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+THE GORELETTER:
+Arnzen's Weird Newsletter
+http://www.gorelets.com
++++ Vol 1.8, Mar. 3, 2003 +++
+**Gorelish**
+----
+====BLATHER====
+Blather. Wince. Repeat.
+Revising the English Major
+Anglish: The Speech of Suffering\\
+Binglish: The Rhetoric of Friends\\
+Dinglish: The Linguistics of Claims Adjustors\\
+English: And Other Dead Languages\\
+Finglish: How to Read Braille\\
+Jinglish: Patriotic Wit during the War on Terror\\
+Kinglish: The Language of Mad George\\
+Minglish: Buck Rodgers' Guide to Alien Tongue\\
+Oinglish: Australian for Beer\\
+Penglish: Pittsburgh Hockey-speak\\
+Quinglish: Scrabble Words for Profit\\
+Ringlish: Translating Gollum\\
+Singlish: Dating Codes and Customs\\
+Tinglish: The Language of Love\\
+Vinglish: What Rhames Really Means\\
+Winglish: A Guide to McCartney's Cockney\\
+Xinglish: Understanding Your Chinese Tour Guide\\
+Yinglish: A Bartender's Guide to Beer Slur\\
+Zinglish: Snappy Comebacks 101\\
+[Don't get one? Don't ask me what it means... look it up!]
+====INSTIGATION: TWISTED PROMPTS FOR SICKO WRITERS====
+Freewrite a stream-of-consciousness
+piece that muses on the color and
+consistency of blood. But avoid the
+obvious vampire or killer perspective--
+start with a blank slate and move
+toward developing an original scenario.
+What did the cat drag in? Make it
+disgusting.
+If Hell were a travel destination, what
+would a vacation there be like? Be a
+tour guide for your characters -- or
+describe it from the tourist's viewpoint,
+from the moment they arrive.
+====GORELETS====
+Pecking Zombies
+they nosh the corpse\\
+meticulously pinching\\
+at the buffet brain\\
+with duckbill hand\\
+gestures that cast\\
+silly shadow puppets\\
+upon the smeared wall --\\
+the spectator child\\
+never bats an eye\\
+====NOT DEAD YET: PRINT REVIEWS====
+Many people reading this are probably
+familiar with the name Clark Ashton
+Smith. His wonderfully creepy story,
+"The Return of the Sorcerer" is a
+classic contribution to the Cthulhu
+Mythos that HP Lovecraft and his circle
+constructed in the pages of Weird
+Tales magazine. Yet Smith thought of
+himself as a poet and -- indeed -- he
+was a remarkably prolific and talented
+poet of the fantastic.
+In October last year, Hippocampus
+Press released The Last Oblivion: Best
+Fantastic Poems of Clark Ashton
+Smith. If you haven't read Smith's
+poetry, this is a great introductory book
+to own and study (and if you're
+studying up on Clark, I recommend
+visiting eldritchdark.com). With a
+superb introduction by the eminent
+Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi and David
+Shultz, the book collects Smith's most
+important works from his fifty years of
+writing, ranging from 1912 to 1962.
+Smith was a brilliant imagineer,
+constructing fantastic worlds with the
+ominous voice of a dark Seer. It's the
+voice of Smith that makes his creations
+so damned believable...and scary. And
+that voice derives a lot of its power
+from formal structures of rhyme and
+meter -- lyrical forms that few poets
+today even dare tackle for risk of
+sounding corny or artificial. Clark's
+talent was his ability to tap into the
+power of such forms, lending their
+natural cadence a supernatural aura.
+While it's true that his writing could be
+called "purple" at times, the excess of
+his style reflects the "spontaneous
+overflow" of his wild imagination.
+I'm usually impatient with long poetry
+cycles, but reading Smith is like taking
+a magic carpet ride through the skies
+of nightmare. Among my favorites is
+the opening poem -- "The Hashish
+eater; or, The Apocalypse of Evil" --
+which begins with a commanding voice
+that will carry the reader throughout the
+rest of the poem (and the book): "Bow
+down: I am the emperor of dreams;/ I
+crown me with the million-colored
+sun/Of secret worlds incredible, and
+take/Their trailing skies for vestment
+when I soar,/Throned on the mounting
+zenith, and illume/The spaceward-
+flown horizon infinite."
+When you read "The Hashish Eater,"
+you probably won't notice that he's
+writing strict iambic pentameter. You
+probably won't recognize that he's
+consciously working in the tradition of
+the romantic poets (particularly
+Coleridge and DeQuincey). Instead,
+you'll be swept out of this world
+altogether and delivered into the
+palpably strange space of an imaginary
+universe, where you can see "the
+blooms/Of bluish fungus, freaked with
+mercury/That bloat within the craters of
+the moon."
+Yes: freaked with mercury!
+Typical Smith -- a visionary, true -- but
+reading him makes you want to talk
+with his tongue. I found myself
+mumbling along as I read, needing to
+feel such phrases in my mouth. And
+that's just one exotic line in a poem
+that runs about 500 lines (14 pages of
+the 200 page book).
+And there's so much more. Poems that
+explore the settings from his prose
+tales (like Zothique and Averoigne);
+elegies to Lovecraft and Omar
+Khayyam; must-read classics like "Ode
+to the Abyss" and "Lamia" and "Nero";
+and the touching love poems and
+odes, like the "The Last Oblivion" itself.
+There's even previously unpublished
+works, drawings by Smith, and a
+(necessary) glossary of strange terms.
+Fans of Lovecraft -- it's time to take it
+to the next level with Smith. Horror
+poets, bow down before this "emperor
+of dreams" and study at the feet of the
+master. Smith is a challenging read at
+times, but you'll find your very dreams
+"freaked" with Ashton's imagery. Pick
+up a copy for a mere $15 at:
+http://www.hippocampuspress.com/
+[Look for an exclusive discount on
+Hippocampus Press books elsewhere
+in this issue of The Goreletter!]
+====OUR ODD TRIPLE FEATURE====
+"Nazis Among Us"
+For your next movie night, rent:\\
+Marathon Man (1976)\\
+Boys from Brazil (1978)\\
+Apt Pupil (1998)\\
+====ONLINE GIZMO OF THE MONTH====
+"The Search for Satanic Lyrics"
+No need to wear down your needle
+playing those old record albums
+backwards. Much like the "Search for
+Intelligent Life" project online --
+http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
+-- this silly gizmo uses the power of the
+internet to help hunt for Satanic
+messages in the lyrics of popular
+music (eg., "Nevaeh Ot Yawriats!").
+<del>ssli.dimspace.com/</del>
+If you don't recognize the songs they
+use, or if you're a budding dark
+musician, perhaps Jay Lake can help:
+<del>jlake.com/reverse.html</del>
+====ARNZEN NEWS====
++ The e-letter you are reading has just
+been added to the Preliminary Ballot
+for the Bram Stoker Award in
+Alternative Forms! I'm tickled as pink
+as a freshly cut fish gill (Many thanks
+to those of you out there reading this
+with the power to make that happen).
+See what else you should be reading
+from last year here:
+http://www.horror.org/stokers.htm
++ Look for "Amityville: Yet Another
+Sequel" -- my short memoir on growing
+up near the horror house -- in the next
+issue of Morbid Curiosity magazine.
+It'll be available at World Horror Con,
+where a reading session is being
+hosted by the magazine to include the
+likes of me, Alan Clark, Brian Keene,
+and other morbidly curious folk.
+http://www.charnel.com/automatism/morbid.html
+http://www.whc2003.org
++ Get your freak on! It's time to order
+Freakcidents, my new poetry book
+about mutants and other fiends, from
+DarkVesper Publishing. If you pick up
+Kurt Newton's acclaimed "Psycho-
+Hunter's Casebook" while you're there,
+you'll get a free mini-chapbook of extra
+poems and stories by Kurt and I called
+-- what else? -- "Freaks & Psychos"!
+<del>darkvesperpublishing.com</del>
+<del>kurtnewton.com</del>
++ I'll be attending the International
+Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts
+later this month. I'm presenting an
+academic paper on The Exorcist,
+(which I bet you didn't know is turning
+thirty years old this year). I'm also
+doing a fiction and poetry reading
+(alongside the likes of Brain Aldiss and
+Ted Chiang and David Sandner)
+among other activities. I consider this
+conference one of the "fringe benefits"
+of working on the fringes of academia.
+This year's theme is "Dark Myths" and
+Ramsey Campbell, ST Joshi, and
+Charles Delint are the special guests.
+All smart Floridians are welcome to
+attend:
+http://iafa.highpoint.edu/
+http://theexorcist.warnerbros.com/
++ Along with Piers Anthony and Mike
+Resnick, I'll be judging the finalists in
+the first Draco Awards. What's a
+Draco? No, it's not a new James Bond
+villain, silly. It's a hardcover & e-book
+deal (now with a prize of $500!) from
+Double Dragon Publishing for the best
+book-length work entered in its genre:
+http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/
+http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/bond-villains
+====WEIRD SITES OF THE MONTH====
+Creatures in my Head
+http://www.creaturesinmyhead.com
+Freakshows in my Pocket
+http://www.thesoundoflincoln.co.uk/freak.htm
+Voices in my Hand
+http://www.voicesinmyhand.com
+====NEW AT GORELETS.COM====
++ Jerry Schatz' is kindly allowing me to
+archive a copy of his interview with me
+(from the FlashFictionFlash newsletter)
+on Gorelets.Com. Look under the "All
+About Arnzen" section of the website if
+you're interested in my thoughts about
+flash fiction and my writing process.
++ The Goreletter is now ARCHIVED
+ONLINE! Read the back issues you
+might have missed here:
+<del>gorelets.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?flavor=archive&list=goreletter</del>
++ I've launched a new, simple,
+newsletter for fiction writers, journalists
+and editors looking for ways to make a
+living off their wits. It started as a tip
+sheet for the graduating journalism
+majors where I teach and morphed into
+this handy document full of fresh links.
+<del>gorelets.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi</del>
+========================
+BOO COUPONS
+It actually pays to scroll this far down.
+SHOCKLINES.COM is giving
+Goreletter readers an exclusive
+discount on Clark's The Last Oblivion,
+Lovecraft's Annotated Supernatural
+Horror in Literature or any other BOOK
+published by Hippocampus Press
+presently in their stockroom. Enter
+discount code GORELETHIPPO upon
+checkout and you'll get $3 off. Go right
+to the titles here (NOTE: only in-stock
+books are eligible -- expires on April 1):
+<del>store.yahoo.net/shocklines/hippres.html</del>
+Take 10% off the new hardcover book,
+CEMETERY POETS, by visiting this
+hidden exclusive secret ordering page:
+<del>gorelets.com/demos/cempoesale.html</del>
+FLESH AND BLOOD magazine offers
+YOU an exclusive discount! Subscribe
+for only $12 ($4 off!) or pay just $3 for
+one issue (1/2 off!). Make your check
+payable to Jack Fisher and put the
+word "GORELETTER" in the memo
+field. For contact information, see:
+<del>fleshandbloodpress.com</del>
+FICTIONWISE.COM's 15% off page
+for Goreleteers is updated weekly. This
+week features books by Alan Clark,
+Bruce Boston, Nick Mamatas, & more.
+<del>fictionwise.com/fwa/4004/</del>
+Are you a writer? Try WRITE AGAIN
+manuscript organizing software and
+get a 10% rebate when you register if
+you tell them that Arnzen's newsletter
+sent you! A very practical product.
+http://www.asmoday.com/
+====COLOPHON====
+All material in The Goreletter is:
+c 2003 Michael A. Arnzen, unless
+otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
+Permission is granted to forward the
+entire contents as a whole, without
+alterations or excisions. For reprint
+permissions of individual pieces,
+please contact arnzen@gorelets.com.
+This newsletter is formatted in one
+skinny column to accommodate
+handheld computer users. If you own a
+PDA, try The Goreletter as a free
+Mazingo channel at:
+<del>mazingo.net/pc/subscribe.php?site_id=1552&src=111</del>
+Subscribe, unsubscribe, and shout out
+about The Goreletter at:
+http://www.gorelets.com
+Our surrealist product endorsement:
+http://thesurrealist.co.uk/priorart.cgi?ref=The+Goreletter
+====PITHY MORBID THOUGHTS====
+"If my decomposing carcass helps
+nourish the roots of a juniper tree or
+the wings of a vulture -- that is
+immortality enough for me. And as
+much as anyone deserves."
+-- Edward Abbey (died 1989)
+----
+{{page>gfoot&nodate&nouser}}