Athanata Arts

Poetic Amusement - Reviewed

American Book Review has just published a glowing review of Ray Hammond's Poetic Amusement. I've been mentioning Ray's work in this book, especially his theory of the Muse, for years. Read what reviewer Daniel Leary has to say in the online version at Project Muse.

Poetic Amusement - Just Published!

I am pleased, make that thrilled, to announce the publication of Poetic Amusement by Ray Hammond. Now you no longer have to be afraid to ask "Where do poems come from?" I've been referring to Ray's work in this book for years. Now you can read the complete argument for yourself. Here is the book description:

Originally written in 2000 as his Master’s thesis, Raymond P. Hammond’s Poetic Amusement has been passed around underground as a digital file for ten years among those associated with The New York Quarterly. As provocative today as it was when it was written, what began as Hammond’s observations of the influence of “po’ biz” and writing programs on contemporary American poetry became a timeless treatise on poetry itself. Using his experience with NYQ and devouring many literary critics across the ages from the ancient Greeks to contemporary critics, Hammond examines at once both our current literary environment and the essence of poetry. In seeking to answer the questions “What is poetry?” and “Where does poetry come from?” for himself, he encourages readers to ask those questions for and of themselves as well. Relevant and accessible to readers and writers of poetry and to those who think they don’t know or want to know what poetry is, Poetic Amusement will anger, elevate and inspire all those who read it.

Available at Amazon and Barnes&Noble now!

Introducing ABC Alley

Our new children's book imprint will be bringing out its first title: Someday... by Penny Schnee-Bosch and David Bosch (publication date, September 30, 2010). Read about it at ABC-Alley.com!

What's Google up to?

You may want to keep an eye on Google's influence on the role of the digital book. See this recent NY Times article. Readers, authors, publishers, and lawyers are all involved in this one.

NYQ Issue 64 & Hammond Interview

Just released & now available through Amazon:
The New York Quarterly, Number 64

For more details on titles and poets, see the
NYQ Issue 64 page.

Also posted today, a major interview with NYQ editor  Raymond Hammond by Abbeville Press.

Brilliant Minds - Fall 2007

The Brilliant Minds book list for Fall 2007 is posted on the Brilliant Minds blog.

W. D. Snodgrass - new book of poems

W. D. Snodgrass has published a new collection of poetry:

Not for Specialists: New and Selected Poems (American Poets Continuum)

A craft interview with Snodgrass, together with new poems, recently appeared in Issue 61 of the New York Quarterly,  with more poetry as well in the current Issue 62.

See also, the New York Times Sunday Book Review article for 3 September 2006.

Brilliant Minds Book List - Fall 2006

The Fall 2006 book list for Prof. Peter Arcese's Brilliant Minds course at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies (Course No. X07.9305) is now available: Reading List

Orders made through the online links to Barnes&Noble.com and Amazon.com help to support Athanata's projects, including this blog.

Thank you!

For the Joyceans

Highly recommended: two recently released books co-authored by Professors A. Nicholas Fargnoli and Michael Patrick Gillespie on James Joyce's life and work:

For book groups

A book club site for book groups:

• BookMovement