Dead Poet Identification Contest

Merry National Poetry Month, everybody! To honor this most festive of festivals of a literary form, we're holding a contest. Below, you see the silhouettes of eight dear, departed poets. Below each silhouette is a piece of their poesy. Below all of these things, there is a link. Follow said link to a page on our website whereon you will be given little boxes in which to identify each poet, #1 - #8. Do so.

Correctly identify all eight, and you will be entered in a drawing for some fabulous, poetry-related prizes!

(By the bye, all these lovely poet silhouettes were made by our used book buyer, Brad. Aren't they amazing? They're even better in person.)

(Oh, and by "used book buyer," I mean the guy who buys used books for us. Brad is not used.)

#1



"Be not the first by whom the new are tried
Nor yet the last to lay aside."

__________

#2



"How can I live with this burden?
And yet they call her The Muse."

___________

#3



"Jane, Jane
Tall as a crane,
The morning light creaks down again!"

____________

#4



"'Tis the white stag, Fame, we're a'hunting
Bid the world's hounds come to horn!"

____________

#5



"Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter,
Sermons and soda-water the day after."

__________

#6



"Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air."

__________

#7



"Do I contradict myself,
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)"

__________

#8



"You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart."

__________

Here's the link. Away you go!

Dog of the Week

This is Isabella. She's visiting us for the day. She, apparently, enjoys pita bread.

You can shape the hair on her head into a little mohawk. I couldn't get her to pose with it, though. You'll just have to trust me.

Good girl, Isabella.

Side by Side

On the left is the American cover of Michio Kaku's new book, The Physics of the Impossible. On the right is the British cover. (Actually, I found another, similar British cover, too. Same typeface and style, but with a photo behind it.)

You might think I prefer the British. And in a way, I do. But I'm also sort of intimidated by it. It makes me think I'm supposed to read the book while listening to some retro-New Wave band I've only heard mentioned in passing.

Like, I don't know, Black Kids, or something. I'm so intimidated, I think that the Black Kids reference is probably way too lame and outdated, too.

It's intimidatingly hip. Oh, you Brits and your Mod hairstyles and blues-based rock bands made up of art school drop-outs. I just don't get you.

Anyway. Kaku is reading next Wednesday, March 26 at the Pacific Science Center. We'll be there, selling books. You should go. I'll either be their or home reading a contemporary music blog or something.

I'd rather be reading...

Somehow, Kevin Brockmeier has managed to sneak out a book without me knowing about it. I hate it when that happens.

And it's a collection of stories! How fondly I remember reading "The Ceiling" and "A Day in the Life of Half of Rumpelstiltskin" in 2002's Things That Fall from the Sky. A friend suggested his work to me.

My favorite form (the short story) and one of my favorite contemporary writers. And instead of reading, I have to shelve. Sad, really. I'd much rather be sitting outside with a copy of The View from the Seventh Layer.

(You may notice that a copy of Bad Bad by Chelsey Minnis has snuck into the picture. Just getting ready for National Poetry Month.)

Dalkey Archive Press Sale starts Thursday!

Save 50% – 60% on select Dalkey Archive Press titles.

The finest rediscovered classics & adventurous new works in world literature. Stop by our U District and check out the selection.

Copies of each title are limited, folks, so shop as early as possible.



There are few presses as dedicated as the Dalkey Archive Press. Since 1984, they've made it their mission to put out amazing books by writers from all around the world, books that, as long as Dalkey exists, will themselves exist.

They are my kind of publisher—one more interested in books than anything else.

Dog of the Week

This is Sadie. Sweet girl, ain't she? Very quiet. Very patient.

Good girl, Sadie. Stop by for a cookie anytime.

(Dog owning University Book Store customers: did you know there are treats at the Used Book buying desk? It's true. If your dog accompanies you in, stop by and say hello.)

Melville House

Since it's National Small Press Month, how about a shout out to the good people at Melville House, where they take their books seriously.

Pictured we have I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have To Be Destroyed By Me: Emblems From The Pentagon's Black World, a fascinating compendium of the patches worn by military personnel involved in secret operations. It's a beautiful piece of work, too, with a nice flat black cover, and a patch affixed to the front. I also like the design on the back. Can anyone name that font? Franklin Gothic?

Pictured with the book are some other noteworthy Melville House titles: M.J. Harper's The Secret History of the English Language (another really beautifully designed book), Anton Chekhov's My Life (from their Art of the Novella series), and Tao Lin's weird, wonderful novel Eeeee Eee Eeee (whose blog had a post today that inspired this one).

NBCC Award Winners

Here they are!

I'm excited to see that two books I really loved (Junot Diaz's amazing The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and Alex Ross's The Rest Is Noise) were honored.

Ross was part of our Reading Allowed series of events last year, too, and he was a very pleasant fellow.

Independent

Thanks, Paul S., whoever you are.