Ricordi della Presentazione del Libro

I remember with great fondness a year ago, when I presented my bilingual book of short poems, Chill Pills, at the Momentaneamente Gallery and Cultural Space in Cesarò, Sicily. My gracious host was Giselle Treccarichi, who paints professionally and organizes events that support her small village. The mayor was there, as were several teachers from the local schools. Besides Daniela and Kiki, my friend Mike showed up from Wisconsin, and a local yank named Diva. I enjoyed meeting everyone, including Giselle's family; one of her boys served as bartender. Great drinks and great eats -- a celebration, just like I wanted. Giselle had decorated the space specifically for my book with several poems in English and Italian on blackboards and a display of paintings on stone, one of which is featured as the cover of Chill Pills. I was thrilled to present my book not in a cold big city full of cynical intellectuals but in a lovely small town that welcomes art. I hope to do it again.

 

Ricordo con grande emozione un'anno fa quando ho presentato il mio libro di brevi poesie bilingue, Chill Pills, alla Galleria e Spazio Culturale Momentaneamente a Cesarò, Sicilia. Mi ha ospitato la gentile Giselle Treccarichi, che dipinge professionalmente e organizza eventi per sostenere il suo piccolo paese. La sindaca era lì, come anche alcuni insegnanti delle scuole locali. Oltre a Daniela e Kiki, c'era il mio amico Mike che è venuto dal Wisconsin, e un americana locale di nome Diva. Mi sono divertito a conoscere tutti, incluso la famiglia di Giselle; uno dei suoi ragazzi ha fatto da barman. Si beveva e si mangiava alla grande -- una festa, proprio come volevo. Giselle ha decorato lo spazio espositivo per il mio libro con alcune poesie in inglese e italiano scritte su delle lavagne, e ha esposto dei suoi dipinti su pietra, uno dei quali è stato usato come copertina di Chill Pills. Ero strafelice di presentare il mio libro non in una fredda grande città piena di intellettuali cinici, ma in un paesino delizioso che accoglie la cultura. Spero di rifarlo.

 

 

 

Presentazione del Libro, 2024

 

Sto partendo per un grandissimo tour promozionale del libro, incluso un evento a cui dovresti veramente partecipare. A Cesarò, provincia di Messina, domenica 1° dicembre, ore 18, Galleria Momentaneamente. Ci saranno dolcini e bevande. Leggerò dal mio nuovo libro, CHILL PILLS, in inglese e in italiano! Questo è il mio primo libro che ho tradotto in italiano, quindi dovrebbe interessare a chi ha imparato l'inglese tanto tempo fa e poi non l'ha più usato (quasi tutti). Potete fare una gita in collina e venire a divertirvi. Ci saranno ospiti speciali. Posso consigliare un buon agriturismo se volete rimanere. Possiamo cenare lì tutti insieme. Ditelo agli amici. Il Magical Mystery Tour del libro di Pedersen unica fermata. Non perderlo! Mandatemi un messaggio se volete più dettagli o solo per dire "Si" ci saremo. Mi piacerebbe vedervi, vivi e vegeti.

Book tour, 2024!

  

I'm embarking on a massive book tour, including one event you really should attend. Cesarò, Messina province, Sunday December 1st, 6 pm, Galleria Momentaneamente. Snacks and drinks provided. I will read from my newest book, CHILL PILLS, in English AND Italian! This is my first book I translated into Italian, so it should interest those readers who learned English long ago and never used it since (most of you Italians). Take a drive into the hills and come on by to catch all the fun. There will be special guests. I can recommend a good agri-turismo if you want to stay over. We can have dinner together there. Tell your friends. Pedersen's magical mystery book tour's one and only stop. Don't miss out! Drop me a line if you want more details or just to say "yes" we'll be there. I'd love to see you, live and in person.

Dialogist presents: EMP

This week the spotlight's on me. Dialogist lit mag features my poem, "Everybody Needs Company." It's a poem about ____ fill in yourself. Can't give everything away. Please give it a look. There's also a full archive of past featured poets. I am very proud to have a poem published in Dialogist.

My thanks to the editors, Angelo Mao, and especially to Timothy Ashley Leo (Ashley), who was very nice to me.

Here it is:

 https://dialogist.org/poetry/2024-week-45-e-martin-pedersen

Selfie 005

 Direct from Rome, Italy, EU

Selfie 004

 Direct from Chicago, Illinois, USA

Selfie 003

 
Direct from Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Selfie 002

 Direct from Louisville, Colorado, USA

Method & Madness selfie contest

 

Oh boy, selfies! Please send me all you got. After you get your copy of Method & Madness--now 9.71€ on Amazon.it--take a photo of the book in your hand or your whole self with the book or the book in an interesting landscape. Get creative, do what you want. Send it to me (martinpedersen1255@gmail.com) and tell me where you took it. I want to get the Method & Madness going all around the world, all continents, all hemispheres, even in outer space, or in your bedroom, wherever. I'll post them with pleasure. Ready? Gooooooooo.

Direct from Villaggio Siena, Furnari, ME, Sicily, Italy, EU, Planet Earth.

CHILL PILLS by E. Martin Pedersen

Coming soon!!!

Dear Friends: Wanna help? Write a review.

 

I''m trying to launch Method & Madness like a rocket, wanna help? All you gotta do is agree to write a review, either a comment on any of the sites that sell or promote the book (there are lots, google e martin pedersen), or a complete detailed review to publish anywhere you want. If you are close to a literary magazine, even better. If you just want to leave a note of your opinion on Amazon, that's fine. Or send me the review, and I'll publish it. 

In exchange, I'll send you a free digital copy of the whole book (not a bottle of whiskey). A free book for a few friendly words, what a deal! If you hate the book, that's really okay too. I get rejections every day, so I have a tough skin. Drop me a line, give me an e-mail address, and I'll send you a link. It's easy, don't put it off. I thank you in advance for the boost.

Martin

(martinpedersen1255@gmail.com)

Imspired, I feel so

Impspired Magazine is impspired by the imp, a little devil that causes big trouble. They recently published three of my trouble-making poems.

I'm very grateful to Steve Cawte, the boss, who went to extraordinary lengths to get the issue out. He was kind and generous, and I wish him the best.

The poems are "The Art of Double-Hooking," "Experimentos," and "I Hate Poetry Too." The first is about fishing (not), the second about educational research (not), and the third is about forests (not). I guess you'll have to click the link to decide for yourself. Check out the whole Impspired universe, lots of good trouble there.

https://impspired.com/2024/04/01/e-martin-pedersen/

Sitting on the Mantelpiece in Iceland

I've pubished here and there, but this one is very very special to me. Because the journal (The Mantlepiece) is from Reykjavik, Iceland. My uncle Nik Gudmonds was an Icelander, by way of Berkeley, and he was the great storyteller of the family. My own origin is part Norwegian, another Nordic nation. I've always wanted to visit Iceland, and I certainly will soon. The population of the entire nation is about the size of the city of Florence, Italy (380,000). And yet there is so much art and culture.

A good example is The Mantlepiece, edited by Lillian Heimisdottir. She's extremely friendly, but also very professional. She chose my poem, "A Political Manifesto," for the June issue. I thank her and all the people involved in this wonderful publication.

The poem begins with a quote from Kurt Vonnegut: “Wake up, you idiots! Whatever made you think that money was so valuable?” The title would lead you to believe that the speaker is an activist, completely convinced of what they are doing. The poem tells otherwise. Read it to find out more, to be "down with the struggle." But also read the entire issue. There is fiction, reviews, essays, travel, food & drink, and so on. What a variety of interesting stuff! Read this beautiful journal from Iceland, every issue.

https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/bc8a39ac-7604-453b-b0f8-8b7c2ad27da9/TheMantelpiece_June_2024.pdf

Sample 3 for Italian readers

Method & Madness is in English, like my other books, so far. But I have many Italian friends who read enough English to enjoy the poems, hopefully. I am posting three samples to give you an idea of the type of spicy stuff I write, very few upbeat greeting-card types, several intense even disturbing poems. Not the way things should be, but the way they are. Anyway here's the third, I hope it challenges your conceptions.

The Name of God

"God is an ambiguous word in our language because it appears to refer to something that is known. But the transcendent is unknowable and unknown. God is transcendent, finally, of anything like the name 'God'." Joseph Campbell

Oh, to drop the name
drop the name, drop the name

Oh, to drop the name

Kissing up

Kissing up

to God

to get in good

so God

will remember

your name

when it's time

Fall on your knees

Fall on your knees

on the bathroom rug

before the porcelain altar

Fall on your knees

in a crowded ballroom

That's the "grand geste"

pretend to pray, who's to know?

go on fool

thyself

Brahman

Aten

Mother Earth

Jehovah

Krishna

Allah

Baha

Stand in the corner

Face the walls and rock

like a mourner

recite the name

drop the name

oh the name

the geste

attention

to the real name of God

Vishnu

Waheguru

Ahura Mazda

Satan

The Light

Father

Raven

Feel the power in the name

Feel it in your socks

Feel the sweat, the juice

of something coming

something is about to happen

Lord

Pangu

Shiva

Wakan Tanka

Zeus

Christ

Mami Wata

Bow down

Bow down

Bend thy head

in praise

in shame

in submission

in admission

in contrition

of the power

the power

Hari

Yahweh

Odin

Vajrasattva

Wicca

Arya Tara

Jupiter

the name

the power

in the name

God.

Il nome di Dio

"Dio è una parola ambigua nella nostra lingua perché sembra riferire a qualcosa di conosciuto. Però il trascendentale è inconoscibile e sconosciuto. Dio è trascendentale, alla fine, di qualsiasi cosa come il nome 'Dio'." Joseph Campbell

Oh, di vantarsi del nome

di farsi bello citando il nome

Oh, di vantarsi del nome

Baciare le mani

Baciare i piedi

a Dio

per ingraziarsi

così Dio

si ricorderà

il tuo nome

quando sarà il tempo

Buttati in ginocchio

buttati in ginocchio

sul tappetino del bagno

davanti all'altare di porcellana

Buttati

nella sala da ballo affollata

Ecco il "grand geste"

fai finta di pregare, chi può sapere?

avanti inganna

te stesso

Brahmano

Aton

La madre terra

Geova

Krishna

Allah

Bahà

Stai in piedi nell'angolo

Faccia al muro e dondoli

come uno in lutto

recita il nome

vantarsi del nome

oh, il nome

il geste

attenzione

al vero nome di Dio

Vishnu

Waheguru

Ahura Mazda

Satana

La luce

Padre

il Corvo

Senti il potere nel nome

Sentilo nei tuoi calzini

Senti il sudore, il succo

di qualcosa che arriva

qualcosa che sta per accadere

Signore

Pangu

Shiva

Wakan Tanka

Zeus

Cristo

Mami Wata

Piegati la testa

Piegati la testa

Piegati la tua testa

nel lodare

nella vergogna

nella sottomissione

nella ammissione

nella contrizione

del potere

il potere

Hari

Yahweh

Odino

Vajrasattya

Wicca

Aria Tara

Giove

il nome

il potere

nel nome

Dio.

***

Sample 2 for Italian readers

Method & Madness is in English, like my other books, so far. But I have many Italian friends who read enough English to enjoy the poems, hopefully. I am posting three samples to give you an idea of the type of spicy stuff I write, very few upbeat greeting-card types, several intense even disturbing poems. Not the way things should be, but the way they are. Anyway here's the second, it made someone cry.

Good Friend on a Beach

Was I not a good enough friend?

I just saw you the other day

and we laughed and drank

If I could have helped you

I had the keys to your house here on Maui

but you'd disappeared

After a week the police found you

on a secluded beach

a bullet in your brain

a note from the hospital

folded in your breast pocket

All bad news

You never were the patient sort.

I'm so sorry

You had to dot your 'i's

alone

And thank you

for being

Good friend.

Un buon amico sulla spiaggia

Non ero un amico buono abbastanza?

Ti ho visto soltanto l'altro giorno

e abbiamo riso e bevuto

Se ti avessi potuto aiutare

avevo le chiavi di casa tua qui a Maui

però eri scomparso

Dopo una settimana la polizia ti ha trovato

su una spiaggia appartata

una pallottola nel cervello

una nota dell'ospedale

piagata nel tuo tasschino

Solo notizie brutte

Non sei mai stato un tipo paziente.

Mi dispiace tanto

Dovevi mettere i puntini sugli 'i'

da solo

E grazie

per essere

Un buon amico.

***

Sample 1 for Italian readers

Method & Madness is in English, like my other books, so far. But I have many Italian friends who read enough English to enjoy the poems, hopefully. I am posting three samples to give you an idea of the type of spicy stuff I write, very few upbeat greeting-card types, several intense even disturbing poems. Not the way things should be, but the way they are. Anyway here's the first, if you don't know the word "etiolate," look it up. I had to. 

Etiolate Blues

That man sitting in my chair near the window

Reading the same page of Naked Lunch over and over

Wondering, if anything, how much longer his socks will last

How many more pairs of socks he will need

Turns to look out at nothing although the sky is right there

What is he doing sitting in my chair? Spying?

On a brilliant Sunday morning at 11 am

After making tea and drinking it, which he can't remember

Social-Learning theorists say that self-pity is a common method for gaining attention

So that must be the African violet's game

That feeble house plant his mother gave him

That never got enough light, never got enough

It won't thrive, neither will it die in San Francisco

Living alone is no surprise but a point of shy pride

Last April they gave a pride parade and everyone showed

Except the sitter and window cat who jumps into his lap

Not for love, just the warmth of a human body

And what little light streams in on them from above.

Il blues eziolato

Quell'uomo seduto nella poltrona vicino alla finestra

Che legge la stessa pagina di Pasto Nudo tante volte

Si chiede, semmai, quanto possano durare i suoi calzini

Di quante paia di calzini ne avrà bisogno

Si gira a guardare fuori il nulla anche se il cielo è proprio lì davanti

Cosa fa seduto in quella poltrona? Spia?

In una domenica mattina splendente alle ore 11

Dopo che si è fatto il tè e l'ha bevuto, di cui non ha ricordo

I teorici dell'Apprendimento Sociale dicono che l'auto-commisurazione è un metodo comune per ottenere attenzioni

Perciò quello deve essere il gioco della viola Africana

Quella pianta di casa debole che gli ha dato sua madre

Che non ha mai avuto abbastanza luce, non abbastanza

Non fiorisce ma neppure morirà in San Francisco

Vivere da solo non è una sorpresa ma un punto di timido orgoglio

Lo scorso aprile hanno organizzato una parata dell'orgoglio e tutti si sono presentati

Eccetto quel tipo seduto e il gatto nella finestra che gli salta sulle gambe

Non per amore, solo per il calore di un corpo umano

E quel poco di luce che li illumina dal di sopra.

***

Why?

Why oh why can't I order this little gem called, Method & Madness? It's been released, hasn't it? Well, yes. You can get it from Amazon.it, but the price is too high. I understand that will change; it should fluctuate down. Amazon.com is less than half the price. You can get it directly from the publisher, Odyssey Books, in Australia, with perhaps a high shipping cost if you live in Europe. You can order it from bol.com, but the site is in Dutch. Or you can get it from me, and I'll sign it if you like, but I don't have copies yet. So, have an ounce of patience, your method and your madness are on their way.

The infamous two old dogs photo is included for your viewing pleasure.

Ensorcellia by Odyssey

What?

 

What's this new book, Martin? 

Well, let me tell you.

It's a poetry collection that includes work published from 2019 and before. Pre-covid, that is. Pre-everything changed even if we didn't know. So, it's a varied collection of assorted stuff.

There is a theme, however. And that is explained in the blurb. It is also divided into sections entitled: Ego, Id, Superego, Melancholia, Phantasy, obviously taken from basic psychology. These lead the reader on a personal journey. Like a long trail of highs and lows. Take a rest, you'll get there by and by. And, after all the fatigue, you'll remember how easy it was.

Where?

 

 

https://www.everand.com/book/752727638/Method-Madness

Method & Madness

 

https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/method-madness/9300000184849255/