Coming in June 2007! Pre-order here.
Isn't the cover photo striking? It's a photo taken by my wife when we were in Hoi An, Viet Nam several years ago. Thanks to Barbara, Daniel, and Op for your early feedback on it.
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Plus:
This awesome poet tagged me with the "name 5 songs that knocked your socks off" meme.
They are (in no particular order):
1. Little Wing, Jimi Hendrix
2. Bring the Noise, Public Enemy
3. Revolver, Rage Against the Machine
4. Do You Like Me, Fugazi
5. Gratitude, Beastie Boys
Let there be tagging: Soon-Young, Ji-in, Sarah, Craig, and C. Dale
20 comments:
Oh Lee, that IS a wonderful photograph.
And thanks for your comment. I'm not commenting much on blogs, either. It just became so time consuming , but I still read you, too.
That is stunning and layered with stories. I can't wait to pick up a copy - I enjoy your work a great deal.
Nice to meet you,
Brent
Lee, this is a good cover. It's so blue....!
That is a fantastic cover...
Thanks, everyone. It's getting there!
Love the cover, Lee and can't wait to read it! Kind of makes me sad to see them going away but hopeful for they might be going.
A friend and I were just talking about Hoi An and the orphanage there. Gives the photo some added meaning for me. ;)
Can't wait to see your new domain!
Awesome cover! Are they commuters?
gorgeous. can't wait to read you book!
Hi Lee. THis is a fascinating cover! We've heard all our years that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, this picture seems full of a thousand stories. Amazing.
I can't wait to read this. Congratulations on such a fine achievement, already.
Thank you, thank you! sume, you've been to Hoi An? Oliver, you were asking if they were commuters...
Yes, I think they were. When my wife took this picture, it was around 9:00 in the morning. We were eating at our favorite restaurant, the Rose. It is a family owned restaurant with the best fish you've ever had. We would always order the fish wrapped in banana leaf.
Anyway, yes, these men had loaded their bicycles onto this small boat and were heading across the water. They had the look of men going to work---somewhat tired, slightly contemplative, with a bit of anticipation. I was struck by how slowly the boat was moving. You'll notice in the photgraph there is hardly any wake to the water. I am interested in notions of physical space, thought, and the desire for a spiritual elevation---and this picture captures so much of that for me. I kept wondering what each man was thinking, what he had eaten for breakfast, if he had children, and what kind of things his day would include. We were about twenty feet from the water when this picture was taken. I can still hear the sounds of the commotion very clearly to this day.
Your cover is beautiul!
thanks, Stephanie!
That's what I thought, re: the photo. They look like they're ready to go to work.
As for your musical choices . . . "oldies" but goodies! Didn't think you were the Rage type, but judging by the rest of your choices, clearly you are. They're on my iPod spin list as well . . . and they're back together. ;-)
Yes, I like a lot of the melodic guitar stuff like Built to Spill and Grandaddy, but I love RATM, Tool, Soundgarden, and groups like that just as much if not more...when I was younger I saw Tool live several times and more recently I saw RATM, and for that concert I sat in the upper deck, far away from the flying elbows and sweaty bodies, but still close enough to hear the great music.
Great cover photo. Congratulations on your soon-to-be-released book of poetry. I will be sure to get a copy!
Beautiful cover! And I finally did the meme.
awesome cover, lee. the photo is beautiful. i wonder why your editor decided it was necessary to put "poems" on the cover? that seems weird. esp. with such a "pick me up!" cover. it's unlikely a consumer could pass such a cover without flipping through the book (and thus determining for him/herself the genre)
Lee,
Congratulations on your new book! I will try to get one for myself.
thanks, mor, c.dale, puka, jessica! glad you all dig it.
jessica, actually i pretty much designed the cover, along with my wife. a good friend of mine didn't like the white stripe, but i wanted it. i was 50/50 on adding "poems," but in the end i wanted to add it so he was fine with it. i think it's similar to when writers put "stories," or "a novel," on their cover, and while i am not sure why they do it, i did it not so much as an explanation but as a declaration of pride (if that makes sense). but i appreciate your kind words about it!
Embarassed to admit that I just saw that you tagged me! Will have to ponder this carefully and post my response soon.
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