13 Jazz Poems. A. D. Winans. Xray Book Company, Letterpress, Printed by the Coyote Press, Ventura, California, USA.
- This is a very slim volume indeed. Printed letterpress by a young friend of Winans. In New Zealand too, a pretty small place by international literary standards, great movements are made from such small beginnings – too often overlooked when the poet gets into the big time. Winans has always had his roots firmly in the small press scene. One of the most consistent practitioners of the beat/meat movements of the 1950's and 1960's, he has not lost any of his potency in this day and age. Although not attracting the cult following of those such as Allen Ginsberg, and being seen mainly as a magazine publisher (Second Coming Presss), Winans has regardless built up a massive body of impressive poetry That will be seen in time, if not already, to equal the very best.
Folk Heroes and Other Strange Happenings. A. D. Winans. Published by the Benway Institute Studios, http://www.benwaystudios.com. np.
- These are pretty strong and direct poems. Winans doesn't mess about here. Things go wrong on earth, so Winans says in "Betrayed": God Damn Man / How can I ever hope / To believe in you again. There are some nifty fine line illustrations throughout, often appearing as postscripts, usually effectively done and providing a unique personal touch. As an American sending up American culture, Winans is very effective. He drags poetry out of academic timidity and precocity into a raw world of unpicky reality. Lover and critic of the American Dream, in "Tonto" he details what actually happened to the Lone Ranger, where Tonto kills the Lone Ranger and has his way with Silver before riding off into the sunset. Winans is still hanging on in there confronting the pc brigade which is shutting down most of humanity's creativity. Here, Popeye the Sailor man has been deemed responsible for the Stock Market crash of 1929, through his bad habits and manners. One wonders if he'd be seen as responsible for the high US dollar these days. Plenty of private and public visions here, worthy of a much longer book.
The Albatross is Dead. Sixty sonnets by Peter Dane. Addena Sales and Marketing Services (Hudson Cresset) NZ.
- Here we have sixty sonnets chronicling the process of adultery. This elaborate and extended fabric detailing the doom of a relationship is seen through the point of view of a woman as recollected through Peter Dane's eyes. I think for someone interested in the subject matter, this book would be quite rewarding. Not great literature, but not worthless either. I can't see any really substantial issues of marriage and separation covered here. It is at best an outpouring of regret and hope. Some might find it elevating, some just may not bother.
Love Bites. Kate O'Neill. A Micropress Publication, NZ. $15.
- This book has plenty of illustrations and the text is pretty stroppy and supremely self-indulgent, it seems to me. On Page 14, Bette Davis rules: "And the bloke being glared at / makes himself scarce / if he's wise" Kate O'Neill is a self-confessed born-again lesbian, and an ex art drama English teacher, painter an playwright. And, an ex Australian now living in New Zealand. Part of the brain gain, perhaps? Her poems suffer a great deal from sexual harassment, and so will we, if we get too absorbed by them. Unfortunately there is little here that is enlightening, or elevating. Men (who gave her 3 children and four grandchildren) are definitely passe.
Selected Poems – Riemke Ensing. HeadworX Press, Wellington New Zealand. $26.95. 186pp.
- This is a major collection of Riemke Ensing's work, and it is timely, too. Known as an editor as well, she edited the pioneering anthology of New Zealand Women's poetry, 'Private Gardens', (Caveman Press, 1977). Ensing is an established and prolific poet in her own right. I'm not privy to her earlier work to any great extent, but can say her Dutch origins and unique style have made a truly original contribution to New Zealand poetry over the years. A poet who waited until the age of 43 to publish her first collection is unusual, but immerse herself in New Zealand literature since then, she did. Ensing, very much her own person never joined or slavishly followed the general emergence of women writers and poets from the mid 1970's. Always aware of being a migrant, Ensing regardless, effectively combines Maori concerns and history with her personal visions. A 'citizen of the world' indeed but never an unobtrusive voice in New Zealand poetry. Her work is instinctively European (as opposed to English), open and sometimes quite passionate. Her love of the visual arts shows through many of her poems. 'Taonga' has the mountain moving into her living room, joining her her in its living breathing glory, but nevertheless gloriously different. Ensing is preoccupied with time, space, presence and sequence. In 'Te Maunga Tapu': "Nothing can take the past / away. It grows as shadows / for shelter" Nothing short of brilliant, that. Ensing's style is somewhat clipped, precise and never overdone. You are aware of an impressive intellect at work here. Commanding, but never overbearing. For poetry sometimes 'outside the square', Ensing is not adverse to subtle annotations accompanying the work in progress, just to keep us up with the play, as if she instinctively knows where we may falter a little in our understanding. A little drawing here, and there, a little diagram. Her work, reminiscent of Ezra Pound (but probably more intelligible), Ensing ranges over history and cultures, always seeking to pin down the reasons why we are here, in this quirky corner of the woods; her adopted land. The index is an unusual feature for a book of poetry, but a welcome one. In many poems she doesn't mince words. "The Holocaust" (the real one!), comes in for attention on page 173: "BELSEN WAS A GAS says the wall / round the local synagogue" This is one of the most entertaining books of poetry I have read for some time. It is a tribute to the diversity in New Zealand poetry. Congratulations to HeadworX for taking it on and doing such a fine job of it.
North Beach Revisited. A. D. Winans, San Francisco, USA. Green Bean Press, New York, $US12.95.
- In a reviews section dominated by review of the poetry of Winans, here is another of his recent books. Winans is unashamedly American in his approach and convictions and this is his best book for some time. Winans (65, now) is still willing to tackle any subject that can show the quirkiness and crassness of everyday American life. The streets, aspirations, gutters, disappointments and ecstasy are all there, not so much recorded by Winans, but reinvented. The random plasticity of the American world does not escape Winans. In 'For Kenneth Patchen': "Terror and agony are partners – The shadow of your being dancing / Along the mountains / In bright enamel". Most of these poems are tributes (or brickbats) for Winans' contemporaries or predecessors. Gregory Corso, Ginsberg, Todd Lawson, Neal Cassady etc. It takes some courage to do this and not be branded as a halfwit or a clinger. Winans' mastery is his sensitivity, boldness and assurance There are some really appealing photographs throughout the book. I will conclude with the last stanza of his poem for his great friend, the late Jack Micheline. "Poets are like butterflies / Spreading their wings / Reshaping the stars / The Universe / Cosmic matter waiting / To be born".
