A-Riv

Check out poet Andy Riverbed reading translations of my poetry (Spanish and English). Also, don't forget to click the newest issue of litchaos.com where you'll find an interview with  Andy that explains such mysteries as to why Andy was once called 1910. 

You can pre-order Damaged, Riverbed's book, at the Coatlism Bookstore. It's due out January 1st, 2009 but we hope they'll be available earlier than that. They make a great xmas present! 

A poem that I enjoyed

This poem, Bloodless, is one of Moctezuma's best poems. I just wanted to give him a shout out.

As promised on my myspace.com blog

Welcome, myspace folks and regular viewers. Below is an old sijo (Korean traditional poem) that I translated with a lot of sweat and help.

Some History

The sijo is older than the japanese counterpart, the haiku. It's usually one breath (between 14 - 16 syllables). Yulgok Yi Yi was one of the most famous sijo writers in Korean history. His mother was a painter (see image) and a famous writer. He learned his craft from her. He was born 1536 in Kangneun, Kangwondo (Korea). At thirteen he passed Korea's prestigious government exam and joined the elite yangban ruling class. Yulgok believed that energy is the center of the universe. Also, he proposed reinforcing the Korean military -- in other words, he foresaw the impending Japanese invasion.

Below is one of his famous sijo poems. Enjoy:

Yulgok Yi Yi (author -- Joseon Dynasty)

First is

the sun strikes Crown Rock

mist lift leaving painted fields: far and

near alive

the pine wine-jar

I set for friends among the greens,

they seem to approach when I watch

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My review of "Hot Rain"

Check out my review of Hot Rain by Lo Galluccio:

When I was a teenager, a friend of mine once said that people never talk as intimately as when they are cleaning out their ears with a q-tip. I have learned over the years that, although an adolescent made this comment, there is quite some truth in it. Hot Rain is a witty, fast-paced collection of poems that focuses on language, memories, and sound. The author is like a q-tip, and Galluccio's going to get the wax out. More

Review of Ten Poems & Amerpsands by David McLean

David McLean has written a review about my book. You can find it on his blog and at amazon.com. His blog, incidentally, has links to his mind-blowing arsenal of poetry, and it's an awesome resource for any writer--with links to various magazines and journals.

Buy Chiaia's book using google checkout

You can now purchase Chiaia's chapbook ($13.95) from Google Checkout: