[John (J.D.) Smith]

This sounds great. I look forward to reading.

[Jayne Osborn]

Originally Posted by Catherine Chandler

I recently approved the dust jacket for The Frangible Hour . . . The book should be available around December 6. Will keep you all posted!

Originally Posted by John (J.D.) Smith

This sounds great. I look forward to reading.

Me too, Cathy. That is good news!

Jayne

[Simon Hunt]

This is about to fall off the front page, so I'm risking your ire to bump it up. I like reading your good news, damn it, and I have this to report of my own.

I'm just back from a wonderful trip to the UK: two big family parties--my mother's 70th birthday and my cousin's wedding; an Eratosphere lunch; a great play at the Wanamaker; a lovely evening at Keats's house; etc.

Last night, back in California, I went to a book launch inSanta Cruz for the new book put out by the publisher who will be doing mine down the road: The Night Bridge by Wilma Marcus Chandler, Hummingbird Press, 2016. Big success and most handsome volume, so congratulations to Wilma.

But here's what I really want to tell you: in England, while browsing in Foyle's, I renewed my intention to get hold of a copy of the poems of John Clare and spend some real time with them. Limited pounds sterling and limited luggage space kept me from buying a small Selected in London, but last night I found a used Essential Clare in Santa Cruz--the perfect pocket sized paperback for my ambitions. Well, $4.80 seemed a tad steep for a dinky, aging paperback. But when I leafed through it, I found it had been signed by its editor, poet Carolyn Kizer, who had added this inscription: "for Adrienne, with love from Carolyn, the New Year 1993." Santa Cruz, remember--so this has to have been Adrienne Rich's book, right?, and sold to the shop after Rich's death... I don't know Kizer's work at all, but I'm enjoying her essay on Clare. I do like much of Rich. But I thought some of you might enjoy this adventure in marginalia, which is tickling me greatly: these poems have gone from Clare's hands to Kizer's to Rich's, and now they're all mine for less than five bucks.

[Clive Watkins]

A wonderful story about your copy of Clare, Simon! – Jonathan Bate’s fine Biography for Picador / Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2003) has an excellent appendix that surveys the vexed question of the ownership of the copyright in Clare’s verse and the way it has affected publication over the past fifty years or so. Bate’s Selected (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2003, Faber and Faber 2004) is also a most useful volume.

No especial news to add, except that, as an atheist, I am attending a carol concert this evening at the church in Penistone, Yorkshire, not far from where I live. It looks to be a night of typical Pennine weather.

Clive Watkins

[Jayne Osborn]

Simon,

You needn't worry about bumping this thread - we all love to hear good news and it's about time it was revived anyway!

It was great to see you in London for the Spherean lunch with John, David and Nico - and to hear your news of finding that book on arriving back in California. We didn't get around to talking about the Isle of Man and Maughold though, did we?

Clive,
After last week's gathering I was reminded of the one we had at The Trout in Oxford; it was over five years ago, amazingly. How time flies!

My good news is that my husband and I have decided to revamp part of our house, starting over Christmas while he's on holiday, which involves some demolition and re-building; I don't enjoy the mess and the hard work, but I love the results afterwards!

So, it's a hard hat for me over the festive season, not a paper one . . . (Bah humbug!)

Jayne

[Allen Tice]

It was a bit like the carol "King Wenceslas" yesterday in the Big Apple: snapping cold with a blasting wind; the only lack was caked snow on the ground: there was snow in the wind though, in bursts. (And the seven day Roman Saturnalia begins tomorrow on 12/17, so be kind to Saturn ! maybe he will reciprocate.) Anyway, it was very brisk and brusque out of doors and I and my wife had driven to a remote shopping center to buy groceries where we could park. For years the car had a slightly tilted license plate holder in front. Something had bent it, and though I had tried to wrest it straight several times, it resisted. And it made it easier to find from afar in a parking lot full of similar looking cars.

In the USA, some states require only a rear license plate; New York requires one in front, too. If you lose a license plate through theft or otherwise you must replace it via a well-papered bureaucracy, and worse, the current plate offerings are colored a repulsive and hard to read yellow and black, versus the previous style, which was blue on white that I like and I have retained it since I could do that. You don't want to have a plate stolen or lost. Bureaucracy, documentation, explanation, and fees.

The parking lot for the store was fullish and a fire-fighter truck was up on the curb as I noodled toward the store at 3 mph. I had to pull into a narrow lane to pass it. I was worried about any pedestrians popping out or other vehicles coming the other way, especially police or fire vehicles.

Suddenly there came a rapping as of someone firmly tapping, pounding, pounding, loud resounding, banging on my auto door. I stopped and looked: 'twas just a cop and nothing more! I rolled down the window, admitting flying snow, and said, "Uh-oh, what's wrong. I'm sorry!" But the policeman was smiling and through the open window had handed me my front license plate. He said,"Your license plate just blew off the front of your car. Here it is!" I couldn't believe it at first, but there it was, road dirt and all. After a moment, I thanked him completely, and he smiled again. Rolling up the window, I moved the car slowly to a spot and verified from outside that I had lost and he had found my plate, and that consequently I didn't have to tap the dance bureaucratic.

After shopping, I stopped at a minimal gas station (just pumps) to ask where I could find a repair shop. Up strolled a really, really well-insulated street man who said he could remount my plate then and there for a few bucks. Then he produced some simple hand tools and a starter screw, and did the job.

Good news: no lost plate; no bureaucracy; nor any hassle. What are the odds that a policeman would hand me my freshly lost license place in the freezing wind, and that an incredibly warmly dressed street mechanic would appear at just the right time a few blocks later?

......

[Terese Coe]

I was doing some Christmas shopping today and carting around several bags, then stopped at a place on Sixth Ave. in the Village for a cup of tea to warm up and rest. As luck would have it, I left a small bag behind. I noticed when I was almost home, called the place when I got home, and asked if they found the bag. Yes, came the answer, and I can pick it up tomorrow.

I have a strong feeling the woman who was sitting at the next table was the one who gave it to the proprietors, and am grateful.

Also recently saw five Almodovar films on my MOMA membership card, and every single one was hilarious and enlightening at once! What a fearless genius! That makes up for the previous month where they did not have one single film I wanted to see (as well as a few I had already seen).

[Michael F]

Great stuff, Terese.

I also adore Almodovar -- for Rossy de Palma, alone! He’s had a love-affair with Madrid like Woody Allen with New York. I used to see Almodovar out and about in Chueca; you can't miss that hair. Whenever I see his films I get wistful for the crazy-beautiful romances I had in, and with, Madrid... *sigh*

[Roger Slater]

This weekend we were in the neighborhood of the theater where Othello is being performed with David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig, so we stopped by hoping to score cancellation tickets. The show is sold out and the only available tickets online asked $1050 each. A woman approached us and offered us a single ticket for $50. We took it. I saw the first half and then gave my wife the ticket during intermission so she could see the second half. Our seat was literally the best in the house, in the front row, with no raised stage so at times the actors were so close you had to tuck in your feet to avoid tripping them. The rave reviews were entirely justified. It was magnificent. (But please don't tell me how it ends. I missed the second half. I'm guessing everything turned out just fine).

[Catherine Chandler]

Roger,

Your story warmed my heart. Though not quite the same, the spirit of it reminded me of O. Henry's Christmas story, The Gift of the Magi. True love, indeed.