Mitzvah Chaps

NOW AVAILABLE

2010-06-29T09:06:00.001-07:00

WONDROUS THINGS I HAVE SEEN

by BRANDON BROWN

From the "introduction" of Wondrous Things I Have Seen by Brandon Brown:

The formal structure of Wondrous Things I Have Seen is derived from the ancient and medieval Arabic form called saj’. The saj’ is decorative prose which rhymes, and which often makes use of rhythms more common in verse. The prophet Muhammad said, "Avoid ye the rhyming prose of the soothsayers or diviners."

From Wondrous Things I Have Seen by Brandon Brown:

My sex left me at the confluence of two rivers, assuming the rising flood would do its job of killing. The flood bubbled around my lungs and made all my blood soggy but I was lucky—a wolf came over and put teats in my mouth and I sucked. Scary wolf, so brazen and shameless to force open my mouth and make bite on teats my teeth. Bashless wolf, do you not know that hunters lurk near these rivers, who hanker for jackets of wolfskin? The spot where the floodwaters ebbed was part of two ranches owned by Ronald Reagan, collectively known as Ronald Reagan Ranch. A ranch hand found me coddled by wolves, let wolves live, clasped by the rear he reared me on the ranch, extending the borders of his working day so it knew no bounds. Fortunate rancher, he did not know I would be the king of anatomically-camel ranch hands, endorsed by Vulcan to stamp forehead by lightning at my discretion. My crown tasted like a coin or teat. So first thing I did was hunt, trap, beat, exterminate wolves.
Specs:
19 writings on 25 sheets of 100% post-consumer, acid-free paper
beautiful cover drawings, front and back, by Kari Freitag
hand assembled in Lawrence, Kansas
$11, postage paid (to United States and the Canadas)

Gutter Catholic Love Song by Joseph Wood now available!

2010-02-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

Gutter Catholic Love Song
by Joseph Wood
cover design by Jamie Lacore
handmade in Lawrence, KS
w/ recycled paper

$10.00 (shipping included to USA & Canada)

Reviews have been written about _White Girl_

2009-11-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

On her pretty awesome book review blog, Anne Boyer has reviewed Alli Warren's chap Well Meaning White Girl here.

Also very awesomely, Nada Gordon has reviewed WMWG, too. She just scored herself Mitzvah Chaps for life.

Well Meaning White Girl by Alli Warren now available!

2009-10-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

"When is The Collected Alli Warren going to be published?"
-Michael T. Hauser

Mr. Hauser voices with clarity that which is surely on all of our minds, and though we here at Mitzvah Chaps cannot answer that question anymore than we can afford extra toppings on our pizza, we can safely say that if you order Alli's chapbook Well Meaning White Girl, it will be 'popped in' the mail within a week.

Specs:
19 Poems by Alli Warren
Cover designed by Anne Boyer
Edition of 150
Saddle-stitched in Kansas
$7 (includes shipping if you live in the contiguous US)
Includes this poem:

FERTILE CORRESPONDENT

The looping points like likeness and so forth
asserts that everything happens because
I do not know how to work metal
I am less effective I devote a great part of my time to
the interpretation of signals When signs are slow
in coming I do not hesitate to seek the slightest touch
by water by wheat berry by cotton thread and flintstone
I lick around the perimeter and then I lick under
that other totality to overthrow with a flick of tongue
that I might run to the top of a high hill
without weariness sprout a disc and make bold
claims Aim to come correct come morning
after morning there is full range in weights
and extensive looting Insert two fingers to bring breath

To Order:

Get Ready:

2009-09-27T23:54:00.000-07:00

Get Ready:

2009-09-27T23:48:00.001-07:00

closer . . .

2009-04-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

2009-03-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

Down wit' da skrilla.

2009-01-26T16:15:00.000-08:00

[updated 1/26/09]

I have already received poems from:

Anne Boyer
Brandon Brown
Maurice Burford
John Coletti
Del Ray Cross
Phil Estes
Kari Freitag
Zachary German
Mike Hauser
Gabe Holcombe
Stephen Lewis
Ryan Manning
K. Silem Mohammad
Gina Myers
Jess Mynes
Scott Pierce
Alex Savage
James Schiller
Chuck Stebelton
Stacy Szymaszek
Alli Warren

I am anticipating poems from:

Marie Larson
Mathias Svalina/Julia Cohen/et al
Dustin Williamson

I have been rejected by:

Tao Lin
K. Kenneth Saffran
Cote Smith

This could be yours.

2009-01-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

2009-01-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Coming soon . . .

2009-01-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

Skrilla Anthology.

2008-11-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

It's coming along nicely. Gabe sent me a poem to edit and I was moved. Mo Burford sent me a poem that I wished I wrote. People have "committed" to writing poems. If you want to submit a skrilla poem, make it less than one page. Email it to me via mitzvahchaps [at] gmail [dot] com. Thank you.

Ready to ship: Mike Hauser's Psychic Headset

2008-10-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

They come in different colors. If you order one, we will send you the color that we think best suits your personality, and if we don't know you we will send the color that we feel best suits the sound of your name or your mailing address.

Order from the sidebar. $6 includes shipping.

If you are in Lawrence, you can get a copy for $5 if you come to see Mike read at 6 Gallery on Sunday, October 26, 7pm. Later, you will be invited to an exclusive event where Mike will eat the chips we provide and drink grape soda.

News: covers completed for Psychic Headset.

2008-10-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Aaron left me a voicemail last night that said the covers were done for Mike Hauser's chapbook. He said that he was "pleased" and that the covers were printed on several different colors of paper. If you order one, I will send you the color that I think best suits your personality, and if I don't know you I will send the color that I feel best suits the sound of your name or your mailing address.

Maybe tomorrow the innards will be done at the printers. Then they can be attached to covers and sold. If anyone wants to "pre-order," there is an "Add to Cart" button for all Mitzvah Chaps to the right. I should be able to mail them out starting one week from today. Karl Saffran is silly: he ordered one as soon as I put up the button.

If you are in the Lawrence/Kansas City area at the time, you should come to the reading at 6 Gallery in Lawrence when Mike will read with Karl and Jim McCrary: October 26, 2008 at 7pm. Then and there only, all Mitzvah Chaps will be available for $5/chap.

News.

2008-10-09T20:02:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Robinson has asked Mitzvah Chaps to be a part of a project that "explor[es] the links between artistic practice and theological/spiritual inquiry." she and Fanny Howe will collaborate over a course of ten weeks starting some time in November and get something to me in spring, at which point i hope to begin work on the finest chapbook ever crafted. just kidding; though i do have 'big plans'. Elizabeth is trying to get a grant from the Boulder County Arts Alliance.

Aaron Marable is going to print the covers for Mike Hauser's Psychic Headset tomorrow, on 'mustard' colored paper. i am putting the finishing touches on the layout right now. it's been a long process because i wanted it to be 'just right' for Mikey. i hope people are satisfied.

i've added new "Add To Cart" PayPal buttons for all Mitzvah Chaps titles to the right. they are all $6 each, shipping included. for people who ordered in the past, if you are angry about the 50cents extra that you paid, i will tell Buddha to put it towards your karma, or Santa to stuff it up your butt for x-mas.

today at Henry's i found something that i might 'publish' as a pdf. see the post below for a taste.

possible Mitzvah Chaps pdf:

2008-10-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

MeaN memo / dark commando
by 'Tom Chastane'

she would show
up in a blue
dress
one green eye
one blue
w/ nothing to
do . . .

Later honey

i hate geminis

progress report

2008-09-13T11:13:00.000-07:00

here is an excerpt from Aaron Marable's recent email to me:

rob,
at the moment, i am throwing a big pity party for myself as i have been racked with hives. regretting those pig brains i had at the taco truck in east topeka. i've never had such an affliction as this...it is very possible to have this the [sic] cover done by the 15th .

Aaron, why did you eat at the taco truck?

soon after Aaron recovers, YOU, the general public, will be able to purchase all three (3) Mitzvah Chaps productions for a mere $16 (shipping included)!!!!! that's only $5.333333333333333333
33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 per chap!

good things come to those who wait:

2008-09-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

i feel overwhelmed with joy.

Coming October 2008

2008-09-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Mike Hauser's Psychic Headset

i stole the above image from the internets.

i finished the layout for this book today. in response to this achievement, Karl Saffran said, "Balls!" thanks Karl.

i hope that even as i blog, Aaron Marable is working on the cover art.

copies of the chap should be available when Karl and Mike come to read in Lawrence on October 26, along with Jim McCrary, who should also have copies of his first full length book to sell at the reading, too.

in fact, i hope to have copies a week earlier when i go with Anne Boyer to THE FRANK STANFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL.

Mitzvah Review.

2008-07-25T10:18:00.001-07:00

Jim McCrary offers a brief review of Anne Boyer's Art Is War here. Scroll down.

Chapbook review.

2008-06-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Gabe reviewed Anne's chapbook here.

he text messaged me and told me that he will 'do' Chuck's chapbook on the flight back from Florida, where he is seeing Sea World, 'Walt' Disney World, and his mother.

i am going to miss Gabe when he moves to Chicago. i miss Kari because she moved to Chicago and a long time ago i started to miss Andrea Cochran because she moved to Chicago. Erick Jacobs lives in the greater Chicago area and i miss him horribly but haven't called him in a long time and i don't know why.

e-phemera. who cares.

i am going to the 'art opening' at 6 Gallery.

see you later.

'feast your eyes'

2008-06-16T16:07:00.001-07:00

this here, to the right, that thing there, i am trying to confuse you now, that's the this you should see as anne's cover looking something like.

i maintain that the above is a perfectly grammatical sentence.

buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo.

ditto.

for a second, i thought maybe 'like' was a preposition and i was doomed. it is not.

anne and alex worked hard on the cover. i copied and cut it and folded it.

this is chuck's cover that marie worked hard on and sent to me, that i folded and stacked and ordered string for.

it is a real-time picture. i captured what this cover was doing at the time of the picture in it's natural habitat, which so far has been an apartment some where in the middle third of the american landscape. what it was doing was laying on the poker table that i haven't used since i moved to lawrence. it just kind of sits there. until you move it. like a baby.

i can sense things about people who read blogs and i sense that people who read this blog want to paypal me $11 for both of these chapbooks, which will be completed and ready to ship in less than ten days. send e-monies to baumann[dot]baumann[at]gmail[dot]com and you 'will not regret it'.

tell your friends:
mitzvah chaps: whooping your monkey ass in street hoops since 2008.

Buy the things we sell.

2008-06-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

Hello. I just cut about 110 of Anne's covers. 50 of them contained 'imperfections' that the printers will have to redo. I am about to fold them while listening to these three albums: We Brave Be Stings and All by Thao & the Get Down Stay Down; Beachwood Sparks by Beachwood Sparks; Pershing by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. The last one is pretty appropriate because Anne used to have a musical project called Tuesday Pershing that was really, really good. I don't know what her musical moniker is these days. We were going to start a band called Total Dick-Faced Liar. Maybe that will still happen.

Tomorrow I will fold the covers to Chuck's chapbook. I got the covers from Marie in the mail on Tuesday and they look great. I was also happy with how the proof of the innards fit with the cover. It is snug.

Right now I have to put a metal clamp on the side of my laptop screen or else the bottom half of the screen 'short circuits'. That means that I will have to get a new computer soon, and since I am set on having an Apple product for the rest of my life, that will be costly. My computer is 3.5 years old now, so I guess it's time for a new one.

In turn, that means that I will definitely charge money for this first batch of chappies, $6 per, but if you 'pre-order' right now so that I can immediately start saving for a computer, I will send you one of each chapbook for $11, free shipping. Later, I will charge $13 for the same package, maybe. If things get 'rare', I will charge for price for shipping, which might bump the total cost to the consumer to $14.25 or something. Beat the crowds! Help a brother out!

PayPal $11 to baumann[dot]baumann[at]gmail[dot]com. I will send them out asap. Maybe as early as next week!!!

things are nearing completion.

2008-06-08T22:51:00.001-07:00

it was a real group effort today at Anne Boyer's house to get things done in a 'jiffy'. five days ago, i hadn't even seen Anne's manuscript, but today we (she, Alex, me) did a cover, collected ad papers from sears, wal-mart, and some computer store in Overland Park to use as fly leafs, and did the layout. Anne did a drawing today that will take the place of one of the pieces because she said that years later she didn't want to regret 'subpar' wording in one of her pieces. i am not actually 100% sure if she said 'subpar'. it was really in the spirit of mitzvah chaps to do this because we were 'giving' each other art, literature, and shit all day long, with love. we are going to sew things together as soon as i get them printed.

Anne found these weird block letters at a garage sale that Alex scanned in in various arrangements with pictures and different backings. people glued things together and Alex used a white out pen. more scanning enused, i think. people ate tater tots with organic ketchup. Alex can 'taste the difference'. we went swimming and a young woman's very large breasts fell out of her bikini.

Hazel (Anne's daughter) drew the promotional flier for Art Is War that you see at the top of this post. mitzvah chaps will (hopefully) publish a chapbook by Hazel in the fall if we can obtain the rights to the manuscript, which was commissioned by Alex for $5. i will offer Alex $10 for the rights.

also, i think we have finally 'squared away' the layout for Chuck Stebelton's chapbook, A Maximal Object, and i should get the covers that Marie Larson hand-pressed for it in the mail any day. this is very exciting. Marie used gold paint, which could not be more appropriate for Chuckie Bling. please call him that. Marie kept answering my stupid layout questions on gchat even when she was in the middle of making plans to 'have fun' that night. this is also the mitzvah spirit.

there will be 'only' 150 of each of these made, and i will give like 30 of them to the writers so they can do what they want with them. i will not send one to Ron Silliman (and i am also not going to link to his blog) because he is the wal-mart of poetry. just kidding, Ron.

i will post scanned versions of the books when they exist in a more physical way. right now they are mostly pdfs. also, 'samples' from the work, maybe blurbs, methods to pay me for one or both of these chapbooks, etc. i would also like to post on press press press -- someone please tell me how.

this is a long first post.