publishing

A Conversation With John Trigonis, Sharing His View
of the World on the Page and the Screen

As a poet, John Trigonis sprinkles words on the page that produce a sensory response from anyone lucky enough to read them—in a chapbook, on a Web site, in a literary magazine. Though still mysterious and provocative, his poems are filmic scenes from some bigger, larger life. Confessional and observational, his narrators share what they see and how they see it. Like all poetry worth reading, an honesty is palpable, and without knowing it we’re swept up in some kind of quest to discover, or uncover, some kind of truth. His work has been widely published in the U.S. and U.K., and Trigonis has also published six chapbooks of his poetry.

As a filmmaker, John Trigonis creates poetry in motion. Even when quirky and off-beat, his short films seem to naturally explore some facet of the human condition, searching with stories and characters for some kind of light. Trigonis, 32, wrote his first screenplay—a feature-length film—back in 2001, which led to writing and directing five more films (as well as directing another two). His credits also include work as actor, cinematographer, and producer, along with directing and acting for the stage.

And we, readers and viewers, benefit from the fact that the poet and filmmaker are one, both of those divergent creative crafts influencing each other in subtle ways. So whether with a collection of poems or a short film, Trigonis will make you think and feel.

Trigonis, a “freelance” professor at universities throughout New Jersey, epitomizes the indie spirit of 21st century and exemplifies the DIY movement, embracing the possibilities afforded artists during this era of social media and affordable technology. He’s even pursued a fairly revolutionary method of funding his latest project. In addition to using his own money, Trigonis turned to IndieGoGo, pitching fans and complete strangers on the incentives of funding the film (perhaps a producer credit will entice you, along with several other perks). He has already reached his goal, raising $5,595 in relatively short order.

Today, thanks to all those who contributed (from small amounts to larger donations), Trigonis—along with cast and crew—starts production of his latest vision, Cerise, a short film about a former spelling bee champion who is haunted, 20 years later, by the word that took him down. Production will continue through the week, and you can follow the filming process this week by visiting Cerise on Facebook and Vimeo for constant status updates, pics and vlogs.

Trigonis recently took time from a busy schedule of rewriting scripts, holding auditions, scouting locations, and making other preparations to discuss a wide range of topics—from his artistic roots and creative process to his DIY nature and the future of “crowdfunding”—with The Madness Of Art. Read more…

Non-Profit, Quarterly Arts Journal Launches in Savannah

One of the great things about Savannah—this big small town (or, depending on your perspective, small big city) on the Georgia coast that I’ve called home for 20 months—is its robust, ever-expanding arts scene, generating a palpable creative energy suitable for invoking the muse.

Despite this burgeoning arts community, and even with a fairly respectable assortment of local print publications, Savannah lacked an “offline” magazine dedicated solely and specifically to this community, its creative creatures and their admirers. I, for one, thought it obvious that such an arts journal could not only survive but thrive here. Luckily, I wasn’t alone. Read more…

“You must take an obsessive pride in the smallest details of your craft. And you must be willing to defend what you’ve written against the various middlemen—editors, agents and publishers—whose sights may be different from yours, whose standards not as high.”—William Zinsser

‘the word’

By Charles Bukowski
from Bone Palace Ballet

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The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘hell is a closed door’

By Charles Bukowski
from The Last Night of the Earth Poems

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

‘upon reading a critical review’

By Charles Bukowski
from Betting on the Muse

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Madness of Art presents Reading Buk—nightly readings of selected works of Charles Bukowski—as a special series during the month of April in celebration of National Poetry Month 2009.

Top Journalism Prizes Underscore Industry’s Plight

It’s certainly no secret that the newspaper industry faces unprecedented perils. And that’s probably an understatement, if recent developments—regularly declining circulation, plummeting profits, shrinking staff sizes (a result of repeated, substantial layoffs and a more voluntary exodus of journalists out of the industry), the closing of century-old newspapers—are any indication. The “Pressure on the Presses” might prove too much to bear, as some predict that End Times are near for print newspapers. The announcement of the winners of the Pulitzer Prizes today underscored this reality—and how the conventional response of management at newspapers across the country might just be the death blow. Read more…

The Dead, in an innovative spin on the concert souvenir, have partnered with on-demand publisher Blurb to offer custom, collectible photography books for each show during the band’s current 2009 tour. Read more…

“You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you’re working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success—but only if you persist.”—Isaac Asimov

There’s no worse feeling for a writer: opening the mailbox to discover an envelope addressed to you, written by you.

The news is never good. There’s no need, really, to even open the damn thing. But you’re a writer, ergo a bit of  a masochist. A voice inside your head whispers, “Hey, you never know.”

So, despite the urge to burn before reading, you rip it open. “Dear Author,” it typically begins, if you’re lucky enough to get that personal of a greeting. The rest of what is usually a short note can be reduced to one disemboweling, blood-soaked word: REJECTED! Read more…