Crossroads

[The Cassandra Pages]

It's almost exactly two years since I started up this blog. I was trying to explain what I hope to accomplish with it the other day to my Massey colleagues at the School of Social and Cultural Studies, but since we were all going round in a big circle spending five minutes each talking about our current research projects, it wasn't possible to go into much detail.

Just as well, really. I could see their eyes glazing over even after that much discussion.

I suppose the normal convention for an author's homepage is to have an entry point with hyperlinks to a comprehensive bibliography, critical comments, a portrait gallery and various works-in-progress. Sometimes there's a blog linked to it as well.

That was my original plan, also. However, since I started my experiments with free blog space, I've realised that a lot can be accomplished with the internet equivalent of a pair of old hedgeclippers and a bottle of glue:


Bibliography sites [10]

Writing sites [14]

X

Research sites [10]

Teaching sites [14]

Let's take them in order:


Bibliography sites [10]:

1. A Gentle Madness [2009- ] (1/6/09-4/7/10)
A catalogue of my Book Collection: Geographical by Locations & Indexed by Categories.


2. Pania Press [2006- ]:
   
   • Pania Press (Blog) (25/9/06- )
     bijou publisher of original literary & artistic works, in small editions.
   • Pania Press (Business) (14/11/12- )
     A catalogue of the publications of this small press, from 2006 to the present day.
   
   
3. Paper Table [2017- ] (19/9/17- )
A catalogue of the publications of this small press, dedicated to publishing contemporary New Zealand fiction, particularly novellas.


4. Perdrix Press [1997- ] (16/4/11- )
A catalogue of the publications of this small press, dedicated to publishing artistic and poetic collaborations of various kinds, with various people, from 1997 to the present day.


5. Poetry NZ [2014-2020]:
   
   • Poetry NZ Blog (2/6/14- )
     Views, Reviews, Interviews & Other News ...
   • Poetry NZ Index (1/1/14-17/2/16)
     An International Journal of Poetry and Poetics.
   • Poetry NZ Review (20/9/17- )
     Local Poetry Books in Review.
   
   
6. Works & Days [1981- ] (18/10/07- )
Curriculum Vitae: Biography - Bibliography - Chronology - Papers - Performances & Reviews.


7. Jack Ross: Showcase [2016- ] (2/12/16- )
Selected publications, print and online.

Writing sites [14]:

1. Jack Ross: Poems [1981- ] (27/5/23- )
Collected Poetry, published in books, chapbooks, periodicals and online.


2. Jack Ross: Opinions [1987- ] (18/8/13- )
Published Essays, Interviews, Introductions & Reviews.


3. Jack Ross: Stories [1996- ] (2/6/22-29/10/23)
Collected short fiction and novellas.


4. The R.E.M. [Random Excess Memory] Trilogy [1997-2008]:
   
   1. Nights with Giordano Bruno [2000] (19-30/1/08)
      A Novel + Game for One Player.
   2. The Imaginary Museum of Atlantis [2006]:
      
      • Who am I? (20/1-13/2/08)
        Automatic writing.
      • Where am I? (20/1-13/2/08)
        Cuttings.
   3. E M O [2008] (27/11/23-2/5/24)
      
      • EVA AVE (15/8/06-3/9/07)
        Inheritor of silence / shall I be? / Black mass below us / above us / only sky …
      • Moons of Mars (16/8/06-3/9/07)
        Welcome / to the new reality / Nothing’s stranger / than the will / to survive …
      • Ovid in Otherworld (15/8/06-3/9/07)
        Wild geese draw lines / across an amber sky / fish bask / in frozen rivers / generators die …
      • R.E.M. Trilogy interviews [2008] (30/11 & 21/12/08)
        In conversation with Gabriel White (YouTube).


5. Coursebook found in a Warzone [from Kingdom of Alt (2010)]:
   • Banned Books [2009] (19/10-13/12/08)
     Censored & Restricted 20th-Century Fiction: Administration - Assignments - Author Pages - Lecture Notes - Forum for Discussion (English 2: 666).
   • Crisis Diaries [2009] (19/10/08-3/1/09)
     Chronicles of Heartbreak, Illness, Madness, Plague & Civil War: Special Topic in Comparative Literature - School of Society & Culture - Radial Campus - Semester One.


6. Papyri [2007- ] (3/10/06- )
Love-poems & fragments from Sappho & elsewhere.


7. Tree Worship [2011-12] (6/1/11-14/8/12)
Poems & fragments.

Gateway site:

• The Imaginary Museum [2006- ] (14/6/06- )
Adventures in Writing, Publishing, Book Collecting & Other Pursuits.

Research sites [10]:

1. John Masefield [1984-1985] (14/4-22/8/09)
The Early Novels, 1908-1911. MA Thesis (University of Auckland, 1986).


2. Versions of South America [1986-1990] (14/4-22/7/09)
An Elusive Identity: Versions of South America in English Literature from Aphra Behn to the Present Day. PhD Thesis (University of Edinburgh, 1990).


3. Scheherazade's Web [1991-1995] (22/8/06-26/9/07)
The Thousand and One Nights and Comparative Literature.


4. An index to brief magazine [1995-2018] (11/12/07-10/18)
Listings & Statistics for the Magazine formerly known as A Brief Description of The Whole World / ABDOTWW / Description / Abdotww / Ab.Ww / Brief. &c.


5. Aotearoa NZ Poetry Sound Archive [2002-2004] (6/11-3/12/07)
Bibliographical Aids for the Use of Those Consulting the Waiata Archive (1974) and AoNZPSA (2002-2004) – Audio Recordings available in Special Collections, University of Auckland Library and in the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington.


6. Social and Cultural Studies [2009- ] (27/8/09- )
Monograph Series – School of Social and Cultural Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University.


7. Leicester Kyle [2011]:
   
   • Leicester Kyle (17/2-14/3/11)
     An Index to the Collected Poems of Leicester Hugo Kyle (1937-2006).
   • Leicester Kyle: Texts (18/2-14/3/11)
     The Collected Poetry Books of Leicester Hugo Kyle (1937-2006).


8. NZSF [2018-2020] (1/1/18-4/9/20)
The Psychogeography of New Zealand Speculative Fiction.


9. Michele 2021 [2021] (19/1-18/10/21)
A Birthday Festschrift for Michele Joy Leggott.

Teaching sites [14]:

1. Creative Writing [2009- 2021] (14/4/08- )
   139.123 – College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University.
   
   • Creative Writing Anthology [2008-2021] (21/9/08- )
     An anthology of student writing from Massey University Albany.


2. Life Writing [2008-2015] (14/4/08- )
   139.226 – College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University.
   
   • Life Writing Anthology [2008-2015] (21/9/08- )
     An anthology of student writing from Massey University Albany.


3. Advanced Fiction Writing [2017-2021] (25/2/15- )
   139.329 – College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Massey University.
   
   • Advanced Fiction Writing Anthology [2017-2021] (11/6/17- )
     An anthology of student writing from Massey University.


4. Travel Writing [2009-2021] (14/4/08- )
   139.326 – College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University.
   
   • Travel Writing Anthology [2008-2021] (21/9/08- )
     An anthology of student writing from Massey University Albany.


5. Contemporary NZ Writers in an International Context [2010-2016] (28/3/09- )
   139.750 – College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University.
   
   • Contemporary NZ Writers Anthology [2009-2016] (28/3/09- )
     An anthology of student writing from Massey University Albany.


6. Lectures [2011-2021] (1/4/11- )
College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University: Miscellaneous Guest Lectures.


7. Writers Read Series [2011-2021] (27/6/12- )
College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University: Guest Readers.


8. Novels since 1900 [2008] (12/4-11/10/08)
English 220 / 356 (University of Auckland): Lecture Notes – Assignments – Author Pages – Forum for Discussion.


9. Cross-Genre Writing: Contexts / Praxis [2012] (9/10/12)
College of Humanities and Social Sciences – School of English and Media Studies – Albany Campus – Massey University.

No doubt further refinements on this set-up will be added over time, but for the moment, that's the system.

Upcoming Titus Booklaunch (19/6)

[cover image: Emma Smith / cover design: Brett Cross]

Yes, it's that time again - booklaunch season!

The latest Titus Books extravaganza will be at the Alleluya Cafe, St Kevin's Arcade, Karangahape Rd, on Thursday 19th June from 6.30 pm onwards.

The three books are:

Jen Crawford, Bad Appendix (poetry)

Bill Direen, Enclosures (novel)

Jack Ross, EMO (novel)

I'm very happy to be in such distinguished company. Bill and I had a launch together in 2006 for our previous two Titus titles: my The Imaginary Museum of Atlantis and his Song of the Brakeman. Jen Crawford is a friend I've met more recently, and whose poetry I was proud to include in Landfall 214 (2007): 41-44. MC Scott Hamilton has already put up an interesting post about the event at Reading the Maps.

We'll all be doing our thing on the night: I'll be performing some dialogue from my novel with the lovely Bronwyn Lloyd, Jen will read some poems, and (probably the most potent lure) as well as giving a reading from his novel, Bill will also be playing songs from his latest album Songs for Mickey Joe in the course of the evening.

*

What can I say about EMO?

The original idea was to compile a blog-novel in the form of three sets of diary entries available online. The concept has grown a bit since then, though. Each page of text has ghost pages underneath it (still legible to the determined), as well as a main narrative by one of my three protagonists: Eva, Marlow and Ovid.

Does that sound complicated? I don't think it will present any real obstacles to readers of the two previous volumes in my R.E.M. [Random Excess memory] trilogy: Nights with Giordano Bruno (Bumper Books, 2000) or The Imaginary Museum of Atlantis (Titus Books, 2006).

I should emphasise, though, that EMO is an entirely stand-alone story, and does not require any knowledge of the other books in the series. I have to admit that parts of it have shocked some readers, but I don't think any of them have found it difficult to get into. On the contrary, it's only too compulsively - and disreputably - readable, as one of them remarked to me ...

Car Epics (2)

I've been reminded by some of you that I missed The Epic of Gilgamesh out of my list of epic poems to listen to in the car. Quite right - to be honest, I didn't realise that it was even available as a talking book. But it is. Luckily. I'll add more details about the actual recordings later, when my Amazon.com package arrives.

0 - Sîn-leqi-unninnī: The Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 1350 BC)

a) translated by N. K. Sandars (1960)
read by Richard Pasco
Penguin Audiobooks, 1996
2 cassettes (abridged)

The first translation of Gilgamesh I ever encountered - it's still one of the most readable. It's a real shame that these Penguin Audiobooks haven't been re-released on CDs. there's some excellent recordings among them. This is one of the best.

b) translated by Stephen Mitchell (2004)
read by George Guidall
Recorded Books, 2004
4 CDs (unabridged)

A vivid new translation, and a fine reading. What they don't tell you, though, is that the last two CDs are Mitchell's critical discussion of the poem, rather than extra bits of the story. A nice complement to the Sandars translation, then, but I don't think it entirely supersedes it.