The Night Marlon James Stayed At My House

I was flipping through the latest Rolling Stone when I turned a page and saw a photo of Marlon James.  I recognized him because he stayed at my house once.  About a decade ago, I used to put up touring writers at my house.  I had some fun folks pass through including Crazy Carl Robinson, Sean Carswell, Mike Faloon, and The Rev. Rich Mackin.  It was nice cross section of the zine scene mixed with some other parts of the indie lit world.  Marlon was traveling with Mickey Hess and Joe Meno.  They did a reading at Mac's Backs in Cleveland Heights, Ohio USA back in August of 2005, and I provided the introduction for the audience.  I don't remember much about the night in question, aside from Marlon advising me that if I ever wanted to hide something in Jamaica that I should put a book on top of it because no one would ever pick up a book.  I assume that was a joke, but feel free to try it out when next hiding valuables in Jamaica.  In any case, it is nice to see one of the many fine up and coming writers from that era make a larger mark in the world of literature.  Marlon won the Man Booker Prize last year.  Before him, the biggest celebrity who stayed over was probably Mariko Tamiki, who won a few awards for her graphic novels years later.  I no longer put up random strangers at the house (one too many folks wouldn't even leave a zine behind as a thank you for saving them a hotel bill, and one time I even had to mail someone's forgotten towel back--ugh!), but mostly it was a fun little era while it lasted.  Readers should check out some of the other writers I put up.  They're very good also.     

"Bee" A Friend To Bees

It's winter now, but soon enough it will be spring, and many people will celebrate by poisoning their lawns and gardens with a bunch of chemicals that really aren't much good for anyone.  I was just reading a Greenpeace publication discussing how 31% of the nation's honeybee hives collapsed last winter.  Most of this is blamed on types of insecticides known as neonics, but Bonnie Coblentz, in this interesting article, suggests that herbicides may also be a threat, since destroying "weeds" is also destroying the food of bees.  Since I don't use herbicides, that might be why all sorts of insects, including bees, seem to enjoy my lawn, especially when the mint plant is in full bloom in late summer.  A swarm of pollinating insects surround the mint looking like a cloud of hurt to any human that approaches.  However, the insects are usually so wrapped up in the mint that they have little interest in anyone who approaches it.  Just don't get between them and the mint.  Pick some leaves for your tea or whatever and back away.  I hope more people just let the dandelions and other plants in the lawn "bee" this spring!

Spreading The Word On The Seed Swap

If you're in Cleveland, Ohio USA and like to garden, then you might enjoy this announcement from the local Food Not Lawns group:

"Food Not Lawns, Cleveland, 6th Annual Seed Swap!
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Cleveland
2728 Lancashire Rd.
Cleveland Hts.,OH 44106

2:00-5:00ish
January 23, 2016

If you are interested in gardening, community, food security, permaculture, seed saving, and sharing, this is the place for you!  Bring saved seeds if you have them, or consider what you might swap for seeds in goods or service, but come anyway. We will have starter seeds available and lots of information to share. We have signed the Safe Seed Pledge and will not knowingly share gmo/Monsanto owned seed.

Joining us will be:
Judi Strauss, of The Charmed Kitchen,with herbs, books and more for sample and sale,
Chris McClellan, aka Uncle Mud, and the Cleveland Natural Builders,
Glenn Gall, permaculturist, carbon farmer and teacher, presenting
'Plant Genetics -- Food For Thought. Considerations of yield, disease resistance, and nutrition -- how much do varieties matter? '
Don Abbott, aka The Snarky Gardener, with seeds and literature.

Refreshments are potluck. Please bring a dish to share ( and indicate if it is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or meat). Also, collecting non-perishable food donation for Hts. Emergency Food Bank .

There will be a Freecycle table available to bring or take useful items. Residue will be donated.

Please label saved seed with as much pertinent info as possible. We will have envelopes and labels available.

Seed Savers who are willing will be with their seeds at tables to discuss traits, growing conditions, stories about them, and aspects of seed saving. Donated seed will be available and asked to be considered a 'loan' to be returned, if possible, the following swap. The completed Saved Seed Inventory is available for perusal, or check it out online, at: bit.ly/seedsave.

Freecycle info: Please bring gently used (or new) items to donate/swap. If you have items left at the end of the day, take them home or leave them for donation pick-up Monday morning.

This event is free (donations gratefully accepted), child-friendly, on a bus-line and handicapped accessible.

Volunteers are needed to help set up and clean up.

Feel free to share this info., and contact me at foodnotlawnscleveland@gmail.com for more info. Hope to see you there!"

Where's Marvel?

I was reading this year's Liberty Annual by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, when I noticed the list of corporate members.  It has most of the large comic book companies such as DC and Image listed, but one stood out by its absence:  Marvel.  I'm not quite sure why that is.  Presumably Marvel's against censorship as well, but maybe their Disney ownership is squeamish about supporting an organization which defends freedom of expression right up to its extremes, which is, of course, where it always has to be defended as nonextreme expression seldom is censored.  In any case, the comic is a good read.  I particularly enjoyed R. K. Sikoryak's mashup of Dilbert and Herman Melville's "Bartleby The Scrivener".  Maybe next year, Marvel will pitch in as well. 

Yip!*: Punk 45 Series

I have been enjoying the Punk 45 albums which, in the spirit of Nuggets and Shreds, compile a bunch of more or less obscure rock songs that deserve to be better known.  In addition to the music, the liner notes accompanying the albums are also excellent.  For example, the liner notes for the Akron, Ohio USA compilation, contextualizes the emergence of the punk scene there in the 1970s well (with the exception of confusing Market Street in Akron with Main Street in Kent--hey, the writer's British, so it's hard to get all the details right from a continent away) explaining how the decline of the rubber industry in the area merged with youth paranoia as a result of the May 4th Kent State murders helped to fertilize an experimental and self-reliant music scene.  These albums are not only interesting listens, but they are also good reads.

*Yips! are good things.

Happy 2016 & Cool Yule!

I hope that we have a cool Yule and a Happy 2016!  I will be marking down the days using my Keith Knight calendar.  Last year, it was Mutts, which was fitting for a year in which I spent a lot of time with a cat and a dog.  I am excited to see what the next year will bring.  I have a few fun projects in the works.  I hope that you do as well.  Cheers! 

Crazy Carl Meets An Emu!

If you have ever wondered what happens when one of America's great underground writers meets one of Australia's great flightless birds, then the following video is for you.

Good Grief! The Cleveland Charlie Browns!

I was selling some old stuff on eBay recently (feel free to buy it here) when I found in the box an old Youngstown Vindicator from 2004 wrapping up some glassware or whatnot.  I glanced over it and enjoyed reading an article in which a sports columnist advises The Cleveland Browns on whom to draft.  He advises them not to draft Ben Roethlisberger because "they're not in a position where they can waste a No 1 pick on a project.  In addition, I think it would be a major public relations disaster if the Browns took the Miami (Ohio) signal caller.  Even though, he's a local kid, somewhat, Browns fans are astute enough to realize there are more pressing needs on this team."

The Browns apparently listened to the advice of the sports columnist since they picked Kellen Winslow II instead of Roethlisberger, which in hindsight I think we can all agree was probably not the best choice as Roethlisberger has, of course, gone on to play in three Super Bowls, winning two of them, meanwhile The Browns have gone through 21 different starting quarterbacks and 10 losing seasons since Roethlisberger started playing for The Pittsburgh Steelers.  In fact, just yesterday, I watched The Browns get destroyed (see a picture above courtesy of my pal Nick) while Roethlisberger led The Steelers to an easy victory.

I hope that The Browns don't listen to that sports columnist's advice for this year's draft!  I would suggest that they just give up trying to guess whom will or will not be a good prospect since they are terrible at it for the most part and just draft anyone whose last name is Brown.  Conceptually, having a team composed of players whose last name is Brown would be kind of fun.  After all, the two greatest football legends associated with the team are arguably Paul and Jim Brown, so why not double down on the name?  The results couldn't be much worse than this year's, could they?  Good grief!

New Pop Lit In Print!

My old pal King Wenclas has been publishing an online litzine, New Pop Lit, for a bit, but now he's expanded into print with a literary journal of the same name.  Given our shared Underground Literary Alliance background, I figured the print version of NPL would be a scruffy zine.  Since I love scruffy zines, I was quite okay to be published in yet another one, so I sent him a new Harold Grumblebunny story called "30 Women In 30 Days".  To my surprise, when a copy showed up in the mail last week, it was like a book.  Yowza!  This thing could be on the shelves at Barnes & Noble with the other literary journals, though the fantastic cover probably would indicate that this journal isn't quite like the others.  In any case, it looks great, and I am excited to read it!  It also features work from my old Perpetual Motion Roadshow pal Jessica Disobedience, now going under the name Jessie Lynn McMains, so that makes it even cooler!