Hey, still alive and well...

Tomorrow, a new podcast...and some news for the start of the month of July, so keep tuned.

I just wanted to give a shout out to my nephew Josh who left about two hours ago for his first deployment to Iraq. He's a medic, and I spoke to him earlier today and told him that although I disagree with many elements in all of this, I am still proud of him and hope to throw him a party when he gets back.

I hate the war, not the warriors.

Let's kick out a new quarter of the year in over-the-top style (and thanks to everyone who has been commenting on my Harry Potter Top Ten.

Harry Potter Titles

Time for me to finally tick off all the Harry Potter fans (I actually enjoy the movies and have many close friends who adore them and the books). But just as Tom Swifties were big aeons ago, so do the titles of Harry Potter books invite humour. So...hearkening back to my classic Top Ten Lists I use to do for America Online's infamous Writers Club:

Top Ten Unused "Harry Potter" Titles

10. Harry Potter and the Hairy Mole on Ron's Back
9. Harry Potter and the Crotch of Fire (I understand Lindsay Lohan had a role in that story...)
8. Harry Potter and the Night in a Turkish Prison
7. Harry Potter and the Half-Drunk Stripper
6. Harry Potter and the Jello Shots
5. Harry Potter and the Overly Friendly Hellhound
4. Harry Potter and Goblet of Penicillin
3. Harry Potter and Carol and Ted and Alice
2. Harry Potter and The Search for Spock

and the #1 unused "Harry Potter Title"

1. Harry Potter and the Cease and Desist Order

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Act III: resolve and reckoning

I've got to buckle down and get some traction on my various book and CD projects this weekend...too much going on, and I have allowed myself to be distracted.

I am on the verge of a major announcement, one that will impact just about every corner of my life, including my writing and my web presence. It is funny that in order to achieve this I have had to walk through some of the places I have had to walk through, but I never said I didn't have to learn some things the hard way.

No, I am not giving away cityoflegends.com to a real estate development, nor am I seceding from the United States, to create a government of, for and by the poets. I am not marrying at this time, nor am I acknowledging a child previous conceived out of wedlock (I pretty much know who my kids are and its all public). I am not reconciling with either ex-wife, signing a multi-zillion dollar deal to write supermarket-shelf soft-core porn, or starring in a big-budget remake of "Purple Rain" with an all-white cast.

I do not, to my knowledge, have a fatal disease other than being human (which has 100% mortality). I have not spoken with extra-terrestrials, discovered a cure for leprosy or decided to back Newt Gingrich for President (this would invoke the Nosferatu's Dream).

Be patient.

The other day I was speaking to my autistic son, Dante, and asked him if he was happy. He paused, unfocused for a second, then snapped back and told me that he was. He smiled.

Just be patient. Love to all. Act Three, the curtain is about to rise.

remote posting

I seem to recall that I can post to my blog via email.

I think I remember how.

We shall see.

William F. DeVault
---------------
website:

www.cityoflegends.com
blog: cityoflegends.blogspot.com

a passing update

It has been an arduous week for me, and I am looking forward to it winding down, but not before I leap a few more tall buildings in single bounds. Let's face it, you wouldn't have it otherwise, nor I.

The face to face meeting betwixt myself and a muse I had not seen and some time fell through. I'll take the bullet for that. Too much going on and sometimes even I do not control my own corner of the universe. She's peeved (her choice of words) at me and I am disappointed.

I have been writing, in fits and starts, and some of it is actually not too bad. I will need to, this weekend, look through it all and confirm what is good and what is landfill material.

I am making the final legal transition from West Virginia to Virginia, in the next few days. Sic semper montanus, or something like that.

Tuesday, after...er...dawn

It has been a hairy and busy time and I envy myself not, on occasion, the mountain of things that surrounds me.

But...

I enjoy the chaos, the noise, the sheer weight of reality. So, I am not too sad for myself.

We will be catching up on some backed-up book orders and peripheral site and blog updates this week...we will be podcasting this weekend.

And, yes, E.J., I see what you have been up to. Don't worry, I want to see where you take the other blog from here.

Vodka and Condoms

My good friend Huerta, the lovely but deeply troubled poet, blurted out a line the other day and I'm trying to get her to use it for a title for her first collection of poems:

"Vodka and Condoms"

What do you think? A little racy? Not so much erotic as brutish, but such is the life some lead.

Tired, but reminded that Jesus Wept

I have been so busy, add to that being under the weather and you are talking to one shredded remnant of a man. But that's okay.

I did want to thank the marvelous Sankar Roy for moving front and center my video of the poem/song "Jesus Wept", about the genocide in Darfur, on his website www.writersalliance.net.

Thank you, for the honor . And thank you for speaking out on this hideous tragedy that is of a scale and evil incomprehensible, I think, to the normal person as they go about their lives.

In defense of publicity stunts

I received a stern rap on the knuckles the other day, from an old friend, regarding my impending establishment of a World Record for longest reading by a poet of his (or her) own works).

It seems this old friend thinks it unseemly.

I agree, just as I find advertising jingles, poetry slams and most open microphone readings a perversion of the true faith.

But I have always been a bit of a subversive, seeking to change (or destroy) from within that which requires my attention as I define it. In this case I seek to preserve my soul by working with the tools at hand to reshape the dungeon I am bound to.

I do not think anyone will confuse what I am about to do with releasing a book of sonnets or villanelles, in terms of keeping the faith. It is a publicity stunt, pure and simple, playing to twin strengths; my ability to speak, at length, without fatigue, and the enormity of my catalog (nobody said I wasn't an extremely well-endowed author).

Were I to be true to my faith as a poet, I should right now be holed up in some attic corner in Venice, alternately making feral love to some woman who has drawn me into her divinity and recording my passion for her as the author of a new Gospel of a newly discovered goddess.

But I am, for the time, trapped in world of men and money, shoehorned into a mould I did not desire and certainly taking little pleasure in it. Until such time as some insane philantrophist decides to burn away my shackles, I will do what I must to at least keep myself in the realm of the prayer of the hope of the dream.

As Prince Nelson Rogers once said, so ably: "4 those who know the number and don't call? Hmph, fuck all y'all."

I am strongest at the point of death, bravest at the edge of despair, truest in the bosom of a lie and sharpest when blunted by faith betrayed.

Note a recent trend in my blogs? Yes, I am re-inflating my will, rekindling my couer rage and flexing muscles I have allowed to atrophy in sorrow and shame.

I would have been happy to have been a normal guy with a normal life and a normal IQ and no talent more profound or elaborate than knowing how to unstop a toilet. Believe me, the first question on my infinite list of questions when I cross over will be "Why me?"

The perverse thing is, I know the answer. I just want to hear it.

But in the end the reading will be to improve books sales, raise awareness and add a few more weblinks to the thousands that already connect to my name, bringing new readers into the fold, new potential converts to the religion that is poetry.

If this is unseemly, then the work of every evangelist ever born was unseemly. And while there are those who perverted or wasted their calling...

I trust that I am not amoung them.

Quote for today

"and God sleep with one eye open, tonight."

- The Darker Angels, William F. DeVault
from the book from an unexpected quarter, 1999

a small pronouncement

I have been approached by a Canadian company that wishes to make some of my books available on a new ebook reader technology. I am considering it, seriously.

Think I have been quiet enough of late? Be afraid, be very afraid, as it means I have been keeping my own counsel, gathering force like a storm on the edge of a great ocean, preparing for landfall.

I had a dream the other night, and it was good. My preconscious spoke to me in clarity and deft image-play, to point out numerous epiphanies I had missed in the last few years. Important lessons, in iron and glass and flesh.

I have not loved too much, nor too little. I have, perhaps, trusted too much and unwisely, as a function of that love, and thus have brought down troubles I should not have had to endure. But I would not trade what good I have done for what good I might have done.

I would rather have saved a life than a credit rating.

I would rather murmur the truth in quiet corners than lies from lofty perch.

It seems to me that those who judge the character of others often fall into one of two groups: Those who have never been tested, and those who have failed the test and lie about it. I may do penance for my errors, but I don't run from them.

I would rather die as who I am, who I have been and what I have done, then have to explain to my posterity that I had taken the easy way, the shortcut, the back alley escape routes from conflicts where I was necessary to a better resolution.

I am announcing that, after much consideration, I have deactivated my memoirs. They will see light of day after I am gone, but only after those I love and trust to stand for the truth, at least as I perceive and express it, have had opportunity to review my words and thoughts and perceptions and perspectives.

World's Record Poet?

For those of you not aware of it, this will be your first notice..for those of you aware, here is an update.

I have been contacted by the Guinness Book of World Records people and they are working on setting things up for my world record run at the "Longest continuous reading by a Poet or Author from their own works".

As I understand the process, they will take the proposal we submitted, and check to see if they already have such a record on file. If so, they will tell me where the bar is set...otherwise, if they are intrigued at all by my proposal, they will inform me that I am a go.

The controls for the reading are to be simple. It will be public, with witnesses and some designated individuals to verify the performance. I am considering asking some of my old friends from the Morgantown area Toastmasters organization to be part of the witnesses.

They also like recordings, photos, news stories, etc.

We are looking to do this in August or September of this year.

Is it a trivial record? Yes. But considering the fact that Guinness has previously certified such records as "the most downloaded pinup girl" and "the most baked beans eaten on toothpicks in one minute"...I think I don't have to worry about bringing down the level of discourse.

The world is in the City

Just a little mid-afternoon tidbit.

I noted the latest statistics for visitors to City of Legends and this blog are still very US-centric...but...well, see if yourself in these breakdowns of the last week's traffic.

71% United States
8% South Africa
3% India
3% Canada
2% Thailand
2% United Kingdom
1% Ireland

Less than 1%:
United Arab Emirates
Sweden
Italy
Australia
Korea, Republic Of
Pakistan
Germany
Denmark
Russian Federation
New Zealand
France
Peru
Austria
Fiji
Israel
Turkey
Portugal
Spain
Poland
Malaysia

Nice spread. Unusually low turnout in Australia.

The other City of Legends

I thought I'd share this with you all, a reader sent in the link...

(The -other- City of Legends)

No, it has nothing to do with me (although I was approached a year or two ago by an individual was associated with the project, asking about the availability of the domain I've owned for these last ten years or so, he never continued the dialogue).

The project is a development, sort of a retirement village, as I understand it, for former sports stars, near Clermont, Florida.

I am sure there are people, from time to time, who wander onto my site looking for this place, and visa versa. It looks interesting...I cite their mission statement, verbatim, from their website:

"TO HELP TRANSFORM CLERMONT FLORIDA INTO OUR NATION’S CENTER FOR AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL SPORTS!

AND

TO CONTINUE TO MANAGE AND MAINTAIN THE FINEST RETIREMENT VILLAGE IN THE WORLD, THROUGH BENEFITS AND SERVICES FOR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES."

I'd love sometime to do a reading there, perhaps for a charitable cause?

Father's Day podcast is available

The new podcast, in honor of Father's Day, is available at

Radio City of Legends

or via Apple's iTunes Music Store.

For this episode, I read two poems about my children and explain some of the background. Enjoi.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day. I'll report later on today if I am, unprompted, wished a good holiday by any of my three children.

Not being cynical or mean, just an experiment.

fond wish for an old friend

Happy "Birthday", Ann. Wherever you are, I hope you are happy, healthy and strong.

finding the city by whatever means

I love, from time to time, checking out the statistics under my system to see what people are putting into search engines to find my site. It gets bizarre.

The #1 search argument people find me via is, not surprisingly
"cityoflegends". That's my domain name and until someone gives me a good reason to desert it, it stays that way.

But did you realize that the #2 search argument that leads people to my site is "cinderella naked"?

Yes, my poem "Even Cinderella Gets Naked" draws curious readers (probably mostly teen age boys looking for some hot toon action).

"Amomancer" is #3. A good sign that my identity is known, if not quite up there with Paris Hilton or Simon Cowell.

Perusing the rest of the list, we get multiple hits from people who searched (mostly on Google) for "lust bunnies poem" (yay!), "bar in morgantown west virginia that reads poetry" (I didn't know bars could read) and various butcherings of my name.

Then the fun starts...the single search hit items, which can be pretty strange...

"falwell poem", "amy donna josh blasphemy ice skirt head", "old morgantown junior high school" and, of course, "the poet lauri ate"...hmmm, must be someone from my past.

I am probably most pleased when I see, not a lot of hits on a particular search, but individual hits on specific poem titles. This gives me pleasure that perhaps someone, somewhere, has been exposed to a poem of mine and wants to know more about it.

Anyway, just thought I would share.

Again with the naked women

Thinking about the cover for "Naked Again" I end up recalling my favourite album cover that featured a nude woman...

No, not Golden Earring's legendary "Moontan" but rather the late great Robert Palmer's "Pressure Drop"...I liked the sense of humour implied by it.

CD cover girl?

I think the poet needs ot have a contest to find the cover model for his next CD: "Naked Again".

It could be fun...I want to be one of the judges.

Tuesday morning haze

Yawn. Stretch. I've been writing, as is usual for this window of life (between my daughter's birthday and my second wife's "other" birthday). It is good to create, but I miss touring.

I am looking forward to the World Record attempt.

I am a little hazy at the moment, but coming into focus. I cleaned out my email yesterday, deleting hundreds of email addresses of people who have not returned my emails in months. I am tired of passive friends.

A penny a play

No sooner do I tell you it is down, then it works again...

The new podcast is up and flying.

From Out of the City for June 9, 2007

or you can wait until later today and access it through Apple's iTunes Music Store.

This show features the poems "Penny Arcade" and "tip for tap" and some interesting babbling...

Enjoi.

delayed podcast

It is with some annoyance that I must announce that, although the podcast was completed the night of the 9th, technical difficulties have kept us from promoting it to your listening ears.

Please be patient while we work to resolve this. This show is worth the wait, really.

I heard from the people at FiW (Frontiers in Writing) and the convention seems to have been a success, even without my presence. There's always a part of you that secretly, selfishly wishes that when you are not able to attend, things go to Hell.

But it is better this way. No guilt.

there will be a podcast

He has recorded a podcast...it will be out later today. Just wanted to let you all know.

Some titles from "She Shines"

I received permission to post the titles of some of the poems under review for inclusion in "She Shines"...some are evocative, some are intriguing, most just muddy the waters as to who "She" is (or isn't) even more.

* Just Outside of Tucson
* A Decent Interval
* Illuminati
* A Message to Your Husband
* Sacrilege in the Temple of Aphrodite
* Nothing Left but Bones and Echoes
* Never in Love
* Saw Dummy
* Plotting the Outercourse
and
* Dancing Naked til We Drown

I have to say, some intriguing titles there. The book is probably going to come out this Fall.

rumor patrol

What's this I hear about an impending meeting between the poet and a totem muse?

And which one? Hm?

Getting naked again

The popularity of my CD "The Naked Reads" has lead me to conclude that perhaps my next CD should also be a "naked" volume...or at least contain several such readings.

Any thoughts?

The Poet Laureate of...

My good friend and peer, Billy Jones, has just declared himself the Poet Laureate of Greensboro, North Carolina, and issued a call to all poets to claim their turf, to shame cities and states that have not claimed their slice of literary immortality.

I understand, but I've had this whole "Romantic Poet of the Internet" sobriquet for more than a decade, and I am not in a hurry to chain myself to some sodding sod.

I've been called the Poet Laureate of the Internet. But there's about 200,000 other poets out there who claim that title (yeah, I have a better claim on it than most, but why get into that fight?).

I could declare myself the Poet Laureate of Morgantown, West Virginia, but I would rather sit on a couch than burn one.

Venice, California? That's better, but I am sure someone has that title already. Maybe Jim Morrison.

I was once called "the poet Lauri ate"...but that's a great story that isn't fit for the kiddies.

Poet god? Yeah, been called that. Poet King? Yep. Hmmmm...maybe I need a new sobriquet. Something bigger and grander and sexier.

Yeah, sexier sounds good. Would make for some good poetry. Good poetry. I could use a good heroic couplet.

Just a small word

Contrary to what has been rumoured, I am alive.

Tired, feeling a bit burned down, like a wick on a most satisfactory candle.

I'm gathering my strength back. My God, it is good to be a poet.

It is in moments like these I can't imagine having been born into this world and satisfied with my place in the universe as anything else, ever.

the poet regrets

No, he's not dead, just extremely absorbed and wrung out after his latest orgy of writing. He lives, and usually these little madness sessions are as therapeutic as they are productive.

Which means this will be extremely therapeutic.

He seems to have exorcised a few demons, expressed some sorrow, some joy, some pain, some lust and some gentle reflection. Not bad for a few day's work.

You'll understand when you see the book. He's slammed a lid on early release of the poems after I leaked a few fragments in the Amomancer blog.

Regardless, it is all good. There will not be a podcast this weekend, but look for him back next week, refreshed, cleansed and baptized in the fire.

Amen.

She Shines...and he thinks it is good

I have had a serious talk with the poet this very day. It is his intention to, after the final edition of PSALMS OF THE MONSTER RIVER, devote his full editorial attention to the volume of unpublished poems entitled SHE SHINES: POEMS OF MEMORY OR PROPHECY OF LOVE.

Seriously.

Meanwhile, he's in recovery. This writing explosion took a lot out of him.