant, thank you. My friend Gennyfer Hanley sent me a link with the free eBook of slammed, and I loved it wrote a positive review on Amazon saying I was a slam poet and how much I love the book. She followed my blog at ed2dq.com and we became friends.
While Colleen was writing the follow-up to Slammed this time ahead in the story and from Wil (the boy’s perspective) called “Point of Retreat” she happened to see my blogpost/poem “Write Poorly” about simply writing and turning off the editor. She printed it off, put it up by her computer and looked at it whenever she felt discouraged or needed to remember to just write. I plan to make my second chapbook called “Write Poorly” with 500 copies. It is amazing to me that my little poem on my often not that read blogpost that often gets less than 10 pageviews a day inspired an author so much. So much that she put it in her book “Point of Retreat” that is a bestseller that has been read and loved by hundreds of thousands of people. Her 3rd book “Hopeless” is the number two eBook on Amazon so far in 2013, behind only behind Nicholas Sparks’ “Safe House”. Bemazing. That fact is surreal and amazing, that I may have more page reads in 2013 than the absolutely incredible and amazing Andrea Gibson who was the number one seller of the best slam poetry publishing house in America, Write Bloody Publications in 2012. Just ridiculous, if you haven’t read Andrea Gibson’s work yet and live in Portland, Maine go to Longfellow books and get a copy of her work, it’s outstanding.
Next I want to thank the Port Veritas writing, slam and poetry community for showing me love, giving me a place to read, and encouragement. Wil Gibson is a force of nature, and him saying “Write Poorly” is the best thing I ever read meant a lot. I have seen Port Veritas go from Acoustic Coffee, to the much beloved North Star Café, to Wil’s House, to the Mayo Street Arts Center, to Blue, to the wonderful restaurant Local Sprouts, and to it’s current location at Bull Feeney’s upstairs every Tuesday at 7:30pm.
I would be incomplete without talking about the amazing contributions of Tricia Hanley to Portland’s poetry scene and craft beer community. Her little bar, Mama’s Crowbar in Munjoy Hill, has some of the best craft beer you will ever drink in a wonderful small place. It would be my regular if I lived on the hill, but alas I live in Westbrook. They also host a reading hosted by Ryan McLellan that is unmiked, and at 9pm on Mondays. I do wish the reading is earlier so I can attend more. Unfortunately, I wake up at 4am most Mondays. It’s a great place to read.
Next I want to thank the heroes, friends, and compatriots of my journey towards embracing my inner geek. My recently departed father, Henry Edmunds Davis who passed away very recently on April 1, 2013 at 66 years old to brain cancer. You are one of the nicest men and fathers any son could wish for. I expected you to live so much longer, as did my wonderful mom Christine Davis. Their marriage is the great love I have seen through my life and it’s so sad it’s over after 42 years. Mom, I love you.
I also want to thank my wonderful and insanely intelligent sister, Melinda Davis Layten, who is ABD (all but dissertation) in computational biology and SUNY – Stony Brook. Dad’s illness I think took a lot out of my sister and brother-in-law Robert Layten, and I hope my dad’s journey away from pain, suffering and cancer allows her to become the brilliant scientist she is meant to be.
Next I want to thank the people who I have known the longest growing up in Montgomery Township, New Jersey north of Princeton. This chapbook may have the longest acknowledgements ever and I will just name some of my good friends that made feeling like an outcast in school easier: Greg Seidel, Bill Dyer, Conrad Saam, Anthony Schubert, Ben Dalbey, Eva Hanna, Kayt Sukel (who has an amazing book called “Dirty Minds” about the neuroscience of sex and love), Beth Cooper, Laura Hahn, Susan Flora …
Teachers including: Cheryl Watson, Jay Prag, Mr. Juliano, Mr. Harry Brobst, Ms. Williams and so many others.
And of course fellow poets including, who are mostly performance poets. I am about 20% a performance poet, and 80% a writer. Many of these excel at both and include: Heidi Therrien, Greg McKillop, Beau Williams, Jen Jacques, Toben, Emma Bovril, Paulie Lipman, Rachel McKibbens, Andrea Gibson, Billy Tuggle, Ryk McIntyre, Tony Brown, Melissa May, Sam Sax, Denise Jolly, Zanne Langlois, Robin Merrill and the fabulous Nancy Henry.
There are so many others I can mention but this is already an over 1,000 word acknowledgement to a chapbook. To all the friends I have made in the amazing city of Portland, Maine. Twitter has been an amazing way for this geek to meet people so I must thank Chyrstie Corns, and .. for creating them.
Also want to thank my Twitter heroes and friends like Alex Steed, Alexis Lyon, Keith Luke and so many others who make Portland a jewel of American cities.
I can’t name all the people who are part of my journey towards acceptance, but thank you all so much.

The last line of the book is “Make art, it’s good for the soul.” And it is so true.

Thank you and with much love,
Edmund Charles Davis-Quinn

Blessed be.
Make art! Suck!

Filed Under: acceptance, acceptance, books, breathing, Edmund Charles Davis-Quinn, Embracing the Geek: A Writer's Journey, FridayReads, graphic novels, grieving, haiku, Kurt Vonnegut, library, meditations, minerva, My books, NaPoWrimo, page, poetry, Port Veritas Poetry Tuesday, reading, Short Stories, sickness, silly, slam, spirit, Spirit of Sunday, Spirit of Sunday, The Poetry Conversation, The Saturday Night Review, Thoughtful Thursday, Weekly Blog Themes, westbrook, Whispering Deer, woods

Essex County ****

January 16, 2013 by rurugby Leave a Comment

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Wonderful graphic novel trilogy about life on the farm near Windsor, Ontario by Jeff Lemire (across the Detroit River from Detroit, Michigan).

This is a graphic novel that says a lot in spare passages on the farm. It’s about lost ambitions, death, loss, family, hockey and heartbreak.

The spareness of it is what stands out to me. Interconnected stories mainly in one small town by the farm, and 2 family trees.

Highly recommended. I read good books.

Filed Under: books, FridayReads, graphic novels, library, reading, The Blog, The Ecq Review

2012 – The Best of a Not Good, Very Bad Year

January 1, 2013 by rurugby 2 Comments

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2012 was the toughest year of my life. I lost my wonderful father in law Walter Maheux in March. Seeing my dad’s brain cancer return in August.

But even in a terrible year there are best things.

Best poetry venue move: Rhythmic Cypher to Dobra Tea. The tea house fits it perfectly.

Worst poetry venue move: Port Veritas from Local Sprouts to Bull Feeney’s. There should have been a way to both charge a cover and keep a perfect venue for the place.

Best poetry book: Carl Sandburg’s amazing “Chicago Poems”. This is a reminder that many of these things weren’t produced in 2012.

Best poetry chapbook: Billy Tuggle’s “The Way of the B Boy”, just an amazing Chicago slam poet, and simply an awesome dude and poet.

Movie: Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom”. Not even close, Anderson’s best since the fantastic “Rushmore.”

Book 1st Read: “Daytripper”, a graphic novel that goes through life through a series of deaths in important places. Beautiful, poetic and amazing.

Book re-read: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Amazed how well this held up to re-reading. So it goes.

CD: Fiddler on the Roof – Original Broadway Recording. I love Zero Mostel and Fiddler together.

Hot Mess: Cloud Atlas — Lanna and @gennyfer both loved this. I like the modern tale, but a lot of it was just a mess. From the jub jub sounds of the primitive future, to some of the worst Korean makeup ever in the New Seoul scene. It’s a mess. **

Podcast: Lounging with LannaLee. Proud of Lanna doing this every week. Really, really good. It’s an adventure in conversation.

Discovery: How much I love golf. I am really shocked about it.

New Restaurant: The Dancing Elephant in Westbrook. Yummy Indian food a few blocks from my house, I do miss the lunch buffet though.

Ice Cream Sandwich: Catbird Creamery in Westbrook. Always good, but favorite was snickerdoodles with brown sugar ice cream.

Go to restaurant, great service: Saigon. Pretty much universally loved. Just excellent.

Beer: Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale. Just an amazing barleywine. Great balance and just amazing with a beef roast.

Brewery: Bell’s (Michigan). Not available in Maine but pretty much getting a case every time I visit my parents in Allentown, PA from Shangy’s in Emmaus, PA.

Blogpost: Write Poorly. Can’t believe this little poem inspired Colleen Hoover enough that it’s in the New York Times best selling book “Point of Retreat.”

Accomplishment: Seeing “Write Poorly” in “Point of Retreat” and being in the acknowledgments. Makes me super happy.

2nd Accomplishment: Blogging every day on this site in 2012 and completing a National Blogging Year (not even totally sure that exists.)

Most spiritual moment: Being in the room when my father in law spirit passed from the realm of the living to the realm of the dead. Feel blessed to be there.

Tap Water: Sebago Lake/Portland Water District. It takes going to Allentown to appreciate how great the tap water tastes in greater Portland.

Website: Goodreads. Just loved that it let me know I read 182 books in 2012. And of course that I can see how others love the books that I love.

Blog: Margaret Miller Finch’s Stationary Unicycle. I think Ms. Finch should make sure to blog more this year and not listen to her critics.

Best Local Brewery: Bunker brewing. Still at only a 1 barrel system. I hope this changes soon. Their beer is seriously amazing, if only available a few places in Portland, Maine. Ie Mama’s Crowbar, Sonny’s, Local 188 and the Great Lost Bear. I have loved every beer I have tried from Bunker.

To buy wines: Trader Joe’s and it’s not close.

To buy liquor in Maine: New Hampshire.

Best/worst website discovery: Dominion Online. Great in that it’s really Dominion and that’s awesome. Bad in it’s really Dominion and I want to keep playing. Even already spent $10 in real money to buy some sets and plan to get more. Warning addictive.

Filed Under: acceptance, books, FridayReads, graphic novels, Maine Beer Guy, movies, No Filter, poetry, spirit, The Blog, The Ecq Review Tagged With: 2012, Beer, colleen hoover, Stationary Unicycle

Journalism ***1/2

December 20, 2012 by rurugby Leave a Comment

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Good and often difficult reporting.

I do think Sacco is at his best with book length journalism but a very solid work.

The story about poverty in India, refugees in Chechnya, and about African immigrants in Malta were particularly good.

Joe Sacco is one of the best journalists working in the world today. I wish more journalists were able to show themselves in their work, it leads to richer journalism.

I would recommend strongest his 3 major works: Palestine, Footnotes in Gaza, and Safe Area Goradze which are all amazing. Do expect with Joe Sacco’s works though that they will hit you in the gut. And frankly in the United States especially it is important to hear the Palestian view of things. The West Bank is an apartheid state as I talked about in an earlier blog post talking about Palestine and Guy Delisle’s “Jerusalem” and the “Politics of Palestine in Graphic Novels.”

Filed Under: books, FridayReads, graphic novels, library, minerva, The Blog, The Ecq Review

Persepolis *****

December 14, 2012 by rurugby 1 Comment

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Read “Persepolis” again this week. Some on Wednesday most of it today during a slow day at work.

It’s just a blockbuster book. One of those rare books that can change the way you look at the world. That you can see the story of the Iranian Revolution told through the eyes of a young woman in a liberal family.

Last week I talked about some of Marjane Satrapi’s other books in my blog. But, Persepolis is just groundbreaking. Honest, personal and a work of genius.

It joins Guy Delisle’s “Pyongyang” as two graphic novels that are in my top 10 books of all time.

It also lets me realize that as good as a year as 2012 as been for reading (and it’s been awesome) that 2011 was pretty amazing too in discovering Vonnegut including Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five (and a ton of others) and of course this classic graphic novel.

Graphic novels are still developing as a form and authors as diverse as Guy Delisle, Alan Moore, Marjane Satrapi, Joe Sacco and Chris Ware are going to shape what it becomes.

If you haven’t given graphic novels a try, or just found “Maus” too depressing (I still haven’t gotten far with it) try Persepolis. It’s great. And if you aren’t a reader see the fantastic movie **** that Satrapi co-directed.

Books make me happy.

Filed Under: books, FridayReads, graphic novels, library, reading

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