72 nd St.
by John Harris
A summer sublet. 72nd St.,
Three stories up. An ancient railroad flat,
Filled with listing bookcases, stifling heat,
Uneven linoleum, grimy plants, a cat.
Days were clerical — any job I could get —
Typing business envelopes, answering phones.
Nights were The Fire House — a t–shirt drenched in sweat,
Dancing at 3 a.m. to the Rolling Stones.
The City was that bench in a park,
A mattress on the floor, without a sheet.
The rasp of another man’s face against mine in the dark,
The radio whispering “Angie, don’t you weep . . . .”
David Meltzer 1937-2016
It is with great sadness that we learned this morning of the passing of the great poet and our friend David Meltzer.
David Meltzer was born in Rochester, New York, & raised in Brooklyn. He began his literary career during the San Francisco Beat & Berkeley Renaissance period in North Beach, California, & his work was included in the anthology, “The New American Poetry 1945–1960.” At the age of 20, he recorded his poetry with jazz musicians in Los Angeles & also became a singer-songwriter & guitarist for several bands during the 1960s, including The Serpent Power. He was the author of more than 40 volumes of poetry, including Arrows: Selected Poetry 1957–1992, No Eyes: Lester Young (2000), Beat Thing (2004), & David’s Copy (2005).
But most importantly, he was someone we were lucky enough to call friend. In our Summer 2014 issue, David was gracious enough to grant us an interview talking about his life, jazz and poetry. We are forever indebted to David for his amazing poems, music and spirit. The world is a slightly darker place now without him.
Joséphine Sacabo
Joséphine Sacabo lives and works in New Orleans. She uses poetry as the genesis of her work. Among her most important influences she lists Rilke, Baudelaire, Pedro Salinas, Vincente Huiobro, and Juan Rulfo. Recent solo exhibitions include Catherine Edleman Gallery, Chicago (2003); John Stevenson Gallery, New York, (2005); Stephanie Hoppen Gallery, London, UK (2005). Her work is in collections at Art Institute of Chicago, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, George Eastman House, Library of Congress, Maison Europeanne de la Photographie, Paris Bibliotheque Nationale, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, among others.
Josefina Auslender
Josefina Auslender was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Educated at the Periugino School and the Escuela Nacional de Belles Artes Prilidiano Puryrredon, she earned the degree of Professor of Visual Arts. From the late sixties through the mid–eighties Auslender exhibited widely and received awards at the Salon Nacional de Ceramica, the Salon Manuel Belgrano de Dibujo (drawing) at the Museo Sivori, the Bienal Santa Maria del Buen Aire at the Museo de Arte Moderno, and Premio Bull V Bienal de Maldonado in Uruguay. Moving to Maine in 1988, she continues to work and shows periodically.
