Via Helene Blowers:

Does anyone else find it disturbing that Webster's definition of library contains a link to "morgue"? link

[cross-posted from LISNews]:

Ouch. In the May 2009 issue of Body + Soul magazine--"A Martha Stewart Publication"--"renting a book" via BookSwim is #1 on a list of "6 Simple Ways to Better Your Life and the Planet."

The magazine copy reads [bold mine], "Looking for a good read? Try renting books Netflix-style with bookswim.com. It's easier than going to the library and greener than buying from the store."

In memoriam: Janet Armstrong, 1976-2009

Traveler, adventurer, friend.
Janet died this morning of ovarian cancer.

Easter AIG Hunt

Via Urban Prankster: "The latest stencil from street artist Above has been released just in time for both Easter and the collapse of the world economy."

From "Made in U.S.A," an article by Patricia Marx in the 03/16/09 New Yorker:

"Do you remember when foreign stuff was still exotic? It used to be exciting to buy things that weren't made in America--Pier 1 Imports was like Shangri-La."

Obama Knows Storytime

Here's President Obama reading Where the Wild Things Are to kids at the Easter Egg Roll this past Monday--standing up, moving around, engaging the kids with questions about the text, and generally performing like he's had early-literacy-focused storytime training (or just has common sense when it comes to reading to kids). His "wild rumpus" sound effects are a little tame--more of a cute rumpus:

Pat Riot's "Toops!"

Artist Pat Riot "re-faces" baseball cards (gallery):

Happy Easter

(song by King Missile, compilation by Rich McNinch)

Everyone Poops--The Film Adaptation

Landline TV was inspired by the release of the trailer for Spike Jonze's adaptation of Where The Wild Things Are.

Really, is there any doubt left that we're related to these guys?

"That’s a really good question, but I don’t know. Someone should pick that up as a thesis at Hampshire College."

—Amy Poehler, on why there haven't been more openly gay cast members on Saturday Night Live. (There has only been one: Terry Sweeney. He lasted just one season, 1985-86.)

Heh, heh.
[via Queerty]

National Poetry Map

Click state, find "local poets, poems, events, literary journals, writing programs, poetry organizations, and more."

From Sweet Juniper's Collection of Terrifying Nixon-Era Children's Books come these images from the story of Eric; his pet bird, Snow; and Eric's grandfather [no title available]:

"my inane envelopes"

I'm just tucking into Denise Duhamel's KA-CHING!, which my public library system miraculously decided to purchase, and already I want to quote Duhamel's "eBay sonnets":


Pity my rough drafts, my false starts, my trade-
mark pink SASEs I was sure would catch
a big editor's attention. But batch
after batch of my poems came back with staid
"no thanks" notes in my inane envelopes.
I worked in a rare bookstore in Cambridge,
selling first editions and unabridged
collections of Alexander Pope,
which made me think longevity was creepy—
some poets relegated to bargain bins
while other poets were like mannequins,
modeling their in-vogue verse obliquely
from their famous graves. I was twenty-one.
I worshipped every poet's skeleton.


Mannequins! You can read eBay sonnets in full at Verse Daily.

On Twitter:

elloyd74: Boy: "I need a book on myth." Me: "Greek myths?" Boy: "I didn't know there were different kinds." Turns out he'd said meth.

itsjustkate: @elloyd74 That Greek meth is hardcore. They cut it with feta.

--

Tattoo envy: Jill Alexander Essbaum's poetic feet:

From Kent Rogowski's "Love=Love":






Although puzzle pieces are unique and can only fit into one place within a puzzle, they are interchangeable within a brand...

*Addict-o-matic (tagline: "inhale the web") is an impressive new-to-me tool for creating a quick snapshot of what's currently being said/posted online about a given topic. Enter your search term and see results from YouTube, Digg, Twitter, Technorati, Flickr, Delicious, and many others, all on one page. (via Phil Bradley)


*via folderol, a clean and simple "Economy Tracker" map from CNN--mouse over a state to see its current unemployment rate


*via Julie Dill (at someecards):




*via JB (from pictures for sad children):




*via Jessy Randall, a new favorite poem--David Mason's "Song of the Powers"

La Revolution Des Crabes

A 2003 short by Arthur de Pins:

Diet Coke with Lime: "Guess What It Tastes Like"

Hmm. It looks like one now needs a password to access poems archived in Three Candles. Bummer, as one of the points (for me) in publishing online is in having stuff accessible to a wider audience than might purchase a print journal. I'm re-posting one of the three I published there here, for the fabulous Jessy Randall. It was written around the time Diet Coke with Lime came out.


Diet Coke with Lime: "Guess What it Tastes Like"

I guess it tastes like petals on a wet, black bough
I guess it tastes like the farmer's daughter
just after she's milked the cow
I guess it tastes like whatever she'll allow

I guess it tastes like the uncut hair of graves
I guess it tastes like getting your test back
and learning you don't have AIDS
I guess it tastes like the mome raths as they outgrabe

I guess it tastes like blackberry, blackberry, blackberry
I guess it tastes like riding back and forth
all night on the ferry
I guess it tastes like Diet Coke with Cherry

I guess it tastes like world enough and time
I guess it tastes like the night
of cloudless climes
I guess it tastes like nothing, and is nowhere, and is endless

In DC visiting family. The "nwa" logos all over the airport make me think not of Northwest Airlines, but of Niggaz with Attitude. The metro card day passes have Obama on them. We saw a bathroom sign: "NO TAMPOONS IN TOILET. PLEASE CLEAN UP BEHIND YOURSELF."