AGNES MARTIN WITH PAINTING ~

 

R E A D   M E

                                  Agnes Martin in her studio (1960); photo by Alexander Liberman

JOHN NICHOLS ~

 

Rewind history, please

I want another chance.

J O H N    N I C H O L S

J O H N    N I C H O L S

John Treadwell Nichols (July 23, 1940 – November 27, 2023) was an American novelist. He was known for his "New Mexico trilogy" of novels

RE-READING SOL TIDE ~

 

I loved this mimeograph journal when it was released in the mid70s

or so and I still love coming across a copy today.

 It doesn't fit into the new and tall and narrow bookshop

 for tiny books I built, but other books by John Brandi would. 

Once upon a time we exchanged everything with one another. 

I have kept care and even coveted a few of John's books, 

mostso the tiniest ones, often hand-painted and out 

of his back hills mountain days of New Mexico. 

Back when a book would come from John and his "Nail Press." 

My own copy of Sol Tide is tucked away somewhere 

and here this morning I am looking at Janine Pommy Vega's copy. 

Like me, Janine kept her own copy in good shape and she was part of

the issue as I was. Just look at the roster of names! 

Editor and poem-hunter John Brandi was so good at this 

sort of thing, packed away with his little

family at the time in the outback and rolling out on hand crank

mimeo (as I was) issue after issue and booklet and folder and broadside and

poem from his Tooth of Time Press. What really captured my eye of John's,

beside his own writing and press work, were his delightful drawings of either solo

adventurer or some wanderer on the trail, ever in good mood and humor. At

least by the expression on their faces. In this issue of Sol Tide, Sweetheart noticed 

a short poem of mine never republished in a book. Yes, a pretty good poem.

I think I'll print up a bookmark of the poem and share it around.

[ BA ]

WALKING TO EXTREMES ~

R E A D      M E

McPherson & Company

2008

EVIL CHASING WAY ~

Set against the night country of New Mexico is a mystery that has never been solved. The novel follows the footsteps of a young reporter who has been assigned to witness a series of bizarre cattle mutilations. In his search for truth, he interviews tribal elders, scientists, FBI agents, state police, mediums, mystics, cattle and horse ranchers, and many other observers living in the high desert of northern New Mexico. One of his interviewees is a scientist who claims to have been taken aboard a “star car”. A Navajo medicine man confirms that he was abducted as well. A tribal friend tells the author: “There is a hole in the sky and things are coming out of it.” PRAISE FOR GERALD HAUSMAN “If you’re hungry for a book to keep you up past bedtime—with all the lights on—this tale is for you. Based on real unsolved mysteries, Evil Chasing Way deals with startling animal deaths that some attribute to aliens, skinwalkers, secret government research or a force of true evil. This is New Mexico’s own X File anchored in Hausman’s elegant prose and finely tuned descriptions of the Southwestern landscape.” —Anne Hillerman, author of Song of the Lion "Evil Chasing Way is something special. Part mystery, part magical realism, part personal journey, and very much mystical, I was irresistibly drawn into the story. I was captivated by the narrator, an inquisitive journalist seeking answers to the mysterious and often grotesque cattle and horse mutilations that once plagued southern Colorado and much of New Mexico. Experts raced from incident to incent, but credible explanations were few and far between. What happens when reality defies known science and rationality? That’s where Gerald Hausman begins. Then he draws deep from his well of knowledge of Navajo story and culture. (Think Tony Hillerman on steroids.) He takes you on a journey from the arroyos and high forests of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the craggy stone crevasses of the Grand Canyon. Along the way you meet shuffling skin walkers, extraterrestrials, and crafty coyotes. This is more than a novel. It’s an experience you won’t forget and it will leave you hungry for more."

 —Peter Eichstaedt, author of Borderlands and The Dangerous Divide

Speaking Volumes

18 Sleeping Dog Road

Santa Fe, New Mexico

87508

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALVARO ~

The wonderful poet, painter, humanitarian, activist
Alvaro Cardona-Hine passed away in late August
on the 28th, and only Alvaro would know to be
with us forever, leaving us all on our wedding anniversary.
His correspondence to me was like no other —
rich in romance and clear thinking, hard work,
steering by the poem star.
He is missed by many ~
His birth month is October.

Alvaro Cardona Hine High Road Artist

Alvaro

Truchas, New Mexico