William Dauenhauer, Louie Cronin, and Jackson Lassiter.

Psychogenesis – and Synthesis - William Dauenhauer

1.

There shall ever be
Clowns and jugglers near
The immense cathedral door
Through which little sunlight seeps.
There shall be wantons, too,
Basking in a summer’s sun—
Wayward women, wayward men,
Indifferent to the hymns sung.

2.

There must always be
Dullards in cool taverns
Requiring the sympathy
Of those decidedly unsympathetic.
There must be scholars, also
Contemplating new notes
To affix to thick texts
Very few will deign read.




COMPASS ROSE interviews Louie Cronin:
Compass Rose: As you were developing as a writer, were there any artists you tried to emulate? How did that affect your work? Who are your current influences?
Louie Cronin:
When I first started writing, back in the 80's, I was enamored of Martin Amis, Richard Ford, Barbara Pym, Anita Brookner, May Sarton, and Ann Beattie. (more)




The Cocktail Party: A Story in Three Acts, by Jackson Lassiter.
"Act One:
I make a final sweep through the grand room of the penthouse, my dressing gown a billowing white wake." (more)

Fredrick Zydek, James McBride, Eric Pinder, and Shea Craig.

Old Blind Charlie - Fredrick Zydek

How many years he lived there,
nobody really knew. Since
all the men on the block were
children was the suggestion.
And no one understood why he
only spoke to the delivery clerk
who brought groceries to his
door, or why he ordered them
by mailing lists to the store.
Children call him crushing names,
and rumor had it that his wife
died of syphilis he brought home
after the war. The woman who
cleaned for him on Thursdays
claimed he left her salary in a
dish on the kitchen counter and
sat on the front porch until she
finished and left by the back.
She claimed the walls were filled
with framed photos of his wife,
she knew he could not see.
Except for the music we heard
coming from his piano each day,
no sound came from the house.
He played but one piece of music,
a tune called Dear Old Girl.




COMPASS ROSE intervews James McBride:
Compass Rose: As you were developing as a writer, were there any artists you tried to emulate?
James McBride: Toni Morrison, Harper Lee, James Baldwin, though none can be emulated. (more)




Signs of the Times, Eric Pinder.
"Imagine my surprise when I pushed the playback button on my home answering machine and heard a familiar voice: 'Hello, this is George W. Bush…'" (more)







Snow, by Shea Craig.

Jessica Silver, Steven Brust, Yvonne Garrett, and Pam Adie and Lisa Hart.

Bella - Jessica Silver

My sister if I had one
Would dress in red
Would star in porn films and lie about her day job

My sister if I had one
Would start bar fights
With beautiful girls
Walking away with rage in her eyes

My sister if I had one
Would dance alone in the bathroom
While I waited to shower

She would breathe alcohol
Swearing she was an addict

Promise to be there
But forget where there was

Break mirrors
Daring bad luck

She would chain smoke to the edge of dreams
Setting her bed on fire

She would wake from her inferno
Sneaking into my room
Mumble she was there just for the night




COMPASS ROSE interviews Steven Burst:
Compass Rose: As you were developing as a writer, were there any artists you tried to emulate? How did that affect your work?
Steven Brust: I've tried to emulate pretty much everyone I liked, at one time or another. (more)





Like a River, by Yvonne Garrett.
"Built in 1908 on a hill overlooking the mouth of the Columbia, the house stands huge against the sky with multiple rooflines, projecting bays, balconies, a widow’s walk and a two-story tower." (more)








Faces of Vases series, vases by Pam Adie, photos by Lisa Hart.

News bulletin for 4/16/07. (Regular entries resume next Monday; please check back.)

Tuesday, April 24 & Wednesday, April 25
Senior Readings
6:30 p.m.
Powers 29
Chester College of New England

Featuring:
WT Abernathy
Sean Cashman
Mark Cugini
Brandon Gretter
Troy Edward Robbins
Chris Sumner
Randy Tompkins




PAT PARNELL POETRY JUDGE ANNOUNCED:

Poet Patricia Smith will judge the 2007 Pat Parnell Poetry Contest for
Compass Rose. Her most recent collection of poetry, Teahouse of the
Almighty, was a 2005 National Poetry Series winner, selected by Edward
Sanders (Coffee House Press). Smith is the author of three previous
collections of poetry, the children's book Janna and the Kings, and
co-author of Africans in America: America's Journey through Slavery. A
record-setting, four-time national poetry slam champion, Smith has been
feature in the film Slamnation, and on the HBO series Def Poetry Jam.

Click here for contest guidelines.

Two event announcements, K. Naomi Hann, Eliot Schain, Janet M. McNally, and Mike Shane.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007
First Senior Show: Photography
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Wadleigh Library, Chester College

Featuring the works of Ashley Moore, Kevin Brassard, and Pauline Meredith.

Ashley Moore shot a roll of film for each building her photos depict, carefully following the natural progression of the human eye through a space. She then printed and pieced the photos together in order. The result is a series of images that appear both fragmented and flowing.

Kevin Brassard’s photographs examine the human self through form and relationships in three evocative series using photographic collage of separate naked bodies. His work is both an experiment in medium and a study in human identity.



Monday, April 9, 2007
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Featured Writer: Christopher Anderson
Student Writers: Jesse Cloutier and Leah Guilmette
Powers 29, Chester College

Christopher Anderson’s stories and poetry have appeared in the Beloit Fiction Journal and Nothing Shocking. He currently teaches at Chester College of New England and is hard at work on his first novel. Raised in Texas, Anderson now lives in Gloucester, MA with his wife and son.




Homeless - K. Naomi Hann

Under the library portico

almost invisible

A lone presence

Slumps on the wooden bench

Stunted by struggle in craggy terrains

Clipped and pruned too small for her life

Now a little bonsai mudwoman

All her pebbles in a plastic bag




COMPASS ROSE interviews Eliot Schain:
Compass Rose: As you were developing as a writer, were there any artists you tried to emulate? How did that affect your work?
Eliot Schain: Jack Kerouac was my hero when I was a young writer.
(more)




This Myth, Like All Myths, by Janet M. McNally.
"My sister Daphne tells me that she’s getting married over the phone, two weeks after I’ve come back home from visiting her in Chicago." (more)






Security Camera, by Mike Shane.