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Below is the author Lachlan J. McDougall's review of Paul Lastovica's "Inventory Clerk". You can order a copy of "Inventory Clerk" here, and you can order a copy of Lachlan's book "i was out...the mice were in..." here. A filing system of image and phrase, this book reads in a series of fleeting impressions flooding the reader with darkness and light. Split into two sections—one of cut ups from other poets (Paz, Lorca, and others) and one of original work—the book is well composed and gives a definite feel of distant longing. The cut-ups are more definite and lucid than many I’ve seen, losing their choppy madness somewhere in the mix. Perhaps it’s a side effect of the poetic sources, perhaps it’s something to do with Lastovica’s process—either way there is something more elliptical and surreal about them than mechanical force. Merely an observation. The cut-ups are forceful in their lucidity bringing forth a host of images for the reader to revel in, perhaps I would have liked to have seen more evidence of juxtaposition, but what I was greeted with was dazzling in its own way. The original poems are much like the cut-ups: veiled, cyclic and drenched in cryptic image. With a book like this you can simply pluck an image at random and mull it over—the whole thing is infinitely dissectable and waiting for the scalpel. There is a tendency to drift off in the smokescreen of words, but perhaps this is precisely the point. We are lost at sea and there’s nothing but words to save us—grab on to what you can. Summary: a great little book and one which will leave you reeling on your rocking horse. An easy read, but one in which you can always delve deeper and deeper. If you’re looking for a new and interesting poetic diversion, this just might be it. You can read the review on Lachlan's site here.
Lemures Books is happy to announce our first chapbook publication: Paul Lastovica's Inventory Clerk.
Lastovica describes the collection as such: ‘Inventory Clerk’ is a nod to a former part of my career outside of art; it’s also a fitting reference to the process of sorting through 15+ years of sporadically written and poorly organized poetry. It’s also a bit of misdirection. It’s a catalog of things going on behind the veil, thoughts & ideas firing off in fragments, captured, pondered, and shelved; waiting to be recounted and maybe lost, then found again. It’s for creatives living below the radar, practicing their art in secret, quietly doing the work they need to do – for reasons they don’t understand - outside of anyone’s notice. The meanings & message within are open-ended and as deep as one is willing to peer. The chapbook is split into two parts. The first part is composed of 10 cut-up poems, ranging from 2006 to the present, drawn from such varied sources as Federico Garcia Lorca and the 1999 Spring/Summer edition of Orange Willow Review. The second part is comprised of 10 original works by Lastovica. Digital review copies are available by request- if you're interested in writing a review of Inventory Clerk, please email us at [email protected] for a PDF. Inventory Clerk, Paul Lastovica Release Date: April 8, 2022 (tentative) 42pp, $13 + Shipping |
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September 2022
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